Chapter 141 Asian Games Security Dogs 1 Ready? Let's start from the beginning...
With the Asian Games just around the corner, although there are still more than three months to go, security preparations have already begun.
The base was no exception. Everyone was present except for Li Tuantuan, who was guarding the gate. Qiu Xiaoman was the last to enter.
Feng Chao was a middle-aged man, in his forties, with premature gray hair, looking old and wrinkled all over.
Upon seeing Qiu Xiaoman, he greeted her politely. Qiu Xiaoman replied with a "hello" and sat down next to him.
Across from her, Wu Lili was in her early twenties, with an oval face and slanted eyes; she didn't look like a nice person.
The Wu family has fallen. Wu Lili's ability to come to the base must have been earned through her own efforts, rather than relying on any powerful backing. However, it's hard to say for sure.
The Wu family excels at marriage alliances and forming powerful interest groups.
Therefore, the downfall of the Wu family will inevitably implicate other forces, but it is impossible to eliminate them all at once. If Wu Lili still has any value to be used, someone will naturally help her in secret.
Not surprising.
Qiu Xiaoman was a little annoyed. Who would want to work with someone like that? It was so annoying.
She opened her notebook, ready to take notes on the key points of the meeting. When Captain Meng saw that she had just returned from the army and looked exhausted, he asked her if she wanted to rest for a couple of days. When she replied no, the meeting continued.
Overall, the Asian Games is an unprecedented grand event that requires a large number of police officers. However, there are some areas that the police cannot cover and require the assistance of security dogs for patrols.
So here's the problem: the current police force doesn't include security dogs in its regular staff. In other words, if these security dogs are only selected and trained for the Asian Games, they'll have nowhere to go after the event.
Therefore, Captain Meng's idea is to use the security dogs as a selection pool for police dogs at the base. After the Asian Games, they will receive further training. Those who pass the assessment will join the police dog team, while those who fail will be available for adoption.
Furthermore, the Public Security Bureau cannot send additional handlers just for this event, and handlers are technical personnel who need time to train. Therefore, the training of security dogs should be handled by the base itself.
A month before these dogs start their duties, some local police officers and traffic police will be transferred over to receive training. The training is relatively basic; once they learn simple commands and gestures and get to know the security dogs, they can start patrolling with them.
Although time is a bit tight, the requirements for security dogs are not high, unlike police dogs and military dogs which require a lot of challenging and difficult training, so time is not an issue.
The problem is, where can you find such an obedient and healthy dog?
If police dogs are borrowed from police dog bases in other locations, what about their local cases? Besides, there are only a few places in the country with dedicated police dog bases, and even if all of them were transferred over, there wouldn't be many dogs.
The only option was to find new talent around them, but there weren't many dog owners in the entire capital. Captain Meng had already done his best, so he had to get others involved to come up with a solution.
Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment and asked, "Have the dogs I brought back from Shanxi participated in the selection process?"
"Not yet. They're used to being homeless, and I'm afraid they won't be obedient," Captain Meng said helplessly. "Let's consider them when we really have no other options."
Qiu Xiaoman then asked, "How much is still needed?"
"About twenty or thirty, depending on how many of the current batch that are training are qualified." Captain Meng handed her the information on the security dogs participating in the training.
Qiu Xiaoman quickly went through the list and didn't see Mango's name. She asked curiously, "Didn't Mango get selected?"
Lu Zhiqiang, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Of course she was selected. Your dog is very smart and trains very hard. The second batch of training just ended, and she passed. You are looking at the list of the third batch now."
So that's how it is. It seems Mango knows how to seize opportunities.
Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment and still wanted to advocate for the dogs from Shanxi: "Here's what we'll do, I'll go to the factory later and take a look. I'll conduct stress tests, and I'll bring the ones that pass over. If you're not comfortable with that, you can do an extra round of testing. I'm not bragging, but they have worked with me to solve cases before, so they still have potential."
After discussing it with Qu Hao, Meng finally agreed.
After the meeting, Qiu Xiaoman prepared to go check on the factory. Wu Lili lagged behind and muttered to Dou Lei, "Isn't she just a regular instructor? Why does she always like to offer her opinions? Who's really in charge here?"
Dou Lei disliked having his reputation tarnished behind people's backs, so he quickly made an excuse about having a stomachache and ran away.
Wu Lili rolled her eyes, pouted, and went to gossip about Lu Zhiqiang again.
Lu Zhiqiang was a shrewd man and wouldn't get himself involved in such trouble, so he made an excuse to go to training and ran away as well.
