Chapter 34 Home, Everyone's Precious Darling
The cellar slave case, once exposed, caused a strong reaction. Many people stopped going out for late-night snacks, and entertainment venues such as dance halls near the old train station were closed for inspection. Women needed to be accompanied when going out, and they avoided people who seemed mentally unstable.
Residents of Chang'an Jiayuan, in particular, are moving quickly if they are able, and trying to sell their properties if they are not, because they don't want to be neighbors with a pervert like Huang Yingfeng.
In the newspapers that circulate through the streets and alleys, you can see big, eye-catching headlines such as "China's first 'Stockholm' case solved" and "Evil is not in the abyss but all around us."
The public has been greatly affected. While reflecting on the case in relation to material civilization, they have also begun to consider the health of their own spiritual civilization and confront sub-healthy emotions and negative thoughts.
The Municipal Health Bureau, following instructions from higher authorities, promoted the placement of mental health service personnel in community hospitals and collaborated with health departments to manage the mental health and rehabilitation services for patients with mental disorders.
“Mental illnesses are rarely taken seriously. People mostly talk about why someone would jump into a river or drink pesticide for no reason. I guess the National Health Commission is using this case to promote its measures.”
Zhou Chuanxi put down the newspaper and took a bite of Red Marshal cigarette.
"There's no such thing as mind control. The goal is to make people take mental health seriously. You know, many people think that seeing a psychologist will make them mentally ill."
Lu Ye snatched the apple, broke it in half, returned one half, and leaned against the desk.
"If you ask me, psychological problems all stem from pent-up frustration, and you need to learn to release it. Like me, I run ten laps every day and then practice shooting and boxing, and I have no problems at all."
Zhou Chuanxi sarcastically remarked, "He's lost his mind too."
Lu Ye, with an apple in his mouth, tried to snatch the other half from Zhou Chuanxi, but Zhou Chuanxi quickly bit it in his mouth and mumbled, "It got my saliva on it."
With the case solved, Wu Zhongguo stopped smoking and continued to rest and recuperate in his office.
With a large mug of ginseng and goji berries in it, he took a sip and said, "It's almost the end of the year, and I wonder if they'll crack down on this year. I need to ask my wife for leave in advance, so she won't complain when she sees me not coming home every day."
“There’s a crackdown this year, so Team Three is sending people out, while Team Four will continue working as usual.” Gu Yanzheng stayed up all night to finish writing the case report and then sent it to the procuratorate with Huang Yingfeng.
"Ironclad evidence and a perfect chain of evidence—who knows, Huang Yingfeng might end up on the execution ground alongside Li Yun. Tsk tsk, they're all incredibly vicious. We really need to crack down hard this year," Wu Zhongguo said, chewing on his ginseng.
Lu Ye expressed regret at not being able to participate in the crackdown: "Why only the third team? In previous years, they always made excuses and refused to participate in the crackdown."
Zhou Chuanxi knew the situation clearly and said with a gloating tone, "Director Liu specifically asked them to go, saying that we solved a case that they hadn't been able to solve for a year, and we shouldn't be allowed to rest properly? The guy surnamed Pu couldn't say anything, he just took the assignment and left."
Lu Ye was secretly pleased. Team Four and Team Three had been fighting each other for many years, but this time Team Four had really fought a brilliant battle. The case that Team Three couldn't solve was "casually" solved by Team Four. This was just as devastating as Sister Pearl's.
"Where's Lao Shen?" Gu Yanzheng sat down to catch his breath, remembering this capable assistant.
Lu Ye pointed to the other end of the corridor and said gossipily, "He's chatting with Professor Hong Kong."
Gu Yanzheng said with a laugh, "If you're going to chat, then chat. Why are you being so sneaky?"
Zhou Chuanxi, not one to shy away from stirring things up, said, "The two of them were having a very pleasant conversation. I was just washing apples when I heard Professor Chen Jiale ask Old Shen where she learned psychological analysis, and he praised her for her detailed and insightful analysis, saying that her learning ability was stronger than that of the students he had brought over."
