Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 114 Singing at the Top of One's lungs
The next morning at four o'clock, the cell phone rang precisely on time.

Chen Shu, who had already opened his eyes, knew this was the alarm he had set the night before. According to his plan, he should get up, wash up, and head to the nearby scenic area to watch the sunrise.

He was getting a little tired, so he turned to his side to continue sleeping, thinking that he would sleep until noon before checking out and going down the mountain.

After tossing and turning many times, I finally sat up.

This was completely at odds with my temper after all these years. In a few moments, I finished washing up, dressed, rented a military overcoat from the hotel, and left the hotel.

As Chen Shu mingled with the crowd watching the sunrise on his way to the observation deck, a faint sense of anticipation rose in his heart. It was just like when he went to Antianmen in Beijing to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

Upon reaching the observation deck, he avoided the crowds and found a secluded corner. Although the view wasn't great, it was quiet and peaceful with few people.

Chen Shu stood on a large, protruding rock, looked around at the dark sky, and realized that it would be some time before the sun rose.

Just like last night, I stood there, wrapped my military overcoat tightly around myself, and patiently waited for the sunrise.

After a while, rays of light pierced through the pitch-black sea of ​​clouds, and the sky gradually brightened.

A reddish-yellow halo appeared on the horizon, brightening the previously dark environment. Gradually, rolling mountains came into view. They appeared and disappeared among the drifting clouds, a truly magnificent sight.

Chen Shu picked up the DSLR camera in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and finally put his hands down, simply watching the red sunrise slowly rise.

Before the sunrise ended, Chen Shu left the viewing platform ahead of the crowd and headed towards the hotel. After arriving at the hotel, he took a shower, packed his luggage, took off his military coat and the room, and then took the cable car down the mountain alone.

As I left, I didn't even glance at the famous welcoming pine tree at the hotel entrance.

From the time he got up to the time he came down the mountain, only three or four hours had passed.

Considering his duty this week, Chen Shu only took three days of his five-day annual leave. He spent two days and one night in Huangshan, and for the remaining night, he chose Hongcun, also in Anhui Province, a village known as "the village in a Chinese painting".

It took Chen Shu more than two hours to reach Hongcun by bus from Huangshan Scenic Area. Along the way, swaying and rocking on the bus, Chen Shu looked out the window at the scenery and felt a little more at ease.

When we arrived at the Hongcun Town stop, it was around noon. We got off the bus along with the other passengers, and the crowd dispersed in all directions.

Chen Shu walked to a large map on the platform and studied it carefully for a while, confirming his current location and the approximate location of his booked hotel, before walking towards the hotel.

Having been taught and instructed by teachers and instructors for many years at the police academy, the first thing I learned when I was out and about was to familiarize myself with the surrounding environment and determine my direction; the second thing was to check the fire exits before entering my room and lock the doors and windows after entering.

These are all things that don't take much time, but this habit has indeed saved Chen Shu a lot of trouble over the years.

Unexpectedly, after taking only a few steps, a hesitant voice came from behind.

Hello. Have you found a place to stay for the night?

After Chen Shu stopped, he turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

A middle-aged woman, dressed plainly and around forty years old, stood a little distance away, looking at Chen Shu with an awkward smile, as if afraid of disturbing him.

There was none of the rudeness of the old woman soliciting customers at the train station, nor the greedy cunning of the common folk. He was just an ordinary villager, even carrying a hint of shame for being so soliciting customers.

It must be a guesthouse trying to solicit customers at the station. Chen Shu, who had already booked a room on Ctrip, looked at the simple and honest woman in front of him and had a strange idea, deciding to give her a chance.

"Do you live in Hongcun?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman knew she had a chance and quickly stepped closer: "Yes, my home is in the village! It's all my own house, very clean! Here's my ID card, take a look."

Chen Shu didn't look, but nodded: "Is there anything to eat?" The middle-aged woman, seeing the deal was about to be done, beamed: "Yes, yes, yes! Look at my memory! There's definitely something to eat. I'll cook you some authentic Anhui dishes!"

Chen Shu smiled inwardly; this sounded a bit like a salesman's pitch.

Looking at the woman's genuine smile, he wasn't particularly resistant. Although canceling the previously booked room would definitely result in a deduction in fees.

He nodded in the direction of Hongcun: "Shall we go then?"

Chen Shu looked up at the old three-story house in front of him, located in a remote corner of Hongcun, which had maintained the architectural style of Huizhou.

The middle-aged woman next to her was worried that the easy-going young man might change his mind, so she hurriedly said, "The location is a bit out of the way, but it's only a few minutes' walk to the Moon Pond in the village."

Chen Shu stepped into the courtyard: "What's your name, Auntie?"

The middle-aged woman lifted her skirt and quickly followed her in: "You can just call me Sister Zhang. By the way, I'll take you to your room now. Which floor would you like to stay on?"

This is a building constructed of gray bricks and small blue tiles, with carvings and openwork visible everywhere. The courtyard is filled with everyday household items, and several landscape paintings of Hongcun hang on the walls of the first-floor lobby.

It is full of life and also carries a touch of ancient charm.

Chen Shu preferred to live on higher floors, but after learning that the middle-aged woman's family also lived on the third floor, he chose to stay in an east-facing room on the second floor.

Chen Shu put down his luggage, went downstairs to the first floor to order dinner with Sister Zhang, took his DSLR camera and went out to wander around the village.

In an inconspicuous corner of the village, Chen Shu discovered the post office.

He ran to the post office and bought some postcards.

The first one he sent was to Huang Sixi. He couldn't write romantic poems, so he just sent a simple blessing.
Then he sent a letter to Zhou Qinghu, who was far away in the provincial capital, wishing him a smooth career. Chen Shu still felt a little ashamed about the last transfer.
There are some other people.

With mobile phones nowadays, communication between people is too convenient, but it feels like we've become more distant from each other.

Evening, in the courtyard.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; the weather was pleasant.

Chen Shu sat in the courtyard, with a small table in front of him, on which were several plates of Ontario specialties.

A plate of stinky mandarin fish, a plate of salt and pepper rice chicken, a plate of all-season tofu, and a plate of cured pork stewed with bamboo shoots. There was a lot of food, so Chen Shu specially reserved half a case of beer, intending to eat it slowly with the food.

On the other side of the courtyard, about three or four meters away from Chen Shu, sat a bald, middle-aged guest with three or four dishes and a bottle of white wine on a small table in front of him.

The middle-aged man, with his back to Chen Shu, frequently lowered his head to pick up food, sipped his wine alone, and occasionally looked up to gaze at the moon for a while.

The two of them quietly ate their dishes and savored their fine wine.

After a long time, the middle-aged guest suddenly burst into song and raised his glass to drink.

Not to be outdone, Chen Shu drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp, picked up his chopsticks, and began tapping the porcelain bowl repeatedly.

"Half-drunk, I hear the roar of rivers and seas; all my sorrows vanish in the cup!"

I vaguely remember that he was an older brother from Northeast China.

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(End of this chapter)