Furious, Wu Lili complained to the newcomer Feng Chao: "Are they ostracizing us?"
Although Feng Chao had only been there a short time, he was the oldest and most experienced person at the base. He smiled and calmly said, "How could that be? The Asian Games are a big event, and everyone wants to do their best. Don't you want to?"
One sentence was enough to shut Wu Lili up. She couldn't say anything more, so she could only run to the training field indignantly and watch from the sidelines.
This is the first stage of her learning: first, she watches, takes notes, and records the key points; then, she finds two docile dogs for her to train.
However, the process was somewhat tedious, accompanied by a lot of repetitive training and reinforcement. Wu Lili was bored and too lazy to take notes, so she simply sat under a shady tree and started picking her nails.
Unlike her leisurely life, Qiu Xiaoman was now surrounded by cats and dogs.
These furry kids were incredibly excited when they heard they could participate in the selection process for security dogs. They were even more thrilled when they heard there would be a chance to join the police dog team in the future.
Needless to say, they even started comparing and contrasting each other. One dog was like a peddler praising his own melons, saying he was the best and much better than other dogs, while the other patted himself on the back, saying he had superb hearing and was better than most dogs.
Qiu Xiaoman was both amused and exasperated, so she raised her hand and said, "Quiet down. The selection is a very serious matter, and it's not something you can decide just by talking. Okay, now listen to me, all of you line up obediently! White dogs, one team; black dogs, one team; yellow dogs, one team; spotted dogs, one team!"
"And what about the ones that are both black and white?"
"Stand on the side with the spotted dog!"
"What about the ones that are both white and yellow?"
"Stand on the side of the spotted dog too!"
"What about something that's both black and yellow, or black, white, and yellow all at once?"
Qiu Xiaoman was truly defeated by them. These little rascals couldn't distinguish colors at all! They could only tell if a color was solid by black, white, and gray. So she added, "Anyone who isn't a solid color should stand on the dog's side! The rest of you, listen to my instructions and remember your own color."
Now the cats were having trouble, protesting, "What about us?"
Qiu Xiaoman surrendered: "You are outnumbered, so you'll all side with the cat team!"
That's what she said, but she knew that it was impossible to specially select a team of police cats at the moment. Besides, cats don't like to follow orders. They're only excited now because of curiosity and novelty. They'll get annoyed soon.
Sure enough, when she announced that the dogs would be selected first and then the cats, the cats scattered and went off to play.
Hey, she hasn't even said anything about disbanding! Those stinky cats!
Regardless, she held the selection in the open space of the factory area, so that the cats could see the details and those who didn't want to participate would naturally withdraw.
Stress tests usually start with low-intensity stimuli, such as Qiu Xiaoman suddenly screaming in fright and falling to the ground.
The dogs immediately surrounded them, chattering amongst themselves—
"The master is dead?"
"Bullshit, the master is just asleep."
"Wasn't she supposed to be selecting us? Why is she asleep?"
"I don't know, just wake her up."
Then a pack of dogs started licking her hands, her arms, her—
Before she could even lick her face, Qiu Xiaoman got up; she didn't want to wash her face with saliva.
After scanning around, only three disabled ones didn't come closer. Little Lightning, whose injuries hadn't fully healed, just watched from the sidelines. The two healthy ones were so frightened that they ran to the edge. These six were out of the question.
In the second round, she went to the feeding area in the factory and got a large stainless steel food bowl. She banged it on the dogs a few times, scaring away seven more.
In the third round, she found some leftover wire mesh from the courtyard wall, built a simple obstacle to climb, and eliminated nine more.
The fourth round...
Ultimately, eighteen animals passed the stress test. Little Lightning was not among them; her broken leg had just healed and she was not yet able to run or jump vigorously, so she did not participate.
Qiu Xiaoman knew she was upset, so she hugged her, stroked the downy hair growing on her belly, and comforted her, "Little one, don't worry, it won't make a difference if you stay in these two months, okay? Once you're all better, you're welcome to join my team anytime."
With tears welling up in Little Lightning's eyes, she asked, "Really? You won't dislike me?"
Qiu Xiaoman said softly, "No, but you need to recover from your injury. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep up with the training and you'll get injured again. If you get injured a few more times, you really won't be able to go back. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work. Let's be good and come back after we've recovered, okay?"
"Okay." Little Lightning licked the back of her hand. "Go ahead and do your work. I won't take up any more of your time."
Qiu Xiaoman couldn't bear it. Such a sensible dog was so endearing that she couldn't help but hug her a little longer and kiss her before putting her back in her bed.
