PDLP Chapter 56 There's a proper way to show off!
Chapter 56 There's a proper way to show off!
Two police officers from Jiaodaokou Police Station arrived at the scene.
Zhang Chengfei stepped forward and said, "Comrade Policeman, when I was eating noodles today, I noticed that the man eating across from me had exactly the same characteristics as the notorious spy 'Poison Scorpion' described in today's Beijing Daily..."
I became suspicious at the time, but I had no evidence, so I simply…”
He explained his plan, pausing at the end: "Later, this man panicked, drew his knife, and even attempted to take hostages to escape. But unexpectedly..."
He pointed to the short-haired girl: "I never expected that the girl we kidnapped, Comrade Tong Yan, was a recent graduate of the Public Security University and the champion of the university's martial arts competition... and then, this is how it happened."
He pointed to the scorpion curled up on the ground, its eyes rolling back in its head.
He didn't mention the tea-soaked rice at all, for a simple reason: in those days, ordinary people didn't understand the dietary habits of spies and were highly vigilant against them.
If I were to say it myself, I would have to explain why I know that ochazuke is a Japanese dish, which would cause a lot of trouble for no reason.
Two police officers immediately checked and searched the man, finding a piece of paper written in Morse code on his person. This almost confirmed that the man was indeed a spy.
The police left with Poison Scorpion, Zhang Chengfei, and Tong Yan. The diners present were as if in a dream; after regaining their senses, they all sighed with regret.
"I missed a golden opportunity to make a name for myself!"
"If I had known that person wasn't a thief but a spy, I would have rushed at him no matter what!"
"If we catch a spy, my name will have to be on the whole family tree!"
"I'll subscribe to the newspaper as soon as I get home!"
……
In the afternoon,
In the courtyard house.
Yan Bugui swept the floor with a large broom while constantly listening for any sounds coming from the doorway. This had always been his habit.
While working, keep an eye on everything around you and listen carefully. If someone comes back with something, go up to them and say a few nice words. You can't hit a smiling face, and you might just get something in return.
When he heard the jingling of a bicycle bell approaching from afar, he immediately stood up straight.
"Hey, did you hear that bicycle?"
Three middle-aged women who were hanging clothes to dry whispered, "Maybe Xu Damao brought his bicycle back from the factory."
Xu Damao was a projectionist at the steel rolling mill. If he had to go to the countryside the next day, he would ride the company's official vehicle, a nearly new old 28-inch motorcycle, back to the yard.
Her husband loves cars, but he can't bear to buy one. Every time he sees Xu Damao borrow a car from the factory, he has to beg and plead to borrow it for a couple of rides.
Since it was factory property and not his own, Xu Damao always readily agreed.
"You've ridden that bike so many times, why are you still so concerned?" The old lady wondered, wondering why her husband loved the bike so much.
Yan Bugui shook his head: "No, that's not the sound of the car from the steel mill's propaganda department."
The three older women curled their lip: "Don't all bicycles make the same sound?"
"Of course they're different; there are huge differences," Yan Bugui said.
Despite his reluctance to buy a car, his knowledge and understanding of vehicles surpasses even his knowledge of his wife's. As the couple talked, the sound of a bicycle grew closer, and soon, the front of the bike entered the front yard.
When Yan Bugui realized that the person pushing the cart was Zhang Chengfei, he was stunned.
"Dafei, where did you get this bicycle?"
Zhang Chengfei patted the car seat hard: "Look at what you're saying, of course it was bought."
Yan Bugui felt a pang of jealousy: "You've only just started working, and you can already afford a bicycle?"
Zhang Chengfei still smiled and said, "Originally, you couldn't afford it, but didn't you receive a reward?"
There are no secrets in the courtyard house. The news that Zhang Chengfei bought a car quickly attracted the attention of almost everyone in the courtyard.
Looking at the new car, everyone felt a mix of emotions.
However, when Zhang Chengfei checked the number of dislikes he received, it was much less than he had expected.
On second thought, it makes sense. After all, I've received quite a few rewards these past few days, and I'm a cadre, so in everyone's eyes, buying a car is normal.
Once people believe that you can afford it and should buy it, there won't be much dissatisfaction.
Zhang Chengfei was certain that if Er Ya had bought the car today instead of him, he would have received several times more disdain than he did now.
But would he buy Er Ya a car because of that? Of course not.
There are many ways to collect negative emotion points using Er Ya, and it's not limited to one method.
After the onlookers left, Zhang Chengfei pushed his bicycle home. After a few steps, he turned around and asked, "Banggeng, why are you following me?"
Banggeng scratched his head: "Great-Grandpa, I see your tires are dirty, and I want to help you clean them."
How can a cartwheel not get dirty when it rolls on the ground? Zhang Chengfei was about to say no, but then he remembered his second brother's words.
He fixed the tires and beckoned Banggeng over: "Banggeng, do you want some eggs?"
Banggeng swallowed hard: "I want to."
Zhang Chengfei pointed to the two old hens, their legs bound, huddled in the coop his second brother had made before leaving: "From now on, you're responsible for feeding these two chickens. Once they start laying eggs, I'll give you one egg every week as payment. How about that?"
These days, a family's monthly egg ration is only one pound, which is about eight to ten eggs.
Upon hearing that his great-grandfather would give him four eggs a month, Banggeng was overjoyed.
He mimicked what he saw in the movies, snapping to attention with a salute: "Mission accomplished!"
"Alright, these two chickens are yours starting today. Go on." Zhang Chengfei waved his hand.
Zhang Chengfei was disappointed when he rode his bike back to the courtyard house to show off, but didn't get many dislikes.
He didn't linger, rode his bike out of Nanluoguxiang, and headed back to Mianhua Hutong.
As for the matter of capturing enemy agents, he didn't tell the people in the courtyard. There was no point in talking about such a show-off thing himself.
The essence of showing off is to let others expose you, not to flaunt it everywhere. That would be so low-class!
Anyway, before leaving the police station, Chief Song specifically said that a commendation ceremony would be held for him and Tong Yan.
Upon arriving at Mianhua Hutong,
Zhang Chengfei took out a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from his spatial storage and put it in the bicycle basket.
When they arrived at Lao Tai's house, they knocked on the door. Lao Tai's wife, Wen Shuangqing, opened it as usual.
Seeing that Zhang Chengfei had brought gifts again, Wen Shuangqing scolded, "How many times have I told you not to bring anything? Why don't you ever listen?"
Zhang Chengfei chuckled, "It won't cost much. The team leader didn't charge me tuition, so I have to show my appreciation, right?"
"You're a good kid in every way, except you're too reserved." Recently, Zhang Chengfei has been taking time out every day to come and learn German, and Wen Shuangqing has become much more affectionate towards him.
Upon seeing Zhang Chengfei's new car, she inquired about the details and then told him not to be too high-profile.
"These days, the more low-key you are, the better." After thinking for a moment, she added, "But with your good family background, buying a car isn't a problem. Unlike us..."