Chapter 18 They've struck it rich!
“He will definitely not escape legal punishment this way. You’re quite good.” Gu Yanzheng looked at Chen Zhenzhu, making no attempt to hide his admiration.
Shen Zhenzhu was secretly delighted; her idol had praised her!
The Cherokee sped away in the warm midday sun, and Chen Zhenzhu stood by the roadside waving goodbye.
Shen Liuhe was happy that her daughter had a holiday and urged, "After your sister gets out of school, you two can go see a movie or something. Don't waste your precious holiday."
Shen Zhenzhu didn't want to go, so she limped back to the shop and sat on a small stool by the door picking green beans. She had the great ability to catch criminals, and she also had the skill to pick green beans. She quickly picked a large handful without thinking.
Shen Liuhe felt sorry for the young girl who had no entertainment life after get off work every day, so she gave her a push: "Mom will reimburse you and have your sister take you there on her bike, so you don't have to walk."
"No, I don't like watching movies, I prefer working in the shop." Chen Zhenzhu picked up some green beans and said, "Will you make me some stewed vermicelli for dinner tonight?"
Shen Liuhe was furious: "Do I look like a vermicelli strip to you?!"
"I want to rest at home for a while," Chen Zhenzhu said coquettishly, looking at her with her big, watery eyes.
"Alright, do whatever makes you happy." Shen Liuhe knew that Shen Zhenzhu didn't want her to work too hard, so she changed the subject and said, "Captain Gu is a really nice person, I feel like he admires you."
Like a chatterbox, Shen Zhenzhu launched into a long, enthusiastic explanation of Captain Gu's classic cases to Shen Liuhe. After she finished explaining, even the usually optimistic and cheerful Ms. Shen Liuhe's hand holding the kitchen knife was trembling.
After resting at home for two days and staying in the office for a few more days, Chen Zhenzhu's knee injury finally healed. She was back to her energetic self, wandering the streets and alleys.
“Look, she works here.” Zhou Shuangxi brought Cai Duobao and his wife over. The two of them stood at the door of the common office, holding the banner, looking inside with restraint.
Zhou Shuangxi called out, "Comrade Xiao Shen, the victim's family has brought you a banner. Come over here quickly."
Shen Zhenzhu finally got a name for the baby girl who was supposed to be registered last month. Previously, they wanted to name her "Song Zhaodi," but Shen Zhenzhu wouldn't register it. This time, the child's mother and maternal grandmother brought her over, and they gave her the nice name "Yuan Xinyi."
“She took my surname. Her father can’t control me. If things don’t work out, we’ll get a divorce.” The mother really likes her daughter; the word “favorite” speaks volumes.
"This name is wonderful! May the child have a smooth and successful life, and everything he does go as he wishes." Shen Zhenzhu quickly registered the child's birth, which made them very happy. They even grabbed a handful of full moon candy and stuffed it into Shen Zhenzhu's hands.
Hearing Zhou Shuangxi call out, Chen Zhenzhu finished her work, stood up, and said, "Coming!"
Sister Wang also went over to see what was going on. She saw that Cai Duobao and Zhao Mei seemed to have emptied the store. In addition to the banner, they also brought pears, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries, all of which were of excellent quality.
"Thank you to the police officers for helping us solve the case, so that our daughter can rest in peace." Zhao Mei was about to kneel down when Shen Zhenzhu stepped forward and quickly supported her arm.
"Don't say that, it's our responsibility. Besides, it's not just me who did it, the comrades in the criminal investigation team all put in a lot of effort." Shen Zhenzhu looked at Zhao Mei with her gray hair and Cai Duobao who looked haggard, and sighed in her heart.
They were both tongue-tied and didn't know what to say. They'd been so focused on their business that they hadn't properly raised their child. They planned to return to their hometown to bury their daughter and then stay there.
As soon as Ma came out of his office, he said in a few quick steps, "Come on, let me take a picture of you. I'll put it on the bulletin board later."
He borrowed a camera from the forensic department, intending to take photos of Shen Zhenzhu for the bulletin board, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a perfect opportunity to record this moment.
'Flying Eagle Policeman, Crime Buster'
Wow, that feels incredibly powerful.
Shen Zhenzhu stood at the other end of the banner, smiling shyly. If Captain Gu saw this, he would surely say that she was genuinely happy this time.
After Cai Duobao and his wife left, Shen Zhenzhu called out to Zhou Shuangxi, saying, "Comrade Zhou, this case wasn't solved by me alone. I can't keep the banner and fruit all to myself."
