Chapter 32

As the captain of the criminal investigation team in this large city, Yangpu Cheng has always believed that he is a dedicated and hardworking person, someone who was born to do this job.

He truly loves his work, so during his free time, he would often try out the pistols of the young police officers around him. Since young police officers generally prefer powerful or advanced models, they all chose the new 92-type pistols. Old Yang weighed and examined them, but still had some doubts.

This has become his professional habit; he would often ponder over people he found interesting.

Regarding the young man surnamed Ba, he did not have too many malicious speculations. After so many years as a detective, he could usually sense whether someone was good or bad, even if he couldn't tell at first glance. He just felt that there was something indescribable about this young man, something worth pondering.

Being an old police officer, he always chose to carry the light and almost obsolete 54-type pistol when on duty. It had less power and less damage, perhaps less intimidating, but also less likely to cause accidental injuries or dangers. More importantly, only old police officers found it cumbersome to have a half-pound weight hanging from their waist, while young police officers would love to be equipped like American police, with all kinds of gear around their waist.

This generational difference was very obvious.

So Old Yang categorized this young man as part of the younger generation, especially when he touched the thick callus on the second joint of Ba Ke's right index finger. This gave him a sense of familiarity, as Xiao Shao also had such a callus, but he did not.

Old police officers who came from the military were used to placing their fingers on the trigger or the trigger guard, naturally forming a callus on the tip of their index finger. Ba Ke did not have this.

Only the new style of handling guns emphasized keeping the index finger safely on the side of the gun, sliding it down to the trigger only when necessary. This sliding motion would form a special callus over time, whether handling a pistol or a rifle.

But regardless of the handling style, all gun users should have some wear and tear on their palms, especially at the base of the thumb. Ba Ke's hands were very clean, which almost made Old Yang think he wasn't a gun user.

There was always something vague floating in his mind.

Until one day, while handling some business at the special police unit, he saw a group of special police officers returning from training, drenched in sweat. A flash of insight struck him: "Gloves!"

He immediately thought of the gloves that Ba Ke almost always wore, even when standing next to the barbecue grill!

Of course, Old Yang knew these weren't the full-finger rubber gloves, but the fingerless gloves that the special police officers preferred. These gloves provided a clear tactile sensation while protecting the palms and the back of the fingers, and also protected the base of the thumb from wear and tear.

Old Yang took off the gloves of these special police officers one by one to examine them. Nowadays, unless they were specially recruited, most military personnel still go through a basic training process and are not allowed to use personal equipment. Therefore, those who transferred from the military to the special police usually had some wear and tear on the base of their thumbs.

In contrast, many new police officers, especially those from more fashionable police academies, started wearing tactical gloves from the beginning, and the wear and tear on the base of their thumbs was almost non-existent. Police officers also lacked the strong military aura of military personnel, which seemed to align with Old Yang's first impression of the young man.

Could he have been a special police officer in the northern border region?

If he wasn't a special police officer but was indeed a gun user, that would be dangerous.

So, out of personal interest, he found someone to retrieve the young man's household registration file for a detailed study.

Fang Lingying was also doing research. After assisting the criminal investigation team in clearing a case, she quickly received a request for assistance from a neighboring province and drove there herself. It was only about 400 kilometers away, and she would pass through some scenic areas along the way. She enjoyed these unofficial trips, as it seemed only in the presence of nature could she temporarily escape her unique personal hobbies and feel more normal.

So, during this period, she did not appear at Ba Ke's barbecue stall. Of course, their relationship was not close enough for her to inform Ba Ke about her business trip.

Ba Ke focused on his barbecue stall, even more so than before. He implemented all the projects that Liu Changyuan had suggested, wanting to see if he could manage with just the help of two underage girls.

Poor children grow up fast, and Ba Ke did not feel it was wrong to have the two sisters help. The girls were happy to be busy, and their parents, apart from occasionally coming to check on them and bring cold drinks in the evening, did not involve them in the daytime preparation of ingredients. They justified it by saying they were conducting operational tests, using a few English words to convince the parents.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood gossip continued, saying that the third son of the Liu family had been overworked, and now the Ba family was shamelessly continuing their profitable business, ignoring the third son's well-being.

Ba Ke remained silent.

But only the Shen sisters knew that, besides running the business, Ba Ke had deliberately picked fights with the surrounding shops twice, making them clean up their garbage and wastewater, improving the overall street environment. After a few days, everyone found that a cleaner environment made customers more comfortable, and business improved, so they reluctantly followed the rules. Some people even whispered that this big, dark man might be planning to form a street food association and become its president.

After about a month of hard work, Ba Ke finally discussed the matter with his parents after sorting out the barbecue stall and the surrounding relationships.

Nannan, with Ba Ke's permission, also participated in the family meeting, sitting on either side of Liu Shufen, holding her arms, feeling a sense of belonging in the family.

Ba Ke spoke simply: "School is starting soon. The two girls will go to school. I think they can handle sixth grade. You need to get along with your classmates and avoid conflicts. After this year, when we have more money, we'll send you to junior high school." He had a clear plan. After his millions of dollars returned, he would have a few million in assets. There were always prestigious schools that would accept students based on their ID cards, and finding a school registration wouldn't be a problem.

The two girls smiled sweetly, hugging Liu Shufen tightly and nodding like chickens pecking at rice, showing no trace of the tough girls from the street food stall. Ba Ke now knew these two little rascals had a completely different side!

Seeing that Ba Dacheng was about to ask something, Ba Ke continued: "I know very well about Liu San's illness. The monthly treatment costs are around 5,000 to 8,000 yuan. His parents are already retired, and the family can't afford it. I plan to give the barbecue stall to their family."

Ba Dacheng's eyes widened, and Liu Shufen was about to jump up. The two sisters immediately exchanged glances and hugged tighter!

Ba Ke waved his hand: "Mom, Dad... listen to me. On non-rainy days, we can make about 400 to 500 yuan a day, and now it's 800 to 900. In the past month, the three of us have earned over 20,000 yuan. If San works less and rests sometimes, their family can cover their expenses and still have some left over. This income is just a better life for us, but for them, it's a hope for survival. So, this is settled. I have other things to do." He spoke firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Liu Shufen was still reluctant: "Xiaoming! Your father and I have never made this much money in a month!"

Ba Ke chuckled: "What about the money I send you?"

Ba Dacheng held back his wife, giving a thumbs up: "Good! You are truly our son! Righteous! I support you!" He adopted the posture of supporting the workshop director in a meeting and even stood up to give his son a cigarette.

Ba Ke lit the cigarette and comforted his emotional mother: "Do you think I will always be just a barbecue vendor?"

With that, Liu Shufen immediately felt relieved, her attention shifting to the urgent need to go out and brag about her son's good deed: "Big Sister, go to the Zhang family and borrow a broom..."

She was going to show off!

She had been depressed for a whole month!

PS: Fourth update. Tomorrow is Monday, and a new week of ranking starts. I hope everyone will support me. Thank you for the recommendations and clicks!~~

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