Chapter 112 Life, ah, take it easy.
Riding her little motorcycle alone back to the commercial street of Xin'er Village, Chen Zhenzhu saw Zhou Qiushi's car outside.
The driver greeted her politely, and Chen Zhenzhu parked her scooter and went into the restaurant.
"Godmother, you're here too?" Shen Zhenzhu poured herself a bowl of mung bean soup and gulped it down.
Liu Leqin took out a napkin, pulled her aside to wipe her sweat, and asked, "I heard you went to see someone off, why are you back so soon? I came with your godfather to do some business today."
Chen Zhenzhu sat next to Liu Leqin and saw Zhou Qiushi explaining the contents of the contract to Shen Liuhe.
"Investment opportunities?" Shen Zhenzhu thought of Shen Liuhe's "Sixth Sister" brand, which includes restaurants and milk tea shops, but she didn't know which area to target.
"Girl, come and take a look too." Zhou Qiushi called Shen Zhenzhu over and said with a smile, "You have to take a good look. We're going to open a SanSan Department Store in Liancheng, and we hope Sixth Sister will bring in the restaurant and milk tea shop. We plan to make this department store a chain. Once this one is on track, I plan to open one in Shenyang by the end of next year or the beginning of the year after, with fixed brands and a fixed management model."
Shen Zhenzhu knew that Liu Leqin and Zhou Qiushi were formidable industrialists, and today she had a deeper understanding of that.
She knew that milk tea shops and restaurants opening in shopping malls was a future trend, and she definitely agreed with that. However, even if she agreed, she would respect her sixth sister's opinion, after all, it was her sixth sister who had built the empire.
Shen Zhenzhu and Liu Leqin simply sat down next to them. Shen Zhenzhu listened to Shen Liuhe say, "I really didn't expect that Sixth Sister's Milk Tea could be put into such a high-end shopping mall. I have no objection to this at all. On the contrary, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity and the benefits. As for Sixth Sister's Restaurant, I still want to keep this store and keep the taste good."
Shen Zhenzhu nodded and said, "I agree."
Shen Liuhe looked at her again: "And then?"
Shen Zhenzhu shook her head: "That's all."
She trusted Zhou Qiushi and Liu Leqin; a quick glance at the contract revealed no problems, and they even offered 24 months of rent-free time and various subsequent preferential policies, clearly indicating a long-term partnership. She was certain the mall's property management wouldn't cause her any trouble in the future.
“The influence of Sister Liu’s Restaurant and Sister Liu’s Milk Tea far exceeds your imagination. This is not because my husband, Lao Zhou, is taking care of you. It is because he has investigated the brand and invited Sister Liu.” Liu Leqin was worried that the mother and daughter would feel pressured, so she said gently, “I know that Sister Liu has strict requirements for restaurants. It is fine to open a milk tea shop first. It is no problem to bring in some more later.”
Zhou Qiushi still wanted to try, and after discussing it with his sixth sister for a while, they finally decided to open a milk tea shop at the entrance with the highest foot traffic in the SanSan Department Store, and also set up a counter to supply a limited number of black duck.
“Your godfather is a loyal customer of your family’s black duck, especially in the summer when he has no appetite and always craves a bite.” Liu Leqin said happily after they finalized the deal: “Our housekeeper has made it twice, but the taste was far inferior, not as good as what I make myself. There are also duck products sold near my house, but they always look unhygienic.”
Looking at the customers coming and going in the restaurant, and Xiao Li and others working in the kitchen, she smiled and said, "That's great, everything is on the right track. Sister, all your hard work has paid off."
Shen Liuhe saw the sincerity in her eyes and nodded: "Yes, I'm getting better."
Those who truly care about you will sincerely hope that you are well. Liu Leqin is just like that. In the first two years, she often came to help out. Now that there are more waiters and she doesn't need to do anything herself, she still sits behind the counter every few days to give advice to Shen Liuhe, and they have become close friends who can talk about anything.
Shen Liuhe said, "Oh, right, Pearl, you weren't here this morning. Captain Gu came over and delivered a styrofoam box and left. The box is inside the counter, take a look."
"A styrofoam box?" Shen Zhenzhu didn't know what her brother Zheng was doing with this. She walked to the counter, took out the styrofoam box, and opened it. A cumin barbecue smell wafted out. Shen Zhenzhu said in surprise, "Roasted chicken frame, Mom, Brother Zheng made a roasted chicken frame for me."