Lu Ye bluntly said, "He's been talking for half an hour and he still hasn't come back. Isn't he afraid of missing his flight?"
Zhou Chuanxi glanced at Gu Yanzheng and said, "What's more important than poaching talent? Talented people are rare, and he considers himself a talent scout."
A talent scout? Even the most discerning talent scout can't compare to me.
Just when they'd finally gotten their hands on the prized Shen Zhenzhu and brought him to the Major Crimes Unit, someone tried to poach him from the team.
Gu Yanzheng stood up and walked out without making a sound, intending to listen to what they were talking about.
Wu Zhongguo watched Gu Yanzheng leave, clutching his large tea mug, and clicked his tongue twice, thinking, "A nuclear bomb, a nuclear bomb! Even Captain Gu can't sit still anymore."
Zhou Chuanxi was right; Shen Zhenzhu and Chen Jiale got along very well. In Gu Yanzheng's eyes, there was even a hint of regret for not having met sooner.
Chen Jiale, with his back to Gu Yanzheng, raised his hand to push up his silver-rimmed glasses. At just over thirty years old, he had become the director of a private hospital in Hong Kong and a professor of clinical psychology at Hong Kong Medical University; his abilities were beyond question.
He had seen many outstanding young people, but none could match the keen insight and talent of the mainland female police officer before him. This young police officer, without any systematic training, was able to pull Li Wen back from the brink of a psychological precipice and successfully get her to testify in court; this could not be attributed to mere luck.
Upon learning that she had learned these skills from books and Captain Gu's notebooks from previous years, he felt even more sorry for her talent.
“I’m still looking for a senior assistant who can keep learning from me while also earning a higher salary. You know that clinical psychology in Hong Kong is far more advanced than in mainland China. If you’re interested in solving cases, my hospital has the necessary testing equipment and cooperating police stations, which will allow you to develop your talents and receive high-level training as you wish.”
“Professor Chen, thank you for your invitation, but I can’t leave this land. My talent also grew here, and I’m afraid I’d be out of place in a different environment,” Shen Zhenzhu said half-jokingly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tall figure swaying at the office door, and then, upon seeing her gaze, he strode over.
"It's already this late, the car is waiting downstairs." Gu Yanzheng didn't stand on ceremony after finishing his business and gave them the order to leave.
He thought Chan Ka-lok was quite well-behaved, but who knew he wasn't well-behaved at all.
Chen Jiale was surprised by Gu Yanzheng's attitude. In his impression, Gu Yanzheng should be a superior who knew how to conduct himself properly, and he had also heard that Gu Yanzheng came from a wealthy family and would not do anything to save face for his servants.
But I did it anyway.
“You can consider it first. Hong Kong has been unstable in recent years, and it is a critical time when there is a shortage of manpower. After 1997, social needs may change, and the opportunity will be fleeting. If you decide, your contact information is on your business card. I can send you an invitation letter from the other side of the strait, and I will arrange your food, clothing, accommodation and transportation.”
After Chen Jiale finished speaking, the two students carrying his luggage beside him were secretly surprised. It was rare to see a young professor, who was usually so serious, so kind in inviting talented people.
Gu Yanzheng glanced at the business card in Chen Zhenzhu's hand, then looked at Chen Jiale with an inscrutable expression.
Chen Jiale smiled, then took out a business card and handed it to Gu Yanzheng, saying, "Captain Gu, we had a very pleasant exchange at the Hong Kong International Detective Conference. This is my contact information. You can call me directly if you need anything. We're all on the same side, no need to go through the formalities at the provincial department."
Holding Chen Jiale's business card between his index and middle fingers, Gu Yanzheng extended his right hand to shake hands with him, calmly saying, "Thank you for your help, Professor Chen. We in the mainland are also cultivating talents in many fields, with successes in business, medicine, military, politics, and academia. Times have changed, and I believe we will have opportunities to cooperate."
These words were spoken in a very tactful way, but as shrewd people, some things don't need to be said so clearly to be understood. Gu Yanzheng didn't like to "assist" Hong Kong City. Next time there was an opportunity, it might be "cooperation" rather than a kind of help that concealed a sense of superiority through technical and ideological means.
