120: Chapter 118: The Box 120: Chapter 118: The Box Jiangcun Residential Area

Beep beep.

The car horn sounded twice at the gate of the residential area.

Then, the passenger in the front seat got out of the car and began talking to the guard on duty.

The Jiang Village people chatting idly in front of the mini-mart turned their attention to this scene.

“Vehicles aren’t allowed inside the community, but outsiders always seem confused by that.

There are so many kids around here, what if someone gets hit?”

“No worries, Uncle Nineteen is on gate duty today, he’s probably giving them an earful right now.”

“Exactly, they should get told off.

Back in the day when they couldn’t afford cars, driving one into the village was quite the spectacle.

But now, it’s just annoying with them driving in every day…”

As they were talking, the gate to the residential area opened.

Two cars entered one after the other.

The people in front of the mini-mart turned to look and spotted two police cars.

“Is there some trouble?”

Now the group that had been standing in front of the supermarket couldn’t stay still, grabbing their phones to take photos and videos, and some started asking questions in chat groups.

The police cars drove very slowly, and when they reached the snack shop, some neatly dressed officers got out and smiled, “Could you tell us how to get to Jiang Yuan’s house?”

“Are you looking for Jiang Yuan?

He’s probably not at home,” Mrs.

Hua stepped forward, sizing up the officers from head to toe.

“No need to find Jiang Yuan, his father will do,” the police officer replied with a smile.

Mrs.

Hua looked at him suspiciously and asked, “Who are you?

Do you have ID?”

“We’re from the political department of Qinghe City Bureau.

My name is Qi Shanwei, here’s my ID,” the talking officer answered, facing a messy array of questions from the crowd with an unusually friendly expression that the people from Jiang Village rarely saw.

In Mrs.

Hua’s mind, for some reason, an image suddenly appeared: a uniformed police officer or soldier, with a sympathetic look on their face, pushing a wooden box forward and saying, “You raised a good son, the people are grateful to him…”

As she was lost in her wild thoughts, she saw another officer get out of the car behind and take something covered with a red cloth from the back seat, which looked just like a wooden box.

Mrs.

Hua’s head went “clang,” as if it had been struck by a hammer, filled with panic, she blurted out, “Did Jiang Yuan sacrifice his life?”

Qi Shanwei was taken aback, hastily saying, “No, no, he was honored for his merit!”

Mrs.

Hua was stunned for a moment and asked, “Honored for merit and sacrificed his life?”

“Did Jiang Yuan sacrifice his life?” A lady in the back row didn’t hear clearly and with a loud howl, blurted it out.

A brief silence fell in front of the snack shop, followed by various cries of inquiry:

“Is he dead?”

“Did Jiang Yuan die?”

“How did he just die?

Wasn’t he becoming a cop?”

“That’s exactly why he died!

I’ll ask in the group chat!”

“What are we going to do now?

With so many houses in Jiang Fuzhen, isn’t there anyone to inherit them?”

The murmurs in front of the mini-mart led to an even larger flurry of speculation online.

The Jiang Village group chat screen was flooded with messages at an unprecedented speed.

The usually amiable Qi Shanwei was also stunned, his complexion turning very sour as he shouted, “He didn’t sacrifice, he was honored for his merit, his merit!”

“How can you have merit without sacrifice?” Another lady shouted from the back.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Qi Shanwei felt like he was going to lose his mind.

He had been dealing with the “Special Care for Police” in the political department for several years, but he had never encountered such a situation before.

“One can have merit without making a sacrifice,” Qi Shanwei shouted.

“Listen to me, everyone, please just listen to me first.”

“Is he disabled?” It was the same lady again, with another roar, taking away all of Qi Shanwei’s intelligence.

“He didn’t sacrifice, he isn’t disabled, he simply did a great job solving a case, and that’s why he was honored for his merit!” Qi Shanwei shouted three times before the old ladies and gentlemen in front of the mini-mart started to understand a bit.

Then, Mrs.

Hua exclaimed, “They’ve started collecting donations in the chat group, what do we do?”

“How much should we give?

Is gifting an even number appropriate?”

“Jiang died and you’re only giving an even number?

Are you even human?”

Qi Shanwei’s mind was completely shattered, crumbling to pieces, as he said helplessly, “Does anyone have Jiang Yuan’s dad’s phone number or WeChat?

Tell him about the situation first, we’ll be heading up there right away.”

He then yelled again, urging his fellow officers to quickly dress up in festivity and followed by the youngest officer from the political department, carrying the box containing the medals of honor, closely behind.

The last two officers secured the vehicles and took out a bugle to play.

The people of Jiang Village had been frantically messaging in the chat group already, but hearing the bugle, they all popped their heads out and came down from their buildings.

