Chapter Thirty-One: Having Breakfast with Secretary Li

  Before entering the provincial bureau's family courtyard, Xu Fei walked into a small supermarket and bought two boxes of brain white gold and a bag of apples.

  Ye Ming asked somewhat strangely: "Director Xu, isn't Secretary Li someone who never accepts gifts? Are you not afraid of being rebuffed if you take these things to his home?"

  Xu Fei shook his head and said, "Little Ye, don't think of Secretary Li as someone who lacks human feelings. Secretary Li is a patient with an illness, and his elderly mother lives at home. I'm just buying some supplements for the elderly and fruit to take to his house to visit him and show respect to the elderly, which is normal social etiquette. There's a fundamental difference between this and giving gifts in official circles. Although Secretary Li is a leader, he's also someone who values human relationships and wouldn't kick me out just because I bring gifts."

  Ye Ming suddenly remembered: Today was also his first time going to Secretary Li's home, and Secretary Li's mother was there too. He should have bought something to bring with him to be polite.

  Then he also bought two boxes of Golden Partner and a big bag of longan, and came to the Provincial Bureau's family courtyard building 3, unit 2, room 802 with Xu Fei - this is Secretary Li's home.

  Secretary Li's wife, Lijia, had been taking care of him at home for the past few days. When she opened the door and saw Ye Ming, she immediately turned around excitedly and shouted: "Old Li, Xiao Ye is here!"

  Until then, she suddenly found Xu Fei behind Ye Ming and asked unexpectedly: "Director Xu, why are you so early too? Do you know Little Ye?"

  Xu Fei smiled and said: "Director Li, good! Ye Ming is my best little brother. Last night he didn't arrive in the provincial city until midnight, so I arranged for him to rest at the Huahui Building. He told me he wanted to come visit Secretary Li and Director Li, but he wasn't very familiar with the Provincial Bureau's residential area, so he was afraid of getting lost and asked me to show him the way. As it happens, I've been wanting to pay a visit to Secretary Li and Director Li for a long time, so I took advantage of the opportunity and followed my old brother to your home to crash your breakfast."

  At this time, Li Runki also walked over with a smile and shook hands with Ye Ming and Xu Fei, saying: "Director Xu, you and Little Ye are good friends? Welcome, welcome, please come in!"

  Ye Meng walked into the living room and saw an old lady with a head full of silver hair, looking a bit dazed in the eyes, sitting on the sofa. Hearing the sound at the door, she trembled and stood up, stretching out her thin hands to grasp in mid-air, asking repeatedly: "Runji, has your benefactor come? Where is he? Come, let me take a look..."

  Ye Meng guessed that this old lady was Li Runji's mother and quickly walked over, supporting her body, saying: "Grandma, I'm here."

  The old lady strained her eyes to get a clear look at Ye Ming's appearance, but unfortunately, her eyes were too blurry and she could only see a vague tall figure. She was so anxious that she kept saying: "Look, I'm completely blind now, can't even see people's faces clearly... Child, I heard Runki and my daughter-in-law say that you're only in your twenties, but you have such great skills, taking down three knife-wielding thugs by yourself, incredible! Incredible!"

  The old lady sighed and kept searching with her thin hands on Ye Ming's body, touching one place and praising it, saying "good bones", then "good figure", then "high nose bridge"...

  Ye Ming stood there with a smile, bowing his head, as the old lady ran her hands all over him from head to toe, and praised him repeatedly.

  Li Runji and Li Jingya stood by, smiling as they watched their mother caress and praise Ye Ming.

  After patting Ye Ming, the old lady straightened her waist, sighed, and muttered to herself: "Alas, if I had a grandson as handsome and capable as this one..."

  Xu Fei hastily said with a smile: "Auntie, Xiao Ye is an orphan and has no relatives in his hometown either. Why don't you just adopt him as your grandson?"

  The old lady's turbid eyes flashed a thread of brightness, and she raised her head to ask: "Really? Child, are you really an orphan?"

  Ye Ming said: "Grandma, I didn't have a father since I was young, and my mother passed away a few years ago. So Director Xu wasn't wrong, now I'm just an orphan."

  The old lady hurriedly said to Li Runji: "Runji, do you recognize this adopted son? If you don't recognize him, I'll recognize him as my grandson first."

  Li Runji busily smiled and said: "Mom, since you've already acknowledged him as your grandson, can't I do the same? Come on, let's have breakfast first."

  Li Runji's family breakfast, following his old rural home habits, a pot of porridge, several dishes of pickled vegetables, a dish of fermented tofu, and a bowl of mushroom soup. In addition, because she was worried that Ye Ming would not eat enough or not be used to it, Li Jingya also specially went out to buy several large meat buns.

  When drinking mushroom soup, the old lady sighed and said: "Alas, now these mushrooms are all man-made, without any real mushroom flavor. Runji, do you still remember when I took you to the mountain to pick pine mushrooms when you were a kid? Those mushrooms were really delicious. Unfortunately, the pine forests have been destroyed, and I haven't eaten real pine mushrooms in over a decade. Don't laugh at me, young ones: now whenever I think of the freshness of pine mushrooms, I drool even when I'm sleeping at night."

  Li Runji said with some guilt, "Mom, it's the son who is unfilial. I couldn't even fulfill such a small request of yours. There aren't any real pine mushroom for sale in the provincial city at all. Jingya and I are helpless!"

  Xu Fei heard their mother and son's conversation, his heart moved, and a look of surprise gradually appeared in his eyes...

  While having breakfast, Li Runji and Ye Ming brought up the matter of recommending him to declare "Provincial Advanced Individual for Bravery". Ye Ming asked with some concern: "Secretary Li, my major demerit has not been revoked yet, if I apply for the Provincial Advanced Individual for Bravery now, won't it be criticized by others?"

  Li Run-ji said: "Don't worry about this matter, I've already considered it. For individuals who are brave and righteous, as long as their actions conform to the standards of bravery and righteousness, and have a significant impact on promoting social justice, they can be nominated for recognition. In other words, if someone's behavior meets the above-mentioned standards of bravery and righteousness, even if they are a convicted felon, in my opinion, they should also be eligible for this honor. Moreover, your punishment was not due to corruption or bribery, but rather because you stood up against injustice and fought against an incompetent bureau chief, which, from its essence, can also be considered a brave and righteous act. Director Xu, what do you think?"

  Xu Fei hastily accompanied with a smile and said: "Secretary Li, you are still farsighted and have a unique perspective. I also think that someone like the head of Xinleng County Bureau, who is so corrupt and brazenly harasses female colleagues, if my brother were to beat him up, that would be upholding justice, not only should he not be punished, but he should be commended."

  Li Runji nodded, saying angrily: "A scoundrel like that, if I had known about his shameful behavior, I'm afraid I would have also lost control and beaten him up. I did something similar when I was in the army. So, Xiaoye's temper is very much like mine when I was young, I really like it."

  At this moment, the phone on the tea table next to the dining table suddenly rang. Li Jingya picked up the receiver and heard the voice, it was Xia Chuchu who called.

  "Auntie, have you had breakfast? I'm getting ready to go to work now. I heard that Uncle Li has been discharged from the hospital and is back home, I'll come visit you guys in a couple of days!"

  "Chu Chu, thank you. I have a guest at home now, it's Ye Ming, the one who saved your life and I told you about in the hospital last time, so I won't chat with you more now, come visit when you're free!"

  "What? Ye Ming is at your place now? Wait a minute, I'm free now... You want Ye Ming to wait, I'll be right over."