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

The teacher brought Zhang Renfeng to the Nie family home. A woman in her fifties stood at the door, with her short hair neatly combed to her ears and a kind face. She was none other than Sister Zhang, Director Nie's wife.

Sister Zhang first saw Commander Liu, paused for a moment, then broke into a smile: "Oh my, Commander Liu, what brings you here too?"

She took a step to the side, her gaze falling on Zhang Renfeng, scrutinizing him from head to toe for a while.

"Hey, Zhang Baopo has grown up so much. The last time I saw you, you were a skinny, dark-skinned young man, but now you're much stronger."

Zhang Renfeng felt a little awkward under her gaze, his heels slightly pressed together, and he replied uncomfortably, "Sister Zhang, I..."

"Huh? What 'elder sister'?" Commander Liu waved his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Call her 'Mom'!"

Zhang Renfeng was stunned on the spot, his mind went blank, and he almost dropped the racket bag on the ground.

He thought to himself, "Teacher, aren't you being a bit too direct?"

Back in the Taihang Mountains, you were always a gentle and refined person who always spoke with restraint. How come you turned into this when it came to my marriage?

Is he afraid I won't be able to find a wife, or is he afraid that things might change if I wait too long?

His lips twitched, and he rolled his eyes inwardly—if Commander Chen were here, he'd probably pin him to the ground and have him married.

At least the teacher gave us some mental preparation time, even though that preparation time was only half a second.

Sister Zhang chuckled at his embarrassed appearance and quickly waved her hand, "Alright, alright, don't make things difficult for Comrade Renfeng. It's only the first time we've met, why are you calling him 'Mom'? You'll scare the kid so much he won't know how to speak."

She stepped aside to clear the doorway. "Come on in, Old Nie has been waiting for you. He thought it was Old Chen coming and kept talking about it."

Commander Liu strode inside, not forgetting to turn back and wink at Zhang Renfeng, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer—you kid, don't just stand there, follow me!

Zhang Renfeng took a deep breath and followed.

Director Nie was sitting in a grand chair by the window, holding a newspaper in his hand. Hearing a noise outside, he put down the newspaper and looked up.

He saw Commander Liu enter first, and immediately stood up, his surprise barely concealed.

"Oh dear, isn't this Old Chen? Why did this matter bother you?"

He took off his glasses, quickly stepped forward to shake hands, and said, "I thought you had already gone south."

Commander Liu shook hands with him and said with a smile, "There's no other way. I was asked to do this. I was worried that Xiao Chen was unreliable and had a loose tongue. What if the young lady thought that all the senior officers of our People's Liberation Army were smooth talkers? That wouldn't do. I'd better do it myself."

He walked inside as he spoke, sat down on the sofa, then turned to look at Zhang Renfeng, a smile returning to his face. "Renfeng, aren't you going to call me Dad?"

Zhang Renfeng was bending over to put his racket on the coffee table when he heard this and almost threw out his back.

His mind was in turmoil—Teacher, are you trying to humiliate me today?

Last time, when the old political commissar of Feidong was acting as matchmaker, he was at least a little more tactful. But you, you're the one who made me call you Dad as soon as you walked in the door. This is progressing so fast that I'm starting to wonder if you're in a hurry to attend a wedding.

Director Nie glanced at Zhang Renfeng's embarrassed look, coughed lightly, and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Hey, why call me Dad? Just do whatever you want at home, whatever you want."

He spoke casually, but the smile lines on his face were already showing, and the corners of his eyes were bulging.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Renfeng quickly handed over the racket bag he had brought: "Director Nie, I brought you a racket."

Director Nie took it, opened it, and his eyes immediately lit up.

He reached out and pressed the button on the network cable, then looked at the texture of the racket frame, his smile incredibly wild:

"Oh my, this is great! Is this the one that Deng Xiaoping used? I recognize this racket. He used to play with it all the time when we were in Yan'an. I even borrowed it twice."

Zhang Renfeng nodded: "The old political commissar asked me to bring this to you."

Director Nie held the racket in his hand, examining it from all angles for a while, then nodded with satisfaction: "Look, look, how sensible our Comrade Renfeng is. The children Old Deng taught are truly different; they know what their elders like."

He glanced at Commander Liu, a hint of smugness in his voice, "Better than your two bottles of wine, right?"

Commander Liu wasn't annoyed. He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and laughed, "I'm just being honest. Yours is a bit pretentious."

The two exchanged a few playful banter, while Zhang Renfeng sat to the side, his gaze quickly sweeping across the living room.

