The paper money was soon burned, and after bursts of raging flames, it turned into black charcoal ash, which slowly drifted away under the blowing of the north wind, and soon left no trace.

Li Rui hugged Lu Qingman, looked at the tombstone with a sad expression, and seemed to be able to see a middle-aged woman who looked like Qingman looming inside, and said to her silently in his heart: "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely be good to Qingman, and I will take care of Dad." ”

After returning from the cemetery, the couple drove back to Qingyang. Tomorrow is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, and it is the first day of work after the holiday, so I must go back today. Of course, in the first few days after the end of the New Year's Festival, the party and government organs will not be able to do any serious work, and people will basically visit each other in various units and departments to pay respects to their old age, eat and drink, and wait until after the 15th day of the first lunar month to enter the formal work period.

Many friends may have discovered that on the first week after the year, that is, from the seventh day of the first lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, government agencies basically do not do things, and even if they do, they are extremely inefficient. For example, if you go to the police station to get an ID card or change your household registration book, the other party will usually tell you that the network is not good, or the computer is broken, or something, and find all kinds of excuses to deal with you, in short, you just don't do anything. Why? It's because people haven't recovered from their annual leave yet, and they still need a buffer period of a week. This kind of thing is also an unspoken rule of the organs, and it is common throughout the country.

When the couple returned home, Lu Qingman listed the local specialties brought back from Phuket, among which cashew nuts and dried tropical fruits were eaten by Li Jianmin, and the remaining batik products and tin pots were handicrafts, which could not be eaten, but could only be seen.

Li Jianmin tasted the cashew nuts curiously and said, "It's the same flavor as the one we bought at home." Lu Qingman smiled: "Cashew nuts are not all the same flavor. If you try those dried fruits again, they will definitely not taste the same as the ones we bought here. Li Jianmin tasted a few, and sure enough, he praised it again and again, saying that he had never eaten it, and beckoned Xiaohong, a nanny who was busy with housework at home, to come and eat.

Seeing Xiaohong, Li Rui suddenly remembered the gifts he received for the New Year, and he couldn't put them in the garage, so he had to send them out quickly, so he hurriedly went downstairs, went to the garage and picked out four gifts, mentioned them upstairs at home, and told Xiaohong to bring them back when he went home at night.

Xiaohong couldn't help but thank him a thousand times, as if she had taken advantage of his family.

Indeed, from her point of view, these gifts, to say the least, cost seven or eight hundred yuan, and they were taken out of thin air, which was indeed a big advantage for his family; but from Li Rui's point of view, these gifts have no value at all, and after they have enough food and clothing at home, these gifts have become a burden, and they just want to send them out as soon as possible, so as not to cause the adverse effects of accepting benefits from others. But then again, it is not a big deal for government officials to receive gifts (pure gifts) during the New Year's holidays, and they will not be blamed by anyone, after all, this is an ordinary thing. The leading cadres themselves still give gifts, so what are they afraid of receiving gifts?

Li Jianmin suddenly remembered something, and said: "Xiao Rui, a few days ago, your old classmate Zhang Bing came over, saying that he was here to pay New Year's greetings, and seeing that you were not at home, he didn't stay much and left again." Give him a call and ask, is there something wrong?"

Li Rui sighed, took out his mobile phone and went into the back room, and called Zhang Bing. The phone rang and was answered as soon as it waved.

Zhang Bing said with a smile: "Xiao Rui, are you back?" Li Rui smiled: "Yes, I just came back from the provincial capital, how is the New Year, I will give you a good old age here." Zhang Bing said: "It's good, hehe, our old classmates don't need to be polite." Li Rui said: "I was looking for you, I wanted to ask you for a favor." Zhang Bing was very puzzled when he heard this, and said strangely: "I didn't listen to the errand, did you? You asked me to help? What else can't you do?" Li Rui smiled: "Let's talk about it when we meet, I'll have lunch first, and then I'll go to your house to find you after lunch." Zhang Bing was very happy and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for you, I also have something to tell you." Li Rui said: "Well, let's talk about it when we meet." ”

After lunch, Li Rui picked out four gifts from the garage, put them in the trunk of the BMW, and drove to Zhang Bing's house. Zhang Bing had been waiting for him at the gate of the community in advance, and was very surprised when he saw him driving a BMW, but thinking of his identity, he felt that there was nothing strange about it, so he sat in the passenger seat of the car a little respectfully, and guided him to drive the car into the community and park it downstairs.