She called all eighteen selected dogs onto the car, and before leaving, she called for the cats several times, but none of them responded.
Qiu Xiaoman laughed heartily. Sure enough, the cats couldn't stand the restrictions and all gave up.
Very well, go back now.
Eighteen dogs were brought to the training ground at the base, all eager to get started. On the other half of the training ground were the third batch of security dogs undergoing training. Having been trained for some time, even though they were all grassroots dogs, their temperament had changed.
The trained dogs are generally quiet and reserved, while the newcomers are hotheads. They stand there with a fierce and energetic air about them, and a few of them are playing around.
It's okay, they'll behave themselves after a few days of training.
Qiu Xiaoman volunteered to work overtime again. Since there weren't enough two dogs left, she had to bring over the two black guard dogs to make up the numbers.
She got off work at nine o'clock and returned to her place. Too lazy to cook, she ate some biscuits, took a shower, and went straight to sleep.
She woke up at five o'clock the next morning. The living room was unusually quiet. There was a time when a hot breakfast would be waiting for her when she woke up early, and her injured little lightning was also waiting for her to help take care of it.
Now that Liu Kun is gone, and the cats and dogs have been sent to the factory, she is all alone in the huge room.
A person who can't resist being lazy, doesn't like to make breakfast, brushes their teeth, grabs a bag of cookies, and goes to the balcony to watch the sunrise.
The sun was quite diligent; a fiery red crack appeared on the eastern horizon, and one could imagine that in a short while, it would be bathed in a blaze of light.
It's such a beautiful day and night, but only one person is appreciating it.
I couldn't help but sigh. As I turned around, I saw the wintersweet and daffodils on the balcony.
They've all withered after more than a month without watering. Just like this friendship that ended without a trace, not a single green leaf will be seen anymore.
She bent down, intending to throw the flowers away, but then felt a little reluctant. After thinking for a moment, she turned around, picked up the watering can, and searched the balcony again, finding a small hoe and fertilizer.
Loosen the soil, add some fertilizer, and water it. Whether it survives or not is up to fate.
After tidying up and washing my hands, it wasn't time for work yet.
Being alone is indeed boring, a long, omnipresent boredom.
It would be better if she had a few cats and dogs to keep her company, but unfortunately, she's all alone now.
She was a little irritated. She pushed open the door to Liu Kun's room and peeked inside. The room was exactly as he had left it. This was the first time she had ever been inside.
The used bedding was taken away, but the mattress was left untouched. The bedside table was tidied up, and the room had been cleaned. Apart from the dust that had accumulated over the past month, there was nothing messy about it.
She sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed, casually opened a drawer, and froze.
There was a neat stack of banknotes inside, with a note underneath.
Liu Kun didn't want to owe her anything, so he returned all the money she had given him. He concluded by writing: "Until we meet again, Kun."
That's all. He didn't even leave her a picture of himself.
Qiu Xiaoman sighed silently, put the things back exactly as they were, and closed the drawer.
As she closed the door, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of frustration. She didn't want to live here anymore, but she also didn't plan to deal with the house. She would just leave it empty until this matter was completely over.
She called Shen Qinghuai to ask if there were any vacant rooms in the apartment complex.
Shen Qinghuai asked curiously, "What, are you moving?"
"Um."
"Yes, it is, but it's still under renovation. Would you like to stay here?"
"Will I stay at your place and wait for your daughter to kick down the door and kill me in the middle of the night?"
"Xiaoman, don't be like that. Except for Yaoyao, the others don't do that."
"Didn't you say that entire floor was your house?"
"Yes, you live next door? That's fine, but you'll need to tidy up a bit."
"Forget it, I won't move. Let me know when the renovations over there are finished."
"Okay. By the way, why hasn't Liu Kun come to work?"
"He won't go."
"Did you have a fight?"
"He's gone."
"Good thing you're gone, good thing you're gone. You're quite well-off now, so stay away from people with ill intentions."
"He had no ill intentions."
"Okay, okay, no. I'm going to the meeting now."
Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone and kicked the sofa in frustration. The sofa didn't hurt; it was she who was hurt.
Even after arriving at the base, she was still in a bad mood. However, not wanting to bring her temper to work, she went to the guardhouse to check on Li Tuantuan's studies to change her mood.
Li Tuantuan was very happy to see her and gave her her notes to check.
Qiu Xiaoman praised him and then went to train right on time.
During halftime, she looked at Wu Lili, who was dozing off under the shade of a tree, and asked Lu Zhiqiang in surprise, "Brother Qiang, when did our base start keeping idle people?"