The spoiled roasted chicken frame from the day before yesterday still haunts Shen Zhenzhu, but she never expected that her brother Zheng would give her such a big surprise.
This shout not only brought Shen Liuhe over, but also Liu Leqin and Zhou Qiushi, as well as Zhang Xiaopang, who had been listlessly eating beef noodles during the summer vacation.
“This tastes authentic.” Zhang Xiaopang, who is precocious as a child, said, “I ate it when I was one year old, and I can’t forget it.”
Shen Zhenzhu laughed and said, "You still had teeth back then, it's truly unforgettable."
"The recipe is also written on it. There are quite a few things to consider when making a roasted chicken frame. It consists of the skeleton and the meat frame, and there are four different flavors." Liu Leqin pointed to the recipe in the plastic bag and said, "This Captain Gu is really thoughtful."
"Brother Zheng is such a nice guy." Shen Zhenzhu happily shared the roasted chicken frame. After Shen Liuhe heated it up with a barbecue grill in the kitchen, the restaurant was filled with the aroma of roasted chicken.
Today is the last day of the holiday. Although it was only two days, Chen Zhenzhu still had a very pleasant time.
Especially when the police officers from the train station appeared in front of her carrying a large TV, she felt like God was rewarding her!
"Many people were scammed during the Spring Festival. After we caught the couple who were scamming people, we waited for the TV sets in order and repaid each family one by one." The young police officer from the train station delivered the TV sets on a tricycle.
Shen Liuhe brought them two cups of milk tea to cool them down, and they were extremely grateful.
Shen Zhenzhu is always the one being thanked, but today she is extremely grateful to them.
After seeing them off, I had lunch with my godparents at my sixth sister's house. Before they left, they took two boxes of black duck and a bag of roasted chicken frames with them.
"There's not enough room for the taro balls in the room, we can use the one in the living room. You can put the TV in your room." Shen Liuhe's words were truly heavenly.
Shen Zhenzhu could enjoy the television all by herself, and she was strong enough to lift mountains. She carried the television home herself, lay on the bed drinking milk tea and eating roasted chicken frames, feeling so happy she could melt.
After lying in bed for two hours, feeling like I had nails all over my body, I suddenly sat up in bed, walked to my desk, spread out some paper, and started writing a letter.
In her memory, there was a genius female forensic doctor in China. If she remembered correctly, she was from the same place as the specially invited forensic doctor in Shenyang last time. She guessed that they might be the same person.
Chen Zhenzhu struggled to write a letter at her desk, hoping to become pen pals with the forensic pathologist and exchange technical knowledge. She could communicate with him through criminal profiling to gain his forensic expertise. If he was willing, becoming true friends would be even better.
While in Wuxian County, she had already asked someone to find out the other party's mailing address. This time, in order to show her sincerity, she even packed her treasured wild dried shrimp and dried yellow croaker in a postal package on the balcony, trying to win their favor.
The hardships she endured in Wuxian County are something she will never forget in her lifetime.
The anxiety of not having many clues and worrying that the suspect might escape, the discovery of the headless female corpse, and the helplessness of being unable to search for clues because the scene was destroyed by rain all became thorns in her heart.
In the future, you may encounter even more difficult suspects. Even if you witness the murder scene, you may be helpless because you cannot find any evidence.
Shen Zhenzhu did not want to face such a predicament and hoped to improve her criminal investigation skills. Learning from a capable forensic doctor was an urgent matter.
Despite the limitations of technology at the time, forensic techniques in the 1990s developed into a relatively professional system for the work of forensic pathologists at crime scenes. This included on-site investigation and preliminary autopsy, determining the time and manner of death, and collecting physical evidence.
There are also autopsies and experimental analyses to determine mechanical injuries, signs of asphyxiation, poisoning, or pathological examinations. In addition, there are later developments such as DNA technology, imaging records, and trace evidence.
The core role of expert forensic pathologists lies in the combination of basic pathological diagnosis and traditional physical evidence techniques. Although they lack high-tech methods, they can still provide crucial support for cases through rigorous morphological observation and logical reasoning.
At this crucial juncture in the transition of forensic science from empiricism to modern technology, she possesses considerable forensic knowledge, but it is not a systematic learning process. Shen Zhenzhu longs for systematic learning guidance, and even as her criminal investigation skills gradually become more professional, she hopes to move towards even greater specialization.
In short, it's about wanting to become more and more capable.
However... this is a secret, Qin An can't know, hehe.