Some people still had a look of sorrow when they stepped out of their homes.

“Jiang Yuan?”

“Has Jiang Yuan left?”

“Jiang Yuan, such a good kid.”

Having come to his senses, Qi Shanwei shouted, “Comrade Jiang Yuan is in good health, free of illnesses and misfortunes, and has achieved meritorious deeds on the front line!”

Everyone there was from the political department and had high political awareness, responding quickly by joining in the chant, “Comrade Jiang Yuan is in good health, free of illnesses and misfortunes, and has achieved meritorious deeds on the front line!”

The wailing of the Jiang Village people subsided and they gradually calmed down.

“Not dead?”

“It seems he truly isn’t dead.”

“Has anyone called Jiang Yuan?”

“Oh my, let’s hurry and see how Jiang Fuzhen is doing.

Don’t let anxiety get the best of you.”

A group of people nervously followed Qi Shanwei, and began asking about the nature of the achievement and the award.

Updates started flowing in the group chat in real time.

It was then that Qi Shanwei finally breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, “Things have finally returned to normal.”

The sound of the military bugle was loud and clear.

With solemn steps, Qi Shanwei knocked on the door of Jiang Yuan’s home.

Jiang Fuzhen, who had just woken up a few minutes earlier and had been roused by the villagers before he could make sense of the situation, came out after quickly wiping his face.

Qi Shanwei asked, “Excuse me, are you Jiang Yuan’s father, Jiang Fuzhen?”

Jiang Fuzhen nodded, “Yes, that’s me.”

“Hello, uncle, we are from the political department of the Qinghe City Public Security Bureau, and we’ve brought good news for you!”

Qi Shanwei snapped a salute, and behind him, the bugle sounded once again, playing a tune.

The people from Jiang Village who had followed all the way were listening and by now had caught on to what was happening.

Just like youngsters at a music festival, they nodded along to the rhythm.

Stunned, Jiang Fuzhen asked in a low voice, “Good news?”

The bugle ceased, and just as Qi Shanwei began to speak, the people from Jiang Village uniformly chanted behind him, “Comrade Jiang Yuan is in good health, free of illnesses and misfortunes, and has achieved meritorious deeds on the front line!”

Jiang Fuzhen replied, “Oh.”

Qi Shanwei felt a headache coming on again.

Then he heard Jiang Fuzhen ask, “What’s the situation?”

Qi Shanwei promptly answered seriously, “We’ve come to deliver good news to you.”

Behind him, a bugler took out a cellphone and began filming.

“A single person’s achievement brings honor to the entire family.

Congratulations, uncle.

Your son, Comrade Jiang Yuan, fought tirelessly for 14 days in Shannan Province’s fingerprint identification campaign, matching fingerprints from 10 homicide cases and 8 other cold cases.

He has avenged the dead, brought solace to the victims’ families, demonstrated justice, and restored fairness in society…

On behalf of Qinghe City Bureau, I would like to congratulate you,” said Qi Shanwei.

While speaking, Qi Shanwei uncovered the red cloth he was holding, revealing the plaque underneath.

Qi Shanwei deliberately turned around so that the surrounding relatives and neighbors could all see it.

“Second-Class Merit Honoree’s Family,” someone read aloud.

Qi Shanwei nodded and then said to Jiang Fuzhen, “This is a plaque made by our city bureau.

May we help you hang it on your door?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Jiang Fuzhen, baffled as he stepped aside to make space.

A young man from behind took out a drill and quickly fixed the plaque to the door of the Jiang family home.

Below the plaque was last year’s couplet, which had not been torn down, with the horizontal scroll bearing the auspicious words “Accumulate Virtue and Perform Good Deeds.”

“Uncle, there is also a set of health checkup cards given to you by our city bureau.

Please take them, and when you have time, go to the designated hospital for a checkup.

With you in good health, Comrade Jiang Yuan can work with an even more peaceful mind,” Qi Shanwei said as he took out a big red envelope and handed it to Jiang Fuzhen.

Jiang Fuzhen had seen plenty of good things before, but now, taking the red envelope from Qi Shanwei, he struggled to react, his hands trembling.

“Is my son Yuanzi really okay?” Jiang Fuzhen asked.

“He’s fine,” Qi Shanwei replied with a laugh and a cry.

“We are here to thank the family of the hero.

You’ll know once you give him a call,” he added.

“I wish someone had called sooner,” Jiang Fuzhen said, his heart finally settling down.

“There’s also a banner,” Qi Shanwei laughed and pulled out a banner that read “Swift in Justice, Relieving the People’s Worries.”

Fully understanding the situation at last, Jiang Fuzhen took the banner in his hands, visibly moved, his lips quivering for a while before managing to say one word, “Great.”