Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At noon, Wang Hailong finally announced the end of the morning classes. At this moment, Zhang Qiu felt blank and dazed, sitting in his seat unwilling to get up. Wang Hailong urged, "Get up quickly, it's time to eat. You're my team member now, so we’ll eat at the bureau. The food here is much better than what you have at school. If you miss this time, there won't be any food left."
Hearing Wang Hailong mention food, Zhang Qiu reluctantly stood up and asked, "Can I pack a meal to take to my girlfriend?"
"Is it the girl you rescued?" Wang Hailong inquired.
"That's right, it's her."
"Sure, I approve. Hurry up."
Although teaching is more of a mental task, it consumes energy just as much as physical labor does. Given the intensity of the classes, Wang Hailong's stomach had been growling for a while. Now that it was mealtime, he couldn't wait to rush to the cafeteria and grab two large servings of rice.
Zhang Qiu followed Wang Hailong downstairs, circling around the main building to the back where there was a row of two-story buildings against the wall. The walls were painted a serious blue and white, and above the two glass doors hung a sign with calligraphy that read "Police Cafeteria." The signature was unclear, but Zhang Qiu could imagine it was probably another piece by some leader who liked to leave his mark everywhere.
Upon entering the cafeteria, they found rows of clean and tidy tables and chairs where police officers in uniform were devouring their meals. Zhang Qiu couldn't help but compare it to the messy dining area at Beiluan No. 1 High School; the two were in stark contrast. Directly ahead were three cash registers, each with three to four officers holding trays lined up behind them. They all had meal cards in hand and would swipe them as they passed by, producing a "beep" sound.
Although there were many people at each window, as soon as Wang Hailong arrived, the officers serving food immediately made way for him. Wang Hailong chuckled and thanked them while leading Zhang Qiu over to get their meals. A stranger asked, "Captain Wang, is this your son?"
"I wish I had such a big son! This is Director He's nephew," Wang Hailong laughed. He suddenly thought that others might misunderstand that the director intentionally let family members eat for free since such occurrences were common in institutional cafeterias. Wang Hailong added, "Zhang Qiu has recently assisted the police with a major case; he played a significant role in the recent kidnapping case."
Wang Hailong naturally wouldn't reveal Zhang Qiu's true reason for being there, but that didn't stop him from praising Zhang Qiu in front of others. As he spoke, those who hadn't noticed Zhang Qiu turned to look at him, whispering among themselves.
Wang Hailong filled three large boxes with food: stir-fried green beans with meat, potato slices, and shredded pork in Beijing sauce. Holding them in his hands, he said, "Go get four servings of rice; I can't carry anything else."
Zhang Qiu exclaimed, "Is the portion really that big?"
"Of course not. Most of the people here are big eaters. If the portions are too small, the comrades will have something to say about it."
"Then you..." Zhang Qiu paused for a moment before asking, "Are you eating three portions?"
"I'll have two portions, you have two portions, that's four in total."
With that, Zhang Qiu understood and went to the food window to order three portions of rice. He smiled and said, "One portion is enough for me."
Wang Hailong didn't say much, swiped his card, and sat down with Zhang Qiu. He lifted the lid and started eating. Zhang Qiu thought he might say something polite like, "You should try this," but looking at Wang Hailong's demeanor as he devoured the food, he quickly finished a quarter of a box of rice and was able to pick up four or five pieces of green beans with one chopstick. Zhang Qiu had no doubt that if he hesitated any longer, he wouldn't be able to keep up. He also began to eat heartily; indeed, the food here was much better than that in the school cafeteria.
After finishing the meal, Zhang Qiu packed up the leftovers to take to White Day Fire. On the way, he bought some other items and called ahead to let them know not to order food and to wait for him. When Zhang Qiu arrived at White Day Fire, he found that besides Jiang Xue, Yang Yu, and Rui Rui, Gao Zhi was also there.
Gao Zhi took the food from Zhang Qiu's hands and said, "Brother Qiu, you arrived just in time; I've been hungry for a while."
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "If you're hungry, hurry up and eat. This stir-fried cauliflower with meat is from the cafeteria at the police station; let me know how it tastes."
"Brother Qiu, why did you go to the police station?"
Zhang Qiu chuckled and replied, "It's a secret." He then asked, "Why didn't Zhao Pingchuan and the others come along?"
"They went home. We discussed it and decided on a rotation system to protect Sister-in-law at White Day Fire."
"Thank you, thank you, I really need your protection. Recently, I've had to go to the police station every morning."
"Zhang Qiu! You haven't gotten into any trouble again, have you? Don't hide it from us."
"I assure you, I haven't done anything wrong. Moreover, I have some good news to share with you all in the near future," Zhang Qiu said with a smile to reassure Rui Rui.
"Brother Qiu, just tell us now."
Curious Gao Zhi couldn't wait any longer, and Rui Rui chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Qiu, tell us so we won't worry about you."
"Well, you'll find out soon enough. There's no need to worry about me; going to the police station isn't dangerous. Besides, it will be even safer," Zhang Qiu thought about the series of events that had happened yesterday. If the other party really would chase him to Beilan County, his frequent visits to the police station would only raise their concern.
