"Stop wasting your breath on him, call the police right away. I've seen this guy acting suspiciously in this area many times, I know he's up to no good."
"That's right. A while ago, a few chickens went missing from Li's yard and they still haven't been found. They said the gate was deliberately pried open, and this kid might be involved."
"He's a public menace! We can't let him get away with this."
The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, and the curious crowd grew larger and larger. Soon after, the police arrived after receiving a report and took him back. Xia Enruo, who was involved in the matter, also had to go along to give a statement.
As Xia Enruo got out of the police car, she saw flower beds on both sides of the courtyard planted with various flowers, and several dark green police cars parked in front of the office on the first floor. This was the first time Xia Enruo had ever seen a police station compound in this era, and she found it quite novel.
Continuing into the room, the blue-painted walls gleamed, and the brown-red painted tabletops were empty of computers. Several people sat on wooden chairs in the corridor, being called in one by one to give statements.
Xia Enruo was the last one called in. As soon as she sat down, she felt that the policewoman taking her statement looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before. So she answered her questions one by one.
"Comrade Xia Enruo, you look very familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
The policewoman looked at her differently and asked the question first, which explained Xia Enruo's thoughts.
"Yes, officer, I also think you look familiar, but I really can't remember where we've met before. I don't come to the city very often."
She hadn't known many people since she had only recently transmigrated. Could it be that she resembled someone from her previous life? She wasn't sure. This was a police station; if her identity were exposed, wouldn't she be treated as an oddity and studied?
“You? Oh, I remember now, you saved my son’s life at Jufuzhuang.”
After a moment's thought, the policewoman became emotional and said something that made Xia Enruo breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are these Jufuzhuang red dates?"
"Yes, yes, it was that red date. I really owe you a lot. Later, I took my son to the hospital again. Even the doctor said that he was fine because of the timely rescue. Otherwise, prolonged suffocation would have caused brain hypoxia and damaged the child's intelligence."
"It's good that the child is alright. Actually, I felt that you looked familiar as soon as I sat down, but I didn't recognize you when you were wearing a police uniform. You look not only beautiful in the uniform, but also more dashing."
Xia Enruo's words made the policewoman's face light up with joy. Who doesn't like to be praised?
“Xia Enruo, don’t call me ‘big sister’ anymore. My name is Wu Meixia. You’re my family’s savior. If you ever need any help, come find me. My home is at No. 66, Mao’er Hutong, Central Street. You can find me there.”
Xia Enruo never expected to run into an old friend here, especially a policewoman. She readily agreed.
"Enruo, I never expected you to be so petite yet possess such a righteous heart. This time you've once again acted bravely and deserve praise. By the way, there's something else I'd like you to help me with."
In a while, one of my former bosses will be coming from the provincial capital. I saw that the tomato and lychee dishes at Jufuzhuang were pretty good last time, and I was thinking of ordering a table of food to entertain him. But when I asked the manager, I found out that it was your cooking. The manager said that you had some family business to attend to and didn't know when you would be back.
"Hey girl, could you do me a favor and cook a meal for about eight people at my place? We'll prepare whatever ingredients you need, and I'll pay you above market price for the labor."
Wu Meixia's search was fruitless; the opportunity came to her effortlessly. Her former boss had come from the provincial capital to inspect the work, and she needed his help. She had originally planned to prepare a special feast at Jufulai, but the chef was unavailable.
She never expected to run into Xia Enruo here, but she felt a little embarrassed to make such a request on their first meeting, so she forced herself to say it.
Xia Enruo certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity; she came out today specifically to make money. Besides, Qin Gang, being a businessman, was incredibly shrewd and discreet.
After the reform and opening up, people's wallets gradually became fuller. The wealthy began to pursue a higher quality of life. Those who needed door-to-door services were definitely rich and powerful. Moreover, Wu Meixia had seen her own skills; there was no one else like her in the entire Yongning City. Besides, she was good at many dishes; cooking 10 dishes was child's play for her.
“Sister Meixia, I also do private customized banquet services. However, my prices may be a bit high. I don’t know if you can accept them? A good banquet in a normal restaurant would cost 30 yuan, but my service fee is 50 yuan per table, not including ingredients.”
"Okay, okay, Enruo, no problem. I was just worried you wouldn't agree. The fee is 50 yuan. You'll have to put in a lot of effort to cook some special dishes, preferably something new and unique that you've never seen before. To be honest, this dinner is very important to me, otherwise I wouldn't have gone to such lengths. So it's settled then, and you can't go back on your word."
Wu Meixia had specifically organized this dinner to resolve her career advancement issue. She had been the deputy director of the Central Street Police Station for many years, and now she had an opportunity to be promoted to a full-fledged position, but the competition was fierce. Being a woman, she was at a disadvantage. If a meal could help her, she would be willing to pay 500 yuan, let alone 50.
"Sister Meixia, I will never go back on my promise to you."
Xia Enruo walked out of the police station compound, feeling quite pleased with herself. She had thought she would leave empty-handed today, but unexpectedly, she had landed another business deal. It seemed that her act of bravery had been blessed by the heavens. However, after this experience, she changed her mind about her job search. Since applying for a chef position wasn't an option, she might as well start offering customized catering services at customers' homes.
These days there are plenty of influential people, and entertaining guests at restaurants is noisy and doesn't offer much privacy. It seems there's great potential in this area. However, finding customers is a problem. I guess I'll have to talk to Qin Gang again about cooperation sometime. I don't believe he wouldn't want a profitable business.
After spending quite a while at the police station, and with the sun about to set, Xia Enruo hurried towards the bus stop. She needed to make the fruit tea as soon as she got home; she had just caught a thief, and the fruit had been scattered all over the ground, many of them bruised and damaged, so it wouldn't keep for long.
Tomorrow she has to get up early to go out with Wu Meixia's younger brother, Wu Shaojun, to buy groceries. Since Wu Meixia is busy with work, they decided that her brother would take her. The day after tomorrow, she has to go to her family's house to prepare for the wedding banquet. Plans really can't keep up with changes, but the thought of earning money makes her happy no matter how busy she is.
Once on the bus, before even stepping inside, Xia Enruo saw Qiao Huizhen, who was on her way home from get off work, sitting in the back, with military wives Liu Cuiyun and Tian Xiuli sitting next to her.
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