Chapter 59: The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Might

  Gao Xiang had looked for Tian Niao Niao twice before. Each time he came back at an uncertain hour, sometimes in the afternoon and sometimes in the dead of night. Generally speaking, there was nothing else to do. Either he would knock against something and apply some purple medicine or he would be so hungry that he would come asking for food. When Tian Niao Niao came to report, her family didn't feel at ease. They had prepared a small first-aid kit for her with oral medication, iodine, gauze, alcohol, and purple medicine - everything was there. At the time, she thought her mother was making a big fuss over nothing, but after a large group of people came, it proved to be very useful.

  Looking at Gao Xiang and the others, Tian Miao Miao began to feel a pang of sympathy. This group of people, mostly made up of young boys who had not yet shed their childishness, were living like beasts. Normally, they hardly ever saw anyone. Either they were squatting outside, or they were running around all over the place. Occasionally, when they came back, no matter if it was daytime or midnight, the first thing they did was look for something to eat. They would grab whatever they could and devour it, without even washing their faces or brushing their teeth afterwards. Then, they would fall asleep immediately.

  Usually when speaking, there are female comrades who can pay attention to the influence. If it's just men, then coarse language is continuous. It's common to ask about other people's organs at any time. How can such vulgarity have even half the demeanor of a people's police? Once, Gao Xiang came back to find Tian Miao Miao to eat. The clothes on his body were several meters away, and a strong stench wafted into Tian Miao Miao's nose. It was so smelly that Tian Miao Miao got angry. Others couldn't stand it either. You can't even clean up yourself! Tian Miao Miao was furious and forced Gao Xiang, who had been hungry for a day, to cut his hair, take a bath, and change clothes. After everything was cleaned up, Gao Xiang wolfed down food while carelessly saying that you haven't been to our dormitory before. Those people's feet are terrifying. When catching criminal suspects, taking off shoes can be considered intentional harm...

  The true and unvarnished life of a police officer is gradually unfolding before Tian Miao's eyes. They are sometimes violent and hateful, but more often than not, they are bitter and heart-wrenching. Tian Miao now feels that these so-called special professions, such as teachers, doctors, and police officers, are just jobs, ways to make a living and support their families. The societal hype surrounding these professions, portraying them as noble and lofty, is essentially meaningless. If there were better choices or more lucrative opportunities from the start, Tian Miao believes that most police officers would not have chosen this path.

  After the initial excitement and stimulation, boredom began to creep in on Tian Miao Miao and her team. Gao Xiang, after experiencing his first embarrassing event, became more determined and worked harder. Although he wasn't highly educated, his physical abilities were quite good. As a disciple of the big captain, he was soon assigned to the external affairs group. He had his heart set on solving a big case to gain recognition. However, after a month of day and night stakeouts, he failed to catch even one hair of the small-time drug dealers. It seemed that the drug dealers were smarter than him. They had received wind of the operation early on and didn't show their faces at all. Tian Miao Miao even personally bought a roasted chicken to comfort him.

  Don't look at Chen Gang's weak appearance, as a technical personnel, he quickly got the hang of it. Now every day in the team's review meeting, he has to be present. Under the guise of accumulating experience, he is buried under piles of documents every day.

  The relationship between He and Gong Qian has eased a lot. Although she still hates Gong Qian so much that her teeth itch, the team has specially found a small apartment for the two of them to live in, taking care of the two female comrades. Every day, they would lower their heads when they see each other, but as soon as they raise their heads, they would see each other again. As a member of a wealthy family, Gong Qian naturally knows how to get closer to Tian Miao Miao.

  Gong Qian's approach was very simple, speaking directly and straightforwardly. When the two met, they would call each other "Tian Miao Miao" and "Xiao Jian". Tian Miao Miao didn't mind at all, and Xiao Jian also spoke up immediately. As a result, the two began to address each other in this way. Although most of the time Gong Qian wanted to suffocate Tian Miao Miao with a pillow when she fell asleep at night, but as time passed, she found herself unable to leave Tian Miao Miao behind. In an unfamiliar environment, the classmates from the special class who could be together were just a few of them. If they didn't cherish this rare bond, they would suffer heavenly punishment.

  Gong Qian's background is deeply hidden. The people in the team only know that her family lives in the city, and her parents are high-ranking officials within the system. Including Zhou Bin, all the police officers have a tacit understanding of this. This lady won't be staying for long. So they're all polite to her. Unconsciously, Gong Qian has distanced herself from her teammates. Tian Miao also saw that when Gong Qian was alone in private, she looked lonely and pitiful, so she gradually forgave her.

  According to Gao Xiang, the Provincial Department requires the public security system in Dayuan City to tilt towards the front line. The proportion of police officers on the front line should be more than 85% of the total number of police officers in the city. New recruits in the agency were all thrown into grassroots police stations for street patrols. In this environment, Gong Qian's father made a call to the people below, so she came to the first squadron. After figuring out that she didn't apply to the first squadron voluntarily to prove that she wasn't doing anything shady with the assignment, Tian Miao Miao became a poisonous tongue again, making Gong Qian want to vomit blood every day...

  Tian Niao has been hiding in the cafeteria every day, avoiding that golden retriever Wang. After eating instant noodles for several days in a row, nothing seemed to work out. Plus, the team leader asked her to apologize on her own initiative, but she never went. Afraid of being scolded by Zhou, she finally waited until Gao Xiang returned from his business trip.

