Chapter 1 The Diligent Police Officer
After returning home from the police station, Shen Zhenzhu washed her face in a corner of her sixth sister's steamed bun shop and tied her ponytail high again.
There were quite a few people eating boxed lunches at noon, so she took off her olive green coat and went to the front to help pack the food.
"I ran into Uncle Cai when I went grocery shopping today. He gave me a bunch of freshly picked radishes. Look how fresh they are!" My mother, Shen Liuhe, is a straightforward person who has done manual labor for most of her life. Her voice is loud and clear.
It's a tiny restaurant that can barely fit six tables. The kitchen is at the back, the storage room is under the stairs, and there's a large table at the entrance.
The second floor was a small bedroom converted from an attic, where the mother and her two daughters slept at night.
Shen Liuhe sold steamed buns in the morning and boxed lunches at noon, day after day. Although she struggled to make ends meet, she managed to raise her two daughters.
"It's pretty good." Chen Zhenzhu held a large bowl and a large spoon to serve food to customers, taking a few bites of rice in between.
Having traveled from a small southern town for almost a year, she's already quite adept at helping out.
She occasionally speaks with a southern accent, but fortunately, Shen Liuhe had lived in the south when she was young, so it doesn't seem out of place.
My younger sister is a high school student and doesn't go home for lunch.
"Going to work?" After helping out, Shen Zhenzhu hurriedly put on her coat and rode her old bicycle to the police station.
"Slow down." Shen Liuhe looked at her back with immense pride.
She was only thirty when she got divorced, and with her four-year-old daughter and one-year-old daughter, she almost ended up on the streets, receiving a lot of help from her neighbors. Her eldest daughter was a good match; she graduated from police academy and became a beat cop, with a jurisdiction in this area, finally having the opportunity to give back to her neighbors.
In this era of rapid development, Chen Zhenzhu didn't try to be a trendsetter; instead, she enjoyed the mundane details of family life.
Amidst the strong local atmosphere, most shop owners are laid-off workers from the municipal steel bureau, with very few having voluntarily entered the business world. The shops are all roughly the same size, about 30 to 40 square meters, with two floors.
Despite the complex environment, Chen Zhenzhu had traveled from a small southern town for a long time and knew the way better than a mouse even with her eyes closed. She could even eat steamed buns while riding a bicycle.
"Pearl went to work again?"
While waiting at a traffic light, Chen Zhenzhu stopped and shouted, "Uncle Qiu, you can't turn your TV up any louder! I visited your house last night, and someone complained to me about it."
Grandpa Qiu was setting up his chessboard when the little girl scolded him, but he wasn't angry. He just smiled and said, "What are you checking this time?"
Checking for controlled knives could reduce the security risks caused by mass layoffs!
But she couldn't say it directly, so Chen Zhenzhu said crisply, "Population census, household registration!"
"Sigh, they check this stuff every day. The light's on, you'd better hurry up and go." Old Qiu was busy setting the table and waved his hand.
A junior police officer emerged from the neighborhood. They had watched him grow up, so the bond was different; he was someone they knew.
The girl would rattle off any news they were asked, whether it was a lie or the truth, they had no idea.
Shen Zhenzhu continued cycling to her workplace. On the way, she persuaded the old lady selling socks at her stall to move her position so as not to get too close to the road. She also observed that there were no suspicious strangers along the way and conducted a brief patrol.
"Hey, isn't this the rich girl? Why are you riding a beat-up old bicycle to work? Didn't your rich dad give you a luxury car to drive?"
Wu Fuwang, a street hustler with a criminal record, would come over every few days to give a "thought report," and every time he encountered Chen Zhenzhu, he would harass her with a few words.
This time, when he caught her at work, Shen Zhenzhu, wearing a police uniform, stared at him with wide eyes, which made Wu Fuwang, who had dyed a rooster's tail, laugh even more arrogantly.
He wore oversized leather shoes with wide-legged trousers that could drag on the ground like brooms. His multicolored hair contrasted sharply with his pale, empty head, making Chen Zhenzhu not feel afraid of him.
She looked around, then stopped her bicycle, hung up the steamed buns she was going to eat while working overtime, and then clenched her fist, which looked like an embroidered fist to outsiders, and smiled.
Wu Fuwang stood against the wall, defiantly raising his chin and pointing to the alley behind him, saying, "Hey, what's up? Want to practice?"
Shen Zhenzhu smiled, revealing her dimples: "Practice it."
"Let's go, let's not let anyone see us." Seeing the sweet smile, Wu Fuwang's heart skipped a beat, thinking that he would scare her later.
"Hey! Who's so blind?!"
With a loud thud, the heavy backpack behind the wall landed squarely on Wu Fuwang's back, sending him sprawling face-first into the mud.
