Watching Wu Siyuan sitting on the stool, puffing clouds of smoke, Dazhi’s thoughts stirred, and he asked,
"Hey Wu, what was your major in university again?"
"Criminal investigation and crime scene analysis."
"Oh. And what does that major entail? I’ve never heard of it before."
Wu Siyuan held Dazhi in very low esteem, in fact, he looked down on everyone at the police station, including the chief with the big ears. Their education only went as far as high school, and in terms of thinking and language, they couldn’t match up to him at all. They were simply relying on their seniority to act all high and mighty.
Hearing him ask such a question deepened Wu Siyuan’s disdain, but his face remained smiley as he eagerly replied, "That major isn’t all that useful, just checks the scene, does some follow-up work, basically, it’s like being a janitor."
"A janitor? Hahaha, little Wu, you’re quite the comedian."
Dazhi grinned with a cigarette between his lips. Wu Siyuan also smiled as he watched, but inside he was cursing, Laugh my fucking ass off!
After stopping his laughter, Dazhi added, "You know Wu, the educational level of us cops in the grassroots stations isn’t that high, and when it comes to cases, we’re clueless. The leaders always tell us to keep up with our education and constantly improve ourselves in handling cases. Heh, sounds easy, but you’ve seen the reality, we’re just small-time cops, dealing mostly with trivial matters. Widow Zhang losing a chicken is considered a major case here. Even if we have the will to learn, the conditions don’t allow it, do they?"
Wu Siyuan stubbed out his cigarette, sensing that Dazhi seemed to have something to disclose to him.
"So, the chief told me, look at our colleagues in other places, their situation isn’t great either, but they take the initiative to learn, and they even run their own classes, teaching each other. This form of learning could be something we emulate, and our own experience can be more easily absorbed and digested, achieving more with less effort. I thought about it, and it does make sense. Now, with your higher education, and several experienced comrades in our station, I was thinking, why don’t we set up a class for our internal use, to learn from each other? When the leaders come to inspect at the end of the year, it will look good on us and more importantly, if the chief is happy, our lives will be better, won’t they?"
Wu Siyuan realized what was going on but always felt that such a good opportunity wouldn’t just fall into his lap for free. What he remembered from his four years at the police academy, aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, was that pies don’t just fall from the sky.
"Old Man Zheng, it can’t be that simple. Why... why come to me? Heh heh."
You’re just a fucking troublemaker!
Dazhi cursed inwardly, but his expression seemed hesitant.
"What’s wrong, Old Man Zheng? Is there something troubling you?"
Dazhi sighed, "Well, Wu, you seem like an honest kid, so I’ll just tell you straight. According to police ranks, I have only one more year before retirement, and I can’t just let this life pass without achieving something. I at least want to add another stripe to my uniform. So..."
Now that made sense to Wu Siyuan; he wouldn’t agree if Dazhi were being evasive, not even if it meant a confrontation. But seeing Dazhi’s sincere look and his reasonable argument, and the fact that he could also benefit, as a young man, he didn’t lack qualifications but did lack experience and opportunities. Clinging to Dazhi, therefore, seemed an excellent opportunity, especially since he would be gone in a year, freeing up the position of team leader, though it was worthless.
"Alright then, Wu, we’ll be counting on you from now on, and I hope you can prepare the learning plan quickly. After all, you’re the only university graduate in our station, so you’re the top guy when it comes to education."
Wu Siyuan agreed with a smile, spouting some grandiose officialdom rhetoric, thinking he was quite the adept. However, to Dazhi, Wu’s schemes seemed laughably amateur, nothing but a joke.
Dazhi snorted coldly watching Wu Siyuan’s retreating figure, thinking that the little brat dare claim he’s the go-to guy, fearing you wouldn’t even know how you die in the end.
The most boring aspect of a bureaucratic agency is having to sit on a chair, doing nothing, and wait until the clock’s hand points at six.
After getting off work, Dazhi tidied up and bought a pack of Furongwang from the kiosk at the entrance. Thinking it over, he also bought a pack of Hong Diaos and tucked it into his pocket.
The police station wasn’t far from home, not because his home was conveniently located, but because the whole Erwanzi area was only the size of a palm. Among all the districts in Beiping City, it was the smallest. If it weren’t for a series of connected alleys forming a considerable size, it might have been already split into other districts, which wasn’t unprecedented. The trend was to simplify intricacy by amalgamating the small with the large, and it was just a matter of time before Erwanzi Street was incorporated into another district. Not something a person or two could decide, and certainly not a few decrepit alleys could influence.
There were hardly any people on the streets, aside from a few stalls selling wontons, leaving only the bare plane trees flanking the road. The barren branches reached skyward, as if plaintively appealing to heaven about some grave injustice.
After turning a few corners and a short walk, he arrived at his front gate.
It was pitch black at the entrance. There used to be a light bulb, but Ye Tian smashed it. Dazhi fumed at the thought; the brat would smash anything he saw and didn’t even spare the rooster in the chicken coop.
"Big brother’s back."
Zheng Xiaomao called out, and several people emerged from the house, catching Dazhi off guard, "What’s going on?"
"Brother, we’ve all discussed and were just waiting for you to return."
It clicked; they were out to settle scores.
Without a word, Dazhi walked into the room and tossed his briefcase onto the kang, where Zheng Sanpao was lying with a bandaged right arm. Ye Tian had really put some muscle into that slash. It looked bad, but it was just a superficial gash, not reaching bone or blood vessels. A few days of rest at home would suffice.
After checking Zheng Sanpao’s wound, and hearing him complain about not being able to swallow his pride, Zheng Xiaomao promptly incited talk of revenge. The small bunch of kids around him agitatedly echoed the sentiment. Dazhi coldly observed this group of brats without saying a word.