The two smiled at each other and continued to chat for a long time. Song Wendi was filled with emotion. In his heart, he had already regarded Fang Zhicheng as his apprentice. Fang Zhicheng's passion and drive made him feel as if he had just entered the officialdom more than ten years ago. However, due to the precipitation of time and complicated experiences, the passion gradually cooled down, and Song Wendi became more rational and calm.
Song Wendi suddenly felt an impulse in his heart. Because he didn't have a suitable teacher to support him, many of his bold ideas could not be implemented smoothly, which became his regret in his years of officialdom. Now that he has met Fang Zhicheng who is similar to him, why not let Fang Zhicheng realize his dream, which can also make up for the regret at the beginning
After checking the time, it was already past five o'clock, so Fang Zhicheng stood up and said goodbye. He had already made an appointment with Qin Yuming to have a New Year's Eve dinner together. Song Wendi did not force Fang Zhicheng to stay, and asked the nanny Xiaoyan to send Fang Zhicheng to the door. After leaving, Fang Zhicheng suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, took out a beautifully packaged box from his purse, and stuffed it into Xiaoyan's hand.
Xiaoyan was very surprised, and could hardly hide the surprise in her eyes. She whispered, "Brother Cheng, what are you doing?"
"Spring Festival gift?" Fang Zhicheng blinked, waved his hand, and walked away.
Xiaoyan stared at Fang Zhicheng's back and sighed with mixed feelings. She gently opened the box and saw a finely crafted pendant inside. A faint smile soon appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"The rose's in her hand, the flavor in mine." - Give someone a rose, and the fragrance will linger on your hand. Xiaoyan is Song Wendi's nanny, and giving her a little surprise and romance is necessary to consolidate the relationship between Fang Zhicheng and Song Wendi.
In the officialdom, in addition to the wife strategy, many people also use the nanny strategy. Xiaoyan is deeply trusted by Song Wendi, just like his daughter. If he can make Xiaoyan like him, he will always need her in the future.
Qin Yuming specially made dumplings with three kinds of fillings: cabbage and beef, leeks and eggs, and celery and pork. Fang Zhicheng returned home and the dumplings had just been put into the pot. He took off his coat and went to the kitchen to help and mix the sauce. "Sister Ming, why did you think of making dumplings?"
People in the north eat dumplings on New Year's Eve, but this custom does not exist in the south.
Qin Yuming smiled and said, "Isn't it okay to do it on a whim? If we are celebrating the New Year with two people, we can't finish a table full of dishes. It's better to keep it simple and eat dumplings to create a better atmosphere."
Fang Zhicheng nodded and looked at Qin Yuming with a smile. Qin Yuming thought there was flour on her face, so she wiped it off and asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Fang Zhicheng shook his head and smiled happily: "I just want to take a closer look at you. It's purely a man's appreciation of a woman."
Qin Yuming rolled her eyes at Fang Zhicheng and spat, "You've been promoted, and your level of smooth talk has also improved."
Fang Zhicheng smiled and said disapprovingly, "Sister Ming, I am speaking from the bottom of my heart, and you are pouring cold water on me again."
Qin Yuming smiled and pursed her lips and said, "Okay, let's set the table quickly. The dumplings will be out of the pot soon."
Fang Zhicheng brought the seasoning to the table, then took out a bottle of red wine and two tall glasses and filled them with red wine. Qin Yuming came out with a large plate of dumplings, untied her apron, sat down, and said with a smile: "Our New Year's Eve dinner today is quite interesting."
Fang Zhicheng nodded and praised: "Half Western and half Chinese, not extravagant, not simple, with a festive atmosphere, romantic, and extraordinary..."
Qin Yuming raised her glass and clinked it with Fang Zhicheng's. She smiled and said, "Sister, I wish you a successful career in the coming year, rapid advancement, and further advancement."
Fang Zhicheng smiled, touched the wine glass, took a sip, then leaned close to Qin Yuming's ear and whispered a few words.
Qin Yuming blushed slightly, then nodded, left her seat, and then stood on tiptoe and danced in the middle of the living room.
Fang Zhicheng half leaned on the chair, put down the red wine glass in his hand, took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, lit it and took a deep breath. After inhaling and exhaling the smoke, Qin Yuming's beautiful figure became hazy in the smoke. Qin Yuming's arms danced slowly, her steps were light and rhythmic. Under the dim light, her graceful figure and beautiful dance posture seemed like Chang'e from the Moon Palace who had fallen into the world. The whole person exuded a soft halo, which made her look particularly beautiful.