Wu Fuwang was cursing loudly on the ground when he saw a long leg descend from the sky and stomp on his butt!
Shen Zhenzhu clearly saw that the owner of the leather shoes, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had ground them down.
"What are you doing?" A deep, husky voice came from above.
Shen Zhenzhu originally intended to teach Wu Fuwang a lesson, but when she looked up, she saw the legendary handsome face.
It's Captain Gu, the famous Captain Gu!
"Report, my name is Shen Zhenzhu, and he stopped me."
"Are you crazy?" Wu Fuwang almost couldn't catch his breath. He was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat and couldn't even shout. He just wanted to lie on the ground and catch his breath.
The incredibly strong hand, oblivious to the situation, grabbed Wu Fuwang's arm and lifted him up: "Comrade, sorry, I didn't see anyone on this side when I climbed over the wall."
"Ouch, that hurts like hell! Let go of me, where the hell are your eyes?!"
Gu Yanzheng "obediently" let go of his hand. Wu Fuwang turned his head and raised his fist to punch him, but after seeing who it was, he quickly said, "Hey, hey, Captain Gu. My fall has nothing to do with you. I just wasn't paying attention and fell."
"It's my fault for being blind." Captain Gu's words were chilling.
"No, no, no, I should be the one slapping myself!"
"Won't you come in and sit down?" Gu Yanzheng pointed to the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.
"No, no, sorry to bother you." Wu Fuwang's rooster tail drooped, and he left the scene in a disheveled state, clutching his waist.
Just kidding, anyone who goes into the criminal investigation team will be skinned alive.
Gu Yanzheng picked up the backpack from the ground, dusted it off, and the fierce look in his eyes hadn't faded.
Shen Zhenzhu hid her fists behind her back, plotting how she would teach the rooster a lesson next time! She couldn't very well do it in front of the police captain.
Gu Yanzheng's operation was a great success. The gang was organized with brutality and violence, and resisted arrest with weapons. He and his colleagues pursued the criminals to another location and captured the last two.
He was still thinking about the case when he unexpectedly met a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
He knew this young policewoman; she lived right next to their criminal investigation team and was a famously beautiful policewoman.
She is said to be kind and sweet, making people feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze, which is in stark contrast to the masculine and smelly men in the criminal investigation team.
When she joined the company last year, many people in the "Buddhist temple" next door were extremely envious, their necks nearly snapped from looking at her.
Shen Zhenzhu looked at Gu Yanzheng with eyes full of admiration. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a handsome face. His open leather jacket revealed the sharp lines outlined by his fitted T-shirt.
She originally wanted to find a quiet place to practice with Wu Fuwang, but she didn't expect Wu Fuwang to be so disappointing, as he was scared away by Captain Gu.
Gu Yanzheng, with his unshaven beard, couldn't help but grin foolishly, unaware of Chen Zhenzhu's reaction. He was considering whether to explain himself to avoid further solidifying the criminal investigation team's reputation for rough and violent behavior when his stomach spoke first.
At the same time, the police station's 2 PM work bell rang. Chen Zhenzhu ran to her bicycle, quickly locked it, and stuffed two still-warm vegetable buns into Gu Yanzheng's hands: "Thank you, Captain Gu, please have this Sixth Sister's big vegetable bun!"
"No, you can eat it yourself."
"I'm leaving, keep this safe!"
If the police don't take a single needle or thread from ordinary people, then even a low-ranking community police officer can't really be considered an ordinary citizen...
Gu Yanzheng felt incredibly empty inside. He strode towards the Criminal Investigation Brigade. As he passed the police station, he saw that Shen Zhenzhu had already gone into the office and was obediently waiting for the morning meeting, completely ignoring the little incident.
Gu Yanzheng smiled, went into the neighboring criminal investigation team, wolfed down a few mouthfuls, and then stopped in surprise amidst the greetings of his colleagues, holding the vegetable buns and examining them closely.
The soft, plump vegetable buns burst with the fresh aroma of bamboo shoots and shepherd's purse the moment you bite into them. The sesame oil whets your appetite, and the dough soaks up the broth, leaving a sweet aftertaste as you swallow.
This is just a vegetable bun?!
His colleagues and subordinates, unaware that Gu Yanzheng was stunned by the mere vegetable bun, assumed he had made another discovery, and their voices became noticeably softer.
***
The police station next door.
"Yesterday, while I was on duty, someone came to report a murder here again," Old Huang, a senior colleague, grumbled. "They were covered in blood. The criminal investigation team is right next door. Go find them. We're not their doormen."
The police station has only two floors, painted a striking blue, and a spacious front yard, but no main gate. It is separated from the imposing criminal investigation team, which is surrounded by three buildings, by only a narrow alley.
