Chapter 18: Running Oneself Ragged (Part 5)

Liu Guangfen stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching Hou Weiguo gulp down water like a thirsty ox. She scolded him, "You just came back from outside. Don't drink like that; your stomach can't handle it. If you don't listen, I won't make it for you again."

Hou Weiguo was about to put the pitcher of lemonade into the refrigerator when Liu Guangfen added, "Don't put it in there. Your father will be back soon, and he can't drink anything too cold."

At that moment, a harsh screech of brakes echoed from downstairs. Liu Guangfen walked to the window and saw that it was indeed her husband returning. She called out loudly, "Xiao Cheng, when you head back, please tell Hou Xiaoying to come home for dinner tonight."

A young man sitting in the driver’s seat leaned his head out and said, "Teacher Liu, what delicious food are you making? Why don't you invite me?"

"Come on up. I’m afraid some people wouldn't dare, though?"

The young man had recently married and was already a typical henpecked husband. He laughed, "Forget it. Teacher Liu isn't sincere. It’s not an invitation specifically for me. I’ll come another day."

"When are you going to bring your new bride over for a meal?"

"Sure, I will."

As the car engine started, a middle-aged man in a police uniform walked into the house. Seeing that both Hou Weiguo and Hou Weidong were present, he asked, "When did you two get back?" as he walked to the table, picked up the basin, and drained it in one go.

This middle-aged man was Hou Yonggui, Hou Weidong’s father. He was a veteran police station chief at the Wuhai County Public Security Bureau. Highly skilled in his trade and commanding considerable respect, every bureau director had trusted him. However, lacking formal educational credentials and possessing a stubborn streak, he had remained a police station chief for over a decade despite his long tenure.

Hou Yonggui had grown accustomed to wearing his police uniform, both during his military service and his police career. He didn’t even change out of it when he came home; he simply unbuttoned the top collar button to signal that he had arrived. Liu Guangfen brought the pitcher of lemonade from the table to Hou Yonggui and said, "It was just taken out of the fridge. Drink less."

Hou Yonggui said nothing. He took the lemonade and drained it in a single gulp.

Liu Guangfen shook her head helplessly. "Like father, like son. The father doesn’t set a good example either."

Hou Yonggui sat on the sofa, flipping through the day’s newspaper. After setting it down, he turned to Hou Weiguo and said, "What is your Criminal Investigation Detachment doing? In the past six months, three major cases have occurred in Wuhai, and not a single one has been solved. In my opinion, that batch of college graduates in the detachment is still too green. They aren’t willing to endure hardship. Back in our day, for a single case, we’d wear a tattered cotton-padded jacket and squat in one spot for a whole month. Sometimes, old-fashioned methods work better than fancy new gadgets."

"Combining specialized work with mass mobilization, combining traditional methods with modern techniques—this makes sense. Go back and tell Captain Zhou that we cannot abandon our old traditions." He continued, "I just can’t understand why Director Yin lets you run around blindly. Your detachment has the most cars, with two vehicles per squadron. Your equipment is the best, too. I heard that everyone above the rank of squadron leader in your detachment has a pager, even Chinese-language ones. In my view, spending all that money would be better used to mobilize the masses. The cases would have been solved long ago."

Hou Weiguo was the squadron leader of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. A graduate of the Shazhou Police Academy, he represented the academic faction of the Wuhai Public Security Bureau, while his father was a typical local traditionalist. Their arguments at home were nothing new.

Hou Weiguo immediately retorted, "Dad, your concepts are outdated. No wonder you can’t keep up with the times. Many criminals now have cars. If our detachment doesn’t have good vehicles, how can we catch them? The benefits of pagers are numerous. No matter where you are, the paging station can locate you. Captain Zhou has issued a strict order: anyone with a pager must be available twenty-four hours a day. Can your police station achieve that? Dad, you can say these things at home, but don’t go around saying them outside. It might make people think you’re uneducated."

