While Yang Tao is comforting Fu Zhengzheng, someone slaps her heavily on the back. She turns around in surprise. Unexpectedly, she sees Sun Qiubo grinning.

“Are you scared?” Sun Qiubo grins.

Fu Zhengzheng turns to look at He Menghuai and then Sun Qiubo. She snatches her phone from He Menghuai’s hand and glares, “Do you begin to make fool of me just after you two made peace?”

“Only a joke. Why are you so serious?” Sun Qiubo sticks out her tongue towards her and sits down next to her.

He Menghuai pours a glass of tea quickly and gives it to her.

At this time, Xu Yun puts a bowl of noodles before Fu Zhengzheng.

Fu Zhengzheng ignores Sun Qiubo and begins to enjoy the noodles.

“Wow, Zhengzheng, it’s almost 2:00. Do you just have your lunch? Wow, it’s so light. Hey, are you pregnant?” Sun Qiubo cranes her neck to ask.

“Nonsense. Siqi and I have got Fu Xing.” Fu Zhengzheng glances at her and then says significantly, “It’s not me that should be pregnant.”

He Menghuai repeats immediately, “Yes, Zhengzheng is not the one that should be pregnant.”

Sun Qiubo rolls her eyes at He Menghuai, and he falls into silence at once.

Yang Tao laughs, “Zhengzheng, you have to eat quickly. It’s nearly the attendance time. You have no time to enjoy it slowly.”

Hearing that, Fu Zhengzheng ignores Sun Qiubo. She rushes to finish the noodles and then goes away with Yang Tao, leaving Sun Qiubo and He Menghuai there.

“Zhengzheng, Xiaoyue and her mom want to invite you and Siqi for a meal at her house. They ask me to tell you.”

“A meal?” Fu Zhengzheng thinks and then says, “How about this evening? I always want to visit Aunt Lin.”

Yang Tao asks worriedly, “Will Siqi be free this evening?”

“He is probably free. We can have dinner later at the worst.”

“OK. Talk about it with Siqi first and then call me so that I can tell Xiaoyue.”

Fu Zhengzheng nods and says goodbye with Yang Tao. After returning to her department, she calls Han Siqi, and he agrees at once.

“I can go there by Yang Tao’s car. You go there directly from your company so that you won’t need to go by a roundabout route.”

“OK.”

After hanging up the phone, Fu Zhengzheng calls Yang Tao and tells him.

Yang Tao is excited obviously, “OK. Wait for me at the gate after we are off duty. I’ll call aunt now and tell her we will go there for dinner.”

“Remember to tell aunt to cook her signature dish, boiled fish head with pickled cabbage and chili.”

“No problem.”

Fu Zhengzheng puts down her phone. When she thinks of the boiled fish head with pickled cabbage and chili which is pleasantly sour, her mouth almost waters.

Zhang Lin asks smilingly, “Sister Zhengzheng, you will have delicious food this evening, right?”

“Yes, my friend’s mother can cook delicious boiled fish head with pickled cabbage and chili. From last evening to this noon, my diets were all light, so I’m eager to eat something that suits my taste.”

“Poor Sister Zhengzheng, you need a big meal indeed.”

Fu Zhengzheng smiles and then begins to work on the computer. But she finds Zhang Lin still standing by her, so she can’t help asking, “What’s the matter?”

Zhang Lin says embarrassedly, “Sister Zhengzheng, you seem to be close to Sergeant He and Captain Yang.”

Fu Zhengzheng asks confusedly, “What’s up?”

Zhang Lin scratches her head and smiles shyly, “I know Sergeant He has a girlfriend, but Captain Yang doesn’t seem to have one, right?”

Fu Zhengzheng smiles, “Do you want a boyfriend?”

Zhang Lin waves her head immediately, “Not me. Not me. I want to introduce a boyfriend to my cousin.”

“It’s a pity. Captain Yang has got a girlfriend. We will have dinner at his girlfriend’s home today.”

“Oh.” Zhang Lin feels disappointed apparently, “Alas, I have found two men for my cousin, but both of them have got girlfriends.”

