Chapter 171 - 171 164 Distant

Words : 1929 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

171: Chapter 164 Distant 171: Chapter 164 Distant It was getting dark. The green spider plants in the office stood steadfast at their posts. Dinner time. The downpour had turned into a drizzle, the flow resembling the urination of a successful man: a spurt here, a stop there, never quite ending, and no telling when it would cease. The party committee members of the Ningtai County Bureau were collectively hosting a banquet for leaders from the city bureau, the provincial department, and the ministries. The head chef of the county bureau’s canteen pulled out all the stops too! Just for the cold dishes, he served up an assortment of creations: mustard duck feet, savory eggplant, snowflake beef tongue—all featuring exquisite ingredients and pronounced flavors that were the star dishes in his arsenal. If it weren’t for today’s occasion, as a chef with a formal position, the head chef would not have gone to such lengths. On regular days, he would casually whip something up for the buffet, and that would be that. In the head chef’s view, a nearly perfect table of culinary delights was akin to a conversation between successful men. It was the small Ningtai County echoing the grand provincial capital and the far-off Beijing, a welcome from the small county to the big city but also a declaration of the small county’s pride. Liu Jinghui pulled Jiang Yuan along to the second floor of the canteen as well. Zhang Zhihong, who had flown to Changyang City and had ridden in the same car with him, waved with familiarity and said with a smile, “Director Liu, I thought you should’ve been here tonight. Have you sorted out what you had on your hands?” He knew that Liu Jinghui had been busy with a case recently. Liu Jinghui sat down with Jiang Yuan and said with a smile, “It’s all thanks to Jiang Yuan that the case was resolved.” “Oh, how was it resolved?” Zhang Zhihong assumed that Liu Jinghui had either delegated the case elsewhere or handed it directly over to Jiang Yuan. Instead, Liu Jinghui laughed and didn’t answer right away but stood up, picked up his glass, and said, “I’ll take the liberty of toasting the leaders of Ningtai County first. You have cultivated an excellent technical talent! Director Guan, let me toast you first.” Compared to the officials from the ministries, Liu Jinghui commanded more attention from the county bureau leaders. Director Guan Xi quickly stood up and clinked glasses with Liu Jinghui, saying with a smile, “You’re too polite, Director Liu. What’s this all about?” Liu Jinghui downed the wine in his glass before explaining, “I just brought over a case. It was a doubtful case in Yunchang City, and I originally thought of asking Jiang Yuan to inspect the scene to see whether any additional evidence could be found. This was because the existing leads had hit a dead end over there in Yunchang.” He spoke casually, but Guan Xi and the others listened intently. With many years of police experience, they all knew that if a city bureau couldn’t crack a case, then the case was certainly quite difficult. If the case still couldn’t be resolved after reaching the provincial level and needed people from lower levels, the challenge in such a case was more than just doubled. And the more nonchalantly the complexity of the scene was described, the more it hinted at the intricacy of the scene. Guan Xi instinctively glanced at Jiang Yuan next to him and then asked, “And then? Did you take over the case, Director Liu?” “I was under pressure. The technical leads were of no use,” Liu Jinghui said, pursing his lips, “Footprints were examined, bloodstains too, personal relationships were probed, and plenty of surveillance footage was viewed—all checked but nothing was discovered...” Liu Jinghui picked the details he could share and gave a rough account before continuing, “As you can guess, I handed the case to Jiang Yuan, and within a few hours, he solved it.” Truth be told, by the time Liu Jinghui was halfway through his story, everyone had a rough idea of the conclusion. But when Liu Jinghui announced the outcome, everyone was still taken aback. Because this wasn’t just a story—it was a real event that had just happened. This had a more direct impact on people’s hearts than a soccer game that very likely had been fixed. “How did he solve it?” asked Guan Xi, unable to help himself. “Jiang Yuan found an issue with a piece of evidence, which directly pointed to the murderer. The evidence had been reviewed by experts from the provincial department, but Jiang Yuan took less time to examine it than they did.” At this point, Liu Jinghui stopped going into too much detail. The victim’s husband worked at Golden Shield Company and had some investigative and counter-surveillance experience. He was someone who had seen and handled crime scenes. So, when evidence tampering arose, Liu Jinghui’s first thought was the victim’s husband. However, these were not details to be discussed before a case was closed. Liu Jinghui’s explanation was quite vague. Guan Xi and the others were not so much concerned about the case itself but turned their eyes toward Jiang Yuan. The current situation was like lending out one’s cattle to a neighbor, only to have it till an entire field for them. Who could take that? And it was impossible to demand it back. Not to mention that they had no fallow fields to be tilled— But on second thought, it wasn’t exactly true that there were no untended fields. After all, they were in a county, and finding work for a strong beast of burden was surely possible. As Guan Xi pondered, his smile toward Jiang Yuan turned into a ‘heh, heh, heh.’ ... The wine was pleasantly intoxicating. The dishes had reached the peak of a successful man’s subtle impotence. Liu Jinghui once again lifted his glass and drank deeply, then continued, “I also came here for another purpose. That is to present Jiang Yuan with another second-class merit medal. Yes, this time it’s for the second-class merit in the Wu Long ‘Wild Man’ case. “We will certainly cooperate actively...” Guan Xi immediately expressed his stance. “The leadership also hopes that we give this the attention it deserves, considering it’s the second second-class merit within a short period, which is no easy feat. My idea is to see if we have any larger upcoming meetings, where we can do it beforehand.” Basically, it was standard procedure, to hitch a ride on a big meeting, and if there really wasn’t any, then those bureau-wide commendation meetings would do. If there still wasn’t a suitable one, they could latch onto a Mid-Autumn Festival concert or any other holiday event. Guan Xi agreed to it, as these were all minor matters. Liu Jinghui felt that Guan Xi didn’t quite understand and added, “Director Guan, do you have any time in the next couple of days? Because I was thinking of taking Jiang Yuan to Yunchang City. After we return, we could then arrange this...” Guan Xi thought about it and realized it was true—if they didn’t arrange something for the next few days, Jiang would have to make two trips. Guan Xi laughed heartily and turned to the others, asking, “What arrangements do you all have coming up?” The head of the political department said, “Mainly training classes lately...” “Then let’s do it during the training class, which is just the right size.” Guan Xi then asked, “Training for what?” “We’ve got a lot scheduled recently—fingerprint, DNA, emergency medical aid, as well as legal training...” “Fingerprint training, let’s get Jiang Yuan involved. Isn’t that a coincidence? Jiang Yuan is now one of our province’s top fingerprint experts. Such a good resource...” Guan Xi had drunk a bit too much and was rambling slightly. Everyone was accustomed to it and patiently bore with him. On the other side, they also took the opportunity to report, “We indeed had plans to invite Jiang Yuan to be a lecturer for us. At the time, we didn’t know if Jiang Yuan would be available.” “Well, let’s just ask now.” Guan Xi was also very ceremonial. “Exactly!” A relatively successful man in his forties then turned to Jiang Yuan and said, “Comrade Jiang Yuan...” “That’s fine, please arrange it as you see fit.” Jiang Yuan interrupted before the man could finish, a sincere smile on his face. Earning another second-class merit meant he could choose another batch of skills. And, theoretically, he was going to get a Level 4 skill. This was far more potent than a randomly given skill. With proper integration, it could significantly extend Jiang Yuan’s range of capabilities. Liu Jinghui observed Jiang Yuan’s expression, which appeared quite happy. Once the award ceremony arrangement was set, Liu Jinghui gently nudged Jiang Yuan, hinting that when it comes to gift-giving and reading people’s minds, he too was a professional. ... Two days later. Two police cars arrived at the entrance of the Jiangcun Residential Area. After checking their credentials, the gatekeeper raised the barrier. The two police cars slowly entered the residential area. Because it wasn’t segregated for pedestrians and vehicles, the cars moved slower than the people, and the people in front of the cars watched curiously. “Who are you looking for?” When the cars reached the mini-mart, the uncles and aunties older than the detention threshold blocked their way. “We’re looking for Jiang Yuan. I’ve been here before,” Qi Shanwei got out of the car. He worked in the Political Department of the city bureau and was regularly involved in police-family relations. A special place like the Jiangcun Residential Area also left a lasting impression on him. This time, as expected, some villagers recognized Qi Shanwei. Someone nodded and said, “It was him who delivered the honor plaques for the meritorious service last time.” “Yes, yes, yes, that slightly chubby policeman... looks kind of simple and honest.” “Not much hair either. I saw it when he took off his cap last time.” The villagers’ discussions were always carried out at full volume. Qi Shanwei’s complexion changed slightly, and he no longer wanted to talk to them, saying, “That... excuse me, let us through with our car, please.” “Wreaths!” An auntie peered through the window, spotted the back seat of the car, and suddenly exclaimed. Qi Shanwei was taken aback and quickly said, “Those are flower baskets, they’re round with an added basket at the bottom...” No one was listening to his explanation anymore. The Jiang Village people were all stirred up: “Has Jiang Yuan been sacrificed?” “Sacrificed again?” “They say for the second-class merit one gets it lying down, and for the first-class merit, it’s posthumous; it’s so hard. The second-class hero has just passed away like that.” “What they mean is the military; it’s not that tough for the police...” “Jiang Yuan was such a good kid, to have gone just like that...” Qi Shanwei looked around in bewilderment. Those villagers who weren’t shouting were furiously typing on their phones, unclear about what they were up to! No, rather, Qi Shanwei had a guess as to what they might be doing. But he didn’t understand why they always thought so far ahead! ...

Chapter 171 - 171 164 Distant

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