Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 50 Secondhand Market
Time flew by, and by the time Chen had finished reviewing all the statements and related video surveillance footage, it was already noon.

Although it was early autumn, Zhu Chaoran was covered in sweat when he returned to the station after finishing his investigation, but he had not found any clues in the case.

Chen Shu patted Zhu Chaoran, who was soaked to the bone and looked a little dejected, and said with emotion, "Your sweat won't be wasted. This is all experience. Let's go eat first. This afternoon I'll take you to the secondhand market to ask some professionals."

Upon hearing the word "eat," Zhu Chaoran's negative emotions vanished instantly, and he hopped his chubby body toward the cafeteria.

Standing behind, Chen Shu suspected that Zhu Chaoran was covered in sweat because he was exhausted from trying to make it to lunchtime.

The canteen at Zhongshan Police Station is one of the main battlegrounds for Instructor Zeng Hong's declaration. Whenever he speaks at a station-wide meeting, he always mentions the recent state of the canteen. Sometimes, in private conversations with officers, the canteen's food and hygiene are also essential topics of discussion.

Before Zeng Hong came to Sun Yat-sen University, there was a joke circulating in the institute:
At work, the soup is placed in a large bucket on the side, and everyone is allowed to take as much as they can. So when people are getting soup, many people frantically try to scoop out the meat from the soup, and basically only the first few people can get any meat out, leaving the rest with just soup.

An old police officer jokingly commented, "This boiled water tastes pretty good with a little salt added."

On one occasion, this veteran police officer took someone to the bank to handle some business, and they ate lunch at their canteen.

They made their own soup, but there was a noticeable amount of meat in it, visible to the naked eye. To show he wasn't greedy, the veteran policeman only took one piece of pork rib.

Just as I was about to leave, the old man serving the food next to me got angry: "You people only take the soup, not the meat! Who's going to eat all this meat?! People can't be so selfish!"

While the old policeman was still bewildered by the wind, the other officers in the group filled a bowl with pork ribs and yams and went to eat under the old man's approving gaze.

Back at the institute, this dreamlike story spread like wildfire.

With the second-in-command and political leader of Zhongshan Police Station now placing such importance on the canteen, it has naturally become a happy haven for everyone. Every time lunch or dinner approaches, the corridors are filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

All sixty-plus police officers at Zhongshan Police Station were provided with meals and accommodation. Leaders, police officers, and auxiliary police officers all ate together in the canteen, which was the only small canteen mainly used for receiving guests.

The cafeteria uses a separate meal system, with five meat dishes, five vegetable dishes, a soup, and a fruit on the table. Each diner receives one serving of food, which in principle consists of two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, soup, and fruit. Diners choose and enjoy their own meals.

Generally, people will consciously order two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, since if they order too much, others will have less, or even none at all. This is especially true for grassroots law enforcement units like police stations, where it's perfectly normal for on-duty personnel and case handlers to be late for meals.

However, as each meal was nearing its end, the cafeteria lady would carry a metal basin of leftover food and, with her skillful ladling, walk to the table to refill everyone's plates with some more food.

However, this only happens when almost everyone from the workplace has arrived.

Today, Zhu Chaoran was the first to line up for a meal, and as expected, he ordered four meat dishes: two pieces of Dongpo pork, crispy chicken leg, and shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Content and at ease.

The cafeteria lady couldn't bear to watch Zhu Chaoran's eating habits and squeezed out a spoonful of cabbage from among the four meat dishes. Privately, she had complained to Chen Shu about Zhu Chaoran's poor diet. However, Zhu Chaoran was sweet-talking, and in the end, the lady always managed to get her to comply.

After lunch, the two did not take a nap at the institute, but went straight to the Dongzhou Second-hand Goods Exchange Market.

Having relocated four times, the Dongzhou Secondhand Market, once the oldest trading market in Dongzhou City, is no longer what it used to be.

More than twenty years ago, Chen Shu followed his cousin to the market to buy game cartridges. Back then, although the market was dilapidated, with narrow roads littered with garbage, it was bustling with people. Every available space along the roadside was piled high with goods. And everyone on the street, whether shopkeepers or shoppers, had a happy expression on their faces.

Unlike now, the roads are six or seven meters wide, yet there are very few pedestrians. The shop facades are tall and exquisite, but the owners or workers inside just sit and play with their phones to pass the time.

Chen Shu and Zhu Chaoran arrived at the market, entered through the gate, walked through several small streets inside the market, and went straight to a shop located in a very remote part of the market.

Judging from the storefront, their main business should be buying and selling used electric bicycles.

Before entering, Chen Shu whispered, "Once inside, just look and listen, don't speak."

"Brother Shu, I'll listen to you." Zhu Chaoran nodded.

As the two entered the shop, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner quickly came forward, bowing and scraping.
"Boss, is there anything I can help you with?"

Chen Shu glanced at his chubby figure and said with a smile, "Boss Zheng, what's wrong? We've been friends for so many years. Can't I come over for a cup of tea if there's nothing else to do?"

Boss Zheng, whose real name is Zheng Tianyou, is in his forties. A few years ago, when Chen Shu was investigating a series of cases involving a gang stealing electric bicycles, he inadvertently implicated Zheng Tianyou, who was one of the gang's main receivers of stolen goods.

At the time, it was difficult to obtain evidence of subjective intent, and when collecting evidence of the gang's criminal activities, Boss Zheng was very forthcoming, which contributed to the successful conviction of the suspects.

So after reporting to his superiors, Chen Shu released him without charge and took him in as an informant.

Boss Zheng nodded vigorously: "Come, come, leaders, please don't stand at the door, come and sit in the office inside."

Chen Shu and Zhu Chaoran were led by Boss Zheng to a small room partitioned off at the very back of the shop.

The three people sat at the tea table and chairs in the small room, with the order of importance determined by their seating arrangement.

Chen Shu took out cigarettes, pulled out two, first placing one in front of Boss Zheng who was busy making tea, and then handing one to Zhu Chaoran.

After Boss Zheng poured the tea into the cups, Chen Shu took out a lighter to light the three of their cigarettes.

Mr. Zheng waved his hands repeatedly, refusing the offer, and said hastily, "No need, no need, I have it, I have it."

Chen Shuteng pressed down on his forearm with his right hand, and still lit it with a smile.

He took a light drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaled a few puffs, stroked his chin, and said with a chuckle:
"Haven't seen you in a while, Mr. Zheng. Your business is booming! There's even a new tea table in your office. What's going on? Have you been getting a lot of visitors lately? Look how skilled you are at brewing tea."

Boss Zheng paused for a moment, a look of surprise appearing on his chubby face: "No, no business. Look at my door, it's practically deserted! I just put this tea table here for my own convenience to drink tea and maintain my health."

He couldn't decipher the meaning behind Chen Shu's words and hesitated to reply. He sensed something was amiss; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

It looks like they're going to 'sell people' again.
(End of this chapter)