"Goodbye." Shen Zhenzhu, like a little fool, didn't notice the tense atmosphere between them. She glanced at the time on her pager and said, "Professor Chen, I won't take up any more of your time. Take care."
Gu Yanzheng smiled cheesily and said, "Oh dear, it's almost time. I won't keep you any longer. Let's go, I'll see you downstairs. By the way, Lao Shen, I made a copy of the materials for the procuratorate. Go and study them, and you can write the next case."
Official document writing was Chen Zhenzhu's weakness. She didn't shy away from her weakness and rubbed her hands together, looking forward to seeing Captain Gu's overall analysis and control of the case: "Okay, then I won't see you off. Goodbye, Professor Chen."
After saying goodbye to Chen Zhenzhu and turning his gaze away, Chen Jiale glanced at Gu Yanzheng: "Captain Gu, are you so insecure?"
Gu Yanzheng pretended not to understand: "Confidence? What do I lack confidence in?"
As Chen Jiale descended the stairs, he quipped, "That's true, after all, there are a few gold mines."
"Gold mining is just a side job; the real estate business is the main thing." Unexpectedly, Fu Yudou's reputation spread far and wide, and Gu Yanzheng retorted, "If your hospital isn't doing well, you don't need to poach people from all over the place. You can start a gold tooth inlay project. I guarantee the purity and quantity. The craftsmen from Guangzhou Shuibaolou will hand-carve it, and I guarantee you'll make a fortune and won't be eyeing other people's treasures anymore."
“Okay, if the market research has this need, I will definitely try to cooperate with Gu’s.” Chen Jiale was flexible and adaptable. He came to the car and shook hands with Gu Yanzheng again, saying, “This trip has been very eye-opening. Captain Gu, we’ll meet again someday.”
Gu Yanzheng shook his arm vigorously, watched Chen Jiale get into the car, and casually stuffed the black duck into the car as a souvenir: "The best duck in Liancheng, take it back and have your colleagues try it, it's super delicious with a strong flavor."
Chen Jiale, carrying a large bag of braised duck, said, "I heard that Comrade Shen's family owns a restaurant, but I didn't have a chance to try it this time due to the short notice. I also heard that her family's braised products are limited in quantity each day and are very difficult to buy—"
"Where did you hear that? You must have misheard. Hurry up and go. If you enjoyed the meal, I'll have someone bring you some next time." Let's not bury some regrets and nurture the seeds for a future meeting.
Suppress them, suppress them all.
"Where's Lao Shen?" After seeing off the guests, Gu Yanzheng's face fell. He sat down at the first desk in his office, ready to deal with his ungrateful son.
"They've all gone for lunch break, she went to Zhang Jie's place." Wu Zhongguo stretched his back and asked, "What's wrong? Is it urgent? Tell Xiao Zhou to call her."
"Why are you running to the archives every other day?" Gu Yanzheng was annoyed. He tried to teach the man a lesson but failed. He leaned back in his chair.
Wu Zhongguo said with a smile, "The two of them are on very good terms now. Zhang Jie always tells her stories of solving cases in the past, and she reads them together with the case files. She's so interested in them. Maybe in a while they'll even be calling each other master and apprentice. Let me tell you, she doesn't know that she almost ended up in the archives. If she did know, she might even have some ideas about it."
What's going on?
He's always thinking about his precious baby!
Gu Yanzheng concealed his worries and stubbornly said, "What nonsense! He's mine, he won't run away."
Wu Zhongguo didn't say anything, thinking to himself, of course you can't escape. You're chasing me like crazy, who can outrun you?
Shen Zhenzhu was unaware that she had stirred up a hornet's nest, and even if she did, she wouldn't know what kind of trouble it was.
In short, Captain Gu ignored her in the afternoon. Just before the end of the workday, Shen Zhenzhu, contrary to her usual behavior, did not work overtime and disappeared for a while. When she came back, she was holding a hot sweet potato in her hand: "Captain Gu, you will be in a meeting later and will not have time to eat. Here is a freshly baked sweet potato to fill your stomach."
