Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 564 Let me tell you

Xiao Liu shook his head and said, "What's the use of talking about this? People are different. That's just how the world is. If you're in this situation, there's nothing you can do."

"Shall we eat this?" Xiao Liu said to Xiao Wei, stepping on the foot brake and looking at a restaurant on the side of the road.

Xiao Wei turned his head and glanced outside. Li Liangu's smoked meat pancakes were a famous dish in Fengtian. In this era, eating here was definitely considered a high standard of living for ordinary people.

"Okay, whatever you like is fine with me. I'm not picky about food," Xiao Wei said, looking at Li Liangui's black wooden sign.

Xiao Liu parked the car on the side of the road, got out, tossed the keys to Xiao Wei, and ran into the restaurant laughing and joking, afraid that Xiao Wei would regret it.

At that time, Li Liangu's shop wasn't very big, and there was a window for sales outside, which made it quite down-to-earth.

Among the famous snacks and delicacies of Fengtian, Li Liangu's Smoked Meat Pancake ranks relatively high. However, similar to Yang's Oven-Baked Pancake, Li Liangu's Smoked Meat Pancake also originated from Jibei Province. The founder of the Oven-Baked Pancake was from southern Henan, while Li Liangu was from northern Hebei. Later, the city of SP registered the Li Liangu trademark, and this famous Fengtian delicacy, renowned for decades, became a counterfeit.

It turns out that during that era, too many old shops and brands were established through public-private partnerships, and now only a few are still surviving.

Actually, Li Liangu's smoked meat pancake is made using the same method as the meat-filled flatbread from northern Hebei. The difference between it and the roujiamo (meat sandwich) from southern Henan lies in the meat filling. The meat filling in northern Hebei is dried meat, which is smoked and boiled until it turns a tender red color. It is then chopped into small pieces and stuffed into the flatbread, and it is dry. In contrast, the meat filling in southern Henan is braised in broth, which is juicy.

Xiao Liu ordered flatbread and smoked meat, and Xiao Wei ordered two more stir-fried dishes. The two of them ate in silence.

After eating for a while, feeling full, both of them slowed down. Xiao Wei asked Xiao Liu, "Aren't you afraid of dealing with dead people so often as a policeman?"

Xiao Liu said, "Aren't police officers human? Who isn't afraid? If you're afraid, you won't do it. Just grit your teeth and do it. You'll get used to it over time."

Xiao Wei said, "I can't imagine that scene. I guess I wouldn't dare to do it if it were me."

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "You just haven't experienced it yet. If you had, you wouldn't think that way. Everything is a matter of habit." He showed the pancake in his hand to Xiao Wei: "Look at this smoked meat inside, it's red and crispy. Human flesh is chopped up and cooked like this. Let me tell you, I've seen dismembered corpses. For two months, I would vomit at the sight of meat, but now I can still eat it. The changes that environment can bring to people are unimaginable."

Xiao Wei looked at the meat filling in the pancake in his hand, swallowed hard, and looked helplessly at Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu stuffed the pancake into his mouth, took a sip of soup, clapped his hands, and said, "Let me tell you."

Xiao Wei raised his hand to stop Xiao Liu and said, "Stop, wait until I finish eating. You're making me feel a little nauseous right now."

Xiao Liu burst into laughter.

After finishing their meal, the two got into the car. This time, Xiao Liu didn't insist on driving. Sitting in the passenger seat, he said, "I've been a policeman for so many years. I encounter all sorts of things, and then I become numb. I wouldn't say I'm mentally abnormal, but I'm definitely on the verge of that. Like me now, I can eat and drink as if I'm facing a corpse, without missing a beat. I don't even dream at night."

Xiao Wei said, "That's nonsense. Is it really that serious?"

Xiao Liu scratched his head a few times and said, "There should be. Let me tell you, the last time I saw a female corpse, guess what my first thought was? I thought her eyes were particularly beautiful, and her eyelashes were so long. I even went over to take a look, and they really were long."

Xiao Wei turned to look at Xiao Liu and said, "It's best not to tell this story to your wife, or you'll have trouble getting into bed with her."

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "Let me tell you, you're wrong. My wife is really bold. When there's a case, she's more concerned than I am. Everyone else tells stories to lull their kids to sleep, but I make up stories to lull my wife to sleep."

"Let me tell you..."

The third day of the Lunar New Year.

The weather was clear and cloudless. The sun, like a wronged little wife, hung in the sky with a pale face, helplessly watching the world. The cold wind, oblivious to the sun's gaze, swirled around with a savage grin, carrying snowflakes, searching for its targets to wreak havoc.

A few birds were having a meeting on the bare branches. They had been arguing all winter about whether or not to move. An old bird stood alone on another branch. It was too lazy to participate in this pointless argument. It knew there was nothing to eat on the other side of the mountain.

The big red lanterns from the houses below have been hanging up for several days. It knows that once the red lanterns are taken down, the big tree will sprout new buds. Will it still be sleeping in its old nest from last year? This is a serious question.

Beneath the large tree was a road, teeming with pedestrians and vehicles. The snow on the road was flattened and smooth, gleaming brightly in the sunlight. On both sides of the road were rows of old, two-story red brick buildings, built by the Japanese back then. They were inhabited by commoners, so there were no living rooms or high wooden floors. Staircases were on both sides of the buildings, with an open-air balcony-like walkway leading to each house.

Looking down from downstairs, on the low walls of the corridor, bundles of scallions or frozen pork, and even dressed chickens, hung from the windows of every house. From each window protruded a section of a blackened coal stove chimney, used for both cooking and heating.

The old building was still more than ten meters away from the road, but by now each family had built their own small brick houses, leaving only a narrow passage in front of the doors.

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, a day for northerners to visit relatives and friends. However, unlike previous years, this year's third day is a bit strange. From early morning, some elderly people gathered in the open-air passageway on the second floor and along the roadside. Despite the cold weather, they didn't seem to mind, huddled together whispering and pointing at a certain family on the first floor.

At 9:30, a Jeep pulled up and stopped smoothly on the side of the road. As soon as Xiao Liu and his colleague got out of the car, they were immediately surrounded by a group of elderly men and women: "Oh, police! You've finally come! Please come and take a look. It's the New Year, so we can't really say anything. You know, we've all lived together for over ten or twenty years. It's not good to say anything too harsh or inappropriate. It's not worth arguing during the New Year."

Xiao Liu glanced around at the people standing in the open-air corridor on the second floor and asked, "Did you call the police? What happened?"

"Buzz buzz buzz, wah wah wah wah."

"Stop. Everyone be quiet. Ma'am, you speak. I can't hear anything if you all speak at the same time."

"This young man can tell at a glance that this old lady is quite the talker." The old lady cleared her throat, struck a pose, and said, "We've all been neighbors in this area for a long time, at least ten years, am I right? My son was only six years old before we moved here, and now my grandson can walk. You didn't see it, my little grandson is so adorable."

Xiao Liu, his face darkening, raised his hand to stop the older woman, saying, "Stop, ma'am, did you call the police just to have a chat with me?"

The older woman patted Xiao Liu on the shoulder, gave him a disapproving look, and then said with a smile, "What are you saying, kid? That's exactly what I was going to tell you."

(End of this chapter)