Chapter 369 - 369 336 County Brigade

Words : 2151 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

369: Chapter 336 County Brigade 369: Chapter 336 County Brigade Jiang Yuan went straight home to rest. The security guards from Jianyuan Pharmaceutical’s parking lot, not one was spared; they all got taken into custody. The top management was also getting brought in one after another. As the case had progressed to this point, there wasn’t much left involving Jiang Yuan. Now, these cases, in terms of solving them, basically presented no difficulty, but the complexity was only increasing. Even Yu Wenshu couldn’t make unilateral decisions; he had to report to his superiors after gathering evidence. This wasn’t Jiang Yuan’s area of expertise either, and Yu Wenshu didn’t want Jiang Yuan to get involved too much, so he resolutely approved his holiday. Speaking of which, Jiang Yuan’s vacation time was also excessive. A normal criminal detective might be lucky to take annual leave once in a year. Only by solving cases such as homicides would they be able to enjoy a reward-based vacation. For instance, in the needs from the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment to solve cold cases, a reward often included one to three months of paid annual leave. The problem was that Jiang Yuan had solved too many homicides; while others might spend months on a case, he would solve them in a very short time, and it was impossible not to grant him a vacation. And for Jiang Yuan, this trip had already been long enough. Previously, while at the Ningtai County Bureau, regardless of how exhausting it might have been, he basically went home every day. After being ‘sold’ to Changyang City, his biggest discomfort was the inability to go home. This was a feeling Jiang Yuan thoroughly disliked. Ever since his mother passed away, Jiang Yuan and his father had been dependent on each other, dining out at different households, cooking unappetizing meals at home, getting by on steamed buns; their material life could not be called luxurious, but their spiritual life was never lacking. His father had taken care of Jiang Yuan to the best of his ability. That was the most genuine warmth Jiang Yuan felt during his adolescence. And it was the same now. Jiang Yuan drove home, sticking to the speed limit, eager to return. In the residential complex, lights shined brightly, solar-powered street lamps and regular lights brilliantly illuminated the roads within. The stairwell, however, was somewhat dimmer. Stepping into the elevator, it also felt profoundly quiet. Ding. The elevator arrived at his floor, and Jiang Yuan hurried out. “Hey, brothers, Four Happinesses Fortune!” “Six Six Smooth, Three Stars Shine!” Loud and boisterous shouts from finger-guessing games burst out from inside the house, piercing the air with their force. Jiang Yuan paused for a moment, then took another careful look at the door frame. The plaque of a first-class merit hung there prominently, flanked on either side by two second-class merits, a unique exterior decoration that belonged only to Jiang Village, so it was impossible for him to be at the wrong door. Inside the house, the bright lights made every detail of the living room visible. About a dozen men were excitedly yelling as they ate and drank, chattering away happily. Jiang Fuzhen sat at the centermost spot on the couch, sandwiched between his third and fifth uncles, his face flushed red from drinking. Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Hey, is that Jiang Yuan coming back?” His third uncle, with sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Yuan and quickly shouted out. Jiang Yuan, smiling, nodded in response, and greeted everyone, “Third uncle, good, fourth uncle-in-law, good, fifth uncle, good, sixth uncle, good, eleventh uncle, good...” The relatives he had greeted all laughed heartily, some half-drunk, waving at Jiang Yuan and calling him over to drink together. “Let me cook you guys some fried rice,” Jiang Yuan said, not joining the table. These men-only drinking sessions were the most brutal, always ending with several people downed. Moreover, they usually lacked proper meals, relying on meat for sustenance—previously they often bought ready-cooked food, but now it was Jiang Fuzhen who cooked beef, lamb, chicken, goose and so on. After changing into more comfortable clothes, Jiang Yuan entered the kitchen and quickly got busy. The legacy left by his seventeenth uncle was most noticeable in its cost-effectiveness and time-saving nature. It hardly used any vegetables, was conservative with oil, and relied on cooking temperature to bring out flavor. While there was a bit of sophistication to it, it also significantly cut costs. In no time at all, Jiang Yuan brought out a large bowl of fried rice. The glossy and shiny fried rice was placed in the middle of the table. Anyone who wanted some would fill a bowl, eat their fill, then continue with the finger-guessing game and drinking. From afar, it seemed as if his seventeenth uncle was also a part of it. ... In the early hours of the morning. Each family took their men back home, and those left unattended were put to sleep in the guest rooms. Uncle Qiang had also had a little to drink but his eyes were still clear. With one hand, he hoisted up Jiang Fuzhen as if he were setting a roasted whole lamb upright and carried him back to the master bedroom to put him to bed properly. Jiang Yuan helped his father out of his coat and shoes, then cleaned his face with a hot towel before wiping down his hands and feet and leaving the room. Uncle Qiang stood at the doorway, enviously saying, “If my son had your filial piety, I’d be content.” “He probably just doesn’t know how to do it. Where would the young people learn these things?” Jiang Yuan responded naturally. After a drink, Uncle Qiang spoke his mind, “But you are also a young person, how did you learn this?” “We forensic doctors, we often have to clean bodies, don’t we?” Jiang Yuan said. “The alcohol wipes we commonly use smell a bit similar, and the way of moving and wiping is just like this.” Uncle Qiang’s mood suddenly got stuck. Looking again at Jiang Fuzhen lying on the bed, he seemed as lifeless as if he couldn’t move at all, and Uncle Qiang hesitated about whether he should continue to feel envious. The sound of snoring