  That day, Tian Miao specially took a short leave and went to the large shopping mall on Wu Yi Road, enduring the pain of buying two bottles of Jin Xi Feng. She returned to the team and rushed into the kitchen. No matter how Old Man Zhang scolded her, she pretended not to hear him. With a calm face, she called out "Old Man Zhang, Uncle, Grandfather, Elder Brother" in a cute and playful way. She also helped Old Man Zhang with his work diligently. Old Man Zhang scolded her a few times, but couldn't help but laugh. He had no choice but to forgive this little girl.

  The old man pointed at Tian Miao and said while tapping the table, "I've cooked for half my life. It's really as bad-tasting as you said."

  Tian Miao Miao and the others just waited for this opportunity. With a flicker of her eyes, she didn't even mind the old man's greasy clothes. She coquettishly jumped onto the old man's back, biting his ear and saying: "Zeng Dage, you're the oldest member of our team, how can you work so hard every day? You don't know, do you? There's a young fellow who came to the police station with a second-level chef certificate. The dishes he cooks are really delicious! I'll call him over to make two dishes for you to try."

  The old man looked at Gao Xiang with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity, his hand grasping a kitchen knife menacingly as he said: "I heard from Miao Miao that you're quite skilled at cooking. Today, make a few dishes for me to taste. If they're really delicious, I'll go talk to Zhou Bin about assigning you a police car. How's that? Heh heh, don't get too excited, kid. If the food isn't as good as Miao Miao said, then every day at mealtime, you'll come to the cafeteria and wash dishes for me."

  Gao Xiang listened and thought this guy was unreliable. The captain was just "that kid Zhou Bin" in his mouth. It's not like he's doing anything special, just cooking a few dishes and getting to drive a police car. What the... did gold bars fall from the sky?

  Gao Xiang wasn't worried at all that he wouldn't pass the test. This was obvious, right? If his cooking was delicious, Tian Miao Miao wouldn't have tried every trick in the book to cheat him into coming. Thinking about this gave him confidence. Then, thinking back, there were police cars with sirens blaring. He got even more excited. At that moment, he used all his skills. Carefully, he made four dishes: Spicy Waist Flower; Garlic Pork Belly; Salt-Pan-Seared Meat and a dish called Phoenix Tail. The old man and Tian Miao Miao, two foodies, were eating with oil dripping from their mouths.

  Here is the translation:

  The good days of Tian Miao and Gao Xiang have finally arrived. Of course, Tian Miao's cleverness and sweet talk go without saying. She has won over the old man with her charm. Gao Xiang, on the other hand, is a skilled cook and has quickly gained the old man's trust. After three days, they discovered the old man's true identity, which left them both shocked. It turned out that this old man was a police officer during the time of the Public Security Bureau, and now he is the mentor of the current head of the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Police Brigade.

  Tian Miao's master, Li Quan You, is also a character. After getting familiar with him, Tian Miao was able to dig out his old background. He originally was the deputy sniper and observer of the Armed Police Border Defense Force; after retiring, he couldn't find a place in local society. Finally, Zhou Bin used his brains to dig him up. Although he's just a gun polisher and armory manager, he's qualified enough to be a shooting instructor for the current criminal investigation team. But with this identity, in front of the old man, he can only get scolded. As for Team Leader Zhou Bin, in the old man's eyes, he's just that little Zhou Bin...

  The old man was coaxed by Tian Niao as if he had obtained a treasure. Gao Xiang and Gong Qian also followed to pick up the benefits. Originally, the food standard of the big team was not high. Every day, eating outside, no one could stay. Now, the quality of the canteen's dishes has risen sharply. Other police officers in the team have also begun to reflect that originally, they had no choice but to eat a little in the small canteen, which tasted better and better recently. More and more people come to eat.

  What made Tian Miao even happier was that in the big team, Master Chef Zeng Lao shouted loudly, which was more effective than Zhou Bin's words. At least when he called out to Tian Miao, his direct superior Li Quan didn't dare to stop him. Tian Miao slowly figured it out. In the criminal police system, they had always emphasized the tradition of master and apprentice. Age, seniority, and experience determined one's position in this team. Zeng Lao's identity was simply that of a leader.

  Zhang Tong ran clumsily on the track, her clothes already drenched with sweat. Large beads of sweat fell to the ground like raindrops as she panted heavily.

  He ran forward for about 200 meters more, Zhang Tong really couldn't take it anymore, his feet were unstable, one step out and he didn't catch himself, the whole person fell onto the track.

  "This won't do. I just can't figure it out. Why did you have to come and suffer this fate? You said you could go to the office and be a pretty desk clerk, or work at the police station on household registrations. It's a comfortable job that's not affected by wind or rain, what's so good about that? I heard your physical education grades were always average when you were young." Zeng Yan squatted down in a position about 2 meters away from Zhang Tong, teasing and joking with her.

  Since joining the special police team, Zhang Tong had long forgotten who Gong Qian was. In fact, she had already forgotten everyone except her parents. It wasn't that she was heartless, but rather exhausted. After talking to Li Xing that day and following the detestable Zeng Yan back to the dormitory to settle in, no one came to bother her again. Especially since she wasn't familiar with the special police team's schedule, it took her a while to find the cafeteria, only to discover that dinner was already over.

  The master's icy tone with just one sentence "No food" made him turn his head and continue playing poker. Zhang Tong was thoroughly disappointed in this special police team. Just as she was about to leave, a chubby young man called out to her: "You're the new one, right?"

  Zhang Tong responded to her with a sentence. The fat cook walked over, laughing and explaining: "Our squadron is implementing strict military management. 6:30-7:00 in the morning for breakfast, 12:00-12:30 at noon for lunch, and 6:00-6:30 in the evening for dinner. If you miss the meal time, no one will care about your food. This is a rule set by the squadron leader himself. However, you are new here and are not subject to the regulations yet. You sit and wait, I'll get you a bowl of noodles, just make do with it."