This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.
“Yeah, Mouse, if you go for the elite, it’ll be less pressure on us.”
A guy with several pimples on his face turned around and shouted. The chubby guy who had just received the form and was subjected to such criticism, known as “Mouse,” looked bewildered and got a bit angry, shouting back, “You think you’re an elite? You’re practically covered in ‘genius’!”
“Yeah, Mule, you idiot! Who are you making fun of? Losing your meal card in a card game and trying to get your money back, is this how it’s done?” Coming to Mouse’s defense was Dou Bao, and they were not only buddies but also looked like brothers. The one called Mule, squeezed by both of them, seemed to hold a grudge as deep as avenging a father or a stolen wife, gritting his teeth, “Dou Bao, don’t get cocky. We’ll continue tonight. If I don’t clean out your travel expenses, you won’t know why they call me Mule.”
After a few rounds of their usual personal attacks, Mouse, whose real name was Yan Debiao, shared a dorm with Dou Xiaobo, known as Dou Bao. Although they often ranked at the bottom in studies and training, they were not to be underestimated in card games. Whether it was Landlord, Poker, or Speed, they were incredibly skilled. Playing with them often meant not just losing money, but sometimes even meal cards.
Unfortunately, their glory in card games didn’t translate to the classroom. As graduation approached, worries about internships and jobs grew. Yan Debiao looked at the form, filling it out meticulously – name, gender, place of origin, and political status, all straightforward. There was a subjective question: why do you want to be a policeman? Of course, he knew – to eliminate violence and ensure a harmonious society. Just as he was about to write this, a hand reached over from behind, snatched the form, crumpled and tore it up, and then swaggered away.
It was Yu Zui, his roommate, sitting at the back. Seeing Yu Zui’s triumphant walk, Mouse, dumbfounded, glanced at Dou Xiaobo and asked curiously, “Dou Bao, what’s up with him now? Does he have a personality issue?”
“Nothing much. His personality is fine, but he himself is a bit off,” Dou Xiaobo said, laughing. Such professional terms were often used in their mutual teasing at the police academy.
“Hey, right, why didn’t he get a form? Even in physical tests, Mule can’t outrun him,” Mouse said, turning his head in realization. Dou Xiaobo shrugged and replied, “I didn’t get one either. Stop talking nonsense. Even if there’s a chance to stay in the provincial city, it won’t be our turn.”
“What if, just what if, we get a straight flush in our hand? Wouldn’t that be great?” Mouse said, shaking his head and dreaming big about the future, his eyes shining. “If that happens, we won’t have to go back to the countryside. In our town, it might take years to get into the government, and there’s no guarantee. Do you know what we’ll end up doing? Patrolling the streets all night, suffering a lot, and not even making much money – just 1,200 a month, same as a sanitation worker… Hey, wait for me, where are you going?”
Watching Dou Bao leave with a look of disappointment, Mouse followed him out. On his way down from the tiered classroom, he casually noticed Jie Bing and An Jialu together. Smiling at An Jialu – because appreciating beauty is natural – his smile went unnoticed by her, which left Mouse feeling a bit down as he left.
Catching up with Dou Xiaobo and Yu Zui, who were hurrying downstairs, Mouse started to grumble. Despite knowing the chances were slim, he thought about the ‘what if’ – if luck was on his side, things could turn around for him. Graduates from the Provincial Police Academy, especially those without family in the provincial city, rarely had the chance to stay there. Most were assigned to grassroots police stations and detective teams. “What if,” Mouse wondered, “what Xu said about sorting out residency and housing is true? How many years of struggle could that save?”
Annoyed by the conversation, Yu Zui turned around, startling Mouse. Among the three, Yu Zui was the youngest but the most cunning. Although they weren’t in the same dorm, the trio had become inseparable friends since Yu Zui uncovered Dou Bao and Mouse’s card-playing secrets. Fixing Mouse’s collar with a mature and practiced air, Yu Zui said, “Brother Mouse, even though others call you Mouse, I don’t think you lack vision. Do you really think it could be true?”
“It’s hard to believe that a high-ranking official like him would blatantly lie, right?” Yan Debiao expressed his disbelief.
“I’ll tell you a story about deduction… In the Spring and Autumn period, there was a minor lord who wanted to marry off his daughter. He offered a dowry of ten thousand gold pieces and sought a butcher to be his son-in-law. However, this butcher firmly refused the princess. Can you deduce why?” Yu Zui asked seriously.