After getting out of the car, Li Rui opened the trunk and took out the four gifts and put them on the ground. Zhang Bing walked over and said in surprise: "Oh, come here, what are you doing with these?" Li Rui smiled: "The house is full of this thing, I can't put it down, you help me eliminate a small part, hehe." ”

Zhang Bing listened to him casually and modestly, without any arrogance, not at all a showy tone, but a kind of modest taste in it, secretly heartbroken, secretly thought, if this is replaced by Li Zhichao, not to mention that he will never give himself a gift, even if he does, it is definitely a worthless garbage gift, and he will definitely say something exaggerated in value, so that he can remember his favor, compared with the two, Li Rui is more good at being a person, and more realistic, to make friends, you have to make friends like him, my heart is covered with a layer of remorse, regret that I have been mixed with Li Zhichao for so many years。

The two of them each carried two gifts, laughed and went upstairs, and soon sat down in the living room of Zhang Bing's house.

Zhang Bing's wife had already prepared a tea set, and as soon as the two of them entered the door, they immediately made tea, and when Li Rui sat on the sofa, she had already handed over the teacup as soon as possible, with a smile on her face, looking respectful and careful.

After his wife finished serving tea, Zhang Bing drove her back to the bedroom, because he had to talk about some private things next, and it was not good for her to hear them.

Zhang Bing said in a low voice: "Let me tell you something first." Li Rui said with a happy expression: "Okay." Zhang Bing said: "A few days ago, I went to Ding Yijing's house with Li Zhichao and Yu Zhen...... Li Rui's heart jumped, and he immediately put down the teacup and asked: "Is Ding Yijing at home?" Zhang Bing said: "Yes, of course, isn't she divorced, of course she has to go home for the New Year." Li Rui asked: "Li Zhichao, what did they do in the past?" After saying this, he felt that he didn't need to ask this sentence at all, what else could Li Zhichao do when he went to Ding Yijing? It was nothing more than a great deal of courtesy, but unfortunately, he didn't know that Ding Yijing was already in love with him, and he had no chance. Zhang Bing said: "I said that I was going to pay New Year's greetings to Ding Yijing, but in fact, I was chasing her." ”

Li Rui sighed and asked, "Is Ding Yijing still at home now?" Zhang Bing shook his head and said, "I don't know about this, why don't you call her and ask." In fact, I want to tell you that Ding Yijing's mother once called Li Zhichao into a room and asked something, and when Li Zhichao came out, he knew that you had ......" Li Rui frowned and asked, "What have I been?" Zhang Bing carefully observed his expression, and said tentatively: "You once hugged Ding Yijing, and ...... I kissed her. Li Rui's face remained unchanged, but he understood in his heart that this must have been told to Li Zhichao by Ding's mother, very strange, I don't know what Ding's mother told him for? Could it be to remind him that Ding Yijing has already made peace with him, and he should stop pestering her? Zhang Bing said again: "After Li Zhichao heard this, he was very unhappy and wanted to fix you. ”

Li Rui didn't say anything after hearing this, the expression on his face did not change, he acted lightly, as if he was not surprised by this, but his heart had already begun to turn over the river and the sea, thinking that in order to help Li Zhichao be promoted to the deputy director of the Shibei District Industrial and Commercial Branch, he did not hesitate to make friends with Gao Hongliang, the director of the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce, who had never dealt with him, and finally made him become the deputy director as he wished. It's nothing more than an animal.

Zhang Bing saw that he was silent, and secretly admired his bearing, if it was himself, it is estimated that he would have been furious, no wonder he could be the secretary of the municipal party committee, got up and refilled his tea, sat back and began to express his position, saying: "This Li Zhichao, it's not that I said him, it's really not interesting." Who doesn't know that without your full help, how could he become the deputy director of the district industrial and commercial bureau? With his little connections and skills, no one can turn him to be the deputy director. You helped him so much, he didn't say anything to you, after all, they are all old classmates, and you don't expect him to repay you, but he wants to turn his face against you because of Ding Yijing, and he wants to deal with you secretly, this is not a thing, right? Alas, En will take revenge, how can there be such a person? I am really blind, how can I make such a friend. ”

Li Rui smiled slightly and said, "I just think this person is quite interesting." I don't know where he got so much courage to want to kill me? It's not that I brag, I can kill him with a little finger, and he still wants to kill me, and I don't know how he wants to kill me? ”

In the past, Li Rui has always maintained a low-key and humble nature, and rarely brags about himself, since marrying Lu Qingman, he has become an official member of the Lu family, and he is more or less smug. Of course, this is also to say this kind of thing to Zhang Bing, an old classmate, and if you are an outsider, you don't dare to say that. Moreover, when he deals with a small person like Li Zhichao, he doesn't need to rely on the strength of the Lu family at all, and he can cure Li Zhichao obediently with his current status as the first secretary of the municipal party committee.