"Making friends with ulterior motives is a bit presumptuous, I hope she won't be offended by me."
Thinking that the other party could identify the suspect from hundreds of footprints and personally delivered the top three places in the "Great Competition" to the Shenyang Criminal Investigation Team, and that she was going to send a letter to such a capable female comrade, Shen Zhenzhu packed the mailbag, threw herself on the bed and rolled around, feeling uneasy.
"Don't be discouraged even if you don't want to communicate. Great people always have their little quirks." Chen Zhenzhu lay on her back on the bed, looking at the ceiling, encouraging herself: "It's already great that we know each other."
Shen Zhenzhu cheered herself up and fell asleep without realizing it. Shen Liuhe turned off the TV when she came home from get off work that evening.
Seeing that she was lying sprawled on the bed with her head hanging off the edge, Shen Liuhe smiled lovingly, reached out her big hand to lift Chen Zhenzhu's head. She didn't move while she was sleeping, and only after her mother spanked her did she finally move to the center of the bed.
He draped a towel over his stomach, switched the electric fan that was blowing directly on Chen Zhenzhu to oscillation mode, killed another mosquito, and then tiptoed out of the room, slowly closing the door. He left the sleeping Chen Zhenzhu to dream of becoming the Powerpuff Girl and continuing her amazing feats.
The mother wouldn't care how badly her daughter slept; she would only be glad that it was a double bed and not worry that her daughter would fall off.
...probably not.
Good morning, Pearl.
"Good morning, Section Chief Shen, you're back."
Good morning, Section Chief Shen.
"Good morning, Brother Feng, Brother Qing." He didn't turn around when called "Section Chief Shen," but when called "Section Chief Shen Zheng," Shen Zhenzhu immediately stopped and turned around to greet him.
He returned to the office carrying two bags of vegetable buns and was warmly welcomed by Lu Ye and others.
Gu Yanzheng went to the provincial capital on a business trip. When the tiger is away, Pearl is the king. She has to take good care of everyone.
"I saw an advertisement for Xiao Chuan's competition in the morning paper today." Chen Zhenzhu was munching on a large steamed bun with scallop and minced meat, and she also grabbed a large steamed bun with pickled cabbage and oil in her hand. She felt relieved to have grabbed it and ate while chatting.
Wu Zhongguo has been a fan of vegetable buns for many years, and with Shen Zhenzhu's help, he can eat them anytime.
The hallway was noisy, and the office phone rang again.
Wu Zhongguo answered the phone in a good mood, said "hello" twice, covered the microphone and said to everyone, "It's the son of that old policeman. He said he has also joined the public security system and wants to say a few words to you."
"Okay." Chen Zhenzhu put down the steamed bun: "Found it?"
Wu Zhongguo nodded and said, "I found it yesterday and was thinking of telling you today."
Thank goodness that the pearl was sunken.
Wu Zhongguo put the phone on speakerphone, and a young criminal investigator's resolute voice came through: "...Thank you for helping my family find my father. For so many years, my mother and I never gave up the search. My father's comrades all died on the front lines. My father often said that as long as he lived, they lived. Now my father is gone, but as long as I live, they live. I have never regretted becoming a member of the criminal investigation team. Every one of us criminal investigators is a Great Wall of our motherland. Thank you, my comrades."
His words brought tears to everyone's eyes, and Chen Zhenzhu's heart remained unsettled for a long time. The peace and tranquility of today's society, where people live and work in contentment, is all thanks to the path paved with the blood of our ancestors.
After hanging up the phone, the office remained quiet for a long time, until a sudden scream, "Ah—!" broke the silence.
Shen Zhenzhu heard someone running up from downstairs. She followed Lu Ye and the others into the corridor and saw a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old wearing a school uniform standing at the bottom of the stairs, shouting frantically downstairs: "Don't come any closer! I don't need you to bother me! Get out of here!"
"A teenage girl?" Lu Ye frowned, finding it difficult to handle.
Xiao Min called out from downstairs, "Little sister, we won't hurt you. Only by getting a medical examination can we teach those who bullied you a lesson."
Just as Chen Zhenzhu was about to walk over, the girl with pigtails suddenly turned her head, pointed at her, and said, "Don't come any closer. I told you I won't call the police. I hurt myself, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
Chen Zhenzhu noticed bruises on the back of her hand. Despite being a teenage girl, she was as thin as a bean sprout. She was wearing a faded long-sleeved school uniform even in the sweltering heat. This was typical of a victim concealing their injuries, suggesting a complex web of family or teacher-student relationships behind the scenes.
