Chapter 145 Miracle Trainer 1 The master is the best in Gray's heart...
Mango and Little Lightning passed the test very smoothly, along with seven other dogs.
Since the special forces have no plans to expand their military dog force at the moment, being able to serve as a police dog is a very difficult achievement for Little Lightning.
She passed the test and obediently squatted on the ground, waiting for her handler to put a dog tag on her.
This was made in advance by Qiu Xiaoman to celebrate with Mango. She has always been bad at handicrafts and her drawing skills are terrible. In the end, she went to the Criminal Technology Building to ask Wu Shirong to help draw a design draft, and then Fu Ze helped to make it.
Both of these are female dogs. One was a stray since she was a puppy, always hungry and cold. She finally got the chance to become a police dog, but because she was pregnant, she was delayed for more than half a year. The other came from a prestigious family, but she suffered retaliation from the family of a drug dealer, which severely traumatized her both physically and mentally. This also delayed her for about half a year.
Fortunately, both dogs have a brand new life.
Qiu Xiaoman specially went to the photo studio to call someone to take photos of them and the other dogs.
After taking the photos and returning to the kennel, the other dogs became unhappy. Seeing the two female dogs with medal-like dog tags hanging around their necks, they began to bark in protest.
Why are only the two of you here?
"Yeah, why don't we have any?"
Little Lightning looked down at the dog tag on its chest, thought for a moment, and proudly said, "Because I made a promise with my trainer!"
“Yes, I also have an agreement with the trainer,” Mango quickly chimed in. “Besides, the two of us have a life-or-death bond with the trainer, do you two have one?”
What is a life-or-death friendship?
Tell me about it.
Little Lightning didn't want to talk about her mother, so she said that she had once encountered a bad child who liked to abuse dogs, and that her trainer saved her.
Mango then said that she was pregnant and starving, and that the trainer had taken her in.
Upon hearing this, the other dogs thought, "Well, that's true, a bond forged in life and death."
But they were really envious. The dog tag looked as cool as a medal, and they wanted one too. It was so cool and impressive.
It couldn't help but bark loudly, trying to get the zookeeper's attention.
Unfortunately, Kong Linfu couldn't understand what they were saying, so he could only reassure them, "Don't worry, we'll talk about it when the instructor comes tomorrow, okay?"
The dogs looked aggrieved, staring at Little Lightning and Mango with envy and jealousy, but dared not hate them.
If this dog tag was earned with one's life, then it's best to just look at it and not really care.
*
Qiu Xiaoman returned to the ground floor and, as usual, greeted Master and Senior Brother upon entering.
Unexpectedly, her master wasn't there today. She took a walk around and saw her senior brother tending to her two potted plants.
A pot of forsythia and a pot of daffodils actually came back to life, which she found incredible.
Looking at the flowers, she couldn't help but think of their former owner and sighed silently.
Fu Ze glanced at it indifferently, didn't ask, but simply reminded him, "It's almost the end of the year, where are you planning to spend it?"
Yes, where to go? Back to Yunnan? Even by plane, it would take several days, since it's not easy to get to the provincial capital from the mountains.
I think I'll just not reply.
So, should she go to Shen Qinghuai's place? But she doesn't belong to his family.
Not to mention Chan Pak-wai, she was pregnant and preparing to give birth to her young husband's baby. Qiu Xiaoman's visit only brought her more trouble.
After thinking it over, she glanced at the moon that had just risen above the horizon outside the window: "Let's stay here. Do you and Master have any plans?"
"No. Call your cats and dogs over?" Fu Ze knew that she kept some cats and dogs at the factory. After a group of them were selected as security dogs, they all found different homes. Some of the rest were adopted, while others became holdouts.
In addition, there are Mango's eight puppies, all of them chubby and big-eared half-grown dogs, and we need to think about how to settle them. There are also the little princess's nine kittens, who are all grown up now, and it's time for them to go their separate ways.
Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment and decided to call over a few cats and dogs that had special significance, and leave the others alone.
Although she is loving, she can be biased at times. For example, when she sees Gray and Xiao Dezi, both of them are police dogs, her feelings are different.
So she replied, "Let's bring Xiaohua and the others over. Forget about the factory. I'll go over and cook them a New Year's Eve dinner before I come back."
“You’re unhappy.” Fu Ze could tell she had something on her mind. His attitude had always been to let things take their course and not force her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to make her see him. If she still had unresolved issues, he was willing to help her untangle them. So he tried to communicate, “If there’s anything you can’t figure out, you can tell me.”
Qiu Xiaoman had been reflecting on her actions lately, and since her senior brother had spoken up, she asked, "Am I too lacking in boundaries?"
"Hmm?" Fu Ze put down the watering can, tugged at her sleeve, and pulled open the balcony door to walk into the living room. "Come in and tell me it's cold outside."
Qiu Xiaoman closed the balcony door, sat on the sofa, and after hesitating for a long time, finally spoke: "Last time at the hospital, you said you didn't like the jokes I made. I've made those kinds of jokes many times before, and you always got angry, but I never took it seriously. Now that I think about it, I was too inconsiderate of your feelings."
"Oh, that? It's nothing, it's all in the past." Fu Ze thought it was something serious and laughed, "Just that? Is it worth you looking so worried?"
“Not entirely.” Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment, then decided to speak frankly. After all, no one around her was more tolerant than her master and senior brother. She tried to clear up her confusion. “I thought about it carefully later. Back in the ward, my colleagues and friends left without saying goodbye. What was I doing then? I was joking around with you. Maybe they felt it wasn’t appropriate for them to stay, so they left. Later, I wondered, why did they feel it wasn’t appropriate? Was it just because I was joking around with you? No, it was because there wasn’t a clear boundary between my relationship with you and my relationship with them. Sometimes, there was even overlap, and that overlap caused them to misunderstand and misinterpret my relationship with them. When I was joking around with you, they realized, no, they misinterpreted it, they misunderstood, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to stay. So they left.”
