60: Chapter 59 Wang 60: Chapter 59 Wang The fifth day of the lunar month.
Northward expelling the Rat’s bane
Propitious for moving, housewarming, seeking offspring, receiving livestock, relocation, burial, and adding to the family
Wu Jun solemnly put the almanac back into the drawer, then took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and a lighter, and stood in front of the window, above the hanging orchid, with a “click” he lit up a cigarette.
The Zhonghua cigarettes were left in the office by Jiang Yuan, originally for visitors to help themselves to, but Wu Jun, reluctant to use them, had put them away in Jiang Yuan’s drawer.
When Jiang Yuan later saw this, he specially bought a carton to give to Wu Jun.
Wu Jun didn’t feel right accepting the whole carton, so he only took one pack.
After all, he was Jiang Yuan’s mentor.
Back in the early days of his career, the mentor-apprentice relationship was quite close; it wasn’t just about offering cigarettes, but daily tasks like carrying footbathing water and emptying chamber pots were also normal.
However, in recent years, old customs like that had fallen by the wayside.
Now, there were only two Zhonghua left, indicating that he had indeed taken too few at the time.
Wu Jun smoked slowly but deeply, nearly finishing the cigarette in one go, finally taking a deep drag before forcefully stubbing it out in the flowerpot, letting it keep company with the dozens of other stubs.
Just another ordinary day…
Wu Jun turned to start his work, but his glance suddenly caught a row of familiar figures.
Jiang Yuan, along with Wei Zhenguo and others, dressed in casual clothes, walked in from the main entrance.
A smile couldn’t help but form on Wu Jun’s lips as he muttered to himself, “I was just saying, the cigarettes are almost gone, it’s about time he returned.”
Having said that, Wu Jun contentedly stretched and leisurely walked to the cabinet in the corner of the office.
From amongst a pile of rice and cooking oil, he took two red eggs, then pulled a small rice cooker from the cupboard, poured in a bottle of mineral water, dropped in the eggs, and set them to boil.
By the time Jiang Yuan knocked and entered the office, Wu Jun had just taken out the eggs.
“Come on, have a red egg,” Wu Jun said cheerily, beckoning with his hand.
Having just spent several hours in the car, Jiang Yuan was indeed a bit hungry and took the small bowl Wu Jun passed without thinking much, asking with some confusion, “Do you normally boil red eggs just for fun?”
“Do I look that idle?” Wu Jun waved a hand dismissively and asked, “Was the trip smooth?
How was it in Changyang City, didn’t offend anyone, did you?”
“Everything was fine,” Jiang Yuan replied, a bit bewildered by the barrage of questions, then he peeled the egg and laughed, “The case was cracked a long time ago, it just took too long to find the body…”
“No need to go into detail, ongoing cases, especially those handled out of town, are the most troublesome,” Wu Jun mainly wanted to remind Jiang Yuan, and then he sat back down on his chair, turned on the computer, and started his day’s work.
Jiang Yuan smiled, peeled the shell off an egg, and then asked, “Master, should I leave you a red egg?”
“No need, I haven’t touched a body in days.
There haven’t been any in the county either,” Wu Jun refused while waving his hand, then said, “You should relax these next couple of days, don’t be too tense, it’s not good for you.
Oh, by the way, Ding Lan’s family came by to express their gratitude, you and Old Wei should pose together with the banner for a photo later.”
“Eh, is that necessary?”
“It’s not mandatory, but it’s rare for a family to bring a banner.
You’d lose out if you don’t get a photo, who knows when that will happen again,” Wu Jun said.
“Ding Lan’s parents are quite thoughtful, they’ve taken the banner to the political office, must have asked around, it’s quite rare.”
Banners prepared for photo ops by the media don’t really do much for the police.
For the entire police system, the media is most interested when problems arise.
No matter how perfect a case is, the media typically can’t be bothered to delve deeply into it.
By contrast, the political section within the police department does recognize the value of banners.
