A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

"You rascal, instead of going to Nanjing to study, you're stuck in Beiping. Aren't you afraid of getting a lecture from your teachers?"

After handing his son to his elder brother Zhang Rende, Zhang Renfeng put his hands behind his back and sized up Ding Wei.

Carrying water and chopping wood?

Isn't that just like Qi Tongwei?

It's not that Zhang Renfeng disliked it; on the contrary, his ability to handle things was a good thing at this time. For example, he was very suitable for dirty and tiring work such as coordination.

Ding Wei rubbed his hands together, his face beaming as if he had just found a gold ingot:

"The old commander decided the fate of the world in one battle. It's better to learn from the old commander than from a teacher. I'm really looking forward to it."

Ding Wei pulled Zhang Renfeng aside and whispered, "Commander, I see now that you are the person I respect most in the entire army. As the saying goes, if you lack seniority, Old Chen can make up for it. I, Ding Wei, am willing to follow Director Zhang's lead!"

Who wouldn't be confused by what I'm saying?

Zhang Renfeng waved his hand, his expression serious yet slightly teasing:

"Don't say things that are detrimental to unity anymore. What do you mean by 'it's better to learn from me'? I was just saying..."

"Hey, old commander, anyone with eyes can see that you've created your own unique style, combining tactics with military technology, making the American imperialists run for their lives. The old commander's tactics are just regular army routines, yours is a dimensional reduction attack, it's different." Ding Wei flattered him so smoothly, his words were as sweet as honey.

Zhang Renfeng didn't say much, but he was thinking to himself that since Ding Wei was in Beiping, he might as well hand him over to Kong Jie and Li Yunlong and let them have some fun for him.

Those two guys had been cooped up in North Korea for a year, and when they came back they were just looking for someone to show off to. Ding Wei stood there, and he became the perfect control group.

"Ding Wei, go to the military parade formation at the Temple of Heaven. Li Yunlong and Kong Jie are next to each other. Go and learn some experience. I'll talk to you again later."

Of course, you can't completely deny him hope. When dealing with subordinates, you have to use Old Chen's method: give him a little sunshine and let him shine.

Zhang Renfeng thought for a moment, then added, "I'll take a good look at it later and see if the Second Ministry of Machine Building or Harbin Military Engineering Institute that I'm setting up needs cadres. I need to weigh this up. You should go now."

Upon hearing this, Ding Wei was initially unwilling. If he went now, wouldn't he be ridiculed?

Why would someone willingly offer themselves up to be ridiculed?

But since the old leader had spoken, he couldn't refuse. And judging from the tone of the words, the leader hadn't blocked the way, which meant there was a chance.

He quickly pulled a thick red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Zhang Xiuqi's arms. The little guy was chewing on his fingers and was hit by the red envelope, but he didn't cry. He just held it in his hand as if he were holding some kind of treasure.

Ding Wei saluted, turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he turned back, his smile a mixture of eagerness and trepidation: "Sir, shall I go to the Temple of Heaven then?"

"Go on, go on." Zhang Renfeng waved his hand at him, then seemed to remember something.

"By the way, when you see Li Yunlong and Kong Jie, tell them I sent you to check on their training progress. Don't be all servile and obsequious. You're a division commander, don't let them put you in their shoes."

Upon hearing this, Ding Wei involuntarily straightened his back, unable to suppress the smile on his face: "Yes, sir! Don't worry, I'll guarantee to complete the mission!"

He turned and strode away, his steps much lighter than when he arrived.

After Ding Wei had walked away, Zhang Xiyue came over and gently nudged Zhang Renfeng with her arm, her voice tinged with reproach:

"How could you make empty promises to him? He's a division commander, after all. If you just say 'I'll think about it later,' he might keep thinking about it for a long time."

Zhang Renfeng laughed and said, "What do you mean by 'drawing a pie in the sky'? This is giving him hope. You didn't see his enthusiasm; it was exactly the same as when he was chasing me for battle in the Taihang Mountains back then."

If you give this kind of person something to look forward to, they'll risk their life for it.