"She's just an intern, I can't be bothered with her," Lu Zhiqiang advised. "Don't pursue a cornered enemy, don't provoke her."
Qiu Xiaoman understood; he knew about the feud between the Wu family and her. They were all part of the public security system; their information wouldn't be unreliable.
“But this can’t go on. She’s taking up a quota but not doing any work?” Qiu Xiaoman was still a little dissatisfied.
Lu Zhiqiang said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do about it. They came here for their internship through the proper channels."
Qiu Xiaoman had no choice but to go about her own business to avoid getting upset.
For more than half a month, Wu Lili was like this: either wandering around the sidelines like a zombie, or sleeping under the shade of a tree like a wooden stake.
I'm speechless. He doesn't even show up for meetings; I wonder what he's up to.
Qiu Xiaoman voiced her dissatisfaction: "Team Leader Meng, you keep saying that the higher-ups only allocated these few positions to the base, but these precious spots are just being used by people to coast along?"
Team Leader Meng knew who she was talking about, and helplessly advised, "Just bear with it, she'll be leaving in a week. We can just write 'unsatisfactory' on her internship record later."
"That's good." Qiu Xiaoman felt relieved, but after get off work she didn't want to go home alone, so she went to the criminal investigation building to watch birds.
Wu Shirong happened to be working overtime, so she went to the street and bought some food to thank him for taking care of Lele.
There was still a pair of dumbbells on Wu Shirong's table, but they were a little bigger than before.
After Qiu Xiaoman finished eating, she curiously picked it up and gestured with it: "You really practiced?"
"Hmm." Wu Shirong was being unusually polite to her today, but there was a hint of distance in that politeness.
Qiu Xiaoman didn't think much of it. After he finished eating, she packed up her lunchbox and prepared to leave.
Wu Shirong watched from the side, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Why don't you go and keep your friend company?"
"Huh?" Qiu Xiaoman was almost taken aback. She paused for a moment, then replied casually, "He's all better now. He's a grown man, with hands and feet, he doesn't need me to take care of him."
"Oh." Wu Shirong silently breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had been overthinking it.
He smiled and picked up the binoculars: "Look, Lele's babies are so big now. Two of them have already left the nest, and the rest will be here soon."
Qiu Xiaoman was very interested in this topic, so she quickly picked up her binoculars and looked at the bird's nest in the tree. Sure enough, Lele's babies had all grown into big fur balls.
How wonderful, how fast time flies, generation after generation, isn't that how life continues?
She called Lele over, chatted for a while, and then, as it was getting late, she prepared to go home.
As I was carrying my lunchbox, Wu Shirong invited me from behind: "Want to see a movie this weekend?"
"What movie?" Qiu Xiaoman was indeed feeling lonely by herself, so going out for a walk was a good idea.
Wu Shirong named several film titles, including martial arts films from Hong Kong, romance films from abroad, and anti-Japanese war films from China.
Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment and chose a martial arts film.
Wu Shirong smiled and saw her downstairs: "I'll buy the tickets, you don't need to worry about it. I'll call you when I've bought them."
"Okay." Qiu Xiaoman got into the car and left. Back at her place, it was pitch black, which was really uncomfortable. Starting tomorrow, she'll leave a light on when she leaves in the morning, so she won't be completely lost when she comes back.
After taking a shower and watching TV for a while, I got increasingly bored, so I decided to get up and go for a drive.
The system beeped as the car passed by the entrance of a bar.
Qiu Xiaoman subconsciously looked across the street and saw a young woman who seemed to be drunk, being held by two men on either side of her, preventing her from leaving. Before Qiu Xiaoman could get out of the car to ask what was going on, one of the men had already hailed a taxi, shoved the woman inside, grabbed his accomplice, and they all drove off.
Qiu Xiaoman quickly drove after them, winding his way through the streets until he arrived at an old-style residential area near Shen Tenglong's house.
The rows of tenement buildings look oppressive, and some even have basements. I don't know if they were reserved when they were built or dug when air-raid shelters were dug. It should be the former. What if the latter collapses?
Never mind, she saw the woman being dragged into the basement entrance by two men, so she quickly parked her car and followed.
Before going into the basement, she called Chen Jianjun: "Are you resting?"
"not yet."
"At the entrance to the basement of Unit 3 in Century Garden, there are two men dragging a drunk woman. They're probably trying to assault her. Bring two men over to help me."
"Wow, you're all alone?"
"Um."
"Then you'd better wait until I get there before you take any action!"