It can be said that they are the most effective way for ordinary people to express their thanks to the police.
When it’s time for evaluation, a letter of thanks and a banner can lead to a commendation or even a third-class merit award.
Of course, under normal circumstances, average officers rarely receive this level of recognition.
An online bulletin or a public commendation, at most an advanced worker award, is usually the highest reward.
Jiang Yuan poured himself a cup of tea, hesitating a bit before asking, “What about Ding Lan?
“Haven’t seen her, she’s said to be reluctant to go out.
But that’s just hearsay,” Wu Jun had seen a lot, but he still couldn’t get used to cases one.
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, and after a moment’s thought, he added, “At least Ding Lan still has family to look after her.
The other two who were rescued, they never went home in the end.”
Wu Jun had heard it too and let out a sigh.
“With no parents left, there’s nowhere to call home.
Moreover, there’s that complicated past to contend with.”
Jiang Yuan lowered his head to peel an egg.
For a police officer, this was essentially as far as one could go.
In fact, Wei Zhenguo had done much more than what his job required.
But the scars of society can never be erased by the efforts of an individual.
An entire morning was basically spent on social activities.
The Ding Lan case was simply too shocking.
For many officers, it was the kind of case they had heard of but never actually seen.
Jiang Yuan was back, so there were always people willing to come by and ask a few questions before relaying them to their office colleagues.
“Let’s go to the police dog squadron,” said Jiang Yuan as soon as it was noon, immediately getting up to pack his things.
He was quite curious about the power of a Level 5 skill.
By the time he arrived at the police dog squadron, Li Li and Dazhuang had already returned.
When the Rottweiler detected Jiang Yuan’s scent, it politely wagged its tail.
Like detectives, police dogs frequently travel as well.
Sometimes, even within the boundaries of Ningtai County, reaching a location with poor road conditions could take several hours.
From the provincial capital back to Ningtai County, the Rottweiler seemed to adapt even better than Jiang Yuan.
“Not a bad tail wag,” Jiang Yuan remarked, looking down at the Rottweiler, before directly calling out, “Dazhuang, let me pet you.”
Dazhuang hesitated for a moment, seemingly confused by the mixed signals, and looked somewhat at a loss.
When Li Li heard the commotion, she came out and helplessly said, “Dazhuang, let him pet you.”
Only then did Dazhuang bark once, plopping its two yellow paws forward and lowering its black shiny head, sticking out its tongue with a purring sound.
Jiang Yuan vigorously rubbed the Rottweiler’s big bald head before saying, “Captain Li, how about I make some dog food for Dazhuang today?”
Li Li cast a skeptical glance.
Dog food needs to be nutritionally balanced.
Dogs are different from people.
The taste is not important; what’s important is nutritional balance.
Protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins—all have to be included…”
As she spoke, Dazhuang’s eyes drooped downwards.
The Rottweiler, with its floppy ears, droopy eyes, and smacking lips, looked even more pitiful at that moment.
Jiang Yuan rubbed Dazhuang again vigorously, laughing.
“I’ll make you something special today.”
As he spoke, Jiang Yuan went into the kitchen and adeptly took out various ingredients from the refrigerator.
Li Li followed him somewhat embarrassedly, helping to rinse and peel…
Then, Jiang Yuan began by dicing duck meat and soaking it in warm water; he cored an apple, chopped red cabbage and cucumber into fine pieces, and mixed them with a few drops of oil.
Meanwhile, he put sweet potatoes into the steamer and asked, “Do you have any butter?”
Li Li, already dumbfounded, looked at Jiang Yuan just like Dazhuang at the door, with a blank stare, asking, “Is that necessary?”
“Having it should make it taste a bit better,” Jiang Yuan replied.
Li Li chuckled good-naturedly.
“Actually, making dog food doesn’t need to be so methodical.
I usually just put in whatever is available…”
“Woof!” Dazhuang barked loudly.