Fu Zhengzheng becomes naughty suddenly and says on purpose, “Captain Ji is great and single. How about introducing him to your cousin?”

“No, no. Captain Ji pulls a long face every day. I feel scared each time I see him. I can’t imagine what it will be like if he becomes my cousin’s husband.”

Hearing that, Fu Zhengzheng laughs out.

She never thought Muxian would give others such an impression. She must tell Tian to teach him how to do facial expressions.

It’s time to be off duty. While Fu Zhengzheng is waiting for Yang Tao at the gate of the municipal police office, she calls Han Siqi again. He says he is still busy with work and won’t get there until 7:00. It’s still early, so after Fu Zhengzheng gets into Yang Tao’s car, she asks him to go to Li Yin’s shop first to buy some fruit and incidentally visit Li Yin.

Li Yin has been discharged from the hospital and is sitting in the shop. But now a deck chair is placed in the shop. When Fu Zhengzheng and Yang Tao arrive, Li Yin is lying on the deck chair and listening to the music for antenatal training.

Li Yin is happy to see them and intends to sit up immediately, “Zhengzheng, Captain Yang, welcome.”

Fu Zhengzheng goes up quickly to help her and scolds her softly, “You are always in a rush. Haven’t you learnt a lesson from what happened today?”

Li Yin grins, “Don’t worry. My son is lazier than his father Liu Lin. He won’t come out before the scheduled time.”

“You should be careful all the same.”

Li Yin points to the fruit stand before her and asks, “What fruit do you want to eat? I’ll wash for you.”

“No, thank you.” Yang Tao waves, “Weigh some fruit for us. We will give someone as a gift.”

Li Yin waves her hand and says generously, “It’s unnecessary to weigh fruit. Take whatever you want.”

Fu Zhengzheng says on purpose, “If so, Yang Tao and I will become bandits in the town, won’t we?”

Li Yin is surprised and then laughs with Yang Tao.

Yang Tao teases, “You are the hostess of a mountain fastness at most.”

Li Yin laughs and says, “Oh, no. A bandit and the hostess of a mountain fastness are a couple. If you are a couple, Mr. Han will cry.”

Then Yang Tao realizes his oral mistake and smiles embarrassedly. He turns around and puts fruit into a bag to hide his embarrassment.

Li Yin doesn’t realize anything and continues to say, “Captain Yang helped me open the shop. Isn’t it well-deserved to take some fruit? What does an idiom say about it?”

Fu Zhengzheng laughs, “Give a plum in return for a peach?”

Li Yin grins, “Yes, that’s it. I hold a dictionary and read idioms for my son every day. I hope he can begin to learn before he is born and will be literate in the future. He can’t be illiterate like his father, or he can only become a hooligan.”

Fu Zhengzheng smiles, “You teach him so well. The baby will have a promising future when he grows up.”

“Please name my son after he is born. You are literate and knowledgeable.”

Fu Zhengzheng says to Yang Tao at once, “Bro, please give the baby a name.”

“Ah?” Yang Tao comes to his sense and says smilingly, “I’m not good at naming a baby.”

Fu Zhengzheng thinks and says, “Well, you don’t hope that the baby will like to fight like his father. How about naming him Xuewen? It means studying knowledge hard. If he is intelligent, he will have a promising future.”

“Xuewen? Liu Xuewen.” Li Yin reads it twice and says excitedly, “This name is great. No matter whether I will have a boy or a girl, it can be used.”

Yang Tao laughs, “You just asked me to name your baby. Unexpectedly, the naming expert is here.”

“Am I a naming expert? Then your baby’s name must be named by me in the future. How about naming your son Yang–Chicao?” Then Fu Zhengzheng can’t help laughing.

Li Yin is laughing so much that she gets a stitch with her hands covering her belly and can’t pick herself up on the deck chair.

Looking at Fu Zhengzheng who is smiling like a flower, Yang Tao begins to smile too with mild eyes as usual.

After laughing for quite a while, Yang Tao says softly, “Zhengzheng, we’ve to go.”

Fu Zhengzheng manages to stop laughing and responds, “OK. Li Yin, I have to go with my bro. We will come to see you again when we are free.”