“Why? It seems like a great deal,” Mouse said, a bit puzzled. He turned to Dou Bao, who also felt there was something amiss but couldn’t pinpoint it. Scratching his head, Dou Bao said, “Are you making up stories to fool us?”
“It’s a true story, recorded in history. You two are fools,” Yu Zui retorted.
“So, what’s the problem?” Both were staring at Yu Zui now, genuinely unsure of the issue.
“Where do you think the problem is? There’s no good in discounted goods, and even less so in those that come with a negative price. Even that butcher could deduce that. He sell fresh meat at a high price and people buy it, but no one wants yesterday’s meat even at a discount. How could a woman who comes with such a large dowry be any good? In fact, it turned out she was incredibly ugly,” Yu Zui explained, educating the two who were both taller and older than him. He pinched their cheeks impatiently as he assessed them, “Look at you two lumps of meat. Do you really think you’re material for staying in the provincial city? If they really wanted to keep you, would they need to offer you a house? Do you even need to use your brain for this? It’s impossible even if you think with your butt.”
Yu Zui’s emphatic speech left the two swayed, their eyes rolling as they thought it over. Mouse was about to ask something, but Yu Zui cut him off, “Even if you really hit the jackpot, it might not be a good thing. You might end up fishing for limbs and other human organs from sewage ditches. At night, you could be guarding the morgue, surrounded by female ghosts instead of real girls.”
Startled, Mouse grimaced and said nervously, “Don’t be like that, man. I’ve always had a light taste.”
Yu Zui then pointed at Dou Bao, scaring him as well, “And you, do you want to know the casualty rate for criminal police? Almost ten percent. With your physique, you can neither run nor fight. What are you going to do? Increase the organization’s disability rate?”
Dou Bao, now covered in goosebumps, shook his head like a rattle drum, saying, “Stop being a jinx, you’re making me nervous. I’m not planning to go.”
“That’s right,” Yu Zui said. “Go back to your counties or towns, be a local cop, flirt with girls, make a little money on the side, drink some, live a comfortable life. Why overthink it? Stay in the provincial city? With how many officials’ and wealthy families’ children are in our class, do you think we stand a chance? Come on, let’s go eat before there’s a line.”
Yu Zui spoke and turned his head, with the other two following somewhat unnaturally, apparently convinced.
Indeed, upon closer thought, pies don’t just fall from the sky unless someone is up to mischief.
The three took advantage of the early hour and finished eating before their classmates entered the dining hall. Yu Zui felt a bit guilty for winning a lot from Mule Zhang Meng the day before. He took a meal card from Mouse and gave it to Zhang Meng, who seemed to be struggling financially and was wandering around, looking to scrounge a meal. Zhang Meng took it without a word of thanks, leaving Mouse feeling somewhat unhappy and grumbling for a while.
The dining hall was bustling, with everyone discussing the selection process. The three of them, however, were leisurely playing card games while eating. By the end, Dou Bao and Mouse were laughing uproariously, while Yu Zui, having lost, was green-faced and ended up carrying three food trays to wash – the consequence of losing the bet.
………
………
During lunchtime, Chief Shi handed over the registration forms to Director Xu Pingqiu, along with two statistical lists: one with the names of 108 participants, of whom 97 had registered, and another list with the names of 11 who had not registered. Director Jiang handed over a CD containing records of regular training sessions to Director Xu, hoping he could resolve a few more employment targets. However, the focus was on the type of police work involved, and despite various probing questions, Director Xu, experienced and astute, remained non-committal in his responses.
The lunch was slightly better than the standard working meal, with a bottle of fine wine added. Principal Wang Lan personally served wine to Director Xu and Chief Shi. It seemed that Principal Wang had once been Director Xu’s teacher. Although part of the system, Principal Wang had limited exposure to police operations, mostly familiar with protocols and routines. After a few drinks, he curiously asked Director Xu, “Pingqiu, who are you really here to recruit?”
“Frontline criminal police, of course,” Xu Pingqiu replied casually, tasting his food.
“Nonsense,” Principal Wang said, not quite satisfied. “Others might not understand you, but I do. The simpler you appear, the more complicated the matter is. Does recruiting frontline criminal police require the Deputy Director to personally call and ask for my full cooperation? It seems there are things you shouldn’t hide from me.”
Seeing Principal Wang getting upset, Xu Pingqiu resorted to his usual lighthearted manner, serving his former teacher some dishes, consoling him, “Oh, Teacher Wang, you’re still like the old days as the disciplinary head. Remember when I stole a few corn cobs, and you made me write several self-criticism letters? Some things can’t be probed too deeply.”