Because of the misalignment of the two locations and the striking blue paint, the complainants, in a state of panic, would frequently go to the police station to report murders.
Ordinary fights are one thing, but murder cases still have to be handed over to the criminal investigation team next door.
Shen Zhenzhu was used to his complaints.
Grassroots officers deal with a lot of miscellaneous tasks, usually handling everyday family squabbles and petty squabbles, rarely handling major cases or murders. They're more envious than admiring of the city's criminal investigation team, which frequently gets the limelight and awards.
Shen Zhenzhu ignored his words, a sweet smile on her face, and diligently served the residents of her jurisdiction. A public servant, after all, must have a clear identity and stance.
Old Huang noticed that she handled even the most trivial matters with great enthusiasm, and while others argued and bickered, she would persuade them until her throat was dry.
Taking advantage of a trip to the restroom, Lao Huang sat outside the office, sipping Guiyang Maojian tea from a large mug, and sighed contentedly.
Shen Zhenzhu didn't even have time to drink water. After resolving the family dispute, she had to register the newborn child's household registration. While the young couple were arguing about which name to use for the household registration, she was finally able to secretly breathe a sigh of relief and lean back to rest for a while.
The baby girl was named "Zhao Di" (a concubine rank), but Shen Zhenzhu hesitated to write it down: "I can't register her; the word 'Di' doesn't exist in my dictionary."
The wife glanced at her, hesitating to change it to something else, when the husband got up and left: "If we don't name it, it won't have a name at all!"
The wife also got angry: "Do you think I have to take your surname?"
Just as the two were about to start arguing, Lao Huang stepped in and abruptly interrupted their argument, telling them to leave the police station.
"Stop causing trouble here. The households that contracted the fishponds haven't re-registered their household registration information yet. Why don't you go over there?"
Shen Zhenzhu said cheerfully, "I know about this. Ma said you should take me there."
A note from the author:
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Let's get started! Hello everyone, welcome to the world of crime investigation in the 1990s!
This story includes both original cases and real-life adaptations, set in a fictional world and not reflecting any reality. (The names of the original cases will not be mentioned to avoid spoilers.)
***
Like the kind, ambitious, and lively female protagonists in the previous books, Pearl is also a little sun. I hope you all like her.
Inspired by Hong Kong crime dramas, I've added more food to my daily life.
Gu Yanzheng: Hey, is this really okay?
Pearl: I have confidence in myself!
**
Pre-order now for "I Solve Major Cases by Interrogating Ghosts [Period]"
A "connected" newcomer, Chu Yang, was parachuted into the criminal investigation team. He was always sleepy during the day and exuded the aura of a typical working-class slave. His biggest career aspiration was to be transferred to the archives department to coast along.
Can a scoundrel like that solve a case?
He not only solved the case but also cracked several long-standing cold cases, quickly becoming a crime-solving icon for the municipal police bureau.
When others asked her how she solved it?
How can we break this?
The three moves of a modern-day King Yama: directly question the deceased, check the Book of Life and Death, and summon a "witness ghost".
She activated "full map view" and played "fog of war" with them.
In order to modernize the underworld, he went to the human world to learn from civil servants. During the day, he worked hard as a public servant, persuading the toiling masses to calm their minds.
At night, they throw the "troublemaker" into the oil pot.
A criminal executed during the day goes to the underworld to appeal for justice. Looking up, he sees sitting there—isn't that the very police officer who brought him to the execution ground?! The net of justice is vast and its meshes are fine, yet nothing escapes it; the wicked and the wicked will all receive their due punishment.
Was the chain of evidence at the crime scene broken? Was the suspect's acting flawless? Was the killer completely inconspicuous?
That night in the Hall of Hell, she looked at the trembling souls of the dead kneeling below and said coldly: Tell me, who killed you?
The departed soul trembled slightly as it uttered a name.
The next day, she approached the serial killer with the perfect alibi at the criminal investigation team, leaned down and whispered, "He asked me to give you his regards."
The truth has nowhere to hide, and the dark circles under the eyes of the 007-shift corporate slaves are getting heavier and heavier.
Unexpectedly, a Taoist priest from a family line discovered his secret and began chasing after Yama, the King of Hell, every day.
Chu Yang, who was trying hard to hide her secrets, suddenly discovered one day that the Municipal Public Security Bureau had a new criminal investigation consultant.
Chu Yang questioned the bureau chief: How can you let monsters and demons serve as consultants?
Director: I can even make the King of Hell my captain, so what's wrong with making a Taoist priest my advisor?
The story focuses on crime-solving and includes some original elements. It is entirely fictional; please do not attempt to connect it to real people or events. 2025/9/13
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