Chapter 79

Chang Jin and Sui Muxin were both graduates of a sports school, with good physical fitness. For them, a ten-thousand-meter run was just a matter of breaking a sweat, but being punished right after joining the police force was a psychological blow.

"Brother Jin, what happened? Weren't things arranged?" Sui Muxin asked with a sad face.

"There must be something wrong. I'll find out later what kind of background this guy has," Chang Jin said, a flash of hatred in his eyes.

After the ten-thousand-meter run, the others were already receiving "scientific development concept" education. The two unlucky ones quickly changed into their police uniforms and reported to the classroom. The instructor let them in and they sat in the last row. Unfortunately, Liu Handong and Lin Lianan were also in the last row, giving them the finger.

Chang Jin didn't dare to say anything, only mouthing to them, "I won't let you off."

Liu Handong sneered, knowing that there was plenty of time. He was very familiar with how to deal with people in a disciplined force. He had a hundred ways to get rid of Chang Jin and his followers without being criticized by the leadership.

The seven days of political and ideological education were just an appetizer. The training was divided into two parts because the Spring Festival was in between. The students didn't care whether they celebrated the New Year, but the instructors did, so there was a seven-day break to let the students relax. After all, they would face a three-year, non-stop service period.

On the last day of the training, it was already close to the Spring Festival. No one was in the mood to work, and the streets were filled with official cars busy with gift-giving and networking. In the small auditorium of the police academy, 150 candidates were bent over their desks, taking an exam to assess the seven days of political and ideological indoctrination.

Liu Handong had excellent college entrance exam scores, and this kind of rote memorization test was no challenge for him. While others struggled with the long essay questions, he could write hundreds of words with ease. He finished the exam quickly, submitted it, and left. Chang Jin and Muxin were still scratching their heads, with their papers blank.

After the exam, they couldn't leave immediately. There was a political and ideological class in the afternoon. Liu Handong was squatting by the flower bed outside the teaching building, smoking. He saw Zhang Y森 approaching with his hands behind his back and quickly extinguished the cigarette, stood up, and saluted.

Smoking was not prohibited on campus, but that didn't stop Zhang Y森 from finding fault.

"Have you finished the exam?"

"Report, Instructor, I have finished."

"Did you leave after finishing?"

"Report, Instructor, I was afraid of affecting the other students, so I left first."

"If this were a battle, would you leave your comrades in the enemy's encirclement after completing your task? Ten thousand meters, run against the wind, immediately!" Zhang Y森 shouted.

Liu Handong almost laughed, but as a sergeant with eight years of military experience, he knew that the instructor was trying to break the students' spirit and establish his own authority. This time, it was his turn to suffer. He didn't argue and obediently went to run.

Zhang Y森 walked into the exam room, picked up Liu Handong's paper, and his eyebrows relaxed. This guy looked rough, but his handwriting was elegant and his answers were well-rounded and thorough.

Looking out the window, he saw Liu Handong running on the large playground, chest out, head up, and full of spirit. A smile appeared on Zhang Y森's lips.

After the last class in the afternoon, the students' hearts were already flying, but they still had to suppress their desire to play and wait for the instructor to announce the results.

Zhang Y森 walked into the large classroom with a black face, holding a piece of paper. He cleared his throat and said, "This batch is the worst I've ever seen! Your cultural knowledge is a mess! It's a good thing you're becoming riot police. If you were to be detectives or narcotics officers, you'd die a thousand deaths!"

Everyone lowered their heads deeply.

"I will announce the rankings. Don't be proud if you did well, and don't be discouraged if you did poorly. First place, Liu Handong, 95 points..."

Applause broke out, but only Lin Lianan clapped. The others looked at him as if he were an idiot. Lin Lianan quickly stopped and buried his head in his lap.

Zhang Y森 scanned the room with a stern look and continued to announce the results. Out of 150 students, 30 did not pass, and among those who passed, most scored in the 60s and 70s. Only five people scored over 90, and all but Liu Handong were girls.

Lin Lianan passed because he sat close to Liu Handong and could easily see the answers, scoring 75 points. Chang Jin and Sui Muxin were not so lucky, scoring only in the 50s. Fortunately, this exam was not the final assessment, or they would have been kicked out.

The holiday began, and the students changed into civilian clothes and left the campus. The regular students of the police academy had already gone on winter break, so the school gate was deserted, with no black cars in sight. Everyone huddled and stomped their feet, waiting at the bus stop. The area was in the suburbs, and buses came only once every half hour. The ground was covered in snow, and the weather was cold and slippery, with no sign of when the bus would arrive.

Some students had cars, like Chang Jin, who drove a Honda CRV. Sui Muxin sat proudly in the passenger seat, and they discussed taking some female students into the city to build relationships.

"That girl is Zhao Liangxuan. Her father works at customs. She will probably end up in the Entry-Exit Administration after the training," Chang Jin said, well-informed about the social connections of his classmates.

"We must contact her," Sui Muxin said.

"Of course, we need to start building our network. Besides, she's quite pretty, ha ha," Chang Jin said, driving over and sticking his head out, "Ladies, need a ride?"

Zhao Liangxuan smiled, "No, we have a car."

As she spoke, a white Fukan with the Big Dipper painted on its body came out of the campus. The door opened, and three female students happily climbed into the back seat. Liu Handong, sitting in the driver's seat, nodded to Chang Jin, "Sorry, I'm leaving first."

