Chapter 56 A group photo sparked… (To be continued…)

We thoroughly enjoyed the hot pot that day.

Not only were the ten pounds of mutton slices eaten clean, but the mushrooms, bean products, and vegetables that He Changyi brought were also completely devoured. Even the basket of freshly steamed buns that Zhou Cheng had run to the guesthouse kitchen to get were eaten up.

A group of people were so full they were rubbing their stomachs, slumped over in various corners of the room.

He Changyi ate and drank very little. Seeing that it was almost time, he prepared to get up and say goodbye.

Yan Zhengchuan stood up as well.

"Let me take you home."

He Changyi did not refuse. She still needs a cane to walk, and if she really encountered robbers, it would be too late to throw away the cane and run away.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Zhou Cheng hurriedly got up from the ground, tripped over his own feet, and fell onto the bed, taking out a camera from under his pillow.

"Wait, Sister He, let's take a group photo before we leave!"

He asked a guesthouse employee to take a photo for him.

The group stood in front of the embassy, ​​with the reconnaissance team on both sides, surrounding He Changyi and Yan Zhengchuan in the middle.

Hot pot and Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) made everyone's faces flush red, and they smiled broadly, showing their back teeth, and put their arms around each other in front of the camera.

He Changyi stood beside Yan Zhengchuan. Among the group of rosy-faced people, only the two of them retained their original skin color, making them stand out from the crowd.

Zhou Cheng's camera was a rare digital camera, not the common film camera. The waiter held it up for a long time but didn't know how to use it. Zhou Cheng happily left the line and mumbled incoherently how to focus and press the shutter button.

The team members, who had already posed for photos, began to protest.

"Zhou Cheng, is this any good? Is your camera out of memory?"

"I don't think so. Ever since he came to Oros, this guy has been taking pictures everywhere with his camera. If it weren't for the fact that photography is prohibited at Lenin's Mausoleum, I think he would have even wanted to take a picture of the revolutionary leader's remains."

"Hey, you guys don't know, although this guy didn't get to take a picture of Lenin, he went to Khrushchev's tomb and took a bunch of pictures, and even dragged me to take a picture with him in front of his tombstone!"

Amidst the surrounding noise, taking advantage of the brief respite, Yan Zhengchuan slightly turned to the side and whispered to He Changyi:

Please take good care of the freight trains.

He Changyi looked at him in surprise, and whispered in return:

"Boss, are you serious? You're not joking?"

Yan Zhengchuan said, "I'll leave this to you. I'll apply for a larger certificate for you later."

He Changyi's eyes darted around, and he said slyly:

"Helping you is no problem, but you have to promise to do something for me first."

Yan Zhengchuan asked, "What is it?"

He Changyi did not answer, but urged:

"Just tell me whether you agree or not. Anyway, this is absolutely not illegal, unethical, or immoral. It won't make you betray the Party, the country, or the people. It's just a small favor, not a trouble at all."

Yan Zhengchuan glanced at her sideways.

"This doesn't sound like a good thing to me."

He Changyi looked up at him and winked mischievously.

"Sir, what bad things could I, a law-abiding citizen, possibly do? Everyone says the people's police serve the people, and now is the moment when the people need you most. Can you step forward?"

Yan Zhengchuan really wanted to tap her forehead with his finger.

This wicked little fox.

"Okay, go ahead and tell me what it is."

At this moment, Zhou Cheng finally taught the waiter how to use the digital camera and jogged back to the queue.

"Alright, alright, everyone look at the camera. I'll count to three and then we'll shoot!"

He Changyi turned to face the camera, her smile elegant and reserved as she looked towards the lens.

Just as Zhou Cheng shouted "Three, two, one," she said quickly and in a low voice:

"I need to register with a foreign trade company to obtain an import license."

Yan Zhengchuan looked at He Changyi with some surprise, a moment that was captured by the camera.

After taking the photos, He Changyi smiled and said to Yan Zhengchuan:

"Boss, this request isn't difficult, is it?"

Yan Zhengchuan: ...

It's not difficult, but the question is how she knew she could do it?

Zhou Cheng ran to check the output image, and after watching it, he called out to Yan Zhengchuan:

"Captain Yan, why aren't you looking at the camera?"

Before Yan Zhengchuan could explain, the culprit cheerfully preemptively answered:

"Captain Yan was afraid that his handsome face would steal everyone's thunder, so he deliberately avoided looking at the camera!"

Zhou Cheng thought about it carefully, feeling a bit dizzy, and then suddenly realized what was going on, giving Yan Zhengchuan a thumbs up.

"Captain Yan is very particular about what he does!"