This long and convoluted explanation was something Fu Ze understood immediately.
He was a little surprised. His junior sister had actually figured it out on her own? Who taught her? What about that painter colleague and Liu Kun's sudden departure?
They were just passersby in her life, so how could they have such a big impact on her thoughts?
He stared blankly at his junior sister, who seemed like a philosopher, and suddenly understood what his master had said—she was like a flower, a blade of grass; you had to return her to her natural environment for her to grow naturally. If you forcibly move her into a greenhouse, she might appear prettier and have a smoother life, but she would be incredibly vulnerable; she hadn't truly grown. Let her go back. Whether it's hardship or pain, she'll learn what to do next after experiencing it herself.
Now it seems that the environment here really did help her grow? He thought for a moment and asked, "Why did you want to tell me this?"
“Because…” Qiu Xiaoman pondered for a moment, “because I don’t want to misinterpret our relationship.”
Fu Ze didn't respond to that. Anyone with a brain would know that continuing this conversation would only lead to trouble.
Because she will most likely say that we are just fellow students, nothing more.
He felt somewhat frustrated, but thankfully, it wasn't time to give up yet. He stood up, making an excuse that the food in the kitchen was about to overflow, and went to check it out.
Qiu Xiaoman grabbed him and said, "Don't lie to me, no fire was lit in the kitchen."
Fu Ze had no choice but to sit down, staring at her hand without saying a word.
Qiu Xiaoman let go of him, sat back on the sofa, and after a long period of contemplation, asked, "Were you angry when you found out I kissed someone else?"
"Yeah, I wasn't angry anymore." Fu Ze didn't look at her; half of his face was swallowed by the shadows.
Qiu Xiaoman rubbed her hands together and asked with difficulty, "Why?"
"Hey, you fouled." Fu Ze didn't want to answer, so he simply picked up a newspaper to distract himself.
Qiu Xiaoman smiled: "Yes, I know the answer."
With that, he got up and left.
Fu Ze looked bewildered: "Hey? Where to?"
"Go get your things from the car." Qiu Xiaoman bought a tube of lipstick at the mall the day before yesterday, but she's been busy with her assessment these past two days and hasn't had time to get it. She went down to get it now, then took the elevator back up, rushing around like a wild horse.
She ran up to Fu Ze and handed him the lipstick: "Here you go, a birthday present."
"Huh?" Fu Ze was both amused and exasperated. "My birthday is still a week away."
"An appetizer." Qiu Xiaoman smiled as she sat on the sofa, hugging her knees. "Put it on and let me see."
Fu Ze refused, so Qiu Xiaoman stood up, snatched the lipstick, and unscrewed the cap. "Are you going to put it on or not? If you don't, I'll take action."
"Okay, okay, I'll put it on, I'll put it on." Fu Ze resignedly took the lipstick, rubbed it on his lips a couple of times, and the light shone on it, making it sparkle and glisten, just like the way he ate grapes with his mouth closed that day.
Qiu Xiaoman glanced at it, blushed, and turned away: "It looks great. Remember to apply it every day from now on."
"Huh?" Fu Ze looked helplessly at the words "For Ladies Only" on the tube, and really wanted to record the words "Your senior brother is a man" as his alarm clock and play them on repeat for her.
Oh well, I'll just apply it. It was a gift from my junior sister, why should I be picky?
Qiu Xiaoman returned to her room and brought out the unfinished dog tags: "Senior brother, help me. There are still seven male dogs who passed the test, but I didn't make them for them. I felt a little sorry for them when they looked at me with such pitiful expressions."
"Okay." Fu Ze took a large basket of materials, and following the blueprints, he picked up a carving knife and began carving a medal for the dog.
Qiu Xiaoman did nothing but sit beside him, resting her chin on her hand, watching him carve intently.
Occasionally he would glance back and laugh, "What are you looking at?"
“You’ll learn it just by watching.” Qiu Xiaoman was very focused, staring intently at his mouth.
When he exerts himself, he slightly curls the corners of his lips; when he relaxes, he raises them into a smile, his lips glossy with lipstick, making him look incredibly attractive.
Sometimes she feels like she's really gone mad, but thankfully, for now she's content with just enjoying the view and has no plans to do anything.
After Fu Ze finished carving a medal, she exclaimed, "Wow, senior brother is amazing!"
Fuze's smile was forced and insincere, as if she were praising a dog.
Oh well, it's always good to make her happy. Why bother with all that other stuff?
Compared to before, when she would sit on a rock in a daze whenever she had free time, thinking about her tragic past, how she wasn't accepted or liked by her parents, and how she would die alone, she would burst into tears. Now, she was so much more cheerful and lively. He was very content.
He continued carving, stroke by stroke, until he came to his senses and found Qiu Xiaoman already asleep on the sofa. Indeed, she felt most relaxed with him.
The mouth can lie, but the soul cannot.
He went over to her, covered her with a blanket, and then went back to continue working.
Just as she was busy, the phone rang. Qiu Xiaoman opened her eyes groggily, reached out and swept her hand across the coffee table, grabbed the mobile phone and said hello. It was Captain Zou's apologetic voice on the other end: "Xiao Qiu, I have to go on a business trip. Pack your things and meet at the Criminal Investigation Department at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone and subconsciously wanted to run to the bedroom, but when she got to the door she remembered that the meeting was tomorrow morning, so she went back to the sofa and continued to sleep.
Fuze tucked the blanket around her and continued with his work.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the strange old man returned, opened his collar, and a small dragon emerged from it.
Fu Ze walked over with a smile and handed him a hot towel: "How was it, Master? Did you catch it?"
The story goes that a giant python was unearthed at a construction site in the dead of winter, scaring the construction workers into scattering in all directions. Upon hearing the news, the master skipped dinner and went out to find the snake.
However, the eccentric old man was mysterious and refused to tell him.