began to rise. The uncles sleeping in several guest rooms were out like lights, with snoring sounds coming from all directions like the croaking of frogs in a melon field, long and loud. Jiang Yuan slept very soundly. Jiang Fuzhen slept all the way until the next afternoon, and the first thing he did upon seeing Jiang Yuan was to take three sticks of incense from a drawer for him, saying, “Pay your respects.” “This...” Jiang Yuan thought for three seconds with his mind and asked, “Pay respects to what?” Jiang Fuzhen turned and opened the door of a room, revealing an arrangement ready for worship, with a portrait of Lord Guan, a long table, and a round cushion neatly aligned. Jiang Yuan, now skillful in facing Lord Guan, lit the incense obediently and paid his respects sincerely. This time, at least four people had been sent off, so it was just the right occasion to speak to Lord Guan, asking him to make sure they properly reformed themselves and suffered plenty down below. When he stood up again, a hot, red-cooked egg was handed to Jiang Yuan. “Eat it.” Jiang Fuzhen also felt hungry, cracked a red-cooked egg for himself, and said, “I also bought emu eggs, they’re the kind that’s a bit smaller than an ostrich, Australia’s national bird, they say. Supposedly tastes like goose eggs. I’ve cooked one for you; we’ll eat it tonight.” Jiang Yuan skillfully devoured the red-cooked egg in his hand and asked, “Who did you learn this from?” “Your mentor. Wu Jun.” Jiang Fuzhen continued, “He’s a good guy, easy to get along with, and truly considers your best interests. He even drew some talismans for you; I’ll burn them for you later.” As a forensic doctor, Jiang Yuan felt he should be opposed, but seeing his dad’s enthusiasm, he simply spread his hands and said, “Doing one thing is enough, I don’t agree with my master liking to do repetitive things. ‘Don’t trouble two masters with one matter,’ I’m not too embarrassed to tell him, so should we just keep a little for ourselves?” “Don’t trouble two masters with one matter... You do make sense there...” Jiang Fuzhen agreed, and then turned to go to the kitchen. After a while, Jiang Fuzhen brought out a large plate. “Then today we eat red eggs, I bought a set online.” Jiang Fuzhen said with a thud as he put the plate on the table. Inside the plate, there were eggs of all sorts—quail, pigeon, chicken, duck, goose, and emu—six in total, all painted red... “Eat up. Just boiled them, they’re all a string.” Jiang Fuzhen sat down seriously to watch. ... The next day. Jiang Yuan was still thinking about resting some more when he was called over by a phone call from Huang Qiangmin. Ningtai County also had its annual year-end conference to attend. Moreover, it wasn’t like the big units such as the criminal police detachment, Huang Qiangmin was determined to make the criminal police brigade stand out this time. One particular aspect was, he was really making a name for himself. When Jiang Yuan arrived at the criminal police brigade courtyard, he saw a group of unfamiliar police officers wandering back and forth in plain clothes. Seeing his arrival, Mu Zhiyang who came to receive him introduced, “A survey team from Pingjiang Province, here specifically to observe our police force construction. They’ve been around for several days.” “Doesn’t Captain Huang need to accompany them?” Jiang Yuan was surprised. Not to mention teams coming from another province, even those from within the province or city should normally be properly received. Mu Zhiyang chuckled and said, “They’ve been here for several days, and today they specially said they wanted to walk around by themselves, so assigning a liaison officer is enough. That’s why Captain Huang hurriedly called you over.” Jiang Yuan clicked his tongue, “So it seems I’ve been called over during my free time.” Mu Zhiyang began to sweat and said, “My dear Captain Jiang, today the director specially took time out to see you. This only shows that the survey team members are considerate. Don’t let it slip in conversation later.” Mu Zhiyang truly appeared somewhat concerned. The main reason was that Jiang Yuan hadn’t been around the team recently, and with various survey teams coming in, everyone ended up praising Jiang Yuan extravagantly. Whether Jiang Yuan heard it or not, Mu Zhiyang was worried that Jiang Yuan would get carried away. Jiang Yuan, not knowing why, just uttered an “Oh” and followed Mu Zhiyang into the new building of the criminal police brigade. Yes, it was the small building that Huang Qiangmin had acquired by trading Jiang Yuan’s services with the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment. The building wasn’t big, just a five-story structure with ordinary decoration focused on office use, it somewhat alleviated the cramped office space of the criminal police brigade. The most important feature was the sufficient restrooms and changing rooms, which were the most tangible facilities for the police officers who often had to work overnight and overtime. Although it was a small building with a standard from the 90s and decoration from 20 years ago, this building was still precious to the criminal police brigade. If it were not for Jiang Yuan’s outing, relying on their own petition, getting such a building would have been a distant dream. Huang Qiangmin even intentionally didn’t want to make it too big or too nice, partly because of the lack of funds, and partly because he was afraid the Ningtai County Bureau would intercept it. The criminal police brigade wasn’t the only one short of office space; the county bureau itself didn’t have much either, and getting land to build on was so difficult... Jiang Yuan wandered around the new building’s foyer for quite some time before he found his way to Huang Qiangmin’s office. Clap, clap, clap, clap. Upon entering the door, Jiang Yuan was first greeted with a round of applause and then saw Director Zhang and several other county bureau leaders, along with Mu Zhiyang’s envious face on the left side. “Captain Huang, Director Zhang, Director Li...” Jiang Yuan greeted them as usual. He then saw the director wave his hand, smiling, and say, “Calling him Captain Huang is no longer accurate; from now on you can call him Director Huang.”

Chapter 369 - 369 336 County Brigade

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