Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 36 Locking Down the Thief
Having made up his mind, Chen Shu still decided to play it safe for a while. Past lessons had taught him otherwise; while he sometimes acted rashly, he was also more easily led astray.

Chen Shu didn't like this feeling.

"I never expected Old Wang to be this kind of person!"

"That's right, and they even have two kids with them. Their mother said the kids are very sensible. Although they are raised by their grandparents back in their hometown, their grades are much better than ours."

"I know, the older one is the class monitor, and the younger one is not bad either, I think he is the academic representative."

"Don't change the subject. Are you sure you saw Old Wang this morning? What if you were mistaken? Maybe it was the quiet guy by the door?"

"I was pretty sure just now. But after talking like this, I'm starting to feel a bit uncertain..."

"Old Wang next door lives up to his reputation!"

……

Chen Shu sat in the chair and listened to the conversation between the two young gamers for a while. Feeling that he couldn't get any more information from them, he got up and called to Zhu Chaoran. The two of them went to the room of the family of four together.

Two groups of young gamers flocked to the scene.

Chen Shu entered the room first and glanced at the middle-aged man who was lying on his side on the bed, facing the inner wall, and sleeping under the air conditioning blanket.

That's interesting. Taking a nap before lunch in the middle of the day.
The two eight- or nine-year-old children were still sitting on the small stools. Just like the last time he passed by, they didn't look up this time. They were just focused on doing their summer homework on the small round table.

Only the middle-aged woman, wearing a white kitchen apron and cooking by the window, made a move. She straightened up, turned to look at the group, her wide eyes filled with confusion, but she remained silent.

The room was small, only about ten square meters. Even with four people already inside, Chen Shu still managed to squeeze in. He also made a subtle gesture, signaling Zhu Chaoran to come in as well.

Once the portly Zhu Chaoran entered the room, it felt even more cramped. His large size and heavy protective gear made it difficult for him to move freely. Seeing that the small stool on the floor was too small and the bed next to him was occupied, he could only wander around the room, taking two steps forward and three steps back, casually looking around to investigate.

Chen Shu deliberately walked with exaggerated footsteps to the bedside where the middle-aged man was sleeping. He leaned over and quietly stared at the man's tightly closed eyelids. After a while, he reached out and gently lifted a corner of the air conditioner blanket at the foot of the bed, only to find that the man was actually lying on the bed with his shoes on!

Chen Shu smiled coldly, having made up his mind, and then stopped staying by the bedside.

He walked across the room and went straight to the middle-aged woman, at which point his usual smile returned to his face.

He smiled at the woman, pointed to the smoking induction cooker wok in front of him, and said:

"Stir-fried green peppers with pork, it's a bit spicy, but I really like this dish. Both the pork and the green peppers are great with rice. I could smell the aroma as soon as I stood outside. I just want to ask you something. You just keep cooking and don't delay this delicious dish. The kids are waiting to eat it too."

Children are every mother's Achilles' heel; using them as a starting point to strengthen the bond is always effective. But children are also their armor, their sharpest weapon, and even the most important source of their lives—they cannot be easily touched, nor should they be. The middle-aged woman laughed after hearing this, and the atmosphere immediately lightened.

She bent down slightly and continued cooking: "Officer, did you come here because the girl in the next room had her phone stolen?"

"Yes. You know about this too?" Chen Shu noticed that the green peppers and shredded pork in the pot were almost cooked, so he quickly handed over a bowl of water.

"Officer, you're so young, and you can cook? That's quite rare." The middle-aged woman was a little surprised. She took the bowl, poured some water into the pot, and then put the small bowl aside. During this time, she didn't even glance at Chen Shu.

It didn't work. After all, it was still too unfamiliar. He had revealed his police identity too early, which made him seem a bit distant. Chen Shu was a little annoyed, but on the surface, he still answered without changing his expression: "Hehe, I only know how to eat vegetables, how would I know how to cook them?"

I was standing outside the door when I saw you fill this small bowl with water and place it by the pot while you were cooking. I noticed there was no more broth in the pot, and you didn't seem to be planning to take it off the heat. So I figured it was running low on water and handed it to you.

Now, things should be a little closer, right?
After listening to Chen Shu's explanation, the middle-aged woman became more talkative and said:

"Oh, officer, you're too modest. By the way, when the little girl first encountered the incident this morning, she was shouting in the hallway, so everyone in this house knows about it. We often have things stolen here, and we've never caught a thief before. She must be new here and unaware of the situation, which is why she was so startled. We've lived here for a long time, so we're all used to it."

Chen Shu was somewhat surprised: "You've gotten used to this? That's not a good habit. Before, when something happened, you never called the police?"

“Officer, we can’t do anything about it. We’re just migrant workers, busy with our jobs, we don’t have time to call the police. We’d rather use that time to work more at the factory and earn more money. If something happens and we lose something, we can only remind ourselves and accept our bad luck. We’ll be more careful next time. Life goes on.”

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman picked up the wok and used a spatula to scoop all the food from the wok into an empty plate that had been prepared beforehand. Then she began to wash the wok, preparing for the next dish.

This time, Chen Shu began to seriously examine the middle-aged woman. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her temples clung damply to her face, making her look very tired. However, her cooking movements were skillful and efficient, clearly indicating that she usually handled the household chores.

But in the occasional glances she casts at the children doing their homework, one can see that they are all full of energy and enthusiasm.

"Officer, why don't you stay and eat with us?" the middle-aged woman asked casually, tilting her head slightly.

Haha, this is practically chasing someone away. This woman or someone close to her has probably been robbed a few times before, and likely reported it to the police, but to no avail. They're both in similar situations; the thief probably isn't her.
After considering the situation, Chen Shu decided to take the opportunity to leave, hoping to avoid further upsetting her.

"No, ma'am, you go ahead with your work, I'll go outside and take another look."

The middle-aged woman didn't reply; she just kept her head down and bent over as she continued cooking lunch for the family.

Chen Shu turned his head, glanced at the still sleeping, motionless man, and walked towards the door of the room.

(End of this chapter)