"By the time you arrive, that woman will definitely have been assaulted."
"You'll have to wait. You can't beat two men by yourself!"
"Hurry up and stop talking nonsense." Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone. Luckily, she had already taken a shower and was wearing casual clothes.
She stuffed the mobile phone into her canvas bag, zipped it up, and hurried after him.
It's summer now, and there's a light rain every now and then. The dampness builds up in the basement, and when the rain stops, the heat rises, and all sorts of smells from deep underground mix together and get into your nostrils.
Qiu Xiaoman almost vomited. She immediately went back to the exit to catch her breath and adjust before going back in.
The interior is cramped and narrow, but there are quite a few rooms, a public pool, a public restroom, and a public shower room.
The white paint on the walls was peeling off in large patches, revealing the dark gray cement underneath.
The overhead lights were dim and gloomy. She couldn't stand it after just a few steps. She wondered how the people living there managed to endure it.
She looked around but didn't see the two men. They must have already gone into one of the rooms and were committing a crime. She could only go to the basement manager to check the residents' information.
As I turned around, I heard a woman scream coming from the room to my right.
Oh no, it's those two beasts! Qiu Xiaoman didn't hesitate and quickly went over. Standing at the door, she racked her brains and came up with a lame excuse.
She forced a smile and knocked on the door: "Hello, is Sister Huihui home?"
The two men inside were tearing at the woman's clothes. They stopped when they heard the noise, and the one inside whispered, "Who came from here?"
The person closest to the door wasn't sure either, shaking his head: "Maybe it's her friend?"
"Bullshit, she doesn't even live here, how would her friend know she's here?"
"So what you mean is?"
"The person at the door either has the wrong place or is following us."
"Were they following us? From inside the bar?"
"Definitely! Damn it, it's the same whether I sleep with one or two, so I'll just lure her in and do it all at once!"
"Will it work?"
"Why not? Isn't there a radio right next to you? Just open the door and smash it over her head, knock her out first!"
The two devised a plan and prepared to act. The one near the door picked up the radio and asked, "Who is it? Huihui is asleep."
"Going to sleep so early?" Qiu Xiaoman's mind raced. They said "Huihui" was asleep, probably trying to trick her into going in? She wouldn't listen. So she said, "Okay then, I'll tell her aunt. Honestly, she hasn't gotten a temporary residence permit in Beidu yet. The Asian Games are coming up soon, and the police station will be checking her documents."
Upon hearing this, the two inside realized that regardless of whether the woman had gone to the wrong place or was following them, as long as she mentioned going to find some "aunt," that so-called aunt might come looking for her.
Not only will their good time be interrupted, but their illegal activities may also be discovered, and the police may call them to arrest them.
With that in mind, the two decided to go all in, open the door, grab the woman, knock her unconscious, and drag her inside.
Just as the skinny guy near the door darted out, the door diagonally opposite opened.
The skinny man hadn't expected this unexpected turn of events. His mind was a beat slower than his body, but he still picked up the radio, intending to smash it on the woman in front of him.
As a result, the man across the street grabbed Qiu Xiaoman, dodging the sneak attack from behind.
When the skinny guy realized he'd messed up, he quickly hid back inside, barricaded the door, and discussed the situation with the fat guy inside: "Oh no, that woman really did go to the wrong place. The person across the hall seems to be her friend. I've been discovered."
"What's the meaning?"
"I didn't realize what was happening, and I hit her with the radio."
"Did it hit something?"
"No."
"What's there to be afraid of without you!"
“A man came out from across the hall. He seemed to know her. He was very tall.”
"..." The fat man was also dumbfounded, and could only stare at each other for a while before saying, "Quiet, play dead, and wait until they leave before you talk. You leave the door slightly ajar and listen from there."
The skinny man quickly did as he was told and looked through the gap. He saw the man standing in front of the woman, head down, not saying a word, and he didn't know what he was doing.
The woman pinched his arm and pounded his shoulder, as if checking if his body was strong.
What strange people! The skinny guy turned his head and gestured to the fat guy, but the fat guy didn't understand and impatiently waved his hand to shut him up.
The skinny man continued to peek through the crack in the door, but saw the woman push the man aside and let her into his room. He himself did not go in, but stood outside the door, as if he were facing the wall in repentance, without moving an inch.
Within two minutes, the woman threw his belongings out one by one.
First came the bedding, mat, and pillow; then the clothes, undried pants, shoes, and socks; next came the instant noodle packaging, the plastic packaging of pickled vegetables, two basins, a kettle, a teacup, a toothbrush, a towel, and two bags of trash that hadn't been thrown away yet.