A roasted sweet potato can buy off a gold mine? What a joke.
Gu Yanzheng glanced at Chen Zhenzhu, then reluctantly peeled the sweet potato open under her expectant gaze: "Where did this come from?"
Shen Zhenzhu immediately said, "I'm from Sister Zhang's side."
"Are those files more interesting?"
"I looked at the records of the four teams from previous years, and specifically chose to look at the cases solved by Captain Gu."
Gu Yanzheng was satisfied. Only then did he slowly remember that there used to be a small stove outside the archives room, which was used to heat up food and roast sweet potatoes and potatoes in the autumn and winter. It seemed that Zhang Jie had carried on the tradition after she left.
Knowing that Shen Zhenzhu still had feelings for him, he accepted it gladly, and felt a little bit of insignificant joy. He couldn't quite put his finger on what kind of emotion it was.
"What did you and Professor Chen talk about again?" Gu Yanzheng asked casually as he slowly peeled a roasted sweet potato.
Shen Zhenzhu answered naturally, "Some questions are related to psychology."
Why didn't you ask me?
"You seem busy."
"Next time you ask me, don't ask an outsider. Asking about something so simple will only make you a laughingstock."
"oh!"
"Go home early after get off work. I've arranged the shooting range for you. An instructor will teach you, and you'll be able to carry a gun when you're on a mission."
"Okay! Thank you, Captain Gu. See you tomorrow, Captain Gu." Shen Zhenzhu waved to Gu Yanzheng with her sweet dimples, making him feel as if the sweet potato in his hand was made of honey.
When Old Wu, who was on duty today, came back after washing the teacups and swishing his cup around, he saw him biting into a roasted sweet potato and said, "Hey, where did you get this?"
Gu Yanzheng said, "Go grill it at Zhang Jie's place yourself."
Old Wu said, "No way. I just ran into Zhang Jie at the logistics department. She said she wanted to get a new furnace because the old one was broken. If they don't replace it now, it will be too late to get one in two months when it gets cold."
"The stove is broken?" Gu Yanzheng looked down at the roasted sweet potato. "Then where did this come from?"
"Why are you still asking me?" Wu Zhongguo was speechless. "Could it be that it was grilled by an illegal street vendor hiding from the city management in the back alley? Hey, it's so big, it probably is. Zhang Jie's stove is broken and it can't be cooked through at all."
Gu Yanzheng placed the roasted sweet potato on the table and stared at it intently. After a moment, he picked it up again, took a bite, and chewed while grinding his teeth.
After all these years, you've been outmaneuvered by a mere pearl. You used to play the innocent one at the police station, but once you got a foothold, you started doing bad things, huh?
Thinking back to the question she had just asked, "Where did it come from?", and "From Sister Zhang's place," it seemed like there was nothing wrong with that answer, so Shen Zhenzhu didn't say that it was baked by Sister Zhang.
Okay, that's really good.
Special Pearl returned to the shop amidst the bleak autumn wind and the evening glow.
"‘The cellar slave case shocked the nation, and the Liancheng Major Crimes Unit bravely went undercover to solve the case.’ Look, there are even foreign media reports about it in the newspapers.” Yuan Jiangxue pointed at the newspaper with her slender fingers painted with red nail polish. She and Uncle Pang were sitting face to face, discussing the case that Shen Zhenzhu was involved in.
Upon seeing that Chen Zhenzhu had returned, Yuan Jiangxue, unusually, pointed to the neighbor next door and said, "Go find Lao Lu; he's been wandering around the streets for ages."
"Uncle Lu wanted to see me?" Chen Zhenzhu parked her bicycle and stood outside the stationery store, calling out, "Uncle Lu!!"
She searched around but couldn't find him. Following directions from the neighbors, she arrived near the old middle school: "Uncle Lu—Uncle—"
"Hey, I'm here." Uncle Lu pushed his bicycle, with a blue-spotted mackerel, which is called a big mackerel by the locals, hanging on the back.