Fu Ze laughed: "Master, stop hiding it. You went there with the Mirage Tower, you must have caught it. Let me see."
"No, wait until your junior sister wakes up before you look at it." The strange old man clutched a golden bronze bell in his arms as if it were some kind of treasure.
Fu Ze had no choice but to tell him to eat first. While he was eating, Qiu Xiaoman, who was sleeping nearby, was woken up by the aroma. She got up and saw that her bowl and chopsticks were set out. She walked over and sat down without ceremony: "Where did Master go?"
"I'll show you something good later." The strange old man chuckled and patted the bronze bell in his arms.
Qiu Xiaoman's eyes lit up immediately: "What? Master, you brought the Thunder Sound Bell? Wait, are there monsters here?"
"No monsters, but plenty of giant pythons. I'll show you later." The strange old man couldn't hold back any longer and let it slip.
Fu Ze couldn't help but laugh. It was always like this, mysteriously preventing him from saying anything, and then his master would spill the beans himself. Tsk.
See? My junior sister definitely won't wait.
He looked at Qiu Xiaoman with certainty, but to his surprise, Qiu Xiaoman suppressed her curiosity and did not press him for answers.
This surprised him. The master and apprentice looked at each other, extremely curious, like fishermen who had been caught by fish, feeling incredibly frustrated.
After dinner, the two thought Qiu Xiaoman was finally going to speak, but to their surprise, she yawned and went to wash up.
The two looked at each other, puzzled as to what had changed about the young woman, and could only sit awkwardly in the living room.
After she closed the door and went to sleep, Fu Ze guessed, "She's going on a business trip tomorrow, so she's probably afraid of getting too excited."
"Really?" The old man felt a little better. He had been planning to release the giant python to surprise his little apprentice. Heh, what a waste of his excitement.
Just then, Shen Qinghuai returned. The master and apprentice made a few sarcastic remarks to him before going to sleep.
However, the eccentric old man didn't believe in superstitions. He went into the bedroom and came out again, put the Thunder Bell on the sofa, and covered it with his outer robe.
Then instead of sleeping, he would just leave the bedroom door slightly ajar and wait to see if any fish would take the bait.
At three o'clock in the morning, Qiu Xiaoman woke up. She had planned to go to bed early and get up early to conserve her energy for the business trip, but she had an annoying dream and had to wake up.
Not knowing whether her master had put away the Thunder Bell, she tiptoed to the door and went to take a look around the living room.
In the bustling city, the night sky is filled with dazzling neon lights, and the floor-to-ceiling windows have no curtains drawn, offering an unobstructed view.
Qiu Xiaoman walked around the living room and sure enough, she saw her master's outer robe. She lifted it up and saw, lo and behold, the Thunder Sound Bell.
She carefully carried the Thunder Clock, walked a little further away, placed it on the open floor of the living room, and drew a spell on the clock face with her bare hands.
But then, with a resounding clang of the Thunder Bell, its body instantly expanded dozens of times in size, and a giant, spotted python emerged from within.
Qiu Xiaoman's eyes lit up. What a find! Just as she was about to have a chat with the giant python about snake life, the living room lights came on.
The eccentric old man had a look of amusement on his face, and his smugness, as if to say, "You little brat, you've been caught stealing from your master," was palpable.
Qiu Xiaoman smiled shyly: "Master, I'm awake. I'm bored, so I'm just touching it for fun."
"Didn't you say you weren't interested?" The eccentric old man, who had failed at fishing, was quite arrogant, raising his chin as if he were hard to please.
Qiu Xiaoman ran up to him with a smile and shook his arm: "Master, let me tell you, I was having a headache about how to better hide the drugs and increase the difficulty of training the drug-sniffing dogs! You've given me a great helper! Thank you!"
"Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean? Did I say I was going to give this to you?" The strange old man pointed at the giant python, looking like a miser.
Qiu Xiaoman knew he was faking it, so she just kept shaking his arm and acting coquettishly: "Good master, give it to me, you're the best, the best!"
The old man was easy to coax, and her heart softened immediately. She snorted coldly, "Then call me 'Daddy,' and I'll give it to you."
Qiu Xiaoman immediately became unhappy and let go of his arm: "Here we go again, it's always like this."
"Daughter, haven't I been good enough to you? What's wrong with calling me father?" The strange old man felt very aggrieved.
The noise woke up Shen Qinghuai, who was sleeping next door. He had been standing at the door for a while now.
I felt my eyes welling up and my nose stinging. It turns out that his eldest daughter, who was so arrogant in front of everyone, also had the innocent and adorable side of a younger daughter. It's just a pity that this side of her is only shown to others, not to him.
He lowered his eyelashes sadly, closed the door, and went back to his room.
The eccentric old man glared at them irritably, then, seeing that his obedient disciple was angry, he turned around and coaxed her, "Alright, alright, don't call me that anymore, you can have it, it's yours."
"Really?" Qiu Xiaoman, having succeeded in her scheme, immediately hugged the strange old man's arm and began to act coquettishly again, "Master is the best, thank you Master."
The eccentric old man was quite pleased, pretending to be annoyed, but secretly he was overjoyed.
Only after his apprentice pounced on the giant python again did he ask, "What are you planning to do? We can't just take him to the base like this, can we?"
Qiu Xiaoman squatted down next to the giant python, tilted her head back, and laughed, "Stop keeping me in suspense, Master. I know you brought a magic weapon. Take it out quickly and make it smaller, about the size of a cauliflower snake."
The giant python protested helplessly: "Why? You're bullying the snake!"
"Hey you stinky snake, if I hadn't been quick, you would have been killed long ago, and you're still not satisfied." The strange old man snorted coldly, took out another magic weapon, and transformed it into a thin, long cauliflower snake.
The little snake sighed helplessly, "Fine, fine, I'm scared of you humans. You can't even let a snake have some peace and quiet while I'm sleeping. Do you have any sense of reason?"