Yan Zhengchuan's story is too complicated to explain in a few words.

How on earth did this silly kid manage to infiltrate the police force?

He Changyi was overjoyed and leaned closer to ask in a low voice:

"Strict Captain Yan, is it possible to arrange the affiliation?"

Yan Zhengchuan gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"It's possible, even if it's not."

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked He Changyi in a low voice, "Who did you learn all this from?"

Judging from the girl's skillful and experienced manner when negotiating terms, she is most likely from a family with a strong academic background, and perhaps even received some advice from an old fox before setting off.

However, He Changyi said, "I am self-taught."

She winked at Yan Zhengchuan and said in a serious tone, "Society is the best teacher."

Yan Zhengchuan: ...

After taking the group photo, the members of the reconnaissance team insisted on taking a separate photo with He Changyi.

"Sister He, let's take a picture together as a souvenir."

"I want one too!"

"Go away, everyone who wants to take pictures, please line up at the back. I've been waiting for ages."

He Changyi welcomed all who came and agreed to take photos with them.

Zhou Cheng was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

"I haven't taken any photos yet! Let me take a group photo first, my camera's memory is running out!"

The team members, in unison, pushed him to the back and said casually:

"Wouldn't deleting the photos you took of Khrushchev's tomb free up memory?"

Zhou Cheng protested: "That won't do! That's art! Don't you understand art?!"

"Hey, anyway, you're in the group photo too, so just pretend you took a group photo—wait, don't cut in line, it's my turn!"

Unable to resist, Zhou Cheng saw Yan Zhengchuan, who was also being pushed out of the crowd, and said with a sense of shared misfortune:

"Captain Yan, why don't you take your picture first?"

Yan Zhengchuan gave him a troubled look.

well.

It's good to be brainless.

After finalizing the details with Yan Zhengchuan, He Changyi contacted her connections at the Moscow Railway Bureau and privately rented an entire carriage of a freight train bound for Zhongguo.

According to the rules of the underworld, as long as the money is paid enough, they don't care what the renter wants to do.

He Changyi didn't say anything, and the other party didn't ask either; they had a perfect understanding.

Before parting, Mr. Network kindly reminded them: "Don't make too much noise in the car, and don't bleed too much, or have them clean up before getting out of the car."

He Changyi: ...

He Changyi said sincerely, "Don't worry, I am a law-abiding citizen."

Mr. Renma said kindly, “The smuggler told me the same thing last time. As a result, that idiot crammed too many people into the carriage and locked the only door used for ventilation. I had to explain why there were corpses in the freight carriage—although to some extent, lifeless corpses can also be considered cargo.”

He Changyi: …………

He Changyi said even more sincerely, "I swear to you, this will never happen."

Mr. Network casually waved his hand.

"I don't care. Even if the carriage is full of corpses, that's a problem for the Chinese customs to deal with. But I believe you're not a smuggler. After all, who would be so foolish as to smuggle themselves from Russia into China?"

He Changyi: ...I feel insulted.

After finalizing the freight train arrangements, He Changyi informed Yan Zhengchuan of the good news.

Yan Zhengchuan asked, "It must have cost a lot of money."

He Changyi said with a grin, "That's right, those Russians are ruthless and even more ruthless. Boss, will you reimburse me for this?"

Yan Zhengchuan actually reached into his pocket.

"Report it, of course we should report it."

He took out a thick wad of rubles and handed it to He Changyi. Judging from the amount, it could probably be exchanged for several thousand US dollars.

He Changyi looked surprised and hesitated before reaching out to borrow money. After Yan Zhengchuan urged her several times, she finally stammered:

"Sir, I'm not implying anything, I just have a question. Are police officers in our country all paid this much these days? Or do you have some secret money-making scheme? Of course, I didn't say you did *that* kind of thing..."

Yan Zhengchuan was both angry and amused. He watched as her eyes darted around, and while she said she wasn't implying anything, she kept giving him meaningful glances.

"Alright, save your breath. This is the case-handling fund approved by the special task force, not my own money. The source is legal."

He emphasized the word "legal".

He Changyi breathed a sigh of relief in an exaggerated manner.

"I knew it! A good comrade like you, who serves the Party and the people, would never make such a basic mistake."

Yan Zhengchuan said irritably, "Take the money and get out of here. I hate seeing you."

He Changyi took the money but didn't leave. Yan Zhengchuan asked her, "What's wrong now?"

He Changyi asked in a deep voice, "Do you need an invoice?"

Yan Zhengchuan: ...

He's really met his nemesis.