Finally, there was the man's suitcase and a black leather bag, which probably contained important documents. After the woman threw the bag out, she picked it up herself, opened her handbag, rummaged around for her cell phone, and stuffed it inside.
Then she didn't say anything, just stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at the man.
For a fleeting moment, the skinny man felt the woman catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't dare move, held his breath, and pretended to be dead.
In my line of sight, the man stood motionless in the aisle for a long time, neither picking up anything from the ground nor asking the woman for his black leather bag.
That's strange. Are they a couple? It doesn't seem like it. The woman is dressed very casually, but the fabric of her dress looks expensive. Most importantly, when she opened her canvas bag, the skinny guy clearly saw a mobile phone inside! Someone who can afford a mobile phone can't be poor, can they?
But the guy across the hall lives in the basement. They're not a good match, so they definitely can't be a couple.
So, are they friends? It doesn't seem like it. What friend would take someone else's purse and not return it?
Oh, she must be a debt collector! I guess this guy owes money and isn't paying it back, so he's staying here to avoid being chased by his creditors. He didn't expect this woman to come looking for Huihui and just happen to run into him.
Yes, that must be it! The skinny guy thought he was incredibly smart; it would be a loss for Tsinghua and Peking University if they didn't admit him.
I wonder how long these two are going to keep causing trouble in the hallway. He's waiting to sleep with a woman! It would be a shame not to sleep with a single woman who's drunk as a log in a bar.
Just as he was getting anxious and frustrated, two policemen walked into the corridor, and the skinny man's mind went blank.
He subconsciously turned around to look at the fat man behind him, but before he could report the situation, the door in front of him was kicked open with a bang.
The skinny guy thought it was the police who kicked the door, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was the man across the hall. He was doomed. He had planned to use the excuse of the police violently kicking the door to buy time, but it turned out not to be that.
By the time the skinny guy came to his senses, the two policemen had already entered.
The skinny man's hands were handcuffed by cold silver bracelets. He tried to argue, but the police officer said, "Someone reported that you forcibly took a woman away from the bar. Please come with us."
The fat man tried to run away, but Chen Jianjun held him down tightly, handcuffed him, and took him away.
As Chen Jianjun passed by Qiu Xiaoman, he paused for a moment. He wanted to ask her what was going on with Liu Kun, but he was afraid that Qiu Xiaoman would resent the two thugs from the bar, so he pretended not to know them and scolded her in an unfriendly tone: "What are you doing? Arguing in public at night? Be careful the neighbors don't sue you for disturbing the peace. Clean up quickly and don't block other people from walking."
Qiu Xiaoman obediently replied "Yes," and only after Chen Jianjun left did she breathe a sigh of relief. She then went to check on the woman across the street, who was guarding the door, waiting for the policewoman to come over.
Sure enough, a minute later, two policewomen arrived and helped the drunk woman upstairs, one on each side.
The commotion was quite loud. Several residents came out to take a look and found the passageway full of messy things, so they couldn't help but complain.
Qiu Xiaoman glared at Liu Kun, and the two quickly got ready.
The trash was thrown away, the clothes, shoes, and socks were thrown away, all the personal belongings were thrown away, and only the black leather bag and this poorly dressed man were taken away.
As the onlookers dispersed, they couldn't help but mutter, "Two lunatics."
The two lunatics returned to the ground and entered the Santana, but neither of them uttered a word.
Qiu Xiaoman looked at the rearview mirror with disdain. Liu Kun sat in the back seat with his face pressed against the car window, refusing to look at her.
She didn't insist. She drove to the outside of the park, parked, got out of the car, opened the back door, and said, "Take it or leave."
Liu Kun laughed angrily: "You threw away all my things, and you didn't even give me my purse. Where am I supposed to go?"
Qiu Xiaoman leaned against the front of the car, arms crossed, and remained silent.
Liu Kun lowered his eyelashes, sniffed the stench emanating from his body, and had no choice but to swallow his pride and get out of the car to ask for his belongings: "Give me your purse, I'll find a hotel."
Qiu Xiaoman shoved him back into the car, slammed the door shut, and took him back to his old residence.
The moment the door opened, Liu Kun noticed that the light was on inside. He thought someone was inside and hesitated for a second, but Qiu Xiaoman pushed him inside.
When he stumbled and fell to the floor, he realized that there was no one else in the room, only the lights were on, and that was all.
He sat dejectedly on the floor, hugging his knees and burying his head in his arms, not knowing how to escape this predicament and could only wait helplessly.
