Chapter 48 You are a policeman
The corridor of the Criminal Police Brigade was quieter than usual. When Lu Chao pushed open the door of the conference room, Liu Kai was lying on the table counting on the calendar, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing the word "vacation". "Still counting?" Lu Chao slammed the thermos on the table, the wolfberries and astragalus swirling in the water. "The case is not solved, why take a leave?" Liu Kai stood up angrily, and the chair legs made a harsh sound on the floor: "Brother Chao, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the vegetable market is closed, and my mother is waiting for me to buy hairtail." He rummaged through the files on the table, and the pages rustled. "Besides, didn't Captain Yu come?" After saying that, he glanced at Lu Chao's thermos again. "Look at you, you don't even have a girlfriend, and you rely on wolfberries to survive. If you go on like this, my little body won't be able to bear it." "Captain Yu went to see his master." Lu Chao ignored his complaints. It was normal to be emotional at this time. He opened the notebook full of case details and said, "Since you chose to be a criminal police, there is nothing to complain about." Zhang Min stood by the window, lost in thought, gazing at the sycamore tree outside, its leaves dwindling. Overhearing their conversation, she asked, "Liu Kai, have you finished the minutes from yesterday's meeting?" She didn't turn around, her voice characteristically calm. "I did," Liu Kai said, pulling a folder from a drawer. He suddenly lowered his voice. "Sister Min, don't you think Captain Yu was a little strange yesterday?" Lu Chao paused, frowning, and looked up. "What's strange?" Zhang Min finally turned around, her gaze resting on Liu Kai's face, scrutinizing him. "When... when they mentioned Luo Xin," Liu Kai's voice dropped even lower, his eyes glancing toward the door. "Captain Yu seems to be deliberately avoiding the issue. It's clear that your idea of a connected person makes more sense..." "Liu Kai!" Lu Chao's voice suddenly rose. "Just handle the case, don't gossip about the leader behind his back!" "I'm not gossiping..." Liu Kai stiffened his neck. "I just find it strange. Does Captain Yu have any clues he hasn't told us? Or..." He paused, his tone thick with speculation. "Does he know the murderer?" "Shut up!" Lu Chao abruptly stood up, his chair crashing to the floor. Zhang Min tapped the table gently. "Liu Kai, Captain Yu has his own plans." She walked over to the table, sat down, and flipped open the file on Wang Shun's case. "We just need to do our job." Liu Kai curled his lips. Just as he was about to speak, the conference room door opened, and the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes. Sun Wei walked in with a stack of autopsy reports. She placed them on the table and glanced at Liu Kai coldly. "Who said Captain Yu knew the murderer?"
The corridor of the Criminal Police Brigade was quieter than usual. When Lu Chao pushed open the door of the conference room, Liu Kai was lying on the table counting on the calendar, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing the word "vacation".
"Still counting?" Lu Chao dumped the thermos on the table, the wolfberries and astragalus swirling in the water. "The case isn't solved yet, so why take a vacation?"
Liu Kai straightened up angrily, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor. "Brother Chao, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The market is closed, and my mom is waiting for me to buy some hairtail." He rummaged through the files on the table, the pages rustling. "Besides, Captain Yu isn't here either, is he?"
After saying that, he glanced at Lu Chao's thermos cup again and said, "Look at you, you don't even have a girlfriend yet, and you're relying on wolfberries to stay alive. If you keep going like this, my small body won't be able to endure it."
"Captain Yu went to see his master." Lu Chao ignored his complaints. It was normal for him to feel emotional at this moment. He opened the notebook filled with case details and said, "Since I chose to be a criminal police officer, there is nothing to complain about."
Zhang Min was standing by the window, staring at the sycamore tree outside, which had only a few leaves left. Overhearing the conversation between the two, she asked, "Liu Kai, have you sorted out the minutes of yesterday's meeting?" She didn't turn around, and her voice was full of her usual calmness.