The investigation team was allowed to board the train twelve hours before departure to temporarily modify the carriages to make them more habitable and to divide them into prison areas with partitions in order to detain the suspects.

With the assistance of the Emei police, Yan Zhengchuan led his men to escort more than ten suspects from the police station overnight, locking them in a freight car and having them guarded by members of the investigation team in shifts.

The freight train traveled very smoothly without any police boarding or checking it along the way, and arrived in Zhongguo a week later.

As the train crossed the border, the South Korean police, who had been waiting there, secretly took away the suspects on the train under the pretext of customs inspection. They then escorted the suspects to the capital that same day to face legal trial.

With the train robbery case concluded, Zhou Cheng took some time to print out all the photos in his camera, especially the group photo, and distributed one to each member of the investigation team.

After receiving the group photo, Yan Zhengchuan examined it for a moment. He Changyi looked well-behaved in the photo, but her smugness and cunning were not hidden in her eyes and brows.

He casually pressed the group photo under the glass of his desk, and soon it was covered by stacks of documents and files.

After returning to China, Yan Zhengchuan visited his mother at the sanatorium.

She had tuberculosis and was no longer contagious after treatment, but when she met Yan Zhengchuan, Yan's mother still wore two masks.

"Mom, how have you been feeling lately? Are you still taking your medication?"

Although the mother was weak, she spoke very frankly and clearly.

"I'm fine, I won't die. You focus on your work and don't worry about me. I need to take care of my health and protect the rear area for you. You can go forward with confidence and wholeheartedly build the revolutionary cause."

Yan Zhengchuan smiled and said, "No problem, I will definitely work hard and strive to solve every case."

His mother lovingly touched his forehead.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. As long as you do your best and have a clear conscience, that's enough."

Neither the mother nor the son mentioned the missing younger sister; it was a wound that the Yan family could not touch and could not heal.

When Yan Zhengchuan was about to close at the sanatorium, his mother saw him to the door and gave him some instructions before parting:

"Go visit your dad at the military region when you have time. No one's watching him, and even the orderly can't stop him. He's going to ruin his health again."

Yan Zhengchuan replied, "My father is dedicating himself to the revolutionary cause. He always puts the greater good before his own family, so he doesn't need my concern."

His strict mother slapped him as a warning.

"Alright, stop saying things like that. Your dad has been suffering for so many years. You've handled so many cases, don't you know that if someone is determined to commit a crime, no one can stop them? You're almost thirty, and you've been angry for over twenty years. It's time to let it go."

Yan Zhengchuan snorted defiantly, but ultimately didn't refute it further.

"You only care about the old man, but don't you care about my brother? He's also in the military region, and he doesn't even have an orderly yet."

Mother Yan said with a smile, "He has a wife to take care of him, so I, as his mother-in-law, shouldn't meddle in their little family matters. But you reminded me, Nurse Zhang has a particularly beautiful silk scarf that she bought at the Wansili Store in Xidan. Go there this weekend and buy two for your sister-in-law, just say it's a gift from me. Also, since you don't have a good eye, let the sales clerk choose the pattern. Don't buy what you like, or I'm afraid it'll be a waste of money."

Yan Zhengchuan: ...

Yan Zhengchuan stretched out his hand to his mother, palm facing up.

Strict mother: "What?"

Yan Zhengchuan said matter-of-factly, "Of course I'll pay! You're buying a gift for your daughter-in-law, you can't expect me to pay for it. By the way, shouldn't we also calculate the delivery fee?"

His mother slapped his palm hard, the sound was loud.

"Get lost, you brat! You're making money off your mother! I bet you're not a criminal investigator, you're a financial investigator. All you do is sit in your office all day fiddling with abacus beads!"

Yan Zhengchuan grinned cheekily; if his team members saw him, they would hardly recognize him as their decisive and efficient Captain Yan.

Finally, Yan's mother pretended to pull out a few banknotes from her wallet and threw them to Yan Zhengchuan, who then reluctantly said goodbye and left.

Yan's mother stood at the entrance of the sanatorium for a long time, until she could no longer see him, before returning to her ward at the nurse's urging.

After buying the scarf, Yan Zhengchuan went to the military region and called his older brother to come and pick it up.

Before long, a capable young lieutenant colonel strode to the door. Upon seeing Yan Zhengchuan, he immediately executed an over-the-shoulder throw, knocking him down and then looking him up and down.

"Not bad, they came back safe and sound, and didn't embarrass our family."

Yan Zhengchuan was so angry that he yelled, "Boss, are you sick in the head?!"

The person who arrived was Yan Zhengshan, the eldest son of the Yan family.

Seeing Yan Zhengchuan angry, Yan Zhengshan was amused.