"The one who dug you up was a human, and the one who saved you was also a human. Call him a Great Immortal." The strange old man became proud again; he was no ordinary human.
The little snake surrendered: "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. I have a question: what will I eat, and when will I be free?"
"Is one chicken a day enough for you?"
"Too little."
"Are you hibernating? Get that straight!"
"I need to do work for your apprentice, so you should get that straight!"
"Okay, are three enough?"
"That's too little. I still prefer to eat rats. You can let me out for a while every night, and I'll come back after I've eaten my fill."
"No way, you'll freeze to death if I let you out."
"Okay, I'll play PUBG."
After the bargaining ended, the little snake was successfully recruited by the strange old man, who imbued him with the Beast Taming Technique. From now on, he would be Qiu Xiaoman's follower.
The eccentric old man tossed him to Qiu Xiaoman: "Girl, give him a name."
Qiu Xiaoman thought for a moment and said, "Let's call him Caihua (Cauliflower). He really looks like a cauliflower snake now."
"I protest!" Even giant pythons have their rights.
However, Qiu Xiaoman was not going to change it for him and immediately retorted: "Protest invalid. You stay with my master for a few days, and I'll take you to the base when I get back from my business trip."
Caihua sighed helplessly: "I hate excavators."
After the brief interlude ended, Qiu Xiaoman went to sleep. In her dream, she saw that all the dogs she had trained had won awards. Oh my, she was so happy!
Fu Ze from across the hall didn't come out until she went into her room, at which point he leisurely found the strange old man: "Master, you're amazing. How did you know she would get up in the middle of the night?"
“This girl has changed.” The strange old man was very certain. “Did you just see that when I asked her to call me father, she subconsciously turned around and glanced at the man surnamed Chen?”
"I saw him." Although Fu Ze didn't come out, he opened the door and stood at the entrance, but he was in the shadows, so his junior sister didn't notice him.
He remarked with some emotion, "My junior sister has grown up and knows how to be considerate of others' feelings. I guess the reason she didn't press you for it today is because of this? She's waiting for you to ask."
“Right, that’s what I think too.” The old man was quite optimistic. “Just watch, I told you long ago that your junior sister has high comprehension, but she was held back by being raised deep in the mountains. She’s about to overcome that hurdle in her heart.”
"Really?" Fu Ze was very pleased. It hadn't been easy. His junior sister had suffered so much. It would be wonderful if she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Even if she doesn't choose him, it's fine; he's willing to grant her wish.
In this life, what we possess and what we gain are not so clearly defined.
Sometimes what seems like a gain is actually an eternal loss; sometimes what seems like a loss is actually an infinite gain.
As long as she doesn't cry, doesn't feel sad because of her biological parents, and can be happy, then it's all worth it for him.
*
Qiu Xiaoman got up early, ate breakfast, grabbed the seven dog tags on the coffee table, and left.
She has to meet at nine o'clock, then go to the base to pick out two dogs, and then go to the criminal investigation building. Time is very tight.
It's all my fault for not managing my time well. I got up once in the middle of the night and almost overslept afterwards.
She didn't even bother to comb her hair properly; she just scratched it with her hand and ran towards the entrance.
Fu Ze reminded him, "What's the rush? The comb is in your bag, and I've fully charged your mobile phone's spare battery, and there's more..."
Well, I won't go into the rest.
Qiu Xiaoman opened the door and ran away before she could finish listening, leaving only a "thank you" followed by the sound of the door closing.
Fu Ze smiled, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and went to wash the dishes.
The strange old man asked him, "Aren't you going to go and take a look?"
“No. She doesn’t like it.” Fu Ze turned on the tap, completely absorbed.
The eccentric old man leaned over and asked indirectly, "What's wrong? Feeling discouraged?"
"No."
"She still has that house. Is that why you feel hopeless?"
"No."
"You don't need to pretend. I know you perfectly well."
"No, I can accept it even if she marries someone else and has a child, as long as that person is truly good to her."
"Who could treat her better than you? Don't you want her to have the best?"
"Master, stop talking. Before, I wanted to get involved in her life, but you wouldn't let me. Now that she's involved with someone else, you're provoking me again. What exactly do you want?" Although Fu Ze was a smiling tiger, he rarely lost his temper.
The eccentric old man said helplessly, "You don't understand. I stopped you before because it wasn't the right time. Now I'm advising you because I think it's about time."
"I don't think so." Fu Ze wasn't that confident. He and his junior sister had been taming and subduing beasts together for so many years, but their relationship was like an iron tree that never blossomed. He had learned to give up hope.
The eccentric old man raised an eyebrow: "Those who don't listen to the elders will suffer the consequences. She used to be stubborn, only thinking about why her parents didn't want her. But now it's different; she wants to be in a relationship."
Fu Ze took a deep breath and put away the bowl and chopsticks: "I didn't realize it. It was clearly that guy surnamed Liu who seduced her. He's shameless."
"Don't believe me then, just wait and see." After saying that, the strange old man left, probably to do feng shui for someone to earn some extra money, and he couldn't be bothered to care.
These are essential skills for beast tamers; otherwise, how can they determine where exotic beasts are likely to appear?
There weren't many large trucks in the northern urban area; he guessed there might be some in the mountainous areas on the outskirts. He drove around twice but didn't look closely.
We'll talk about it when we have time. The most important thing right now is to help my junior sister train Caihua so that this kid won't upset her.
He wiped his hands on his apron, pushed open his master's bedroom door, and found the little snake coiled on the coat rack: "Hey, wake up, come on, I'll teach you some skills."
Cauliflower opened her eyes listlessly: "Where's the chicken?"
"I'll only let you eat it once you've mastered what I teach you each day."
"You're abusing the little snake?"
"Then go ahead and sue me."
"Wow, how terrifying humans are!"