"I've already finished it." Liu Kai took out a folder from the drawer and suddenly lowered his voice. "Sister Min, don't you think Captain Yu was a little strange yesterday?"
Lu Chao paused his pen, frowned, and raised his head.
"What's strange?" Zhang Min finally turned around and looked at Liu Kai with scrutiny.
"When... mentioning Luo Xin." Liu Kai lowered his voice and glanced at the door. "Captain Yu seems to be deliberately avoiding the issue. Obviously, the idea of the related person you mentioned is more reasonable..."
"Liu Kai!" Lu Chao's voice suddenly rose. "Just handle the case, and stop talking about the leader behind his back!"
"I'm not discussing..." Liu Kai stiffened his neck, "I just find it strange. Does Captain Yu have any clues that he hasn't told us? Or..." He paused, his tone filled with speculation, "Does he know the murderer?"
"Shut up!" Lu Chao stood up suddenly, and the chair hit the floor with a loud noise.
Zhang Min tapped the table gently. "Liu Kai, Captain Yu has his own plans." She walked over to the table, sat down, and flipped open the case file on Wang Shun's case. "We just need to do our part."
Liu Kai curled his lips. Just as he was about to speak, the door of the conference room was pushed open and the three of them looked at the person who came in at the same time.
Sun Wei walked in with a stack of autopsy reports, placed them on the table, and glanced coldly at Liu Kai: "Who said Captain Yu knew the murderer?"
Liu Kai's face turned pale and he shrank closer to Lu Chao: "Director Sun, I...I was just saying it casually."
"Just telling me something?" Sun Wei took two steps forward, the sound of her high heels hitting the floor like a hammer on the heart. "Captain Yu has solved more cases than you've eaten. Why would you be guessing here?"
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. Liu Kai lowered his head even lower, twisting the corner of his clothes with his fingers.
Everyone in the team knew that Sun Wei, as the deputy chief forensic doctor, was not only a technical authority, but also on the same level as Yu Hao. When the two of them solved a serial murder case together, she dared to slam the table in front of the director with the autopsy report.
"Just follow Captain Yu's division of labor." Sun Wei's eyes swept across the three of them, finally landing on Liu Kai's face. "Does he need to report every step of his thinking to you?"
Liu Kai's Adam's apple rolled: "No need."
"Liu Kai," Sun Wei suddenly called out, her tone softening. "You've only been on the team for a short time, so you might not know how many all-nighters Captain Yu has pulled to solve the Nan'an Village case. He wants to solve the case more than anyone else, but police investigations aren't just random guesses; they require evidence and, even more importantly, timing."
Liu Kai's shoulders relaxed and he whispered, "I understand, Director Sun."
"That's good to know." Sun Wei flipped open the autopsy report, her fingertips pausing on the cross-section of the wound in the Guo Zhong case. "Captain Yu has marked all the details, including the angle of the dagger on Wang Shun's chest and the analysis of Guo Zhong's stride. Please take a closer look and see if there's anything I missed."
The conference room became quiet again, with only the rustling of papers and the sound of pens scratching across paper.
Sun Wei looked at them, remembering the red bloodshot in Yu Hao's eyes and the smell of cigarettes between his fingers when she met him yesterday, and the heaviness in his heart when he said, "I will personally check Luo Xin's surroundings."
Yu Hao chose to bear some of the pressure by himself. All they could do was to defend this position and not distract him.
*
The Spring Festival couplets have been posted on the door of Qin Guoan's house, and the black "Fu" character on a red background has been curled up by the wind.
Yu Hao stood in the corridor carrying a fruit basket. He could smell the aroma of stewed meat wafting from the house, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood.
He knew his master and his mistress when he was very young, and they would come to their house for meals from time to time. His ability to become a policeman was largely influenced by Qin Guoan.
"Xiaohao is here?" The master's wife opened the door, her apron stained with flour, "Come in quickly."
Yu Hao walked through the door, and the warm air mixed with the aroma of pastries hit him. He took off his down jacket, which was stained with dirt, and hung it on the coat hook by the door. "Master's wife, are you making dumplings?"