"A super-sized mackerel, 1.1 meters long! I caught it from the shore. I just weighed it at the big market. Guess how many pounds it is? Exactly twenty pounds!" Uncle Lu's face was flushed. He had been pushing his bicycle all afternoon, practically walking from noon until Chen Zhenzhu finished get off work.
Everyone in Tiesi knows about the super-large mackerel that was caught. The mackerel's tail drooped down, and it rolled around motionless, perhaps even rolling its eyes.
"Wow, twenty pounds! That's twice the weight of Aunt Yuan's Shih Tzu!" Chen Zhenzhu squatted down and flipped the fish's mouth open. "Let me see, it looks quite fresh."
Fish caught online don't have hook holes; only those caught by fishing have them.
"How could it not be fresh?" Uncle Lu said angrily, "There are holes in the fishhook, I really caught it. I went out at three in the morning and paid for two packs of cigarettes to get this auspicious spot. Look, look closely."
Shen Zhenzhu stood up, wiped her hands, and said with a soft smile, "Then I won't watch it. I trust you."
Uncle Lu pushed the cart forward, and after a while said, "Hmph, you don't know that there were people on the road who wanted to buy it for fifty yuan, but I didn't sell it to them."
Shen Zhenzhu said with a stern face, "I won't sell, absolutely not."
"Right, hehehe, who do you think I should save it for?"
"Leave it for me to eat, hehehe."
"That's right, it's for you to eat, hehehe."
Hehehe.
Uncle Lu walked past the school where he used to work and said to Chen Zhenzhu, "Look, this is where I used to set up my stall, do you remember?"
"I remember, there's a fried rice cake vendor nearby."
As soon as the wave of reform and opening up began, Uncle Lu resigned and set up a small stall at the school gate. He didn't feel ashamed. When Shen Zhenzhu first came to school, her primary school was right next to the middle school. She was bullied and had no one to play with. Uncle Lu would occasionally give her some rare stationery, which attracted other children to associate with her.
There's a raffle at the stall. Pearl gets the top prize each time, while the bad kids who bully her get the bottom prize.
Compared to the rigid adults, Shen Zhenzhu preferred the slightly mischievous Uncle Lu. He taught her to box to protect herself, how to aim marbles with her fingers, and how to whistle at handsome boys.
Having missed her father's love during her childhood, Shen Zhenzhu saw the outline of fatherly love in Uncle Lu.
The two pushed the cart back to the shop entrance. Even though everyone knew about it, they weren't in a hurry to take the giant mackerel into the shop. Instead, they stood by the cart and said, "This is a personal reward from your uncle for solving the case. The government has its rewards, and our neighborhood has your uncle to reward you. Keep up the good work and become a female Bao Zheng!"
“Those two aren’t even in the same industry, you have to call them Sherlock Holmes.” Yuan Jiangxue, unsurprisingly, came over to argue, pointing at the large mackerel and saying, “If you don’t debone and fillet it soon, you’ll have to clean it yourself later.”
Uncle Lu wasn't angry at all. He said with a smile, "Let's eat mackerel dumplings together today and invite all the neighbors to celebrate the kids' success. We'll save some of the fish meat to make fish ball soup, and grill the fish head and bones."
“Great!” Shen Zhenzhu said happily, “I love eating fish the most. Uncle Lu, thank you.”
Knowing that Yuan Jiangxue would also help make dumplings, Chen Zhenzhu ran over and took Yuan Jiangxue's arm, saying, "Aunt Yuan, thank you for your hard work too."
Shen Liuhe came out of the kitchen, put down the food for the customers, wiped her hands, looked at Chen Zhenzhu, and then gestured with the large mackerel, saying, "Then I'll chop the filling first. The shop will be busy in a while."
Uncle Lu waved his hand and said, "You don't need to chop it. Xiao Leng can chop it. Come and eat it when you have time. Pearl, go to Brother Leng and tell him to prepare a big plastic basin. Then you don't have to do anything. Just tell us how you solved that case. If you agree, you can have all the fish roe."
