Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 643 Zhu Yiba's Secret
Dongzhou City, a military guesthouse in the suburbs.

Zhu Yiba straightened his collar, knocked on the half-closed door, and entered room 601.

This is a suite. Upon entering, there is a living room of more than ten square meters, furnished with deliberately distressed red solid wood furniture. In terms of style, it reflects the image of the Chinese military: simple yet dignified.

Zhu Yiba walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and could see the military training ground outside. It was afternoon physical training; some were doing parallel bars and horizontal bars in the equipment area, while others were running the 400-meter obstacle course and flipping tires. The new recruits, led by their squad leaders, were running laps around the large training field, with a few kneeling on the sidelines vomiting.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Yiba couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

He used to be a soldier who went out for training every day, and he was one of the best.

Standing beside him were equally outstanding comrades: Little Fatty, Yellow Hair, and the squad leader.

I wonder if they're doing well on the other side now.

"Little Ba, you're here?"

An elderly man with half-gray hair came out of the inner room, carrying a brown earthenware jar in his arms. The jar was not large, probably about the size of two or three basketballs.

Zhu Yiba quickly stepped forward to help put the wine jar on the ground.

The old man straightened up, patted his lower back, and walked to the sofa to sit down.

"Dad," Zhu Yiba greeted softly.

"Dad's alright, he can still carry this weight. By the way, this wine was brewed at home by your grandma. She knew I was coming to see you, so she specially asked me to bring it over," the old man said with a smile, pointing to the wine jar.

How is Grandma's health?

"She's still the same as always. This time, your mother and I went all the way back to our hometown to ask her to come and live with us. But she just wouldn't listen, saying that she sleeps better in the bed back home and refused to come no matter what. You probably inherited this stubbornness from your grandmother."

"Ah."

After exchanging only a few words, the room fell silent again.

"Are you getting used to being here? When are you coming back with me?" The old man followed Zhu Yiba's gaze to the training ground outside, hesitated for a moment, and then asked.

"It's quite nice here." Zhu Yiba's gaze was calm as he looked at the soldiers training enthusiastically outside, and for the first time, he realized that he was no longer young.

"Yes, I've taken care of things for your comrades. The married ones have been arranged for their wives to work in local administrative positions, and everything has been settled. Those who want to take care of their children don't need to ask for leave and can go home directly. As for the unmarried one, I've arranged for his sister to attend the best middle school in their area. As long as she doesn't make any mistakes, she can go to the No. 1 Middle School in their area for high school."

As he spoke, the old man smiled and said, "This little girl even said she wants to join the army when she grows up."

Although Zhu Yiba was looking out the window, he was listening intently and said, "Is that Little Fatty's sister? Silly girl, why didn't she join the army?"

boom.

A short but upright guard strode in.

Upon seeing the old man receiving guests, he paused, then immediately turned 180 degrees and walked out.

"stop."

The old man called out to them, laughing, "Why are you still so clumsy? Tell me, what is it?"

The guard turned around straight around. His skin was slightly dark, but his face was upright with well-defined and clear features.

He glanced curiously at Zhu Yiba sitting opposite the old man, noticing a resemblance between the two. He then turned to the old man and reported, "Old Zhu, someone from the Ninth Bureau has arrived and is waiting in the tea room downstairs. They say they've come specifically to see you."

"Let them go up," the old man paused, then said again, "Just tell them I'll wash my face and come down right away."

The guard stood at attention, said "Yes, sir," and ran off.

"Where's Brother Lin?" Zhu Yiba and the others asked after they left.

"I went to do some business for you, and I'm still entertaining guests locally," the old man said softly.

In a society like China where personal connections matter so much, no matter how high one's position, when it comes to matters in other places, the person in charge is less important than the person in charge. This kind of purposeful social obligation, besides the first one, must be prepared every year. It's both to show that one is always concerned about the well-being of the person being cared for and to express gratitude for their care throughout the year. Zhu Yiba, who grew up in a military compound, understood all of this. He knew the meaning of "you all" and that this social obligation carried significant weight, potentially lasting for at least ten years, until his comrades' children grew up.

The room fell silent again.

The old man stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and looked at his son with concern in his eyes: "This is not your fault. We have done more than enough."

With an upright posture, although the years have left their mark on him, he still exudes the demeanor and resilience of a soldier.

However, after waiting for a long time, he still did not receive a reply from his son.

The guests downstairs were still waiting. The old man slowly said, "Ninth Bureau, shall we go?"

The old man knew his son's character; the police, a local administrative agency, was merely a temporary transitional place, like a wounded bird flying back to its nest to heal. Only active duty was his true home.

"If you can't fire a gun, going there would only make you a laughingstock." Zhu Yiba held up his right hand to his eyes, looked at it carefully, and then shook his head in refusal.

The old man was decisive. Seeing that his son had made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and walked out. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a weak "thank you" from behind.

Should we thank him for arranging a job for the Ninth Bureau, or for arranging a job for our comrade's family?
The old man hesitated for only a second before turning his head and saying simply, "Don't thank me. I can't give you honor, but the hero's family should be properly taken care of."

After saying that, he left, and the door closed gently behind him.

After a moment, faint sobbing could be heard coming from the room.

Jiangbin Road at night.

Dressed neatly, Zhu Yiba patrolled the streets with the special police team. With the added bonus of police dog Da Hui, he was surrounded by many little girls and young women along the way.

Occasionally, a few young women with budding romantic feelings would linger by the roadside, then, under the pretext of visiting the police dogs, approach Zhu Yiba and cautiously hand him their WeChat.

After several trips, Zhu Yiba had gained a lot. His good buddy Chen Chuan stood beside him and teased him with a smile several times. Yan Song, the trainer of Big Gray, was also extremely envious.

Zhu Yiba simply shrugged. He didn't particularly like those girls, but their smiles and their happiness gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

It wasn't just because they were girls; the peace of mind of the riverside residents enjoying the moment, taking leisurely walks with their families after dinner, also put him at ease.

As usual, after the routine patrol, Chen Shuye, the deputy captain in charge of the team, treated everyone to fried rice noodles and beef soup at a night market stall owned by a woman who was said to be a civil servant.

Zhu Yiba had been in Dongzhou for quite some time now. At first, he was like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden, touching and looking at everything with great curiosity. Then, he rode the Dongzhou light rail, not knowing how to buy tickets, and stood by for a long time trying to figure it out.

Because all the passengers coming and going just take out their phones and snap a quick photo.

All of this was completely different from the border life he had lived on for many years.

Later, when I was on duty, I patrolled the riverbank with the team. It was dusk when we set off, and after walking back and forth, the sky darkened. Then, all the lights along the row of lights that were meant for people to walk on suddenly turned on.

In an instant, golden lights illuminated the roads and buildings along the riverbank, with towering skyscrapers lining both sides of the river. Many colorful, shimmering neon lights adorned the tops of these buildings.

It was somewhat like the twinkling stars he saw when he looked up while patrolling the border mountains, yet it was also a magnificent sight he had never truly experienced.

Only through experience can one truly appreciate something.

Sitting on a small stool by the roadside, listening to his colleagues discussing the interesting topic of "the national football team = the balancer of national destiny," Zhu Yiba, while eating fried rice noodles and drinking beef soup, suddenly felt that his comrades' sacrifice was worthwhile.

For some reason, tears silently slid into the soup;

For some reason, at that moment he thought of his comrades who were guarding the border.

I'm so happy that the country is peaceful and prosperous.

Zhu Yiba chewed the beef in his mouth with gusto, feeling genuinely happy. His right hand, holding the chopsticks, seemed to be shaking less.

(End of this chapter)