Chapter 64

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Xu Yan chuckled dryly a couple of times before asking about Zheng Qiuyi's purpose—Little sister, you didn't come all the way here just to express your nostalgia for the school, did you?

Zheng Qiuyi slapped her forehead: "After all that talking, I almost forgot the main thing—Xu Yan, here you go!"

As she spoke, she took a large envelope from her car and handed it to Xu Yan: "This is the complete set of documents for your girlfriend, Zhu Youxiang—everything is done. Here's the household registration book, and here's the ID card. They're all genuine, and can be verified at the police station. Keep them safe; I owe the chief a big favor for this. Your two cartons of cigarettes were really worth it."

"So fast? Wow, I really appreciate your help, Senior Sister!"

Xu Yan gratefully accepted the documents. The issue of Zhu Youxiang's household registration had been his biggest worry. He knew that without the help of a police officer like Zheng Qiuyi, he would have no connections or knowledge of the procedures. If he had tried to handle it on his own, he might have spent hundreds of thousands of yuan and still not gotten Zhu Youxiang's household registration sorted out.

Now, with the household registration and ID card, Zhu Youxiang would no longer be an undocumented person. From now on, she would be a legitimate citizen and could freely participate in public activities.

Xu Yan said gratefully, "Senior Sister, you've really helped me a lot. How about... let's have lunch together today! You pick the restaurant, and we'll have a great meal!"

Zheng Qiuyi waved her hand: "Next time, Junior Brother. I have a case to investigate this noon. Let's meet up when we have time. I'll call you. Alright, I'll go first. Talk to you later~"

Since she was on a case, Xu Yan didn't dare to linger, but he suddenly remembered something, and his heart tightened: "Senior Sister, take your time—uh, speaking of cases, how did the last one turn out? Did you catch the murderer?"

Zheng Qiuyi stopped and frowned: "Which case?"

"The one where the body was found in Fengyuan Community last time..."

"Oh, that one. We're still investigating, but there hasn't been much progress. What's up, Junior Brother? Do you have any leads to provide?"

Xu Yan tried to appear nonchalant: "Senior Sister, you're joking. How could I have any leads? I just remembered that when we met last time, you were investigating the case in Fengyuan Community, so I asked out of curiosity. Senior Sister, these cases, can they all be solved?"

Zheng Qiuyi shook her head: "Not necessarily—our country's case-solving rate is actually quite low. Officially, it's claimed to be 80-90%, but the real rate is anyone's guess. We insiders say that a 20% solving rate is already good. For murder cases, the Ministry is more focused, so the solving rate is higher, but it's still far from 50%. Even the provincial and national bureaus have many unsolved cases that are over 20 years old—though I'm telling you this, don't spread it around."

"Ah, Senior Sister, I understand. But for the case in Fengyuan Community, which you're in charge of, if it can't be solved, will you face any consequences?"

"The case in Fengyuan Community is too bizarre, and the higher-ups haven't set a deadline yet. If we end up with nothing, we'll definitely get criticized, but whether there will be other punishments, who knows."

Zheng Qiuyi shrugged, and seeing her nonchalant attitude, Xu Yan felt relieved—after all, they had become good friends. If Zheng Qiuyi were to face any punishment because of this case, Xu Yan would feel guilty.

But no matter how guilty he felt, Xu Yan couldn't turn himself in—failing to solve the case would at most get Little Zheng criticized, but if he did something foolish, Zhu Youxiang would be in serious trouble. Xu Yan knew the severity of the situation.

But after a moment, Zheng Qiuyi remembered something else: "By the way, last time you mentioned that someone from the State Security Bureau wanted to talk to you. Have they contacted you yet?"

"No... After you mentioned it, I waited for a whole week, but they haven't come."

"Oh, I think they'll be in touch soon..."

Seeing Xu Yan's puzzled expression, Zheng Qiuyi felt a bit embarrassed: "There's a section chief surnamed Shen in the State Security Bureau who is somewhat acquainted with me. He couldn't find you, so he asked me several times for any leads. I felt sorry for him, being pestered so much, so I told him about your situation..."

Seeing Xu Yan's face fall, Zheng Qiuyi realized her mistake and smiled apologetically: "It's not a big deal, right? The State Security Bureau just wants to find you to complete their task. When they come, just chat and have tea with them. Section Chief Shen assured me that they just want you as a witness, and they won't do anything to you."

Xu Yan inwardly groaned, thinking that Zheng Qiuyi, who seemed so sharp, had messed up on this crucial matter. The State Security Bureau was the most mysterious and powerful "relevant department"! They wouldn't come looking for him without a reason—Zheng Qiuyi might not know the reason, but Xu Yan had a hunch.

Now, even if he killed Zheng Qiuyi, it wouldn't help. Xu Yan could only look at her with a mix of resentment and helplessness, thinking that the ancient sages were right—women and small-minded people are indeed hard to deal with. Anyone who relies on a woman to keep a secret is bound to be disappointed.

Feeling Xu Yan's resentful gaze, Zheng Qiuyi felt guilty and chuckled dryly: "Don't worry, Section Chief Shen promised me it would be fine! I really have to go now, I have something to do. Let's have lunch another time!"

With that, she quickly got into her police car, waved at Xu Yan through the window, and drove off.