"Alright, alright, everyone hurry up and eat; I'm starving," Jiang Xue shouted playfully from the side. Yang Yu immediately echoed, "Yeah, I'm starving! Since Brother Qiu brought us delicious food, let's dig in."
Yang Yu went straight for the buns while Gao Zhi unhesitatingly chose food over curiosity. Jiang Xue smiled and winked at Zhang Qiu; he understood that his wife was trying to change the subject and responded with a light kiss.
After the storm passed, everyone expressed great approval of the stir-fried cauliflower with meat. Zhang Qiu laughed and said, "From now on, I'll bring lunch for you every noon. However, I feel bad bringing too much; I'll just bring one dish each time, and we can buy some more ourselves."
"Sounds good!" Gao Zhi was the first to agree but then realized it should be Zhao Pingchuan's turn for White Day Fire.
Zhang Qiu recalled that he and his sister had talked about visiting the ancient city while walking their dog in Gucheng. Now that they were all together, he decided to bring it up publicly.
"We've been studying at Beiluan No. 1 High School for so long and have never entered the Yuan Dynasty Ancient City Ruins right next to us. I think we should plan a group exploration during the next holiday. What do you all think?"
"Sure, that sounds exciting," Gao Zhi agreed without a second thought.
"Are we really going inside?" Jiang Xue hesitated. "I heard someone died in there."
"Really? Someone died?"
Gao Zhi's terrified expression puzzled Zhang Qiu, who asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"I... I'm fine, really," Gao Zhi stammered, unwilling to elaborate. Zhang Qiu decided not to press further and turned to Yang Yu, who said, "I don't mind. If you go, I'll go too. I'm not afraid of those things."
"Um, I'm not from your school, but I want to join. Is that okay?"
"Of course! We'll all go together."
"That's great!" Rui Rui exclaimed excitedly, raising her fist.
"Then I'll go too," Jiang Xue made her decision.
Zhang Qiu looked back at Gao Zhi, sensing there was a story behind his reluctance. However, since Gao Zhi didn't want to share, he wouldn't pry. He simply asked, "Are you going? If not, that's fine; we've always been democratic about these things."
"I'll go, Brother Qiu," Gao Zhi hesitated again, his expression shifting between uncertainty and resolve as he glanced around at the others. Finally, he admitted, "Actually, I've been inside once before; I just didn't go very far."
"Have you been inside? Which entrance did you use, and what's it like in there?"
"I entered through the playground, there's a Civil Defense entrance. I drove in back when I had just started First Year."
"That's great! The one I selected also enters from here. It seems as long as we can get the door open, everything will be fine. But what's the situation like inside?"
"The situation is okay, I guess. It's really dark; you can't see your hand in front of your face. I didn't go too far in."
"Alright, darkness isn't a problem. We can just buy a few strong flashlights from above. Rui Rui, this task is up to you."
"Don't worry, Brother Qiu, no problem."
"Okay, you all play here for a bit. I need to have a private talk with Rui Rui."
What left Zhang Qiu speechless was that no one paid attention to him; Gao Zhi and Yang Yu were both focused on Jiang Xue. Jiang Xue finally said, "You guys go ahead."
Zhang Qiu didn't say much. As soon as he stepped out, Rui Rui asked, "Brother Qiu, are you going to talk to me about stocks?"
"Smart," Zhang Qiu praised as he glanced at Rui Rui. "Let's go take a look."
Rui Rui led Zhang Qiu downstairs to the front desk and pulled up Jin Hao Group's stock on the computer. The originally green stock had turned red, and the K-line trend was looking promising. Zhang Qiu pointed at the screen and said, "Once it rises to this point, we'll sell everything."
"Brother Qiu, do we need to wait longer?" Rui Rui felt uncertain; her stock trading skills were only mediocre. She had learned from colleagues before and still had several thousand tied up in stocks that she hadn't been able to sell.
"Of course, trust me." Zhang Qiu had watched Buffett and Peter Lynch for a while and had some understanding of the relevant knowledge, but that was not the source of his confidence. If simply watching could lead to making big money, then there would be many people profiting from stock trading. The reason Zhang Qiu was so confident was entirely because this company was called Jin Hao Group, a leading enterprise in the market. In China, politics has historically had a decisive impact on the economy, and Qiu Wan fully believed that this investment would ensure a steady profit.
Rui Rui looked at Zhang Qiu's confident expression and felt her anxious heart ease a little. She said, "Okay, I trust you. Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on it."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Rui Rui smiled charmingly and replied, "For you, I'm willing."
Zhang Qiu helplessly said, "You're teasing me again."
"Haha, I can't help it. Let's go back; we've been away for too long, and I'm afraid Jiang Xue will get jealous."
"She won't; Rui Rui isn't the type to get angry."
"I know she won't be angry, but she's a woman. Who understands women better, you or me? Alright, alright, hurry up and get in."
Rui Rui decisively pushed Zhang Qiu out of the counter. Zhang Qiu laughed and exclaimed, "You have such great strength!"
Comment 0 Comment Count