"Stop talking nonsense, come here, I'll teach you how to burrow underground silently. Listen, she's training a drug-sniffing dog, you know what drug-sniffing is?" Fu Ze sat on the sofa with a serious expression, lecturing the snake.
Cauliflower shook her head: "I don't know."
Fu Ze thought for a moment: "Then wait until tonight, I'll take you to a bar and you'll see. Come on, listen, I'll tell you the key points. I guess her task for you is to strap a bag of drugs to your body, and let you do whatever you want, hide it anywhere, and then have the drug-sniffing dogs find you. But here's the problem: there are some places you can't hide in, because those are beyond the drug-sniffing dogs' search range. Do you understand?"
"For example, fifty meters underground?"
"You're quite clever, Cauliflower."
"Please change your name, I'm begging you."
“Here’s what we’ll do: you train a batch of drug-sniffing dogs for her, and I’ll talk to her on her behalf. My master listens to her the most.”
"It's a deal!" Caihua perked up. "Come on, what do you want me to do?"
"Come here, I made a model of the base. Take a look. The area I drew is all within the dog's capabilities. If it goes beyond that, it won't work and will waste her time. Write down the map for me."
And so, the man and the snake began preparations for future drug-sniffing dog training.
If Qiu Xiaoman knew, she would probably be filled with boundless gratitude.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that she was currently on a train, yawning incessantly.
Sitting next to him was another technical talent, Wu Shirong.
Since his last visit to her in the hospital, he has always kept a noticeable distance from her.
Even when the two were seated together, he tucked his arms into his chest and pressed his palms against his knees, trying his best not to touch Qiu Xiaoman when the train swayed.
This wasn't the first time Qiu Xiaoman had gone on a business trip with him, so she naturally noticed his unusual behavior.
This led her to the conclusion that her reflections over the past two months had indeed been on the right track.
She used to lack a sense of boundaries, blurring the lines between ordinary friendship and romantic love.
On the contrary, Wu Shirong remained quite clear-headed.
Feeling a bit sentimental, she moved closer to the window, so that even if Wu Shirong fell asleep behind her, she would have room to adjust her position.
As for herself, she naturally stayed by the window, brainstorming and working on the case.
This time, the support mission was to the Loess Plateau. The other party specifically requested that only she and Wu Shirong go to provide support, so the police team's bus was not used.
As for her two dogs, they were shipped out as cargo.
She had hesitated about whether to bring Little Lightning and Mango, but then decided against it. There was a series of home invasion murders happening there, and it wouldn't be good to bring two novices along if they couldn't adapt to the high-altitude environment.
In the end, she chose Mingming and Xiaodezi, two of the base's veteran members, for a simple reason: no other dogs had ever been to the plateau.
In her rush, she didn't even have time to give away the seven dog tags; they were still in her bag. She'd have to wait until she got back to deal with them.
She sighed silently. It was truly an awkward trip. Her colleagues wouldn't talk to her, and she had left in such a hurry that she hadn't brought a book or anything. All she could do was stare at the system interface in her head and idly draw circles.
Time seemed to stand still, and the car gradually slowed down. It looked like there was a stop ahead, so I decided to get off and stretch my legs.
Just as he was about to get up, he heard an argument break out in the carriage ahead. Wu Shirong rushed forward almost instinctively, wanting to mediate the dispute.
As a result, the desperate man suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed Wu Shirong before he could react.
When Qiu Xiaoman arrived, Wu Shirong had just collapsed into the arms of a passenger next to him.
She quickly cradled his head, saying, "Old Wu, Old Wu, don't be afraid. When we get to the next station, I'll have the station police take you to the hospital. Hang in there!"
But how could she endure it? The knife was stuck in his heart. She could only press tightly against the bleeding wound, her hands covered in blood, hoping for a miracle.
This was the first time Qiu Xiaoman had faced such a close encounter with a colleague's unexpected tragedy. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, landing on Wu Shirong's face. Suddenly, he forgave her.
Forgive her for not understanding the boundaries between friends and lovers, forgive her for causing him to misunderstand and for making him have unrealistic expectations.
Forgive her for being so confused and getting involved in ambiguous relationships with others.
What does she know? She'll only be nineteen after the New Year. She's still a young girl. Shouldn't she be in school?
He reached out to wipe away her tears, but his hand wouldn't obey him. All he could hear were screams and warnings from the train police. Thankfully, a gunshot rang out, and it was over.
Everything was over. The piercing ringing in his ears overwhelmed his consciousness, and Wu Shirong passed out.
The train police shot and killed the man with the knife, and the flight attendant he had been holding hostage quickly got up from the ground, crying.
Holding a baby in her arms, she cried as she told the train police officer, "Something's wrong with this child. He's been asleep ever since he boarded the train. I suspect he's a human trafficker. I asked him for the child's birth certificate, but he couldn't produce it and then hit me. I didn't mean to, I..."
As she spoke, she saw Wu Shirong lying in Qiu Xiaoman's arms. The two were still in their uniforms. She turned pale with fright, grabbed the train police officer's trouser leg, and cried out, "This police officer came to help me! Please save him! Please save him!"
The train police officer rushed over. Qiu Xiaoman took out her identification, but she didn't dare touch Wu Shirong's. She could only look up with red eyes and say, "He's my colleague, a criminal investigation expert from Beidu. Stop at the nearest station quickly and save him! He can't die. If he dies, it will be hard to explain to Director Wen!"
The train police officer was shocked. Who would have thought that such an accident would happen on such an ordinary train? Fortunately, the station was just ahead. He quickly notified the train conductor and contacted the train manager to stop the train and rescue the passengers.
Unfortunately, the ship docked in a small county town where the blood bank was short of blood, so they had to mobilize medical staff to donate blood. Qiu Xiaoman also went to get her blood tested.
When she heard that they were both type A, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly volunteered, "Pick mine!"