Qiu Xiaoman ignored him, went to the balcony to get a towel for him, casually shoved him into the bathroom, grabbed her keys, and left.
Since not many shopping malls were still open at the moment, she could only borrow two sets of clothes that Shen Qinghuai had never worn before and bring them back for Liu Kun to make do with.
Fortunately, Shen Qinghuai usually pays attention to his image and changes his shirts when they get out of shape, so he prepared a lot of clothes of the same style, all of which were still unopened and ready to wear when he got home.
But he didn't understand why a young woman would need men's clothes. Shen Qinghuai quickly asked, and Qiu Xiaoman gave a perfunctory answer, saying that her colleague was injured while on duty and had no clothes to change into. Shen Qinghuai was skeptical and didn't say anything more.
Qiu Xiaoman returned to her residence, grabbed a small stool, and placed her clothes by the bathroom door: "I'm going back to my room. You can take your new clothes; no one will be watching you."
Liu Kun didn't move, letting the hot water turn into cold water, and then the cold water turn into hot water again.
It's not the water that's hot, it's body temperature.
He took a deep breath, turned off the water, grabbed some clothes to change, and, not knowing when she would return his purse, could only sit on the sofa and wait.
I fell asleep without realizing it. I guess the two months I spent in the basement were too oppressive, so much so that as I fell asleep, my body unconsciously stretched out, and my long legs took up the entire sofa.
After calming herself down, Qiu Xiaoman came out, covered him with a blanket, and went back to her room to sleep.
The next morning, Liu Kun got up as usual to make breakfast. When he went to the balcony to hang up the clothes, he saw the two pots of flowers that he had abandoned, half-dead, which made him feel really sad.
He squatted down, intending to loosen the soil, apply some fertilizer, and water it, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that these meticulous and tedious tasks had already been done by someone else.
His agitated heart suddenly calmed down.
He pulled out the newly sprouted weeds, added some water, then pushed open the door to his old bedroom and went to dust and wipe the table.
After finishing my work, I opened the bedside table drawer and found the money inside untouched, with the note underneath.
He suddenly regretted it a little. After all that trouble, he still had the nerve to come back with her. Wasn't that shameful?
How embarrassing. But... this time she brought him back.
He took a deep breath, closed the drawer, and when he came out, he found that breakfast had already been served.
Qiu Xiaoman sat at the coffee table, eating slowly and deliberately.
His black leather bag was placed next to her, but he didn't take it. Instead, he sat opposite her, picked up another bowl of millet porridge, and ate quietly.
After finishing her meal, Qiu Xiaoman washed her own dishes, went back to her room, opened her canvas bag, took out 10,000 yuan, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it to Liu Kun: "From now on, you will make breakfast and dinner for me every day. This is my food allowance for this month. Any extra is yours, and if it's not enough, just ask me for more."
Liu Kun didn't touch the money. He turned his head away, trying to salvage his dignity: "No need, I have a job."
Qiu Xiaoman questioned him bluntly: "What kind of job? Sweeping the streets? Cleaning toilets? Working as a bartender? Or joining a pyramid scheme to swindle people out of their money? Look at your skinny frame, who would want you?"
"You dare?" Liu Kun still couldn't shake his stubborn habit.
Qiu Xiaoman stood up and pressed down on his shoulder: "I don't care what job you found, quit it. Just focus on getting better, then you can go wherever you want. This is the last time I'm giving in to you. If you cause any more trouble, we'll never see each other again."
Liu Kun didn't speak, but simply pressed her hand down, tilted his head back, and silently looked at her.
Instead of the expected response, I got a slap on the head.
In the end, she just ruffled his hair like she would a dog and that was it.
Liu Kun felt a little dizzy. He looked at Qiu Xiaoman, who was putting on her shoes, and after thinking for a moment, he walked over, stood behind her, and asked, "How did you find me?"
"Who's looking for you? I'm here to catch a pervert!" Qiu Xiaoman glared at him disdainfully and went to work.
When she came home from get off work in the evening, she brought along a familiar "person".
Liu Kun had just finished tidying up the new bedding he bought that afternoon when he heard a barking sound. He quickly came out of his room and was overjoyed to hear, "Little Lightning!"
"Woof woof! I missed you so much, my benefactor!" Little Lightning was very well-behaved. After Qiu Xiaoman untied the leash, she rushed over, jumped into Liu Kun's arms, and smeared his face with saliva.
Liu Kun had never been so happy. Holding Little Lightning, he smiled so brightly.