"Leave it to me." Chen Zhenzhu patted her chest, becoming the gossip of Tie Si New Second Village, and that very night she practically stood on the table and vividly recounted how the case was solved. She skipped over the most brutal and secretive parts, which made the neighbors who were having a mackerel feast with her gasp in shock.
"Mackerel dumplings are here!" Uncle Pang steamed the dumplings, and Little Fatty Zhang served them. Today, Chen Zhenzhu was on the same level as Uncle Zhang, sitting at the head of the table, only eating and not doing any work. Even if she wanted to work, no one would allow it.
The mackerel dumplings have a filling made by Shen Liuhe herself, using freshly caught mackerel. The fish meat is snow-white and tender, melting in your mouth. It also has a sweet aroma reminiscent of freshly caught fish. A touch of chopped chives is added, enhancing the fragrance without overpowering it, adding another layer of flavor.
Brother Leng has great strength in his hands, and the dough he kneads is thin yet chewy. The moment you bite into it, the fresh fish juice fills your mouth, leaving you with an unforgettable aftertaste.
Just like when she was a child, Chen Zhenzhu picked up a mackerel dumpling, dipped it in minced garlic and soy sauce, and the taste was the perfect finishing touch. The extremely delicious flavor made her eat one after another without stopping.
Because there were customers in the shop, they gathered in the backyard shared by Uncle Lu and Brother Leng. The moon gently extinguished the autumn wind and shone on Chen Zhenzhu's face. At this moment, she was no longer an agent of the Major Crimes Unit, but an ordinary little girl who had grown up in love.
"Are you hurt?" Sister-in-law Pang asked with concern as she came today.
Chen Zhenzhu said while biting into a dumpling, "No, there were more than twenty of my colleagues on the operation, and I was well protected."
Uncle Lu said worriedly, "I'll have Master Zhang forge you a fine iron knife later, so you can take it with you when you go out to arrest people."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I've started practicing shooting. By the way, who is Master Zhang?"
Shen Liuhe laughed and said, "He's Grandpa Zhang's father, an old blacksmith, he must be ninety this year."
The small backyard was also crowded with more than ten people; everyone from the dilapidated commercial street in Tiesi New Second Village had arrived.
Shen Zhenzhu is not only Sixth Sister's beloved daughter, but also everyone's beloved daughter.
After everyone finished their delicious mackerel dumplings, the group, who had been grilling fish heads and bones outside, huddled together again. They talked about everything from the case to the new psychological counseling program in the neighborhood, then argued about whose family was emotionally unstable and needed treatment, and finally about which Hong Kong or Taiwanese song was playing and which was the most popular. Their chatter was aimless, but everyone was having a good time.
"Big sister, do you think Aaron Kwok's 'I Can't Stop Loving You' will be more popular, or Beyond's 'Glorious Years'? Which one will win the Top Ten Hits?" Shen Yuyuan asked lazily, leaning on Shen Zhenzhu's shoulder, feeling quite full after eating.
Before Chen Zhenzhu could speak, Brother Leng said, "It must be 'Glorious Years'! Beyond's cassette tapes are so hard to buy, it's bound to be a huge hit in the future."
Shen Yuyuan, however, preferred Aaron Kwok more, pouting, "None of them are as handsome as Aaron."
"He's made so many movies but he still hasn't become famous." Brother Leng poured cold water on the situation: "Pearl, be fair, the entertainment industry isn't something you can get into just by looking at yourself. I've never seen a band more talented than Beyond."
Without thinking, Chen Zhenzhu said, "Don't argue. Whether it's Aaron Kwok or Beyond, they will both be popular. Both of their songs can make it into the Top Ten Hits Chart, and they will continue to spread in the future."
"Really?" Brother Leng asked skeptically, "Isn't it because you also like handsome guys?"
Shen Zhenzhu said bluntly, "I'm not such a superficial person."
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Author's Note: Gu Yanzheng: Thinking back, who touched my skin back then?
***
See you tomorrow! Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
There's a red envelope in this chapter!
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