In the end, 2000cc was drawn from the medical staff and 400cc was drawn from Qiu Xiaoman, but it was still not enough. Qiu Xiaoman had no choice but to bite the bullet and donate another 200cc.
When I came out, my steps were unsteady, and I had tinnitus—a persistent, sharp, and piercing tinnitus.
She leaned against the wall in anguish, thinking, "Old Wu, I risked my life to save you. If you just leave like this, I'll never forgive you!"
Perhaps her prayers worked, or perhaps the 2600cc of hot blood vessels were effective.
At one o'clock in the morning, Wu Shirong woke up in the intensive care unit.
Turning my head, I saw Qiu Xiaoman standing beside me, her face deathly pale and her lips blue. It was possible that…
He struggled to sit up, and the movement startled Qiu Xiaoman, who quickly called for medical staff. After a flurry of activity, he was declared out of danger.
Qiu Xiaoman staggered to her feet: "Next time, don't rush so far ahead!" After saying that, she leaned against the wall and stumbled out. She found a nurses' rest room, lay down, and fell asleep.
The nurse came in after the IV drip started. Seeing her uniform and her pale face, she quickly made her a cup of brown sugar water, woke her up, and fed it to her.
Qiu Xiaoman slowly recovered, looked at the worried nurse in front of her, and forced a smile: "Thank you."
"It's alright, are you alright? I have two boiled eggs here, you can have them too." The young nurse often gets hungry when she's on the night shift, so she always hides some food on her person and sneaks a bite when the head nurse isn't around.
Tonight, she decided to starve herself.
Qiu Xiaoman was indeed a little too tired, but she only asked for one egg. She glanced at the nurse's name tag, Chen Meijuan, a very nice name, and smiled sincerely: "Thank you, Nurse Chen."
The nurse blushed and said, "It's my pleasure. I heard about what happened. Thanks to you, the child was saved. The pediatricians examined him and confirmed that he had been given a large amount of sedatives and had been abducted by human traffickers. The train police are now contacting the station police along the route, and we should be able to find the child's biological parents soon."
"That's great!" This kind of news was encouraging enough that Qiu Xiaoman had much more energy when she cracked the eggs.
After finishing her meal and drinks, she still shamelessly lingered there, saying, "I'll take a nap for another half hour. Can you wake me up when it's time?"
"Okay, you can go to sleep." Chen Meijuan took her blanket and covered her with it before going to the doctor's on-call room next door to enjoy the warmth.
The two began to discuss it.
"Was the person who got stabbed a criminal police officer?"
"Yes, they were armed with guns. They were probably in such a hurry that they didn't expect someone to suddenly pull out a knife."
"That was too reckless. The policewoman was right; he rushed in too fast. If we encounter something like this in the future, we must remember to take it easy and not provoke the suspect, otherwise it will only lead to tragedy."
"Yes, it's lucky they had the accident when they were almost at the station. If it had happened halfway there, that detective would definitely be dead."
"It's also thanks to the kindness of my colleagues; several of them donated 400cc each. They were all feeling dizzy and lightheaded when they came out."
"There's nothing we can do. We don't have enough type A blood, and we don't have type O blood either. Sigh."
"That policewoman donated 600cc; she's reckless."
"And you're telling me, my hands were shaking when I was smoking it for her. She even wanted me to smoke 800cc, but I refused no matter what, and that's when she left."
"It's good that colleagues can go this far together."
"It's probably similar to the camaraderie in the military, right? This is a bond forged through life and death."
"Yes, you can stay here with me, I'll go check on the patients."
"I'll go with you."
The middle-aged female doctor and the young female nurse went from room to room making their rounds. When they finished, Qiu Xiaoman was still not awake, so the two of them couldn't bear to wake her and simply squeezed together for the night.
When Qiu Xiaoman woke up the next day, she realized that she had been taking over the nurse's room all night. She felt quite embarrassed and went to apologize to the nurse. However, Chen Meijuan had already gone home. The nurse who came to relieve her was an older nurse who brought her a basket of steamed buns: "Xiao Chen asked me to give these to you. Eat them, don't be shy."
At that moment, Qiu Xiaoman sincerely believed that there were still more good people in the world.
It is precisely because of this that the efforts of the People's Police are meaningful. Imagine if the world were full of criminals, what would be the point of all this effort? We might as well just destroy them all.
She smiled as she accepted the steamed bun, and while the nurse wasn't looking, she slipped five hundred yuan into her desk drawer and left a note thanking Nurse Chen.
She went to the ward to visit Wu Shirong. Just as she sat down, Captain Zou called. He learned that Wu Shirong had narrowly escaped death, which had kept him up all night. Now that he heard that Wu Shirong had pulled through, he was finally relieved.
He asked, "How many days will it take to be discharged?"
"About a week. Don't expect him to do anything in the short term. He also has to go to the plateau, where the lack of oxygen alone could kill him." Qiu Xiaoman was not optimistic about the trip.
Team Leader Zou thought for a moment and said, "Then you go first. When you get there, just call the local police (110) to pick you up. I'll bring someone to meet you later."
"good."
"By the way, please pay the medical expenses in advance. Just put the Beijing Public Security Bureau's name on the receipt. I've already explained the situation to Director Wen, and I'll reimburse you when I get back."
"good."
"Be careful, be careful, be careful!"
"Okay," Qiu Xiaoman said, both amused and exasperated, and hung up the phone.
She didn't plan to tell anyone about this terrifying accident, and just set off on her journey.
Wu Shirong was left in the small county town for seven days. After undergoing a medical examination and confirming that he was fit to travel, his younger brother picked him up and took him back home.
On the way, Wu Shifeng kept muttering, "Look at your skinny arms and legs, why are you rushing around like that? It's terrifying. Mom and Dad have been crying for days."
Wu Shirong could only smile wryly: "How could I have imagined this?"
"Your parents said that once you get better this time, they will arrange blind dates for you so that you can get married and have children as soon as possible. In case you really pass away one day, your family line will not end."