Alright, alright, let's not talk about him anymore. Let's go, let's go. Sister Fu isn't home today, and Old Chen went to the Central Military Commission to report on his work.

We handed the child over to my older brother, and then the two of us went home to sleep, in a different spot...

Zhang Xiyue was furious; she really wanted to bite Zhang Renfeng to death. This man would become arrogant if given even a little bit of sunshine.

The matter from last night had just subsided, and before the day was even over, they were already having wicked ideas again.

You insist that you can't lose to Wu Xinquan of the 39th Army. He already has six children, and you only have one. What's the rush?

Despite her inner rage, her face flushed, and she lightly pinched his arm: "Can't you be serious for once?"

Zhang Renfeng chuckled, about to tease her a couple more times, when Zhang Rende, who was holding Zhang Xiuqi, coughed lightly. The cough was neither too loud nor too soft, carrying the characteristic sense of "I heard everything but I won't say anything" that comes with being an older brother:

"Ah, Renfeng, Xiyue, is something wrong? If you're busy, go ahead and do your thing. Just look after the child with me. I'll show him around the neighborhood."

Zhang Renfeng knew that there were some things you didn't need to tell your older brother at all; he knew everything!

He took the child from Xi Yue's arms and grinned at Zhang Rende:

"Then, brother, I'll leave the child with you and your wife. I need to discuss something with your sister-in-law. We'll come back to pick him up this afternoon, no, tomorrow."

Zhang Rende nodded without asking any further questions. He picked up Zhang Xiuqi and turned to walk into the courtyard, humming a folk song tune from Guangxi Province. Little Xiuqi was perched on his shoulder, playfully tugging at his ear.

Looking at his elder brother's retreating figure, Zhang Renfeng felt incredibly relieved.

He greeted his elder brother, exchanged a few words with his sister-in-law Mu Xiuhua, and then pulled Zhang Xiyue out.

After saying hello to his sister-in-law, Zhang Guilin happened to be going to study, so the couple had a day to themselves.

To avoid being disturbed, I lock the door as soon as I get home!

They even borrowed a few big black dogs from the public security forces!

They tied it to the gate and brought in a squad of soldiers from the Liangshan Special Operations Battalion to guard the gate in order to prevent Chen Gouzi from rebelling!

The person in charge of this platoon was Wang Xikui, the deputy battalion commander of the special operations battalion. He was the kind of person who was determined to carry out his mission.

Zhang Renfeng walked to the door, turned back and gave Wang Xikui an order, his tone leaving no room for discussion:

"Xizi, no matter who comes... no, as long as Dean Chen comes, turn him away. If he really doesn't listen, unleash the dogs on him."

Wang Xikui snapped to attention and saluted, his back ramrod straight, his voice booming so loud it could be heard throughout the entire alley:

"Yes! Don't worry, Dean Zhang! As long as Dean Chen dares to cross this threshold, I guarantee Dahei will go first!"

He pointed to the several fat, strong black dogs at the door. The dogs were squatting next to the doorstep with their tongues hanging out, their eyes fierce, clearly former military dogs.

Zhang Renfeng nodded in satisfaction, turned around, closed the door, and slammed the latch shut.

Standing in the courtyard, Zhang Xiyue watched his actions with a mixture of exasperation and amusement: "Are you serious? Brother Chen isn't a tiger."

"He's far more terrifying than a tiger." Zhang Renfeng turned around, spreading his hands.

"You have no idea, I just got home last night and he came to block the door with peanuts and soda. If Sister Fu hadn't dealt with him, I could have been kept up by him until the wee hours of the morning."

We both finally have some free time today, I can't let this cripple ruin our good time again.

Hearing him call him "cripple" repeatedly, Zhang Xiyue couldn't help but laugh out loud. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: "You, watch your mouth."

Zhang Renfeng stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and led her into the house: "We can talk about accumulating merit tonight. Let's take care of business first."

Zhang Xiyue was dragged along by him, half-pushing and half-reluctantly following, saying "Don't make trouble in broad daylight," but her feet didn't slow down at all!

She kept muttering, "Xiuqi hasn't been weaned yet, you can't... you don't want to... sigh~~~"