"That's right, tomorrow is New Year's Eve." The master's wife wiped her hands and took the gift he brought. "You said you came here, why did you bring anything?"
"It's my duty." Yu Hao smiled, his eyes sweeping across the quiet living room. Several washed police uniforms lay draped over the radiator, their epaulettes gleaming dimly in the warm light. "Master isn't home?"
"I just received a call, saying he went to the hospital to pick up a document." The master's wife wiped her hands, "Your master is the same, he is about to retire, but he is still busy all day and not home."
Yu Hao nodded and followed her into the kitchen. Several neat rows of dumplings lay on the chopping board, small and exquisite, their pleats meticulously pinched. He washed his hands and naturally picked up a dumpling wrapper: "Let me help you wrap it."
"Oh, you can do this too?" The master's wife looked at his skillful movements in surprise.
"Luo Xin taught me." Yu Hao answered subconsciously, his fingers pausing slightly.
The master's wife handed over a bowl of stuffing and said, "That girl is very skillful. The dumplings she made are even better looking than mine."
Although the master's family had not lived in Nan'an Village for a long time, they were all from the same village after all. Many years ago, Yu Hao brought Luo Xin to visit the master and his wife.
Yu Hao's thoughts drifted back to last New Year's Eve, when Luo Xin and Luo Xue were making dumplings at his house. Luo Xue's clumsy hands had scattered flour everywhere, while Luo Xin patiently taught her, smiling...
The sound of the door lock turning interrupted my thoughts. Qin Guoan walked in, a thin layer of snow on his military coat, and the white hair at his temples was particularly conspicuous under the light. "Come in?" He took off his coat, revealing a washed-out sweater underneath. "Sit down."
Yu Hao quickly stood up and took the document bag from his master's hand, his fingertips touching his red, frozen knuckles. "Master, why are your hands cracked again?"
"It's an old problem." Qin Guoan waved his hand, sat on the sofa, picked up the tea that Yu Hao had brewed and drank it all in one gulp. He didn't waste any more words and got straight to the point, "Let's talk about the case."
Yu Hao sat upright and began to report on the progress of the two murder cases. He detailed the chain of evidence currently available. Qin Guoan listened quietly, nodding occasionally without interrupting.
Qin Guoan put down his teacup and said, "Just follow your pace. I trust you to do the work."
Yu Hao smiled, a little reluctantly, clearly feeling very heavy-hearted. Qin Guoan saw all of this.
After a moment, Yu Hao said, "Master, Wang Kun..."
Qin Guoan shook his head slightly and lowered his voice: "This involves certain leaders in the bureau. The less you know, the better."
Yu Hao nodded. As the deputy captain, he vaguely knew that his master was investigating a criminal group centered around Wang Kun, and that the case involved a wide range of people.
"Old Zhang called me about Liu Feng." Qin Guoan suddenly changed the subject. "He's very grateful to you."
Yu Hao felt a little embarrassed: "It was all wronged in the first place, this is what I deserve."
"Old Zhang said that if you hadn't insisted, his son-in-law might have been blamed." Qin Guoan's eyes softened.
"I still have to thank you for your reminder, Master. Otherwise, I would still be kept in the dark." Yu Hao took a sip of tea, which tasted a bit bitter.
Qin Guoan suddenly patted his shoulder: "Speaking of reminders, I still have to remind you."
"What?"
“Be mindful of who’s around you.”
"Someone around him?" Yu Hao was shocked. Obviously, he didn't expect his master to say this suddenly. Could it be that he drew this conclusion from the information he had just given when reporting the case?
"In many murders, the murderer is ultimately found to be someone close to the deceased." Qin Guoan's voice was filled with the certainty honed by years of criminal investigation experience. He looked Yu Hao in the eye and said, "Don't avoid him just because he's someone you know."
Yu Hao's fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the teacup. He understood what his master was referring to: Luo Xin, the truth.
