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by 陈年奶泡With that, Mrs. Chen returned to the car, retrieved a large mobile phone, and dialed a landline number in a certain village. After some time, her husband answered the call with a gruff voice.
Mrs. Chen began to portray herself as destitute, even going so far as to claim that her daughter was severely ill and required a substantial amount of money for treatment.
To her surprise, the conversation took a turn when the man abruptly hung up upon hearing about the illness.
Seeing through her supposed birth father's pretense, Chen Siyu apologized sincerely, "Mommy, I'm sorry. From now on, I won't hide anything like this from you."
The mother and daughter continued their conversation for a while.
Until the sound of a car honking interrupted them.
Mrs. Chen handed Chu Yuening a card from HSBC Bank, expressing gratitude. "Master, altering someone's destiny is no easy feat. As someone who understands the rules of feng shui, I know that no amount of money can repay your kindness in saving Siyu. Please accept it."
She held Chu Yuening's hand firmly.
"Thank you," Chu Yuening said, not refusing the gesture, and placed the card in her pocket.
Chen Siyu got into the car but leaned out to wave goodbye.
Chu Yuening also smiled and waved.
Behind the police station, a series of clacking footsteps of boots echoed as they descended the stairs.
She turned around and looked inside.
In the brightly lit hall, Uncle Zhong descended the tiered steps with a cup of coffee in hand, while Zhou Fengxu's attire billowed gently with each movement. At the edge, Shi Boren supported Gan Yizu's shoulder as they quickly jumped down the stairs, mimicking a superhero charging forward.
"Come on, Ning Ning! Let's go for some street-side barbecue!"
Chapter 117
At nine o'clock in the evening.
Xu's Seafood Stall was just a street away from the police station, so the group decided to walk there, leaving Shi Boren to drive.
The stall had an oil cloth canopy with a hanging electric light in the middle, beneath which several large round tables were arranged. It was already packed with customers.
As the officers arrived, many neighbors greeted them warmly.
Curious, Chu Yuening walked around and looked, placing the red plastic bag on the table before taking a seat. She then turned to observe Gan Yizu, who was sitting beside her. "It seems like many people know you two?"
"Yes," replied Gan Yizu as he sat down and started unpacking the dishes on the table. Gazing at the acquaintances greeting them, he smiled warmly. "There were several cases in this area earlier this year, so we've been called out here frequently. As a result, the neighbors have gotten to know us better."
"I see." Chu Yuening suddenly understood why they could call out their names. This also indicated how well-liked they were.
The staff from Xu Ji quickly came over to assist with ordering.
Zhou Fengxu took the menu and passed it to Chu Yuening. Seeing her eyes immediately drawn to it, he grinned and said, "Take a look and order whatever you want."
"Wow, wow, wow! I want to order too!" Shi Boren had just parked his car and plopped onto a stool. He then dragged the stool closer to Chu Yuening, his eyes glued to the menu.
"Get five servings of grilled chicken wings – Xu Ji's specialty. Ning Ning must try them."
"Okay." Chu Yuening pointed at the clams on the menu and looked up at the staff taking orders. "One serving of spicy pickled pepper steamed clams and one serving of steamed crawfish."
Then, she turned to Uncle Zhong. "Uncle Zhong, what would you like?"
Uncle Zhong set down his coffee cup, expressing his admiration for the young and impressively accurate Taoist priest. He smiled and said, "I'll have spicy stir-fried sea worms."
"Officer Zhou, what would you like?" Chu Yuening moved the menu aside and leaned over to look at Zhou Fengxu.
Zhou Fengxu was quietly discussing something with Gan Yizu. His slender fingers spun the teacup, but upon hearing his name, he stopped, his gaze meeting Chu Yuening's. "Anything is fine with me."
Shi Boren spoke up noisily, "Why not order all of Xu Brother's specialty seafood? Since he's footing the bill, the more, the merrier!"
"Order whatever you want, don't worry about burdening me financially," Zhou Fengxu placed his wallet directly on the table.
It was a bulging brown leather wallet, clearly stuffed with cash.
Chu Yuening, feeling a bit embarrassed, helped everyone make their selections before closing the menu.
As soon as she put it down, a check was pushed across the table toward her.
She lifted her gaze, meeting Zhou Fengxu's eyes.
He said, "For helping to catch Luo Tong at the police station today, there's a reward."
"Another bonus?" Chu Yuening was genuinely surprised. "The police department can give out so much in bonuses? The Hong Kong government is really wealthy."
"Indeed, we must drain them dry," Zhou Fengxu chuckled, retracting his gaze to resume discussing an ongoing case with Gan Yizu.
With the check in hand, Chu Yuening's eyes crinkled into a smile as she chuckled softly. "Thank you very much."
Only Shi Boren wore a look of astonishment.
"A bonus?"
He dragged a chair and crouched beside Zhou Fengxu, whispering, "Brother Xu, when did the police department start giving bonuses?"
"Can you inform me next time? I'll have my informants earn more."
Zhou Fengxu gazed at him, quirking a corner of his lips. "You don't have any informants."
"Oh!" Shi Boren suddenly understood and pointed. "You're using your p... "
Mid-sentence, he realized it wasn't appropriate to mention that Zhou Fengxu had used personal funds for the operation, so he leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Xu, if there's extra money next time, I wouldn't mind if you shared some with me."
He mentioned that apart from rewards for reporting serious criminals, where else would the police department offer additional bonuses?
It was all funded by Zhou Fengxu.
"You're thinking too much," Zhou Fengxu said, pushing aside the dishes to make space on the table. His gaze shifted to his left. "Yizu, how's the investigation into the female corpse found in Shiyun Park?"
He had been preoccupied with the poisoning case and hadn't had time to inquire about the progress.
"We've found something," Gan Yizu replied, setting down his teacup as he heard the detective's question. "I checked her entry records at Immigration. Her name is Kuang Lixia. She came to Hong Kong from Haili City around half a year ago for furniture business. She has a branch there, and she's married with two daughters."
They sat in the farthest corner of the place, keeping their voices low.
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