Chapter 10

After coming out of the small stir-fry shop, He Hao saw the other three had already returned to school. He quietly followed behind Xiao Qi.

"Hey, sir, your reasoning doesn't make sense!" Catching up, He Hao walked while whispering, "I remember you rushed over to grab the car with a look of shock. Could you be so sure that the rapist would harm Yang Xue and Su Zi, and that it happened just yesterday?"

"Idiot, I received a call from one of Yang Xue's admirers, saying that Su Zi had lured Yang Xue to the Yellow Forest again last night. Plus, I heard about it from my cousin in the afternoon. Could I not make the connection?" Xiao Qi said with a serious face, "I called you to prevent any mishaps."

"Why didn't you tell me directly?"

"Do you think, with your mouse-like courage, you wouldn't run away if I told you?"

"Uh... seems like it!"

"Exactly!" Seeing that he was somewhat convinced, Xiao Qi quickly patted his shoulder, "Good brother, as a reward, I'll help you get Xiao Yuan. Tell me, do you want to drug her or kidnap her? Whatever you say, I'll go all the way with you."

"Spit!" He Hao was furious, "I am a handsome and charming man, and women beg me to be with them. Would I be so despicable? You're a real bastard! I disdain to be with you, I'm leaving!... Buy me ten packs of beef jerky to compensate for my fragile heart, and it must be the Lao Shuchuan brand, remember!"

Saying that, He Hao turned and walked back to the school.

Of course, He Hao wasn't really angry; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the opportunity to extort.

Watching his back, Xiao Qi let out a long breath. Apart from not being able to keep secrets, He Hao had another characteristic: he was very open-minded and didn't like to overthink things. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to cover up this matter.

Stretching lazily, Xiao Qi felt relieved and continued toward his goal.

There was still an hour before the afternoon classes started. His father's police station was conveniently located between the school and the hospital. Now, Xiao Qi was heading to his father's office.

Turning into a street, he saw the gate with the police emblem at the end, about fifty meters away. Xiao Qi felt a strange mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

The security situation in Yuan Yin City was not good, and the police station's reputation among the people was average.

Just last year, two criminal gangs had a feud, and one of the bosses was being chased. With no place to run, he tried to surrender to the police station to save his life but was killed on this street, less than twenty meters from the police station gate.

However, in any city, the police station is the most important and authoritative department, without exception.

The Party Secretary, besides controlling the appointments, first needs to control the police station to firmly hold power and implement the desired policies.

Therefore, the police chief is usually also the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and a member of the Standing Committee of the county-level city, a deputy department-level cadre, one level higher than a regular department-level cadre.

The Political and Legal Affairs Commission is a political work department, similar to the political commissars in the military. Its duty is to assist the party in strengthening political and legal work and comprehensive social management, in simple terms, it is the boss over the police station, directly responsible to the Party Secretary.

Although the functions of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the police station overlap, they can be seen as two separate bodies, both directing the work of the police officers below.

Xiao Qi's father, Xiao Xu, is the director of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission's office, a busy position responsible for assigning tasks from superiors and coordinating the work of various departments. However, because he spends most of his time in the office, there are few benefits. Due to his easy-going nature and never being difficult to anyone, over time, fewer people came to offer him gifts.

It wasn't until two years later, by a stroke of luck, when a position in a bureau became vacant and there was no suitable candidate, that the talented Xiao Xu was promoted to bureau chief.

Xiao Xu quickly brought order to the chaotic audit bureau and, after five years, retired to the People's Congress. If nothing unexpected happened, he would likely retire as a deputy department-level cadre.

Of course, his father had more than just these abilities. He also had a high talent for analyzing current affairs.

It wasn't until after his retirement that Xiao Qi learned from Uncle Wei, who visited during a family trip, that the sharp commentator who often wrote about current affairs in the provincial newspaper was actually his always gentle and refined father. Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover.

Thinking about the articles like "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth" and "Persist in development for fifty years without wavering"... These articles made scholars famous and turned them into the country's think tanks. Xiao Qi felt that not making good use of the major changes in these few years would be a waste of both his father's talent and the gift of his rebirth.

While his thoughts were flowing, Xiao Qi had already walked up to the third floor of the police station.

In those years, the management of the police station in small cities was not strict, and many people could enter and exit freely.

Once, when Xiao Qi was in junior high, his bicycle was stolen, and he cried uncontrollably. His father joked, "Don't cry, there are more bicycles missing from the police station than from our family compound," which made him laugh through his tears.

"Uncle Ma, Uncle Chang..."

On the third floor, it was the territory of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. After greeting everyone, the good boy Xiao Qi's mouth was dry, and he finally ran into his father's office.

Because of Xiao Xu's generosity and lack of competitiveness, many people in the Political and Legal Affairs Commission had a good relationship with him. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for everyone to unanimously recommend him as the audit bureau chief three years later.

Xiao Xu's usual work involved handling documents and making phone calls. He was on the phone, instructing a police station in a town. Seeing Xiao Qi come in, he smiled and gestured for his son to sit down.

After finishing the call, Xiao Xu stood up and looked at his son's arm, "How is it? No problem, right?"

"Much better, nothing serious," Xiao Qi laughed, "It's not a potato, no big deal."

A potato was a homemade bomb, about the size of two adult fists, containing glass shards and iron sand. It was a significant weapon in gang fights a few years ago, with a strong killing power that made people fear it. However, in recent years, due to everyone's restraint, it was rarely seen.

"Nonsense!" Xiao Xu tapped his son's head, "It's almost time for class, why did you come here?"

Xiao Qi smiled, "A classmate treated me to a meal, and I didn't go home. I came to see you after eating. I haven't seen you for two or three days."

A hint of guilt flashed in Xiao Xu's eyes, and he sighed, "Dad is busy with work. When I have some free time, we can go to Rongcheng for the National Day holiday. You've always wanted to see the Fish Mouth Dam, right?"

Xiao Qi nodded and pretended to say casually, "By the way, Dad, I heard from Mom a few days ago that our third house is about to start the payment, right?"

Before 2008, in small cities, government employees and wealthy systems like banks and oil companies still had collective housing projects, and the prices were about half of the commercial housing, providing significant benefits.

Xiao Qi's father was a government employee and got a house in 1993. His mother worked at the Construction Bank and also had a house, which cost only two or three thousand yuan at the time.

Now, Yuan Yin City was developing, and another housing boom was underway. The Construction Bank was again offering collective housing to its employees, with subsidies bringing the price down to 500 yuan per square meter, half of the market price of 1000 yuan per square meter.