Zhou Shuangxi pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "The Fourth Team has already hung up the sign saying 'Punishing evil and promoting good, investigating everything clearly.' We've also distributed some fruit; you can take these. Team Leader Gu specifically asked me to tell you that we thank you this time as well.
"I'm so sorry." After he left, Chen Zhenzhu rummaged through the mountain of fruit on the table and gave some to each of He Xi's colleagues.
"You're really something now! This is the first time our police station has received a banner. Chief Ma can brag about it until next Dragon Boat Festival. He'd be lucky if he didn't hang it in the middle of the gate. Keep some of these fruits for yourself at home, so your sixth sister and your sister can be happy too." Sister Wang secretly picked out the most expensive fruits and packed them into a bag for Chen Zhenzhu, saying with pride.
"Congratulations, Xiao Shen, you've brought honor to our police station."
"Xiao Shen, thanks to you, we can eat all the fruit we want this time."
"Everyone, take these and eat them. Thank you all for taking care of me all the time, don't be shy." After distributing the apples to everyone, Shen Zhenzhu threw two of the remaining apples on Hong Le's table and walked away without looking back.
She doesn't bully people. Go ahead and eat, don't choke.
Shen Zhenzhu drove home loaded with fruit after work, while Shen Liuhe was still peeling garlic and chopping scallions. Her daily life was filled with these tedious tasks.
The weather had just warmed up, and she was wearing an old short-sleeved shirt that her girlfriends had discarded. She was only in her early forties, the same age as Yuan Jiangxue. Because she didn't care about dressing up, her hair was casually tied back, making the two look five or six years apart.
Every day, he does nothing but keep busy in the shop. Kneading dough, stir-frying vegetables, handling pots and pans—he's lived like this for over ten years.
Despite their poverty, the two daughters are very promising, and everyone says that Shen Liuhe will have a blessed future.
"No matter how successful they become, I will still sell my steamed buns. A mother cannot be a burden to her children. Raising them is my duty, not something they owe me."
Shen Liuhe is not highly educated, only having a primary school education, but her diligence and kindness give her a simple and honest working-class character that shines brightly in her small steamed bun shop.
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy—" Shen Zhenzhu called out from a distance.
She pushed her bicycle back, and the basket in front of the handlebars, the handlebars, and the back seat were piled with fruit.
"Goodness, which old man or woman did you persuade to stop setting up their stall this time, and ended up buying them all?" Shen Liuhe came out holding a large ladle, glanced at them, and asked, "You're out of pocket money, aren't you? Mom will give you some."
"It didn't cost me any money, someone gave it to me, hehehe." Shen Zhenzhu excitedly pulled out a brocade banner from her cloth bag and handed it to Shen Liuhe, saying, "Did you return all the characters the teacher taught you?"
"Even if I put it back, I won't forget the words." Shen Liuhe took it, opened it, looked at it, and closed it again. Then she opened it again: "You should read it to Mom!"
"'Flying Eagle Policeman, Crime Buster'! Mom, these were all given to me by the victims' families!" Shen Zhenzhu grabbed Shen Liuhe's arm and jumped around happily, seeking praise: "Mom! Aren't I amazing!"
"Oh my good son, you're amazing!" Shen Liuhe cupped Shen Zhenzhu's face and kissed her twice.
Holding the banner, she stood at the shop entrance, cleared her throat, wiped her eyes, and shouted with renewed vigor, "A banner! Pearl, why did you bring back a banner? This is a banner, not just anyone can get one!"
The neighbors were very accommodating, and one after another they came out of the shops.
"A banner? Little Pearl got a banner? Let Auntie see it quickly, it's so well written. Red velvet background with big gold characters, it'll stand out wherever it's hung."
"Good heavens, is this really a gift from solving a case? And these fruits too?"
"You've made something of yourself, Pearl. You're the hope of our Tie Si. Look how happy your mother is; she's even dumping all the other salt into the pot."
Shen Zhenzhu stood in front of the steamed bun shop, her face flushed and radiant with fruit, and all the neighbors who saw her received a share.
She was showered with praise from all sides, as if she had become the top police officer in Liancheng, a hero in the police force, haha.
Shen Liuhe's hands were much stronger than usual when serving food to others. When someone came over to praise her daughter, she would first serve them a spoonful of sweet and sour pork.
Uncle Lu and the others had already heard that the dismemberment case had been solved and could guess who had sent the fruit. He politely held the bowl, which contained strawberries and blueberries, and said with his legs crossed, "I have to finish it all and share in the joy of justice."