“Niu Niu, listen to your aunt. Your stepmother has abused you more than once or twice. You’re all grown up now, you need to learn to fight back.” A plump middle-aged woman with a red armband on her arm came up from downstairs, looking like she was a staff member from the neighborhood committee.
"Ahhh—!" Niu Niu screamed angrily, pointing at the women from the neighborhood office and yelling, "Why are you meddling in other people's business? Why are you meddling in other people's business? I told you to get out, get out of here! If you dare to interfere, I'll jump off the building right now."
"Alright, alright, we'll leave it at that. Calm down." Two people from the second team came up and, together with Tian Yongfeng, carried Niu Niu down to the office.
The woman from the neighborhood office wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and said to her colleague next to her, "Let's go, it seems like we've come all this way for nothing again."
Under the circumstances of family ties, which did not involve a murder case, Shen Zhenzhu, Lu Ye, and the others returned to the office awkwardly.
"Did you see the 'stepmother child abuse case' in the newspaper? Just because the little boy was hungry and stole a bite of food, she forced him to drink boiling oil. He was only five years old. Look how cute he is in the photos. Alas, he was abused to death by his stepmother."
Wu Zhongguo was originally looking at Xiao Chuan's competition advertisements, but after flipping to this page of the newspaper and glancing at it a few times, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He also had a son, and imagining Xiao Chuan being treated like this, he would definitely fight desperately.
“If there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. That’s what my mom told me back then,” Lu Ye said. “It’s true that the stepmother is the murderer in the news, but the child’s father also has a lot of problems. The news reports that the boy was abused for years and there wasn’t a single unharmed spot on his body. Didn’t his father know? The child was abused to death. If we catch the stepmother, can he get away with it without any responsibility?”
“Tolerating crime is also a crime.” Zhao Qiqi couldn’t bear to see the boy’s death in the newspaper, so she didn’t go over to look with Lu Ye. She sighed and secretly blew the electric fan on herself.
"Xiao Shen is here for work?" Director Liu appeared at the office door, and upon hearing the indignant words inside, nodded in agreement.
"Hello, Director Liu." Shen Zhenzhu stood up to greet him. She looked like a well-behaved girl, but everyone present had a deep understanding of her stubbornness.
"Since Xiao Gu isn't here, please keep an eye on Team Four. If you're too tired, go rest at Zhang Jie's place. Working non-stop is really bad for your health." Director Liu liked Chen Zhenzhu more and more as he looked at her, and gradually found common ground with Ma.
"Thank you for your concern, Director Liu. I've recovered after resting at home for two days and am ready to fight at any time," Shen Zhenzhu said, beaming.
These words made Director Liu even more satisfied with her. Director Liu told them, "I have something to tell you. The Songlin Bodhisattva Temple in Wuxian County was vandalized and turned into ruins overnight."
Lu Ye clapped his hands: "Good job! You didn't see how scary it was when skulls kept popping out of the well. When it rained, the skulls would clatter and knock on the floor. I still get chills just thinking about it."
Although Wu Zhongguo wasn't present, he heard them recount the story vividly, especially Lu Ye, whose lips were practically worn thin from talking so much.
"So be it," he sighed. "It really is a case of 'once my head is severed, I will never hear the Bodhisattva's words again, and I will never worship Guanyin again.'"
Chen Zhenzhu expressed her agreement.
The Wuxian County case has come to a perfect end, leaving only sighs... and the pain of aching back and legs.
"Hey, you're half right," said Director Liu.
Chen Zhenzhu's curiosity was piqued, and she asked curiously, "How come Uncle Wu's answer was only half right?"
If she were a resident of Wuxian County, she would want to avoid Qilin Mountain.
Director Liu sighed and said, "Another 'crooked trick' has appeared."
"ah?"
"how so?"
"What exactly happened?" Shen Zhenzhu's eyes widened, she really didn't want the evil to reignite after she had just captured the bad guys.
Director Liu said, "They say there's a Taoist nun who's incredibly good at fortune telling. She also has all sorts of Arhats around her."
Shen Zhenzhu was shocked: "A criminal organization!"
Director Liu nodded and said, "She has powerful messengers and divine divination messengers by her side. Ironically, there is also a messenger from the alchemy room. Coincidentally, he looks a bit like a nurse from the local Second Hospital."
Shen Zhenzhu: "...Why does that sound familiar?"