Qin Yuming seemed to feel Fang Zhicheng's burning gaze. Although her movements were still smooth, her face was flushed with shyness and her eyes seemed to be frowning and angry.
Fang Zhicheng stood up from his chair, walked to the center of the living room, picked up Qin Yuming's hand, and danced with Qin Yuming with slightly clumsy hands and feet...
Chapter 0315: Rumors Can Kill People
At about 1 p.m. on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Fang Zhicheng came to Qiu Hengde's home with gifts to pay New Year's greetings. When Lele saw Fang Zhicheng, she threw herself into his arms. Fang Zhicheng stuffed a red envelope into Lele's arms and kissed her on her rosy cheeks. After not seeing her for a few months, Lele had grown a lot taller.
Lu Wanyu's mother Xu Ying took a few days off for the New Year and was not at Qiu's house. Qiu Hengde, Xie Yuxin and Xie Fang were sitting on the balcony drinking tea and basking in the sun, so Fang Zhicheng held Lele on his lap and chatted with them.
Lele took the initiative to peel a few peanuts for Fang Zhicheng, and then put them into Fang Zhicheng's mouth. Fang Zhicheng chewed them exaggeratedly, gave Lele a thumbs up, and praised: "Lele, the peanuts you peeled are really delicious."
Encouraged by Fang Zhicheng, Lele continued to peel the peanuts. Xie Yuxin smiled and sighed softly, "Lele, why didn't you peel the peanuts for your mother?"
Lele thought for a while and said, "Uncle Fang just gave me New Year's money. I wanted to repay him. Mom, you never gave me New Year's money and even hid my New Year's money."
Everyone was amused by Lele's quirky words. Qiu Hengde smiled and said, "Lele, what you said makes your uncle unhappy. Yesterday, I gave you a big red envelope."
Lele thought for a moment, sighed, picked a few peanuts from the peeled kernels, and handed them to Qiu Hengde, saying, "Okay, uncle, this is my compensation to you..."
Qiu Hengde pretended to be jealous and joked, "Le Le, this is a bit unfair. Why did you give more to Uncle Fang, but only one or two to Uncle?"
Lele spread her hands, blinked her beautiful eyes, and sighed, "Uncle, you are a high-ranking official, how can you be so calculative?"
Qiu Hengde laughed loudly twice, shrugged helplessly, and sighed: "Forget it, forget it, I know that in Lele's heart, I will never be as good as Uncle Fang."
Lele seemed a little angry, snorted, and ignored Qiu Hengde, continuing to peel peanuts. Fang Zhicheng thought to himself that there were probably not many people in Yinzhou who dared to directly turn their backs on Qiu Hengde, the head of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, except Lele.
Deputy department-level officials are also ordinary people at home. When they are with their relatives, they are not at all airs and are easy-going and friendly.
Qiu Hengde waved to Fang Zhicheng, Fang Zhicheng nodded in understanding, and then followed Qiu Hengde into the study.
Xie Fang leaned close to Xie Yuxin's ear and whispered a few words. Xie Yuxin's face changed drastically and she quickly shook her head. Xie Fang showed regret on her face, sighed leisurely, and said no more.
In the study, the two sat opposite each other and did not talk about work, but talked about daily life.
Qiu Hengde asked casually, "Xiao Fang, you are already 26 years old, not young anymore, have you ever thought about getting married early?"
Fang Zhicheng was slightly startled, not knowing Qiu Hengde's intention, and thought to himself, could it be that he wanted him to marry Xie Yuxin? This was unlikely, Fang Zhicheng still had some understanding of Xie Yuxin's mind, that was a woman who had experienced a failed marriage and was steadfast in her single ideals.
Fang Zhicheng shrugged and said truthfully: "For me, marriage is a natural thing. If I encounter the right opportunity, I can consider it. However, judging from the current situation, it is still a long way off and it is not in my plan."
The first figure that flashed in Fang Zhicheng's mind was undoubtedly Qin Yuming, but Qin Yuming had never mentioned marriage, so he didn't want to force her too much.
Qiu Hengde nodded and sighed, "You are now mostly focused on work, but for officials, starting a family is also a necessary condition. Because after having a family, you will have no worries, and it will also prevent some rumors from spreading."