Hou Yonggui threw the newspaper onto the table and said, "High-tech? Captain Zhou used to follow right behind me. I taught him everything with my own hands. I at least attended a crash course at the Nanjing Artillery School. Captain Zhou, at best, is just a high school graduate."

"Dad, you’re wrong again. Captain Zhou took correspondence courses and obtained a college diploma. He counts as an intellectual now."

Both Hou Yonggui and Hou Weiguo were highly competent police officers, but their viewpoints differed. Every time they met, they would argue a few rounds. It had become a habit, and the family was used to it. Liu Guangfen ignored them and pulled her youngest son, Hou Weidong, into the kitchen to help peel garlic. The two of them began chatting about the situation at Xiaojia’s home.

"Her family works at a factory. Their conditions are quite average. Why should they look down on my son? Our family is doing quite well. Both parents have jobs, and we have no financial burdens. You work in a party and government organ." Liu Guangfen was still feeling aggrieved for Hou Weidong. "Try to succeed. Work hard, and let them regret it later."

After finishing peeling the garlic, Hou Weidong said, "There is indeed a large gap between Shazhou City and Yiyang County. It’s normal for them to look down on us. I understand Xiaojia’s parents."

Hou Weidong was Liu Guangfen’s favorite son. Hearing him speak so reasonably made her happy, though she still said, "Xiaojia is still a nice girl. To use a trendy phrase, you two have fate but no destiny."

Hou Weidong laughed. "Mom, where did you learn that phrase?"

Liu Guangfen pointed to the television. "TV dramas play every day. Your mother at least graduated from a secondary vocational school. I have some comprehension skills."

Their daughter, Hou Xiaoying, burst through the door, panting. Seeing the whole family present, she said happily, "Finally, there’s some labor power at home. There are five large watermelons at the downstairs convenience store, each weighing over ten jin. Hou Weidong, go carry them back."

Hou Yonggui was about to smoke but realized he had run out of cigarettes. He stood up and said, "Five watermelons? That’s a lot. Where did they come from?"

"Dad, it’s a welfare benefit from He Yong Silk Factory. Consider it a summer cooling allowance."

Hou Yonggui, Hou Weiguo, and Hou Weidong went downstairs to the convenience store. Someone was already buying cigarettes there. The plump woman running the store was married to a police station officer who had once worked with Hou Yonggui. Seeing the family arrive, she greeted them warmly, "Chief Hou, the whole family is back today. You should have a good meal."

The man buying cigarettes was handing over money. Hearing the title "Chief Hou," he couldn’t help but glance back. Seeing Hou Yonggui in his police uniform, the muscles in his face stiffened. He forced himself to remain calm, turned back, and took the cigarettes.

Suddenly, Hou Yonggui patted the man’s arm and asked, "Handcuff marks?"

The man replied, "Injured while working."

Before the man could react, Hou Yonggui made a swift move, and a pair of handcuffs snapped onto the man’s right wrist. Realizing he was exposed, the man prepared to resist. Hou Weiguo, though unsure of what was happening, saw his father take action and quickly drew his gun, pointing it at the man. "Don’t move."

Seeing the gun, the man stopped resisting and was handcuffed obediently.

Hou Weidong watched from the side, completely confused. Hou Weiguo had already gone to start the car. Only after the car had disappeared did Hou Weidong return to the convenience store.

The food hadn’t even cooled down when the sound of brakes echoed from downstairs again. Hou Yonggui and Hou Weiguo returned home. Hou Yonggui was carrying a bottle of Wuhai Red, a high-proof grain liquor produced in Wuhai, known for its pure taste.

Seeing the smiles on their faces, Hou Weidong knew they had caught a big fish. Sure enough, Hou Yonggui said to Hou Xiaoying, "Xiaoying, go cut up a salted duck. We’re having some drinks today. I told Old Liu I wouldn’t work this afternoon."

"No need to cut anything. We have plenty of dishes at home." Liu Guangfen quickly brought several plates out of the kitchen: braised pork ribs, braised fish, stewed chicken soup, and twice-cooked pork.

Hou Yonggui said to Xiaoying, "Go quickly. Your father wants to eat salted duck today."