Watching the police car drive away, Xu Yan felt helpless. He stood there for a while, feeling as if his brain was filled with paste, unsure of what to do.

With a heavy heart, Xu Yan returned home. As usual, Zhu Youxiang opened the door for him and greeted him with a smile: "Master Xu, you're back."

Xu Yan forced a smile and greeted Zhu Youxiang: "Xuanyun, I have some good news. Can you guess what it is?"

Zhu Youxiang had already seen the envelope Xu Yan was hiding behind his back and smiled: "Master Xu is so happy—could it be that my household registration has been successfully processed?"

"Ha, Xuanyun, you're too smart. I can't even surprise you. That's right, Xuanyun, your household registration is done! From now on, you can go out freely!"

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiang's face lit up with joy—she had been stuck at home, watching TV and dramas to pass the time, but as a seventeen-year-old girl, she was naturally active and had been feeling stifled.

She opened the envelope and saw the second-generation ID card with her photo and name. She couldn't stop admiring it and asked Xu Yan how to use it.

Xu Yan explained the uses of the ID card to Zhu Youxiang: it could be used to respond to police checks, open bank accounts, withdraw money, borrow books from libraries, and sign contracts. In short, with this ID card, Zhu Youxiang was a legal citizen and no longer had to worry about being caught by the authorities.

"By the way, Xuanyun, do you have money on you? When you go out, you should carry some money—uh, not gold ingots, but the RMB we use here."

Xu Yan went to the bedroom, took out a stack of money, and laid it out on the table in front of Zhu Youxiang, teaching her how to identify different denominations of banknotes.

"This is a one-yuan note. When you take the bus, you can put two of these in. This slightly blue one is a five-yuan note, which you can use to buy a drink and a bread roll at a store. This is a ten-yuan note, which you can use to take a taxi. This is a twenty-yuan note, and this is a fifty-yuan note... The largest denomination is this slightly red one-hundred-yuan note, which is the easiest to counterfeit. Be careful when you receive it, and don't accept any fakes."

Zhu Youxiang listened attentively and asked, "Master Xu, in your country, are there counterfeit banknotes? Does the government not regulate them?"

"Of course they do. Counterfeiting RMB is a serious crime, and those caught are sent to prison. But because it's a highly profitable industry, some criminals are willing to take the risk."

"Oh, that's similar to our situation. The coins we mint, the Daming Tongbao, are often counterfeited by evil people. The Ministry of Punishments arrests a batch every year. In our country, anyone caught counterfeiting is immediately reported to the Ministry of Punishments and sentenced to death, even if there's a pardon."

Xu Yan was taken aback: "What is 'death'?"

Zhu Youxiang glanced at him and said calmly, "It means beheading—cutting off the head. In your country, those caught counterfeiting are only sent to prison?"

Xu Yan recalled the news he had seen and was unsure: "I think so. Generally, they are only sent to prison, but some who counterfeit large amounts are also executed—oh, that means the death penalty, the same as your 'death'."

"I see." Zhu Youxiang looked relieved: "Counterfeiting is a serious crime. Without severe punishment, how can we deter those driven by greed? In my opinion, your government is too lenient. They should execute the entire families of those who commit such crimes."

After saying this, she picked up the different denominations of banknotes and examined them carefully. After a while, she discovered something new and exciting and said to Xu Yan, "Master Xu, look: the one-hundred-yuan note, the fifty-yuan note, the twenty-yuan note, the ten-yuan note—oh, and the one-yuan and five-yuan notes as well—all have the same portrait on them!

Who is this person, and why is he so important that his portrait is on all the banknotes? He must be a great figure in your country, right?"

Seeing Zhu Youxiang's surprised expression, Xu Yan sat up straight and said solemnly, "Xuanyun, our country is a republic, and this person is the founder of our republic and the first supreme leader. He established our country and our system!"

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiang sat up straight and showed a respectful expression: "So, he is the founding emperor of your country—I apologize for not showing proper respect."

Zhu Youxiang stood up and bowed deeply to the banknotes on the table, lowering her head respectfully—Xu Yan had noticed that whenever matters involving the royal family, the emperor, or the government were mentioned, Zhu Youxiang became particularly attentive and serious. Seeing her treat a banknote with such reverence, Xu Yan found it amusing.

Xu Yan was teaching Zhu Youxiang about daily life when he heard a loud knocking at the door.

Xu Yan yawned: "It must be that fatso Liu Yang! I told him about a dinner party where he could meet beautiful women, and he's probably eager to go now!" Xu Yan complained as he walked quickly to the door: "I'm coming, I'm coming, fatty, don't be so impatient!"

He opened the door, but instead of the expected fat Liu, two unfamiliar men in casual jackets stood there, expressionless.

Xu Yan was taken aback, but he reacted quickly and immediately tried to close the door—since the last incident with the assassins, Xu Yan had been on high alert. Worried about retaliation, he remained vigilant even at home, and his first reaction to any unusual situation was to close the door.

But the two men were also quick. As Xu Yan tried to close the door, one of them quickly blocked it, while the other inserted his foot into the gap and showed Xu Yan a black wallet with a golden national emblem: "Are you Xu Yan? Don't worry, we're police."

The two men exuded a cold and efficient aura, which could only belong to police or gangsters. Seeing their credentials, Xu Yan felt relieved: they weren't gangsters seeking revenge, which made him feel much better.

...