“Nice.” Li Yin rises and sees them off to the door.

Yang Tao puts three pieces of Renminbi in 100-yuan notes on the tray and says, “Buy some nourishment for yourself and your baby.” Then he rushes to the car with the fruit bag, and Fu Zhengzheng follows him quickly.

“Hey, you are really…” Looking at the car running away, Li Yin stamps her feet at the door, but her heart is deeply moved.

“Yin, why does Fu Zhengzheng call Yang Tao bro?”

Li Yin turns around and sees Lin Jiao standing at the landing. She is startled, “Were you upstairs? I thought you went out.”

“I did, but I just went upstairs from the back door. Why does Fu Zhengzheng call Yang Tao bro?” Lin Jiao repeats her question.

“Well, I’m not clear about it. They seem to be schoolmates. Captain Yang is senior to Zhengzheng.”

Lin Jiao is confused, “Senior schoolmate? Yang Tao graduated from a police training school, right? Why does he become Fu Zhengzheng’s senior schoolmate? Is Fu Zhengzheng also a…”

“Zhengzheng is working in a department of the municipal police office now.” Fu Zhengzheng mentioned it once, but Li Yin didn’t pay much attention, so she can’t explain it clearly.

Lin Jiao walks to the shop door and looks at the road where Yang Tao’s car has disappeared, as if deep in thought.

Finding that Lin Jiao looks strange, Li Yin asks confusedly, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Lin Jiao smiles, “Yin, a friend invited me to dinner this evening. I’ll cook dinner for you now.”

Li Yin asks at once, “You often eat out recently. Tell me the truth. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“It’s not so easy to find a boyfriend. He is a business partner.” Then Lin Jiao goes upstairs.

After cooking dinner for Li Yin, Lin Jiao primps herself and then goes out.

*

Fu Zhengzheng and Yang Tao come to the residence of Xiaoyue and her mother in Jiaye Garden. Once entering the gate, Lin Xiaoyue goes up to welcome them.

“Sister Zhengzheng, welcome. Well, you’ve bought so much fruit. Why do you stand on ceremony?”

Fu Zhengzheng reaches out two empty hands and laughs, “It’s not bought by me. Someone bought it for his mother-in-law.”

Teased by Fu Zhengzheng, Yang Tao is embarrassed. He laughs drily and says, “It’s bought in Li Yin’s shop.”

Hearing the conversation, Mrs. Lin comes out. Fu Zhengzheng greets her immediately, “Aunt Lin, how are you?”

Mrs. Lin replies smilingly, “Fine.”

“I have been wanting to visit you for a long time, but I was too busy to spare the time.”

“It’s not late now. Come in and have a seat. Xiaoyue, serve tea for Zhengzheng and Yang Tao.” Mrs. Lin says, “I’ll go to the kitchen. Take your seats.”

Fu Zhengzheng wants to follow her into the kitchen, “Aunt Lin, is there anything I can help with?”

Lin Xiaoyue puts the cup before Fu Zhengzheng and stops her, “Sister Zhengzheng, you are a guest now. If my mom needs help, I should go inside.”

Fu Zhengzheng doesn’t insist. She looks at Yang Tao and teases, “Go about your business. I’ll help you accompany your fiancé.”

Lin Xiaoyue looks at Yang Tao embarrassedly and says “bother” to Fu Zhengzheng. Then she runs into the kitchen.

Fu Zhengzheng can’t help laughing.

Yang Tao pretends to scold her, “Bad girl, you are more and more outspoken.”

Fu Zhengzheng makes a face at him.

She used to be cautious to talk with Yang Tao. She was afraid that he would be sad if she said something too seriously. But she was also afraid that he would not put her down in the heart if she said something too lightly. Now he has fallen in love with Lin Xiaoyue, so she dares to speak so casually.

Yang Tao understands her thought of course, so he accepts her tease each time. By comparison, he prefers to get on with her in the present mode.

Yang Tao takes a sip of tea, and then something occurs to him. He says, “Zhengzheng, I forgot to tell you something.”