Director Liu added, "The county also needs to clear the name of the case, and the government is proposing to build a 'Fairy Maiden Temple' on another mountain. Fairy Maidens are Taoists, so why build a 'temple' instead of a Taoist temple? Someone asked why, and they said that the 'miraculous fairy maiden' always says 'Amitabha.' These swindlers are too adept at this; they can't even make up a story. Isn't this just nonsense?"
"Cough cough cough..."
"Cough cough."
"Hahaha, cough cough cough—"
Director Liu said in surprise, "No, how come you all have caught a cold? It's the middle of summer, you're not exactly healthy to catch a cold."
Shen Zhenzhu said with a sheepish face, "With government oversight, there's not much of a problem. Whether it's a Taoist temple or a Buddhist monastery, small demons can't cause any big trouble. Don't worry, it's definitely not an evil cult."
Director Liu looked at her suspiciously: "Can you guarantee that?"
"Of course," Chen Zhenzhu said, patting her chest. "That little demon believes in the Party."
Director Liu, shrewd and calculating, glanced around with a taut face, and roughly figured out what was going on. He pointed at Chen Zhenzhu's nose and laughed, "It doesn't matter if it's a black cat or a white cat, as long as it can solve cases, it's a good cat."
Chen Zhenzhu breathed a sigh of relief: "Ami... Mimi is great."
Lu Ye couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, slapping his thigh. His laughter made everyone else laugh too.
Director Liu walked to the door with a smile. He had come mainly to see if Shen Zhenzhu was angry with him about the last time she complained about Director Tu forcibly ending the search. He said, "From now on, it will be the world of you young people. In a few years, I will really have to retire. Good luck."
Shen Zhenzhu said earnestly, "You are still vigorous and healthy. We are like trains. No matter how fast a train goes, it still needs tracks. Only with tracks can it stay on track."
Director Liu admitted, "That's not wrong. We old guys are willing to be your tracks."
At first, I didn't think there was anything wrong. On the way to the director's office, Director Liu suddenly laughed and said, "Is this kid trying to overpower me? Hmm, I can't hold a grudge like this."
He thought for a moment and then stopped. Remembering the person sitting in the office, he turned around and went to the fourth team's office: "Little Shen, Director Tu is here."
Shen Zhenzhu's eyes lit up. She remembered that Director Tu wanted to "talk" with her. She ran to the door and said, "I'm going to greet Director Tu."
Seeing her like this, Director Liu was certain that she wasn't angry with him anymore.
Shen Zhenzhu and Director Liu chatted as they walked. When they arrived at the director's office, Director Liu made an excuse to go to the forensic room.
Instead of going to the director's office, they insisted on going to the basement.
"Director Tu." Shen Zhenzhu knocked on the door.
Tu Ju, who was looking at the materials from Wuxian County, looked up at Chen Zhenzhu, who was smiling sweetly, and his heart skipped a beat.
Shen Zhenzhu said with a smile, "Didn't you want to have a chat with me? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? If Director Liu hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known."
Director Liu, who hadn't gone far, froze, but continued down the stairs without showing any emotion. Well, the little girl betrayed him the moment she turned her back.
"Sit down." Tu Ju said expressionlessly.
Chen Zhenzhu sat down opposite him and watched as Director Tu took out a bag of peanuts from his bag and quietly peeled them.
Chen Zhenzhu: "...?"
Director Tu did not believe that he had made a mistake in issuing the order at the time. He believed that the lives of the on-site investigators were also lives, and he could not stand by and watch the flash floods and landslides continue to leave them stranded at the scene. He felt that he was not worthy of being their leader.
However, upon seeing Chen Zhenzhu arrive, she did not appear to be accusing him; instead, she smiled and seemed to mean nothing.
That's what's interesting.
Tu Ju will not apologize, and Shen Zhenzhu will not hold a grudge.
Neither of them spoke for a while, and then Director Tu began peeling peanuts.
He opened his palm and handed it to her, which Chen Zhenzhu grabbed and began to chew. She chewed on the peanuts, chewing and chewing and chewing, and in Tu Ju's eyes, she was no different from that little golden monkey.
As Chen Zhenzhu chewed on the pearl, he began to laugh. Tu Ju also laughed, and Liu Ju, who had somehow returned to the door, also laughed.
We reached a mutual understanding and moved on from this matter.
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Author's note: The little golden monkey scratched its head: Why didn't the person who promised to bring me peanuts today come?
***
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see]
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