"What are you saying? Even if I'm gone, you're still here."
"Yeah, it's your back that's being questioned, not mine. I don't have to risk my life on business trips."
"I don't go on blind dates."
"It's not up to you. Your parents have already met several, and we'll take you back to our hometown to meet them before the Chinese New Year."
"I won't go."
"You can't go against them, just accept your fate."
"I'm not going then."
"You have someone else in your heart?"
"No." Even if there was something, he couldn't say it; with his troublemaking personality, he was too embarrassed to admit it.
Wu Shifeng said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. You don't have a sweetheart and you refuse to go on blind dates, so you can just wait for your parents to come and nag you like a monk every day."
“Read it, I’m not Sun Wukong.” Wu Shirong closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
When he returned to the criminal investigation building, he learned that Qiu Xiaoman had returned the day before him.
The mission was successfully completed. Not only was the murderer caught, but the network of connections of the human trafficker encountered along the way was also uncovered.
I'm currently in the office attending a special meeting of the anti-trafficking office.
Wu Shirong slowly climbed the stairs, holding onto the handrail. As he passed the conference room door, he overheard Qiu Xiaoman's impassioned speech and couldn't help but press his hand to his heart.
There, thumping and pounding, is a heart reborn from the ashes.
Her personality flaws were nothing to him.
Unfortunately, he still hasn't been able to get a new size of dumbbells. He's so thin and weak, he probably can't protect anyone anymore.
He walked slowly down the corridor, upstairs, into his office, and saw Lele tilting her head to look at him from the window. At that moment, he smiled.
Life has many stages: early childhood, filled with ignorance and causing trouble everywhere; adolescence, thinking you know everything, when in reality you only have a superficial understanding; and adulthood, where knowledge finally accumulates, but also brings arrogance and recklessness that come with age. You have to stumble and fall many times before you realize that something that once seemed like the end of the world is actually insignificant in the grand scheme of life.
So what if she lacks a sense of boundaries? Is she doing it on purpose?
no.
What are the conditions like in the mountainous area? It's already a blessing if her adoptive parents can give her food. How can you expect them to guide her on how to be a person and how to get along with the opposite sex?
What's the difference between that and "Why not eat meat porridge?"
Anything that is detached from its specific circumstances and directly labeled as something bad is a form of hegemony, a hegemony of definition.
And by what right does he define her? Is it because she went on a business trip with him, or because they were colleagues?
No, he is not qualified.
Those who are truly qualified to judge her cannot bear to do so. If there is such a person, he must be her true love, without a doubt.
Having figured this out, Wu Shirong went over and patted Lele. This was probably the best companionship Qiu Xiaoman could give him.
*
After finishing the meeting, Qiu Xiaoman rushed to the base.
She arrived at the station after dark last night, and was called to a meeting early this morning. She still hasn't given the seven dogs their belated dog tags.
When we arrived there, it started to snow lightly.
Despite the cold wind, the dogs remained energetic, performing various challenging actions according to commands.
Qiu Xiaoman stood on the sidelines, waiting patiently.
The north wind tousled her hair, and her cheeks were red from the cold.
I can't help but recall that at the beginning of spring this year, someone relentlessly gave her scarves, gloves, and handbags.
She threw them all away.
Perhaps it was wrong from the start. He was born from deception and exploitation, and grew up through scheming and fighting. Every branch of the Liu family has a mess behind them that can't be cleaned up.
It was inevitable that he was taught the wrong things.
So naturally, the initial encounter was unpleasant.
She remembered slapping him hard across the face, and she had firmly told him to get lost in response to his offense.
After getting to know him better, I realized he wasn't that kind of person.
But it was too late, everything was too late. The unequal relationship was bound to cause psychological distortion in him.
He was injured, and she provided him with food, clothing, and shelter. He approached her, and she helped take care of her dog. What does this resemble?
This is like the relationship between the provider and the recipient.
Economically, she is the provider.
In terms of spiritual support, he is the provider.
Yes, for the first time, she clearly realized that it was because she longed for companionship that she had somehow brought him back.
However, the core reason why she can't grow up is that she can't live without human companionship.
At that moment, looking at the snow falling from above, she decided to move out and live alone.
Let's move downstairs, so as not to upset Master.
Just as I was lost in thought, training ended.
She quickly conducted a military review: "Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), stinky slippers, bell, pee everywhere, popcorn, glutinous rice cake, glue, you seven, come here! I've prepared a gift for you to receive if you pass the test!"
The seven green recruits were astonished to hear this, thinking, "Wow, our instructor hasn't forgotten about us!"
They quickly glanced at Little Lightning and Mango, then scrambled to squeeze in front of Qiu Xiaoman.
She whistled: "Line up! No one who cuts in line gets a turn! Go in order of score, from highest to lowest."
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was quite pleased with itself, standing tall and squatting down.
Qiu Xiaoman squatted down and held out her hand: "Congratulations, congratulations. I was away on a business trip and didn't have time to say hello."
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was so excited that it kept breathing out hot air: "Oh, I also have a life-or-death bond with the trainer!"
Upon hearing this, the other dogs exclaimed, "This is terrible! What about me? Me too! Me too! Me too!"
But the trainer had spoken, and no one could cut in line. So they were all anxious and scratching at the dog in front of them, urging him to hurry up.
This comical scene made Dou Lei and the others laugh.
When they gathered their dogs together, they were shocked to find that the dogs that had passed the test before were now protesting: "What about us? We want a life-or-death bond too!"
Qiu Xiaoman had no idea what was going on. After asking around, she learned that Xiao Shandian and Mango had developed a life-or-death friendship over the dog tags.
Then everyone must be treated equally; everyone must have one, absolutely!
Only after receiving her promise did the dogs return to their kennels with their respective trainers.
Qiu Xiaoman returned to the ground floor and told Fu Ze. Without saying a word, Fu Ze picked up a bag of wood blocks and went back to being a sculptor.