"I...have some ideas." He said with difficulty.
Qin Guoan's sharp eyes seemed to be able to see through his thoughts: "Is it difficult?"
This question hits the nail on the head.
Yu Hao's shoulders slumped, as if all his strength had been suddenly drained away. In front of this father-like man, he could no longer pretend.
"Master, Luo Xin and I...maybe it's really impossible." His voice was hoarse. "The investigation of this murder case may very well revolve around her. I...I don't know how to face it."
The living room was so quiet that the hum of the teapot could be heard. Qin Guoan didn't answer immediately, but instead poured himself a refill and sipped slowly. The fragrance of the tea lingered between them.
"Haha." After a long moment, Qin Guoan suddenly smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out. "That's right, it's difficult."
Yu Hao looked up and looked at his master in confusion.
"Do you know what kind of choice Old Zhang faced back then?" Qin Guoan's eyes drifted off into the distance, as if traveling through time. "That was the real dilemma."
"What choice?" Yu Hao couldn't help but ask.
Qin Guoan shook his head and didn't answer the question: "That incident ultimately prevented Lao Zhang from staying in the police force. Sometimes I wonder, if it were me, what would I do?"
This unheard-of story piqued Yu Hao's curiosity, but his master was clearly reluctant to discuss it, so he tactfully avoided further questions.
"Xiaohao." Qin Guoan suddenly said seriously, using a name he hadn't used in years. "A police officer, especially a criminal police officer, should have justice in his heart."
Yu Hao sat up straight, as focused as when he first entered the industry and listened to his master's instructions.
"Even though many people think 'justice' is a very empty concept," Qin Guoan's fingers tapped the tabletop, a steady and powerful rhythm. "But you have to believe in it and stick to it. In this process..."
He paused, his eyes sharp. “You will definitely encounter conflicts with family, friendship, and love, and face choices about personal interests. But you are a police officer.”
He said the last five words very seriously, like a hammer hitting Yu Hao's heart.
"I believe," Qin Guoan stood up and patted his apprentice on the shoulder, "you will make the right choice."
Yu Hao's fingertips left white marks on the file. "I understand." He took a deep breath. "It's just... Luo Xin..."
Qin Guoan interrupted him, his tone undeniably gentle, "Is it really impossible for you and Luo Xin?"
Yu Hao's heart felt like it was being squeezed, the pain choking him. "She thinks... we're not suitable," he said with difficulty. "She cares about my future, about what others think..."
"Silly boy." Qin Guoan sighed, "True care is not about dragging each other down, but about carrying it together. But since she has made a choice, you have to respect it." He picked up the teacup, and the water vapor blurred the lenses of his glasses.
Yu Hao nodded.
The master's wife came over with steaming dumplings: "Are you done talking? Have something to eat, these dumplings are fresh out of the pot." The aroma instantly filled the small kitchen.
"Haha, it's ready so quickly. Come, Xiaohao, try your master's wife's cooking." Qin Guoan stood up and brought the dumplings over.
Yu Hao quickly took it and said with a smile, "Thank you, Master's wife."
The three of them sat down, and Qin Guoan ate dumplings with big mouthfuls, as if he had temporarily unloaded a heavy burden. "Your master's wife's cooking skills have remained the same for decades."
The master's wife smiled and patted him: "You are so sweet-talking."
Watching the interaction between his master and his wife, Yu Hao felt a pang of bitterness well up in his heart. This ordinary and warm relationship might be the luxury he could never have.
When leaving, Qin Guoan saw him to the door and suddenly said, "By the way, come to my house for dinner on New Year's Eve. You are alone..."
"No need, Master." Yu Hao forced a smile. "There are colleagues on duty in the team. I plan to spend the holiday with them."
Qin Guoan looked at him deeply and did not persuade him again: "Take care of yourself."
On the way back to the police station, Yu Hao had a lot of thoughts in his mind.
The master's words echoed in his mind - "justice", "choice", "police duty"... These words were like stones, weighing on his heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
