Chapter 5, Chapter 5: That wouldn't be right.
Shen Zhenzhu watched Gu Yanzheng leave, then slowly rolled up her trouser legs in a corner. She rinsed her wound with the cooled boiled water from her teacup, noticing that her swollen, purple knee had stopped bleeding.
After the wound was treated and the medicine dried, she changed into a pair of black polyester pants and waited to go home. These were spare pants she kept for her period.
On the other side, the four teams came out of the interrogation room, and the family of three confessed to their crimes.
After Lu Ye finished the task Gu Yanzheng had given him, he turned to the others in the office and asked, "Hey, I ordered ten large steamed buns for tomorrow morning. Anyone want some? I can give out three or four each."
Zhou Chuanxi was writing a case report when he looked up and said, "Those few steamed buns aren't enough for you, are they?"
Lu Ye grinned and said, "I can tell you've never eaten Sixth Sister's steamed buns before. The one the boss ate this morning was one of them. They're huge, one of them is equivalent to three of other people's!"
Zhou Chuanxi muttered, "I don't like vegetarian food. I can't swallow vegetarian fillings because they make my throat sore. If I'm going to eat something, I'll eat meat buns."
After wiping the blackboard, Wu Zhongguo began watering the gladiolus on the windowsill. His variegated gladiolus was growing well, already producing clusters of small white flowers. They bloomed in the sun and closed their petals in the evening, resembling grains of white rice—quite charming.
After watering the plants, he calmly put down the watering can and said, “You wouldn’t eat this. Those who are discerning eat vegetarian buns. Making delicious vegetarian buns takes real skill. Let me tell you, the key to good vegetarian buns is using the freshest seasonal vegetables, blanching them to the perfect temperature, adding dried mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, lard, and various family-secret seasonings. It takes even more effort than making pork buns. Oh, and Sixth Sister’s buns also have spiced tofu in them—how could they not be delicious?”
Zhou Chuanxi swallowed hard after hearing that, and quickly raised his hand, saying, "I want two!"
Wu Zhongguo, having also made himself hungry, asked Lu Ye for two more before turning to Gu Yanzheng and asking, "Captain Gu, can I get you a couple too? You don't know, Sixth Sister's steamed buns are famously delicious in the Tie Si area. It's just that they're so hard to buy; there's always such a long queue."
Gu Yanzheng had already eaten some this morning, and now that he thought about it, it was indeed delicious. He waved his hand generously: "I'll treat you to the steamed buns tomorrow morning."
Zhou Chuanxi chuckled: "Hey boss, you've finally stopped wholesaling instant noodles to us. The third team next door has a celebration party every time they solve a case; their boss even treated us to a big meal last week."
Gu Yanzheng replied, "Alright then, I'll order lunch boxes for you too."
Zhou Chuanxi and Lu Ye worked together, and Zhou managed to secure the boxed lunches. Lu Ye quickly pressed his advantage, asking, "How about a late-night snack tonight?"
Gu Yanzheng glanced at him: "At most, I'll add a sausage to your instant noodles."
He glanced out the window, strode away, and dangled the Cherokee car keys in his hand.
This large, boxy off-road vehicle is domineering and imposing. Its rugged, heavy tires make it capable of traversing mountains and seas; criminals chasing it have no chance of escape.
Zhou Chuanxi whispered to Lu Ye, "With the boss being so stingy, do you think he'll ever be able to get a wife?"
Lu Ye said decisively: "Difficult!"
He glanced towards the door and whispered, "Unless he goes into prostitution and gets rich women to spend money on him. This time, I almost became a live-in son-in-law while undercover, thank goodness I ran fast."
Zhou Chuanxi laughed and said, "Doesn't this solve my personal problems too?"
***
After getting off work, Chen Zhenzhu struggled to push her broken bicycle.
The bike was broken and unlocked; it was parked outside the window during the day and inside the shop at night. Her knees were throbbing with pain, so riding it back was definitely out of the question, but pushing it back was also unlikely.
She wouldn't feel comfortable parking it in front of the police station. Unless... she glanced at the impressive compound next door, including the security guard's room and the gatehouse.
It would be safe to park there.
Unlike the petty thieves who frequent the police station, there are people there who are ready to be shot. They only deal with murder cases and don't bother with stealing her old bicycle.
Chen Zhenzhu took a few steps, but was stopped by someone behind her: "Want to come together?"
The window of the imposing Cherokee rolled down, and Gu Yanzheng, propped on his arms, glanced at her knees. Before Chen Zhenzhu could answer, he said, "Wait for me."
Shen Zhenzhu then watched as the Cherokee, which had just left the gate, carefully reversed back and parked itself in its designated parking space.
After getting out of the car, Gu Yanzheng walked over quickly, not giving Cai Jun on the flower bed a second glance: "Sixth Sister's steamed buns are in the Tie Si New Second Village?"
Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "The New Second Village Middle School is right across the street."
Gu Yanzheng asked, "What's your relationship?"
Understanding his professional habit, Shen Zhenzhu explained in detail, "She's my mom. But I learned to call her that from others when I was little, so I'm used to it."
"I can tell your accent has a bit of a southern flavor."
“My mother stayed at my aunt’s house in the south for several years when she was young, and then she married into this family.”
"No wonder." Gu Yanzheng patted the back seat, and the old bicycle creaked. Shen Zhenzhu hesitated, wondering if the tires could burst if she rode with Gu Yanzheng.
Clearly, Captain Gu was bolder than her, straddling the bike first, his long legs spread out on either side, his hands gripping the handlebars.
It's such a shame to ride a bicycle with such a cool posture; if he were riding a motorcycle, he would attract so many admiring glances from the opposite sex.
Shen Zhenzhu could sense that Gu Yanzheng still had a refreshing minty scent on him after a long day of work.
It seems the criminal investigation team is much better off than the police station; they even have a shower room.
Her mind was wandering to all sorts of things. She got into the back seat and carefully gripped it, saying, "Okay."
Gu Yanzheng kicked the pedal, but didn't feel much weight on the back seat.
The bicycle moved slowly, creaking but sturdy enough.
Seeing her being so cautious around him, Gu Yanzheng couldn't help but laugh, his shoulders swaying.
Chen Zhenzhu scratched the tip of her nose. Was Captain Gu making fun of the bicycle being too old?
That shouldn't be done.
A note from the author:
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