I make a living solving crimes.

September 9th, the 27th day of the eighth lunar month.

Today is Chang Wei’s birthday.

Sixteen years old is considered an adult.

He got up very early today, washed up, went to the east wing to light incense, kowtowed to Chang Kun, and when he returned to the back wing, there was a bowl of noodles with a poached egg on the table.

Ordinary people don’t celebrate birthdays these days, and having more dishes on this day is considered a celebration.

Chang Wei would not be pretentious about his son’s birthday or his mother’s hard day, or kowtow to Yang Min or anything like that.

Those are all done by filial sons and grandchildren for others to see.

After slurping down a big bowl of noodles and stuffing the egg into Chang Long's bowl, he put his hands behind his back and strolled out.

In the small cafeteria, Old Wang stroked Chang Wei's head and said with a smile: "Take such good shrimps back and eat them yourself, Grandpa doesn't want them."

Chang Wei, who was "killing people like flies" outside, was like a child at this time, leaning against Old Wang and acting like a rogue, "I'll eat it if you give it to me, if you don't want me to throw it into the stinky ditch when I go out."

"Nonsense, don't waste things." Old Wang smiled even more, lit a cigarette and took a puff, "Did you accomplish a great deed again this time?"

"Is it worth telling you what I have to say?"

"Why not? That's also a credit." Old Wang said firmly, and reminded: "Catching spies is important, but you also have to be careful and don't get hurt again."

"Yeah, remember."

"Don't leave at noon. I'll cook some dishes and call Old Man Zhang over so we can have a drink together."

"Okay, I'll go buy some wine."

As he said that, Chang Wei left the canteen and went to ask Zhang Youde for a drink ticket.

"Mayor Zhen is very interested in your proposal. The street-run factory may really work." Zhang Youde took out two first-class wine tickets and gave them to Chang Wei. "You also have to take care of the follow-up matters."

"Well, leave some vacancies for me when we recruit." Chang Wei put the wine ticket away, then went to the cabinet, took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes and stuffed it into his bag.

Zhang Youde pretended not to see it and asked curiously, "What do you want the quota for? Doesn't your sister have a job?"

"Eleven people have sacrificed their lives in the institute over the years. Except for me, give the remaining ten a quota. Life is too difficult. You can talk to Director Chen and exchange ten quotas for one blueprint."

(There are always people talking about the relatives of martyrs in the comment section. From the Anti-Japanese War, the Liberation War, and the Korean War, not counting the Nationalist Army, do you know how many people died in our army alone? How many people were relatives of martyrs back then?)

Zhang Youde stood up, patted Chang Wei's shoulder heavily, and said nothing.

At noon, the people in the kitchen of the canteen drank Maotai. Chang Wei ran to the main store of the Dongcheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy it. It was not expensive, only two yuan and eighty-four cents.

"I drank it during the Long March. At that time, this wine was a good thing. It could wash wounds."

Old Wang pursed his lips and looked out the window with a distant gaze, wondering which old friend he was reminiscing about.

"I don't think it tastes that good either. I still prefer Fenjiu." Old man Zhang drank the wine in the glass in one gulp with disgust, and took out half a bottle of Fenjiu from the cupboard.

Chang Wei didn't drink. He peeled two shrimps and shared them with the two old men. He also picked up a piece of fried tofu with green onions and ate it with relish. After chewing it all, he looked up and said, "Come to my house for dinner tonight and celebrate the festival together."

The two old men shook their heads together, and Old Man Zhang said, "We two old men can't run anymore, so we'll just stay at the station and let your Grandpa Wang cook some good dishes and drink some wine. It's more comfortable than going to your place."

Chang Wei thought about it quietly, and without forcing it, he said to Old Man Zhang: "Then I'll go get a chicken."

"That's good. Get a little rooster. The old hen's soup is watery and tasteless." Old man Zhang was not polite.

Chang Wei nodded in agreement, "Okay, then I'll go get a little rooster."

Old man Zhang knocked him on the head with a chopstick, "I ignored you the first time, but you still got excited, right?"

The three of them chatted and laughed. After dinner, Chang Wei wanted to leave, but the two old men held him back. It was not until two o'clock that Chen Mingji walked into the canteen in a panic.

"Uncle Wang, Uncle Zhang, I just came back from the district, please don't take it as a joke."

Old Wang took out a cigarette and handed it to Chen Mingji. He sat on the small wooden chair and was silent for a moment before asking, "Director Chen, how long have I been at the Drum Tower?"

"Uncle Wang, you should still call me Xiao Chen." Chen Mingji stood with his cigarette in his hand, but didn't light it. He thought for a moment and said, "You came to Gulou in 1950, and you have been here for more than eight years."

Old Wang pointed at Old Zhang again and said, "Old Zhang and I came to the police station together. He has been here for eight years now."

Chen Mingji nodded repeatedly and bowed to Old Man Zhang, "Uncle Zhang also came here in the 1950s. I remember that."

Old Wang took a deep breath and said slowly, "We have been unable to work these years and dare not cause trouble to the organization. We invited you here today because we are shamelessly asking you, the parent official of Gulou, to do us two old men a favor."

As soon as these words came out, Chen Mingji almost knelt down and said repeatedly: "Uncle Wang, Uncle Zhang, if you have anything to say, just tell me, I will definitely do it."

Old Wang waved his hand and called the confused Chang Wei to his side. Seeing that Chang Wei was squatting obediently beside him, he stroked his back and said leisurely, "We are both old, and we don't have many years left to live. We would like to ask Director Chen to find a place for us to live out our retirement."

Chen Mingji blinked, his mind in a turmoil.

The old man was talking about retirement, but he didn't dare to think that way.

With the abilities of these two old men, they cannot live in Xiangshan, but there is no problem at all in the retirement home.

He looked at the confused Chang Wei, then at the two old men's faces, and asked tentatively: "Two gentlemen, do you want Chang Wei to take care of you in your old age?"

Old Wang nodded slightly, "We only have this one grandson left, and I want to live closer to him when I get old. Aren't there two empty rooms in the back house of his yard? Can you please ask the organization to give those two rooms to us two old men?"

Back house?

Does Chen Mingji dare to agree?

The two old men just didn't say anything, but now that they have spoken this time, Chen Mingji dares to assign them to the back room. They should pack their bags and report to the Great Northern Wilderness tomorrow.

My head was racing and my back was covered in cold sweat.

After a while, Chen Mingji said, "The house on the back belongs to Chang Wei's elder sister. If her sister gets married again, it will be inconvenient for Chang Wei to take care of you two."

The two old men didn't say anything and just looked at Chen Mingji.

"The back room of No. 95 Courtyard has always been a single room, and there aren't many single young people living there. It just so happens that there are some vacant houses on the street these days, so I'll move them out, and you two can live in the back room. It's just right that there's a separate yard for you to rest."

The two old men were shocked and waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "It's not appropriate, it's not appropriate. It will cause too much trouble to the organization. The two of us can't live in the same backyard."

Chen Mingji smiled and said, "With your status, you two can live here alone."

The two old men just refused.

The old man asked Chang Wei for the house, and today is their grandson's birthday.

But if Chang Wei really were to live alone in the back room, who knows how many rumors there would be.

Chen Mingji naturally knew this truth. "How about this? You two are old now, and you need people to serve you. Why don't you just ask Chang Wei to vacate the three rooms in the front yard and move them to the back house? Three rooms for three, and you two old men can each have two rooms in the remaining four. Is that ok?"

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