As he was secretly observing, Commander Liu spoke again, this time with an even more direct tone:

"Hmm? Old Nie, where's Renfeng's wife? Why don't you call her out? We've come all this way, we can't just sit here drinking tea and chatting, can we?"

Zhang Renfeng almost couldn't hold back and nearly spat out his tea.

He quickly put down his teacup, covered it up with a cough, and cursed inwardly—this is hardly a blind date.

Someone who didn't know better would think it was a door-to-door pickup service.

If the parents hadn't been there, the teacher would probably have already consummated their marriage right there and then, judging by the way the teacher acted today.

Director Nie was amused and pointed at Commander Liu with his finger: "You, you're still the same as you were back in the Taihang Mountains."

He waved to Sister Zhang, "Call west Yue out, don't keep them waiting."

Sister Zhang responded with a smile and turned to go into the inner room.

A moment later, the curtain to the inner room was lifted, and Sister Zhang came out first, followed by a young girl.

Zhang Renfeng looked up and his gaze fell on her, his heart skipped a beat.

The girl was wearing a navy blue Lenin suit, which was well-tailored and had a perfect waistline, making her look tall and slender.

Her hair was tied into two short braids and draped over her shoulders, revealing a fair face with a touch of heroism in her eyes and brows. She had a straight nose and a slight smile on her lips.

What's most striking is her face; it's exactly the same as Zhu Lin's when she was in her prime, with a delicate beauty and a touch of dashing charm.

Zhang Renfeng's mind went blank for a moment, and then a thought popped into his head—My God, Zhang Renfeng, you're eating way too well!

This girl is so damn good-looking, and she works in the military industry, she's practically tailor-made for him.

Director Nie waved to the girl: "west Yue, come sit here with me."

He patted the seat next to him, right next to Zhang Renfeng. "Renfeng, look at her, Xiyue was raised by me since she was little. Her father, along with me and Director Ye, led the Guangzhou Uprising..."

"Later, the uprising failed, and we all fled to Hong Kong. In the chaos of war, we got separated from this girl. Fortunately, after returning to China, we made inquiries and found out that she had survived and had been adopted."

Zhang Xiyue walked over quietly and sat down next to Director Nie. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and her face had a slight blush, but her overall demeanor was poised and graceful.

Director Nie continued, "He's twenty this year, and he studied engineering machinery. He just graduated from the College of Engineering at North China University last year, and now he works as a technician in a military factory under the Heavy Industry Bureau."

These days, it's rare to see a young woman willing to study science and engineering or work in the military industry.

Those who can make this decision are either smart, ambitious, or both.

He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Zhang Xiyue noticed his gaze, but didn't look away or look away. She simply met his gaze openly.

Director Nie then looked at Zhang Xiyue: "Xiyue, you must have heard about Renfeng's experiences. He joined the uprising in Guangxi Province at the age of ten. In terms of the length of time he has been involved in the revolution, he has more seniority than many veteran comrades. From the Seventh Red Army to the Eighth Route Army to the People's Liberation Army, he fought all the way here, and he has made numerous meritorious contributions, too many to count. He is the youngest deputy commander of a corps in our entire army..."

Zhang Renfeng was a little embarrassed by the praise and was about to say something modest when Commander Liu chimed in, his tone even more direct:

"Xi Yue, let me tell you this, this is your ideal partner. But if you ask me... you should stop looking and get married quickly! Comrade Zhang Renfeng is a treasure of our Taihang Mountains. He's young, energetic, and he's inherited my true fighting skills..."

Zhang Xiyue blushed at his words, then lowered her head and smiled with her lips pursed.

Zhang Renfeng really wanted to retort to him—Teacher, your words are too blunt. What do you mean by "received your true teachings"?

He might be internally complaining, but he still maintained a polite smile on his face.

Upon hearing Commander Liu's words, Director Nie couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. He stood up and said, "Old Liu, I think this is a good idea. Let's go play some tennis. The tennis net is still there in the yard. It's a bit cold in winter, but it'll be good to stretch our muscles. I haven't beaten you in a long time."

As he spoke, he grabbed Commander Liu's arm and started walking out, clearly intending to give the two young men some space to talk alone.

Commander Liu was being dragged outside by him, but he didn't forget to turn back and say something to Zhang Renfeng:

"Hurry up, Zhang Xiaogui! Time is limited! Don't just sit around drinking tea, say what needs to be said, ask what needs to be asked! Make full use of your strengths, you are the deputy commander of the corps."

Zhang Renfeng nodded at him, inwardly rolling his eyes. "You'd better go play tennis. If you stay any longer, I'm afraid you'll even write my wedding speech for me."