The next afternoon, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan, each carrying a bag and a basket, went to the helipad.

Wen Mengguan was already waiting here. However, only he and Jiang Shulian were present; everyone else had been dismissed.

It was the transition from winter to spring, and the sun set very early. The helicopter arrived after sunset. It made a loud, booming noise, and all we could see was a dark silhouette.

The group retreated to the very edge until the aircraft landed steadily on the ground and the propellers stopped before they stepped forward.

"Hello, Officer Wen." The guard who came down greeted Wen Chaohui first, and then looked at Shen Yanming: "Captain Shen, we meet again. I wonder if the things are ready?"

Shen Yanming nodded and handed the bag and basket to the other person: "They're inside!"

The guard took the bag and basket into the cabin, removed the contents, and returned them to the other party.

Shen Yanming was surprised to find that it was quite heavy when he took it. Seeing that the other person gave him a wink, he smiled and carried it on his back without saying anything more.

Bi Qiaoan smiled and nodded, indicating that she understood.

Wen Mengguan discovered the oddity, but being shrewd, he wouldn't point it out.

The couple thought that was all there was, but to their surprise, the guards brought out two more bags of rice and flour from the cabin.

"This is a thank-you gift from Captain Li. He said we should definitely get together sometime. Whenever you two want to come to the capital, we can come and pick you up."

"I understand. Please pass on the message that Li Sikai should take good care of himself," Shen Yanming said with a smile.

"Alright, goodbye." After saying that, the other person boarded the helicopter. The rotors roared and spun, and the helicopter slowly disappeared into the distance as the group watched.

"Let's go, I'll take you back." Wen Mengguan said, and went to move the bag of rice, while Jiang Shulian hurriedly went to move the bag of flour.

Shen Yanming was somewhat flattered and quickly handed them the bag and basket: "You can take this, I'll carry the rice and flour."

"No need, no need, I'm still strong enough."

Wen Mengguan was somewhat stubborn, but Jiang Shulian simply stuffed the things into his arms, picked up a bag of rice herself, and said, "What are you showing off for? You're so old, why don't you use us young people? Do you really think you're omnipotent?"

Wen Mengguan glared at him: "What, you want to turn the world upside down? You actually look down on your old leader?"

What could Jiang Shulian say? He could only chuckle and say, "I'm just worried about you!" After all, he was still his superior, so how could he dare to let him do heavy work?

Wen Mengguan remained silent, but still picked up his bag and basket. He knew what his subordinates were thinking, but frankly, he didn't care.

"Let's go, let's go, it's getting dark," Jiang Shulian urged from the side.

Shen Yanming nodded and invited the two of them, "How about we have dinner at home tonight?"

Wen Mengguan, thinking that he had just received rice and flour and was not short of food, nodded in agreement. Jiang Shulian remembered the red date and ginger tea from before and knew that the food at Old Shen's house would not be bad, so he licked his lips and followed happily.

The couple didn't say much. As soon as they entered the door, they put their things on the ground, and Bi Qiaoan hid in the bedroom and let their two children out.

An'an ran out with warm, bouncy steps, hugged Shen Yanming's leg, and shouted, "Daddy, you're back!"

Shen Yanming smiled and patted the two boys on the head, telling them to greet Wen Mengguan and Secretary Jiang.

The two children obediently called out "Grandpa" and "Uncle," and then sat on the sofa and talked to them.

The couple didn't try to hide it from the two people; they opened their backpacks and baskets and found them full of fruit. All kinds of fruit filled four bags.

"This is too much. Officer Wen, please take some with you when you leave, and Secretary Jiang as well," Shen Yanming said with a smile.

Wen Chao quickly shook his head: "No, no, no, this was given to you by General Li, how can we accept it?"

The couple didn't seem to mind. Bi Qiaoan pulled out some fruit that wouldn't keep well and said, "Look, these can't be stored. There are only a few of us at home, and we can't eat fruit three times a day."

Wen Chaohui swallowed hard as he looked at the peaches, mangoes, and lychees, wanting to refuse, but then Shen Yanming said, "Just consider it hush money from us. Or, you can consider it protection money."

Wen Chao was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Alright then, thank you."

The couple nodded and went to the kitchen to get busy.

The two of them had left a lot of grains and vegetables here, so they wouldn't give themselves away. It's just that the variety is limited, so dinner won't be very plentiful.

But it wouldn't be too bad. After all, they just distributed meat before the New Year. Although the couple gave some away, who knew they'd run out?

Shen Yanming reached out and opened the window, taking a frozen fish and a piece of pork from a wooden basket nailed to the wall. Actually, he took them from his spatial dimension, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he could only use frozen ones.

Then put the meat in a bowl and take it to the fire to thaw.

Bi Qiaoan took out a few potatoes and a cabbage from the corner, washed them with water, and chopped them up. She set them aside and also soaked some glass noodles.

Shen Yanming soaked the fish in water to thaw it. Although this was not a good way to defrost it, he had no other choice because of the tight schedule and heavy workload.

There's only one stove in the house, located in the living room. After preparing everything here, the couple rinsed the rice, put it in the pot, and then carried it to the living room to simmer.

"I'm sorry, Officer Wen, the fish and meat at home weren't thawed in advance, so we might have to eat a little later tonight."

Wen Chao smiled nonchalantly: "It's alright, it's alright. I told my family in advance, so it's okay to go back a little later."

"Are you hungry? There are some dried sweet potatoes at home, would you like some to fill your stomach?" Shen Yanming opened the cabinet and took out a full jar of snacks.

Upon discovering there were others, he laughed and said, "Oh, there are some pumpkin seeds too, I almost forgot."

Wen Chaohui didn't stand on ceremony and started eating after accepting the food. He thought it tasted pretty good and asked with a smile, "Did you two cook this?"

"Hmm, made in the fall. The temperature was low, so they shouldn't have spoiled, right?" Shen Yanming felt a little guilty; these were deliberately released to cover up the spoils. He'd long forgotten when he'd released them. He couldn't tell by their color, but they shouldn't have spoiled.

Wen Chaohui nodded: "It's alright, it smells pretty good. Do you have any more? Would the little one like some?"

An'an and Nuannuan glanced at it, but weren't very interested. However, they nodded under the other person's eager gaze, and then the old woman and the two children began to share.

The couple chatted with Jiang Shulian until the meat was almost ready, then took it to the kitchen to be chopped.

After preparing the ingredients, they were taken over and stir-fried. The aroma instantly filled their noses, and Wen Chaohui and Jiang Shulian swallowed hard several times.

Soon, the stew was ready. Shen Yanming took out a wok and started cooking the fish.

"Wow, I never expected you to be such a good cook, Lao Shen!" Jiang Shulian exclaimed in surprise.

Shen Yanming's lips twitched: "Thank goodness, it was just a silly mistake."

The person who said he was just making things up was very efficient; in no time, the braised fish, which looked and smelled delicious, was ready.