Ma wanted to hang the banner in the most conspicuous place at the entrance of the police station, so that she could take it home and show it off today, and then obediently present it to the wall tomorrow.
Yuan Jiangxue held up the banner and clicked her tongue several times, showing it to everyone in turn. She smiled and said, "Tonight I'll have a drink with your mother. Aunt Yuan almost went to police academy back then, but unfortunately she didn't know much about this kind of thing. Who knew she would be so impressive now?"
"Even if you were here, you wouldn't be able to do it. You date for three days and break up for two, and you're always at the police station because of your private life. Who would want you?" Uncle Lu bluntly exposed him: "Only a good kid like Pearl, who is serious and righteous, is suitable for this line of work."
"Praise her if you want, but don't try to put me down. Who do you think you are? You dated a female classmate, and her parents came to the school. You lost your job too!"
"She graduated from high school two years ago, what's wrong with me dating her?" Uncle Lu put down his bowl, still indignant, and said, "I quit my job myself, I have nothing to hide!"
Hey, they're arguing again.
Shen Zhenzhu silently rolled up the banner, took it upstairs, and stuffed it into Shen Yuyuan's bed, intending to give her a fright.
As dinner time approached, Shen Zhenzhu helped her sixth sister with the cooking. Occasionally, the conversation turned to Captain Gu, but Shen Liuhe was surprisingly indifferent this time: "Don't mention it, I'm busy stewing fish. We'll talk about it later."
After hearing what her eldest daughter said that day, Shen Liuhe had nightmares!
As it turns out, even the most righteous heroes can't withstand constant criticism.
To ensure that the eagerly awaiting operators could work overtime without worry, Captain Gu rode his 750 motorcycle over to buy boxed lunches.
Shen Zhenzhu was delighted to see this; why was Captain Gu from the Major Crimes Unit running errands?
Of course, she didn't dare to say anything sarcastic in front of Captain Gu. She handed Gu Yanzheng boxes of food one by one, then paused.
Gu Yanzheng: "What's wrong?"
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at his outstretched hands, which could still hold two boxes, so she made two more boxes and stacked them on top.
Wow, Captain Gu is getting eight boxes at once.
Gu Yanzheng then put it in the bag and returned to wait, making conversation by asking, "Is the fruit delicious?"
"I haven't eaten yet." Shen Zhenzhu buried her head in her rice, her dimples appearing before she could speak.
It seems that even if you didn't eat it, it was still sweet.
Gu Yanzheng smiled slightly and didn't ask any more questions.
After getting the food, Gu Yanzheng asked before leaving, "Why did you decide to check out the out-of-town worker permits?"
Shen Zhenzhu picked up the cloth bag, pulled out a stack of "Registration Books of People from Other Places Coming to Dalian", handed it to Gu Yanzheng and said, "It's just good luck. Ma Su has to do a survey every year. Who knew we would run into Liang Jianguo?"
This was a demanding and exhausting task, but Shen Zhenzhu solved a major case because of it, which shows that she was born with criminal investigation skills.
Gu Yanzheng flipped through a few pages and said, "Wait a minute, I have something for you too."
Gu Yanzheng rummaged through his sidecar and pulled out a bag of books, containing more than ten volumes. He casually patted it down and walked over to Chen Zhenzhu, handing it to her: "I see you've studied criminal psychology. These are my notes and textbooks from my studies abroad. Besides criminal psychology and criminal profiling, there's also a small section on forensic medicine. Can you understand some of the English parts?"
Wow, did she perform so well that she obtained the Gu family's secret manual?!
Shen Zhenzhu was overjoyed as she stared at the Gu family's secret manual. She had scored 145 on her English college entrance exam! Fortunately, she still retained a sliver of rationality: "I know some. I can use Yuyuan's English dictionary."
“I don’t think there are any overly technical terms. If you don’t understand something, you can write it down and ask me when you have time.” Gu Yanzheng watched her struggling to carry the heavy bag and reached out to help her lift it to the side of the cloth bag: “Then I’m going. They’re all hungry.”
"Thank you, Captain Gu. Take care." Shen Zhenzhu calmly saw Captain Gu off. As soon as he was gone, she rushed to the table and opened one of the notebooks.
Gu Yanzheng's strong and powerful handwriting was as robust and handsome as he was. The densely packed analytical notes and unique insights into the case were readily apparent. Holding the notebook, Chen Zhenzhu exclaimed happily, "This is even better than a personal signature!"
Chen Zhenzhu wants me to become rich!
A note from the author:
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