"With your skills, are you going to rely on your two legs to run away if you encounter a criminal? I'll give you some special training later, so you don't tarnish our family's reputation."

If it weren't for the fact that they were at the entrance of the military region and Yan Zhengchuan was worried about the negative impact, he would have really wanted to take out handcuffs and take Yan Da away directly.

He got up from the ground and threw the gift box containing the silk scarf at Yan Zhengshan in a bad mood.

"It's for your wife, from your mom."

Yan Zhengshan didn't rush to look at the gift box. He first reached out and patted the dust off Yan Zhengchuan's clothes, and then habitually tugged at the hem of his clothes, just like when he was a child taking care of his younger brother.

"Okay, I'll tell your sister-in-law. By the way, this isn't the one you picked out, is it? If it were the one you chose, your sister-in-law would be furious with me if she saw it."

Yan Zhengchuan: "...Give it back to me, no need to see me off."

Yan Zhengshan smiled and hid the gift box behind his back.

"Alright, I'll thank you and Mom on her behalf. I'll reimburse you for whatever it cost."

Yan Zhengchuan scoffed: "With your meager salary..."

After delivering the items, he was about to leave when Yan Zhengshan stopped him and asked, "Aren't you going to see Dad? He's not out at the grassroots level or in a meeting; he's just in his office."

Yan Zhengchuan waved his hand.

"Let whoever wants to see the old man see him; I'm too lazy to see him."

After delivering the goods, Yan Zhengchuan went to his childhood friend in the compound to help him register a foreign trade company. When the friend learned that he wasn't starting a company himself, but rather helping a businesswoman from Emei, he looked Yan Zhengchuan up and down until he was almost annoyed by the scrutiny, before slowly saying:

"Yan Er, have you finally come to your senses? That's rare. The brothers were worried that you might like men, and they didn't even dare to invite you to activities like going to the hot springs where you're naked."

Yan Zhengchuan cursed with a dark face:

"Get out, get out, you shameless bunch! I'm just being chaste, you know? It's best if you don't call me. Who wants to soak in a hot spring with a bunch of men like you? It's disgusting enough."

His childhood friend chuckled and cursed a few times, then started asking about the situation.

"Who is that girl? Is she from China or Emei? You've found someone outside your circle, shouldn't you bring her back to meet your parents sooner rather than later? Don't end up breaking them up and causing a modern-day peacock flying southeast."

Yan Zhengchuan said, "Don't talk nonsense. I have nothing to do with that girl. She just helped me a lot. I'm not the kind of person who doesn't care about appearances. How could I take advantage of her? So I helped her get affiliation, which is my way of repaying her."

My childhood friend just smiled and said meaningfully:

"Oh, I see, he's adopted a god-sister."

Yan Zhengchuan looked like he couldn't stand it.

"Forget it, my sister? My real sister is definitely quiet and well-behaved, not that cunning. As for that girl, let me tell you, if anyone becomes her brother, the family will be turned upside down."

Knowing that Yan Zhengchuan's family had lost a daughter more than 20 years ago and had never found her, his childhood friend comforted him:

"Alright, I'm not kidding you anymore. Your sister is very lucky and will definitely be found someday."

Everyone in the compound knew that Yan's second son had left the army to join the police force in order to find his sister. He was even beaten by his father for it. In the end, it was only after Old Master Yan intervened that Yan's father gave up the idea of ​​forcing his second son to join the army.

Over the years, I've heard that Yan Er personally arrested many human traffickers and reunited nearly a hundred abducted children with their families, but unfortunately, none of them were his sister.

Yan Zhengchuan's childhood friend comforted him: "Don't worry, your family has accumulated a lot of good karma. Maybe one day your sister will come back home on her own."

Having heard this many times, Yan Zhengchuan no longer felt much about it, simply saying:

"Then I'll take your kind words."

With the affiliation arrangement finalized, He Changyi only needed to pay an affiliation fee of one percent of the contract amount to be able to declare customs and apply for an import license for scrap steel in the name of the foreign trade company.

Yan Zhengchuan called He Changyi, who was far away in Emei, to tell her the news.

During the international long-distance call, He Changyi's voice sounded somewhat distorted.

"Thank you, leader. I knew our police officers were true to their word. When I return to China, I'll treat you to dinner at the State Guesthouse!"

Yan Zhengchuan couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Then you'd better prepare a sufficient budget in advance, I won't be polite."

On the other end of the phone, He Changyi said with the determination of a warrior cutting off his own arm:

"Don't worry, boss, I'll make sure you get a good meal, even if I have to take out a bank loan!"

