Chapter 28: First Ti
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Jiang He woke up early again, opened the door, and began practicing her sword techniques. This was sothing she had promised Xu Qing—to keep the door open so he could watch if he wanted.
Though Xu Qing hadn't gotten up yet, that wasn’t her concern.
In this unfamiliar era, the only thing she could truly rely on was her martial skills.
“Good morning.”
By the ti Xu Qing got up and finished washing up, Jiang He was already neat and tidy. Her forehead was still slightly damp from washing her face, and she was pouring cat food into Winter lon’s bowl.
Everything seed to be moving in a positive direction.
If she were stopped by street patrols now, as long as she didn’t suddenly lose her wits, she could probably avoid being suspected. After all, being a woman ca with certain privileges, and her appearance added extra points. It was far better than if soone like the burly, bearded gang leader had co here instead.
Xu Qing figured if the gang leader had been the one to cross over—standing over eight feet tall, covered in muscles, and wielding a massive blade while hiding in the stairwell—Aunt Cheng or whoever saw him first would’ve called the police on the spot.
The ntal image was just too much.
After brushing his teeth and rinsing with a loud gargling sound, Xu Qing wiped his face with a towel and casually asked, “What does your gang leader look like?”
“Taller than you.”
“Does he have a big beard?”
“Yes… why don’t you have a beard?”
“Because I’m a scholar, not a rough brigand.” Xu Qing shrugged, confirming that his imagination had been accurate. Grabbing his keys and phone, he turned to leave for breakfast.
“Scholars can have beards too. Could it be…”
“There’s no ‘could it be.’ I’m a normal man. I even have a razor specifically for shaving.”
“Oh.”
“What about your phone?” Xu Qing asked.
Jiang He pulled out the phone from her clothes. “Here.”
After a pause, she looked down and said, “It seems to be broken…”
“No, it’s just out of battery. Phones need to be charged.”
Xu Qing went back to his room, grabbed a power bank, and led Jiang He out the door. While charging the phone, he helped her turn it on.
“Today is the weekend, so you don’t have to go to work. Leave the gas aside for now and focus on learning how to use the phone. If we’re not together, like if I go out and you see sothing like The Phantom Lover again, you can send a voice ssage or call on WeChat. You’ll also need it for earning and spending money in the future.”
“Spending money?”
“Yes, do you know these two words?”
“Wallet,” Jiang He said confidently, recognizing the characters.
“Exactly. This is your wallet now. Currently, it’s empty. I’ll transfer 100 yuan to you, and then you’ll have 100 yuan to spend.” Xu Qing sent her a 100-yuan red envelope and said, “Consider this a loan. Pay back when you get your first paycheck.”
Xu Qing rarely lent money to anyone. Only a select few people could borrow from him—but those people never needed to borrow money. On the other hand, those who would ask to borrow weren’t in that circle.
Thus, for the first ti in his life, Xu Qing lent money to soone—Jiang He.
“My first ti lending money goes to you,” Xu Qing said seriously, realizing the significance of this mont.
“…”
---
“Steel wok, crying for a broken frying pan~”
After finishing his shift, Qin Hao rode his little electric scooter back to his apartnt complex, humming a tune as he parked and locked his vehicle before heading upstairs.
“Dad, I’m back.”
“There’s porridge in the pot,” Qin Maocai replied, raising his head from the newspaper to glance at his son. “How many thieves did you catch last night?”
“There aren’t that many thieves to catch every day. It’s peaceful tis now. Anyone with arms and legs would rather be a beggar than a thief—they make more money.”
Qin Hao humd as he entered the kitchen, scooped a big bowl of porridge, grabbed a pancake from the side, and brought out so pickled vegetables.
The boastful claims he made when he first joined the force hadn’t co true at all.
“Xu Qing isn’t even a cop, and he managed to catch a thief. You’re a cop, and you’re doing nothing.”
“Huh?” Qin Hao turned his head. “When did that happen?”
“A few days ago. Old Xu said that soone broke into one of the old houses, and Xu Qing gave them a good beating before letting them go.”
“He really did that?!”
Qin Hao’s eyes widened, and he instinctively reached for his phone. “That guy didn’t even call . Why let them go? No organization, no discipline. I need to give him a good scolding!”
Every day, Qin Hao thought about doing sothing aningful, but he never got the chance. anwhile, Xu Qing just stayed ho and had trouble delivered to his doorstep. What kind of world was this?
“Hey, it’s already done. Why are you fussing? I also heard he’s got a girlfriend now, living with him.”
“That guy’s got the looks and the height. Getting a girlfriend is no big deal…”
Qin Hao chomped on his pancake but stopped chewing when he noticed his father’s sharp gaze.
“You admit he’s good-looking, huh? Good-looking people know to work hard for a girlfriend. What about you?”
“I… I’m not in a hurry. I just started working. What’s the rush?”
Qin Hao struggled to swallow the pancake, then sipped so porridge. “Besides, I’m always on call. I could get a work call at any mont. Finding soone too early would be pointless. If I’m going to find soone, it has to be for marriage. Otherwise, it’ll just end in a breakup. Look at Xu Qing’s last one…”
“He’s already had two!” Qin Maocai snapped. “You know it’s hard for you to find soone, so why aren’t you trying harder? Every day, you just ride that beat-up scooter around. What’s the point of that?”
“To catch thieves.”
“Have you caught any?”
“…No.”
After a mont of silence, Qin Hao perked up. “But I got a report the other day about sothing shady going on. I checked it out—it’s almost a sure thing. I’ll be raiding an illegal operation soon…”
“Why bother with that?” Qin Maocai glared at him.
“It’s illegal!”
“Does it affect you?”
“It’s against the law.”
“They’re just making a hard living. Why do you need to interfere? Got nothing better to do?”
“It’s illegal… Wait, Dad, are you—” Qin Hao suddenly paused, a horrifying thought crossing his mind.
“Don’t overthink it, you idiot!” Maocai barked, smacking down his newspaper and storming off.
“Wait, Dad, seriously. Don’t get involved in any of that stuff. What if one day, during a raid, you get caught? How am I supposed to face my colleagues?!”
“You little brat!”
“Wait, I’m serious! Think about it—do I uphold justice or protect you? Either way, I lose! Don’t put in that spot, Dad! Ow, stop hitting —I’m eating!”
Grabbing his pancake for protection, Qin Hao shouted, “Fine, fine! I’ll find a policewoman girlfriend and bring her ho for you to see, okay?”
“You? A policewoman? Keep dreaming!”
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