“Stop joking around with me. I’ll ask you just one thing: is this a special mission?” Principal Wang said sternly, no longer courteous. This statement caused Director Jiang’s face to darken with fear. Observing Xu Pingqiu and Chief Shi, both of whom also appeared solemn, it seemed they might have guessed the truth.
The term “special” held a commonly understood meaning within this group. Wearing a police uniform and carrying a loaded gun was routine, not special. But the mention of “special” suggested involvement in severe crimes like drug trafficking, murder, cross-border criminal activities, and even the most dangerous job, according to legend: undercover work.
As criminals use increasingly extreme methods, police investigation and enforcement techniques also evolve rapidly. Some aspects of police work, forever hidden from the public eye, were known to the principal. He put down his chopsticks, overcome with a sudden sadness, and sighed deeply. Xu Pingqiu and Chief Shi exchanged glances, realizing it wouldn’t be easy to keep this from their former teacher. However, given the nature of the mission and their inability to disclose details, the table fell into an awkward silence.
“Since it’s a mission, I won’t ask further.”
After a while, Principal Wang Lan sighed, “Don’t laugh at me. I’m getting old, and my worldview has aged with me; I can’t keep up with the times. This school’s history is often overlooked. In thirty years, we’ve graduated twenty-nine classes, totaling 4,427 students. We’ve never kept a detailed count of the injured, but 212 have died in the line of duty, including your classmate Shao Bingshan, who you once stole corn with. He died in the ’95 explosion, taking the suspect with him… Nowadays, people say being the principal or on the faculty of the police academy is a cushy job. Every year, people try to pay tens of thousands to get their kids in here. Sometimes I feel lost, even thinking that living an unremarkable life, just occupying a position, might be better than sending them off to a glorious but dangerous fate…”
His words reflected the melancholic mindset of an aging principal. Xu Pingqiu softly asked, “Teacher, as you said at our graduation, someone must take responsibility in society. If the first person to stand up against crime isn’t a police officer, it’s a disgrace to the police. The students who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, your students, you should be proud of them, not sad… Let’s drink to their honor.”
As he stood up, Xu Pingqiu spilled half of his wine, but drank the rest in one gulp. Principal Wang Lan’s face turned pale, and when he sat back down, the topic of the current selection was not mentioned again.
The atmosphere during that first meal was somber. By the time the gathering dispersed, even Director Jiang, who had been entertaining thoughts of using his influence, remained silent. This type of police work was not something one could or would want to enter through backdoors. Knowing the realities of such dangerous duties, most people wouldn’t dare to pursue it.
So, what exactly is the situation still wrapped up in? Chief Xu, who had rested in the police academy guesthouse at noon, returned to his room and carefully looked at the filled-out forms. He assigned a task to Deputy Chief Shi, with a focus on those who hadn’t applied. The specific task was individual interviews to find out the reasons. Of course, they would first look into their family backgrounds. If they were the children of officials or insiders, there was no need to ask. Those young masters only went there to collect their allowances and not to do any actual work.
As he looked at the forms, Chief Xu counted while reading. He noted that the moral values of the world were declining, and people’s hearts weren’t as they used to be. Many of the application forms were filled with empty, cliché phrases. He smiled as he read them aloud, asking why they wanted to become police officers. Some wrote that they wanted to catch criminals and maintain world peace, which he considered idealistic. Others wrote about maintaining a harmonious society and protecting the property and lives of the people, which he found insincere. Some wrote that they wanted a stable career, and becoming a police officer was the best choice, which he considered pragmatic.
Chief Xu couldn’t find a convincing answer to this question with no definite answer. After years of being a police officer, he knew that being a good police officer required more than just passion, ideals, and knowledge. He didn’t know the exact answer himself when it came to recruiting. While going through the forms, he suddenly burst into laughter when he saw a certain page. He laughed so hard and menacingly that he ended up lying on his back.
Deputy Chief Shi came over to see what was going on, and Chief Xu handed him a form. When Deputy Chief Shi saw it, he also chuckled. On that form, someone had written a few lines, stating that their ideal was to become a successful businessman, preferably as rich as Bill Gates. As for becoming a police officer, there was no choice; the reason was:
My mom. She forced me!
Last Edit: December 21, 2023 at 4:23 PM
This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.
Someone picked this up!? Thanks! This novel seems good so far