After the man and the dog finished their sweet time, they remembered it was time to eat. Liu Kun washed his hands and came out to find that Qiu Xiaoman had already served the food.
He sat down with a smile, first picking up a piece of spare rib for Little Lightning. Little Lightning took the rib in his mouth, curled up beside his legs, and gnawed on it politely.
Liu Kun glanced at Qiu Xiaoman, who was also eating slowly and deliberately, and couldn't help but complain, "Like master, like dog, you two eat the same way."
Qiu Xiaoman was still angry, so she ignored him. After finishing her meal, she took a shower, changed her clothes, and prepared to go out.
Liu Kun was a little surprised and asked, "Going out so late?"
"The Asian Games are coming up soon, so we need to be careful during the night patrols. Captain Meng asked everyone to walk the entire route tonight so we'll have a better understanding of the area," Qiu Xiaoman explained, to avoid him worrying.
Liu Kun breathed a sigh of relief and instructed, "Remember to call for backup if you encounter any danger."
Qiu Xiaoman turned around and pinched his cheek: "Aren't you annoying, huh? Aren't you annoying? Shut up and go keep the dog company!"
When Qiu Xiaoman and her colleagues from the base returned after completing the route walk, it was already 1 a.m. Luckily, she didn't have to work the next day, so she could sleep in a little longer.
Pushing open the door, she saw the lights were on inside, and felt inexplicably at ease. Looking into the living room, she saw Liu Kun holding the dog, leaning against the sofa, half asleep.
Hearing the noise, he quickly got up, went closer, glanced at her to make sure she wasn't hurt, then picked up the dog and went back to his room.
The next day, Qiu Xiaoman took him to the pet house and officially put him in charge of the store's work.
Shen Qinglan had been taking care of the child here, and she was relieved to see someone come to relieve her.
But... she looked at Liu Kun in front of her, somewhat puzzled: "Didn't you say he wouldn't be coming back?"
Qiu Xiaoman didn't explain. Instead, she took Shen Qinghuai's youngest son from Shen Qinglan's arms and urged, "Go through the accounts with him and let him manage the shop from now on."
We have to find him something to do, otherwise he'll be bored out of his mind and keep causing trouble for her.
After going through the accounts, Qiu Xiaoman handed the child to Shen Qinglan: "Did you drive yourself? Do you want me to take you home?"
"If you drive me, how am I supposed to drive with a baby in my arms?" Shen Qinglan was a little unhappy. This niece never called her aunt; she always called her "Hey" or "Ms. Shen."
I don't know how Third Brother could stand it.
When she returned to Shen Qinghuai's place, he was just back for lunch and wanted Qiu Xiaoman to stay with him, but Qiu Xiaoman shook her head and left.
Shen Qinglan was furious: "Brother, are you just going to spoil her like this? She has no manners."
Shen Qinghuai rolled his eyes at her: "It's none of your business. Take care of your child."
Shen Qinglan was speechless, then asked gossipily, "By the way, Liu Kun is back, you know that, right?"
He really didn't know that. Shen Qinghuai looked at her in surprise: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Shen Qinglan protested her innocence: "I thought you knew. He's taken over the shop's accounts. Your daughter isn't planning to keep a gigolo, is she? He's not bad looking, but I heard he's covered in injuries. Doesn't he find that scary?"
Shen Qinghuai quickly stopped him: "What nonsense are you talking about? Xiaoman's affairs are none of your business. Take care of your child."
He got angry and went to the balcony to call Qiu Xiaoman.
He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Qiu Xiaoman was watching a movie with Wu Shirong.
He realized that inquiring about her relationship with Liu Kun wasn't appropriate, so he hung up the phone. Wanting Liu Kun to back down, he then called the shop.
After Qiu Xiaoman and Wu Shirong finished watching the movie, they were walking side by side, discussing the plot, when they saw Liu Kun holding Little Lightning's hand, standing at the entrance. He glanced at her indifferently, then turned and walked away.
Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to indulge his bad habits, so she ignored him and continued chatting with Wu Shirong. After she sent Wu Shirong back, she returned to the pet supply store and took a look.
It's alright, Liu Kun has learned his lesson and is now diligently minding the shop. She then went about her own business.
At the end of the month, Little Lightning underwent a physical examination at Uncle Zhou's place, which confirmed that she had fully recovered. Only then did she go to the police dog base with Qiu Xiaoman.
Qiu Xiaoman led Little Lightning to the long-missed training ground. She squatted down next to Little Lightning and said softly, "Are you ready? Let's start from the beginning."
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