Even though he couldn't see her, Yan Zhengchuan could still imagine her exaggerated expression of feigned heartache.

After hanging up the phone, Yan Zhengchuan shook his head with a smile.

Luckily, she wasn't his biological sister, otherwise his family would have been in complete chaos.

However, if you really had such a family member, it would seem like a lively and bustling place.

The thought only flashed through his mind for a moment. Yan Zhengchuan put down the phone, walked out of the post office, and threw himself back into his busy work.

Days passed by, and recently, heinous crimes have been occurring one after another. Yan Zhengchuan has been working overtime until late at night every day. The transnational train robbery case, which has entered the prosecution stage, seems to have happened in the last century.

That day, while handling a serial murder case, the bureau's senior forensic doctor came to Yan Zhengchuan's office to ask for a case file.

As Yan Zhengchuan rummaged through the mountain of documents on the table, he revealed part of a group photo under the glass, which happened to be of him and He Changyi.

The old forensic doctor had initially glanced at it casually, but then paused and looked at it carefully again.

Yan Zhengchuan noticed his gaze and, assuming the old forensic doctor was curious about the group photo, casually explained:

"This photo was taken when I was on a business trip to Oros. It's about that train robbery."

At the same time, the veteran forensic doctor also spoke up:

"Did you find it?"

Confused, Yan Zhengchuan asked, "What did you find?"

The old forensic doctor said, "Your sister."

When Yan Zhengchuan first joined the company, he applied to participate in child trafficking cases. He also reviewed all the case files of child trafficking cases that occurred 20 years ago. The older staff in the bureau all knew that he had a younger sister who was abducted when she was a child and has not been found to this day.

The elderly forensic doctor examined the group photo closely.

“Look at the shape and size of the skull, and the facial features, it’s exactly the same as yours. This is definitely your sister.”

Yan Zheng pointed at He Changyi in the photo.

"You mean she's my sister?"

The old forensic doctor asked in surprise, "But you've already found them all, so why are you asking me?"

Yan Zhengchuan chuckled.

"Are you kidding me? How could this be my sister? She's just a friend I met while working on a case in Mosk."

The old forensic doctor was getting anxious.

"You're joking! This girl's skull looks exactly like yours. Look at her cheekbones, her jawbone, and the shape of her brow bone and nose. Although there are some differences between men and women, the similarity is so great that it's impossible for them not to be related!"

Yan Zhengchuan stopped laughing.

Are you serious?

He looked down at the smiling girl in the photo, then looked up at the old forensic doctor.

"You really think she's my sister?"

The old forensic doctor said, "Hey, you still don't believe me? I've been a forensic doctor for so many years, and even if strangers look alike, at most their facial features are similar, but it's impossible for their skulls to be exactly the same. I'm telling you this, if she's not related to you, I'll drink all the formaldehyde!"

Yan Zhengchuan fell silent, his expression almost frozen.

The old forensic doctor was still asking him, "Hey, how did you find your sister in Oros? Could it be that your sister was abducted abroad back then? If that's the case, no wonder even your family couldn't find your child. Who would have thought she was abroad?"

Yan Zhengchuan remained silent. Suddenly, he pulled out the group photo from under the glass, turned around, and rushed out of the office.

The old forensic doctor called after him:

"Hey, where are you going? Aren't you going to look for the materials?"

Zhou Cheng had just returned from a field mission when he brushed past Yan Zhengchuan and wondered, "What's Captain Yan up to? He didn't even respond when I called him."

The old forensic doctor said, "That's right, I'm really waiting for the materials."

He remembered something and asked Zhou Cheng again:

"You found Captain Yan's sister? When did you find her? I didn't hear a thing about it?"

Zhou Cheng was completely dumbfounded.

"Huh? Captain Yan's sister has been found? I didn't know that."

The old forensic doctor said, "You didn't know? Didn't you take a photo with Captain Yan's sister in Moscow?"

Zhou Cheng: "Huh? But the person in the photo is our Sister He, when did she become Captain Yan's sister?"

The veteran forensic doctor said with absolute certainty, "Impossible. I guarantee with my forty years of forensic experience that this girl is definitely related to your Captain Yan!"

Zhou Cheng: ...

Zhou Cheng asked cautiously:

"It's not that I don't believe you, but is it possible that complete strangers in the world could look alike?"

Veteran forensic doctor: ? ? ?

The old forensic doctor started rolling up his sleeves.

"You're questioning my professional ethics!"

Zhou Cheng stammered, "No, no, no..."

The old forensic doctor said aggressively:

"Call your Captain Yan and that girl over here. I want to personally collect their blood for DNA testing!"