"Damn!" Chang Jin slammed the steering wheel.

"Brother Jin, there are still some girls over there," Sui Muxin pointed to some girls in the distance.

"Why don't you go to hell," Chang Jin said angrily, stepping on the gas and driving away.

"Brother Jin, have you found out about Liu Handong's background?" Sui Muxin asked.

"He's someone Song Jianfeng recommended," Chang Jin said resentfully.

"That's not good," Sui Muxin gasped.

In the Fukan, the three female students chattered and laughed. Liu Handong was tall, handsome, and a top student, making him the most popular among the female students. Even Lin Lianan benefited from this.

"Actually, I was introduced by Director Song. His wife is my third aunt. I don't tell this to just anyone," Lin Lianan boasted, a bit blunt but effective.

"Wow, you'll definitely be assigned to a good unit after the training," a girl who could be rated a 7 said, not hiding her envy.

"I want to train myself, so I'll start as a special police officer for a while. With grassroots experience, I can improve myself better. My goal is to reach the rank of section chief before I'm 30," Lin Lianan, drawing on the glorious tradition of veterans, boasted without hesitation.

Liu Handong chuckled but didn't expose him.

In a previous conversation, Lin Lianan had told the truth: Song Jianfeng's wife was indeed surnamed Lin, but had no relation to him. Liu Handong, however, showed the embroidered name "Song Jianfeng" and the words "Supervised by the Public Security Department" on the lining of his suit, which almost made Lin Lianan wet his pants.

After dropping off the female students and Lin Lianan, Liu Handong prepared to go home for the New Year.

On Iron Slag Street, Tuji Beef Village was closed. Shan Pao, with his wife and brother-in-law, had already left for their hometown with Kan Wanlin. Xiao Li, who lived downstairs, had also locked her door and returned home early. Zhu Xiaqiang had bought a ticket to return to his hometown in Anhui and was leisurely playing games. Seeing Liu Handong return, he felt uneasy, "Brother Dong, I still owe you 400 yuan. It will take some time to pay it back."

"Don't worry, wait until you find a job," Liu Handong said, packing his luggage and going downstairs to say goodbye to the Huo family. He then called Ma Ling and was about to set off on his journey home.

Suddenly, he noticed that Mei Jie's hair salon was open. He parked the car and went in. The room was filled with large and small bags. Mei Jie was squatting on a chair, smoking, and Huan Xi stood pitifully beside her.

"What's going on?" Liu Handong asked.

"Just got back from the long-distance bus station. It was packed. I heard it was snowing on the road, and many buses were delayed. I got angry and canceled my ticket," Mei Jie said.

"How are you going to celebrate the New Year without going home?" Liu Handong patted Xiao Yan's head.

"We'll celebrate on Iron Slag Street. Buy some food and drink. Isn't that what the New Year is about?" Mei Jie smoked, speaking lightly, but her eyes betrayed deep homesickness.

Huan Xi said hesitantly, "Sister, maybe the bus will come if we wait a bit longer."

"Even if it comes, I won't take it. It's infuriating," Mei Jie said, still angry, probably because of an argument with a station staff member.

Liu Handong laughed, "Why don't you ride with me? It's free."

Mei Jie smiled, "How can that be? Let me give you a massage to cover the fare." She then pushed her chest against Liu Handong's arm.

"Skip it, your fare is too high. I'd have to give you change," Liu Handong said, picking up his luggage. "Let's go early. It looks like it's going to snow again."

Mei Jie had a lot of luggage, while Huan Xi had only a small bag. They stuffed everything into the trunk and the back seat. Mei Jie sat in the back with Xiao Yan, and Huan Xi in the passenger seat. Liu Handong installed rubber anti-slip chains on the tires and began the difficult journey home.

Huan Xi and Mei Jie were from Pingchuan, a city in southern China with an underdeveloped economy and no expressways. The heavy snow had caused the roads to ice over, making them slippery and dangerous. Even an experienced driver like Liu Handong could only maintain a speed of 50 kilometers per hour.

At 1 a.m., they finally reached Pingchuan City, but Mei Jie and Huan Xi's hometown was still over a hundred kilometers away. To save on accommodation costs, Liu Handong drank a can of Red Bull and continued driving through the night.

The road became increasingly difficult, and the number of cars decreased. Liu Handong found himself reliving the feeling of driving on high-altitude snow roads, becoming more alert. Xiao Yan and Mei Jie were already fast asleep, but Huan Xi stayed awake, talking to Liu Handong, telling stories, and playing riddles to keep him from dozing off.

At dawn, they finally reached a small town. The white Fukan was now covered in dirty snow and mud, and the cheap anti-slip chains had broken.

A small truck with a loudspeaker slowly drove down the muddy road, broadcasting in non-standard Mandarin, "New Year's Grand Sale, all items at the County Glory Mall are 10% off..."

On the gray walls of the buildings, there were advertisements and slogans for family planning. The only bright spot was a billboard with a picture of a seaside villa and a field of lavender, with the words: "Provence Garden, starting at 5,000 yuan per square meter."

Mei Jie, who had woken up at some point, leaned against the car door and lit a cigarette, "My dream is to buy a house like this back home, open a small clothing store, and send Xiao Yan to university. I want her to marry a good man and live a stable and happy life in my hometown."

The wind blew her hair, and her eyes were misty, clearly lost in her Chinese dream.

The wind blew her hair, and her eyes were misty, clearly lost in her Chinese dream.