Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 457 This time it's my turn to ask you a favor.
Back in his student dormitory, Jiang Hai was puzzled by his sister's unusual attitude that afternoon. However, still feeling uneasy after his miraculous recovery from the brink of death during the opening ceremony, he was naturally thinking about his "brother-in-law" Chen Shu, who had come to his aid.

“You have to personally invite your brother-in-law out for a drink. Even though he might not appreciate the food and drinks at our roadside stall, it’s something we have to do. He doesn’t have to drink, but we have to come and invite him. That’s the rule.” The skinny man habitually adjusted his now-empty nose and lectured earnestly.

The short, stout man rubbed his hands together, swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, this is called 'basket wine.' When you have a basket, please invite us over to keep the guests company and liven things up. In the future, when I have a basket, please come over and support me! It's a win-win situation, everyone gets to drink, and it's lively!"

Jiang Hai sat cross-legged on the bed, threw the hairspray he had just used on the tofu blanket at the short, fat man, and laughed and scolded, "You've been clamoring for a drinking party since the start of police training. Be careful you don't drink yourself to death one day!"

The short man frowned, looked around, and asked, "I have a question. Are you all sure you can all drink? Are you all capable of drinking? My brother-in-law is a veteran policeman who has worked at the grassroots level for ten years! He's probably drunk more alcohol than you've drunk cola!"

As he spoke, he squinted and scrutinized his three roommates one by one.

The short, fat man, who usually liked to shout, snorted but didn't reply. He just kicked the bed leg under the bed where Jiang Hai was sitting. The skinny man, who always lectured others on police experience, turned around and started flipping through a book. After flipping through a couple of pages, he couldn't stand the embarrassment and turned back.

In the end, the three of them turned their attention to Jiang Hai.

The invisible pressure made it impossible for Jiang Hai to remain silent any longer. After hesitating for a moment, he made a desperate move and said, "I only have one request: remember to carry me back to my own bed!"

"middle!"

"necessary!"

"Haha! Let's go!"

The boys' dormitory was full of fun. The four of them changed only their T-shirts, put on durable police trousers, and wore black leather shoes. They walked out of the courtyard arm in arm.

That said, wearing dress pants to work, wearing dress pants after get off work, wearing dress pants when arresting people, wearing dress pants when receiving awards, and wearing dress pants at home—if a button is missing from the uniform, it can be easily removed from the back of the pants. The way police officers wear shiny blue-black police pants year-round, which can be paired with all kinds of tops, is probably a style passed down from the police academy.

Hotel.

Chen Shu, who had just returned from the police academy and was half-drenched in rain, opened the door to his room and was somewhat surprised to see Jiang Hai standing there. He left the door slightly ajar and let Jiang Hai in. After hearing Jiang Hai's purpose, Chen Shu was both amused and exasperated.

However, seeing Jiang Hai's stiff expression as he spoke of police regulations and his insistence on treating everyone, Chen Shu coughed a few times, suppressed a laugh, and agreed.

"Let's go to Garbage Street then. I wonder if the squid skewers there still taste the same as they used to."

"Brother Shu! You know about Garbage Street? Their spicy giant squid is so flavorful, you can smell it from halfway down the street! When we have evening training on the playground, we can't resist the smell every day!"

The rest of the dorm thought Chen Shu would look down on street food, but as students, they couldn't afford to go to a restaurant. Jiang Hai was still hesitating about how to bring it up, but Chen Shu suggested going to Garbage Street first, which avoided embarrassment, so they were pleasantly surprised.

Chen Shu got up, took out a change of clothes from his suitcase, and laughed, "Back then, we were only allowed to go out for four hours a week on Sundays. It would take two hours to get to the city center by taxi and back. The only place we could go was this nearest garbage street. How could I not be familiar with this garbage street?"

"I'm going to take a shower, wait for me."

Jiang Hai sat down in his chair, took out his phone, and sent an OK emoji to his accomplices waiting downstairs. However, the WeChat group, which had been buzzing with notifications, fell silent for a long time; the other three didn't respond.

Why have these gossipy men suddenly become so quiet?

Jiang Hai, who was wondering what was going on, suddenly heard footsteps coming from the door. Then a young man dressed in classic police academy casual clothes (casual shirt, dress pants and leather shoes) led three roommates with their heads hanging down into the room.

"Zhou Da? Report!"

Jiang Hai was startled and quickly jumped up from the sofa, instinctively standing at attention. The person who came was Zhou Qinghu, Chen Shu's classmate. He had accompanied Lin Dakai back to the office to handle the aftermath and then planned to come to the hotel where Chen Shu was staying before dinner to treat him to a simple meal as a gesture of hospitality.

Chen Shu, who had just finished showering and was drying his hair as he came out of the bathroom, was a little bewildered to see so many people suddenly in his small hotel room.

"Chairman, what brings you here? Um, who are these people?"

“He’s my roommate,” Jiang Hai said softly.

Zhou Qinghu glanced at the dejected students from his brigade and chuckled, "Chen Shu, I came to have dinner with you. These kids want to invite you for drinks. Who are you going with?"

At the provincial police academy, students are prohibited from drinking alcohol. However, just like with dating, as long as the consequences aren't too outrageous, the teachers generally turn a blind eye.

Hearing Zhou Qinghu's malicious words, Chen Shu scoffed and said, "We adults don't make choices. Chairman, let's go to Garbage Street for dinner. It's the weekend, so it won't interfere with our business."

Upon hearing Chen Shu's suggestion, Jiang Hai and the others all raised their heads, their eyes filled with hope.

Zhou Qinghu, with a stern face, made each of the four students lower their heads.

"Alright, Chen Shu. But it's a deal, this meal is on me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hai and the other three, who had been keeping their heads down, quickly exchanged glances, then shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and jumped up.

Garbage Street, a private room at Xiao Jiangnan Restaurant.

"Snapped."

Chen Shu and Zhou Qinghu lightly touched their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

Setting down his wine glass, Chen Shu gestured with his lip towards Jiang Hai and the other four men, who were all slumped over the table in different positions: "Chairman, are you alright like this?"

According to regulations, police academy students are not allowed to stay overnight off campus.

Zhou Qinghu took out another bottle of beer from under the table, pried it open with chopsticks with a "bang," and filled the bottles for the two of them: "Today is parents' open day, so we'll handle this special situation. We'll get them a room at the hotel next door in a bit, and that'll be fine."

Chen Shu reached into the dish and took a skewer of perfectly grilled squid, enjoying a few bites with relish. In the rankings privately compiled by police academy students, this popular squid had always topped the list for its low price and high quality, 3 skewers for 12 yuan, 6 skewers for 20 yuan, and the price hadn't increased over the years.

Back then, whether it was eating Quzhou cuisine, Chongqing hot pot, or local Shanghai cuisine, everyone was used to picking up some food from street stalls and bringing it to their dining destination.

Chen Shu ate until he was covered in sweat. On the way, he clinked glasses with Zhou Qinghu and drank it down. He then casually said, "Chairman, you seem to have something on your mind. Speak up."

At this point, he was really too embarrassed to use Jiang Hai's matter to pressure Chen Shu into accompanying Lin Dakai to Xinjiang. After all, everyone has their own work and life, and besides, that place is not a tourist destination; on the contrary, it is one of the most dangerous places in the country.

But Chen Shu is indeed the most suitable candidate at the moment. Zhou Qinghu poured himself a glass and downed it in one gulp.

"Chen Shu, this time it's my turn to ask you for a favor."

(End of this chapter)