Her master had disappeared again. She sat on the sofa, staring blankly at Fu Ze's profile.
Fu Ze turned around, almost touching her face, then moved away and sat down to the side, asking curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
"I wonder how many flaws I still have." Qiu Xiaoman had gotten used to reflecting on herself every day. She needed to improve herself before she could return to the other world; otherwise, wouldn't she be harming her master and senior brother?
The inability to bear loneliness is a major inner demon that must be overcome.
Fu Ze had no idea she had thought of all this, and asked curiously, "Really? No, you're fine."
Qiu Xiaoman laughed. Was this really the answer? Did her senior brother think his acting was so good?
Forget it, too lazy to expose him. She got up and went to her room to pack her things: "Senior brother, I'm planning to move downstairs."
"The reason." Fu Ze wasn't surprised. She'd been acting on a whim lately, and he didn't want to interfere. He just wanted to know why.
Qiu Xiaoman's reasoning was quite sound. She returned to her room, took out her backpack, and waved it around: "I don't need you to prepare this for me for now. For now."
Fu Ze knew what was inside. She always complained that he was like a mother hen, and he never denied it. He just did what he was supposed to do, unless she said no.
He looked away and raised his voice to confirm, "Temporarily?"
"Yes, for now. Maybe I won't need it anymore, or maybe I will always need it. I need time to think it through." Qiu Xiaoman put the bag back, sat down on the sofa, and continued to look at him with her chin in her hand.
Fuze remained silent, focusing intently on carving each curve, striving for perfection.
After finishing one, he looked up and said, "Let me know when you've thought it through."
"Hmm." Qiu Xiaoman took out another tube of lipstick from her pocket: "I'm sorry, I got back too late yesterday and couldn't celebrate your birthday, so I had to buy you another one. Don't mind it."
Fu Ze took it nonchalantly, and upon closer inspection, he exclaimed, "Hey, this time it's for men only!"
That's fine, put them together, they'll make a pair.
He smiled and picked up the second plank: "Want to learn? Aren't you going to be alone? Carving this might help pass the time."
“Okay.” Qiu Xiaoman picked up another carving knife next to her. “Teach me.”
I studied until the early hours of the morning, thankfully I didn't have to work the next day.
She got up early and moved her things downstairs, then went back to her old place to do a final clean-up, making sure nothing was left behind. Only then did she call Shen Qinghuai and ask him to sell the house.
The next day, she took the cauliflower to work.
Poor Caihua, he's afraid of the cold, so she had to get a hot water bottle and put him in an insulated bag to carry him. When they got to the base, this guy specifically went for the radiators, scaring the trainers so much they fell over one by one.
Qiu Xiaoman said helplessly, "He doesn't bite, really! He's here to help train the dogs. I'll tie the drugs to his body later and let the dogs find him. This guy hides in really tricky places. It'll be a real skill if the dogs can find him."
Lu Zhiqiang looked at the radiator with lingering fear: "Really? If it bites someone, it'll come after you."
Qiu Xiaoman was both amused and exasperated: "If you're scared, then go to the room without heating."
Never mind, never mind, central heating is still better.
And so, the chaotic drug search training began.
Every day, Qiu Xiaoman would bring a new dog tag.
Dogs that receive dog tags always complain: "Ugh, how ugly!"
The next day it will be a little better: "Hey, mine's okay."
A few days later, it got a little better: "Wow, mine can get a 60 out of 100 now."
When the last piece was handed over, the last recipient, Huihui, gave her a perfect score of 100.
For no other reason than that its owner is the best trainer in Grey Grey's heart!
On New Year's Eve, Qiu Xiaoman went to the factory to see the animals, then went upstairs to deliver two bowls of dumplings to her master and senior apprentice. She then returned to her four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment on the eighth floor, made a New Year's greeting call to her second great-uncle who was far away in North America, and picked up a piece of wood to continue carving.
What should she carve? She glanced at the cauliflower coiled on the radiator and, rather unkindly, carved a snake.
Unfortunately, Caihua didn't like it. After wearing it for a while, she secretly hid under the sofa cushion and fell fast asleep.
Snowflakes were falling from the sky. Qiu Xiaoman stood in front of the French windows, her lonely figure reflected in the glass. Yet, she felt an unprecedented peace and tranquility in her heart.
Just as I was getting ready for bed, the phone rang.
Shen Qinghuai didn't receive her New Year's greeting call, so he had to call her instead.
"Mr. Shen, Happy New Year's Eve." Qiu Xiaoman's voice was unusually calm.
Shen Qinghuai was a little confused, thinking that something had happened to her, and asked, "Are you unhappy? Did someone upset you?"
"No, I'm fine." Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to explain anything; she really was fine, better than ever before.
This year, she experienced being separated from and reunited with her friends, secured a job through collaboration with Mango, achieved remarkable success in solving a case, was appreciated and sought after by a high-ranking leader, and experienced...
There was also a fleeting, naturally fading relationship, something that resembled friendship but wasn't quite.
They even reached a strange reconciliation with Shen Qinghuai.
She also had a wealthy grandfather who transferred a large amount of real estate to her.
I also spent the Lunar New Year with my senior brother and master.
There are also countless cats and dogs, adding big and small surprises to life.
Everything is good except for Chan Pak-wai.
As for Chan Pak-wai, she had already given up. Instead, she hoped that Chan Pak-wai would have a smooth pregnancy and delivery.
When that time comes, with five children and three fathers, it will definitely be very lively for Chan Pak-wai.
Qiu Xiaoman was unkindly looking forward to it.
The New Year's bell rang on the television. She walked over, silently counted to 12, turned off the television, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
Since Chan Pak-wai didn't call her, naturally, she wouldn't call Chan Pak-wai either.
Hopefully, when Chan Pak-wai cries in the future, she won't come looking for her. Peace and quiet is the best way to reconcile.
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