The house was simply decorated but kept very clean. A black jacket hung on the coat rack by the entrance. It looked familiar—it was a patrol officer’s uniform.
The man of the house was a community security patrol officer, and judging from the couple’s earlier conversation, his position was likely not low.
Yi Ke glanced at Zhuang Ningyu and raised an eyebrow slightly. If the commodity they were about to trade was a position as a security patrol officer, it meant that in the future, he could openly enter and exit various apartment buildings to search for people, no longer restricted by access cards.
The hostess soon came out with two cups of tea. She must have tidied herself up a bit; her hair and clothes were much neater, but her emotions had yet to calm down, and she didn’t seem to be in the mood to chat.
But she was no match for Zhuang Ningyu’s extensive experience in community work.
He immediately launched into a lecture on women’s rights, laying out the framework point by point, from equal participation to common development, and then from common development to shared benefits.
While the theory was sound, the hostess clearly had zero interest in it at the moment. In fact, she was already starting to regret letting them in, so she promptly cut him off, “What is it you’re really here for?”
Zhuang Ningyu was still rambling on, “Regarding the issue of divorced women’s property rights being difficult to realize… Ma’am, what did you just say?”
The hostess said irritably, “I said, what do you two really want from me?”
“Ma’am, you truly have a discerning eye.” Zhuang Ningyu gave her a thumbs-up. “Since it’s come to this, I won’t beat around the bush. This younger brother of mine hasn’t found a job since graduating. Do you think you could ask your husband to arrange a patrol officer position for him in our community?”
Upon hearing this, the hostess’s gaze unconsciously fell on the two jars of Pixian doubanjiang.
But before she could refuse, two thick stacks of rule coins appeared before her. Yi Ke said, “Ma’am, this is a down payment. There’s more after the job is secured. I don’t have any other ambitions, I just want a stable job.”
“Take it back.” The hostess was not swayed. “My Old Li doesn’t do this kind of thing.”
As she spoke, she stood up, opened the door, and turned to look at the two men on the sofa. “Are you leaving? If not, I’m calling the patrol officers up here right now.”
But Zhuang Ningyu said, “Calling the patrol officers up is fine too. As it happens, I have some questions I’d like to ask.”
The hostess’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
“You’re not calling? Then I’ll call and ask myself.” As he spoke, Zhuang Ningyu dialed the 400 hotline for the Guardian Security Company.
The call connected quickly. A call center agent with a sweet voice answered, “Hello, thank you for calling Guardian Security. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to ask,” Zhuang Ningyu said slowly and deliberately, “if a manager in a company uses their position to gain benefits for others, such as promotions, while accepting property from them, can I request that you permanently detain him?”
The hostess’s eyes widened instantly. She slammed the door shut with a smack and lunged for the phone, only to be intercepted by Yi Ke. She hissed through gritted teeth, “Let go! It’s useless even if you report it! This company is owned by my husband’s relatives. It’s not a government civil servant position, nobody will care!”
The agent on the other end also fell silent. Apparently, she had never received such a report before. After a long pause, she spoke hesitantly, “Hello, sir, this doesn’t seem to fall within our scope of business. I suggest you directly call… uh… the mayor’s hotline?”
“What if this abuse of power is directly related to the security of this community?” Zhuang Ningyu said. “For example, the position of a community security patrol officer.”
The agent replied without a second thought, “In that case, I suggest you file a complaint with our company’s HR department. But even with a complaint, it probably wouldn’t lead to permanent detention.”
“Why not?” Zhuang Ningyu’s tone was filled with sincere confusion. “The rules clearly state that all property owners have an obligation to regulate their own behavior to improve the living environment and build a safe community. Now, if someone is using the position of a security patrol officer for personal gain, blinded by money and skipping the necessary vetting process, doesn’t that undermine the living environment for all property owners in the community? Are you telling me you do nothing about such a blatant violation?”
The agent: “Uh…”
Zhuang Ningyu continued to express his dissatisfaction, “Would you be willing to live in a community where all the security guards are hired through connections? Today he hires a hooligan, tomorrow he’ll hire a pervert. The day after, and the day after that, drug addicts and ex-convicts could be putting on the sacred uniform of a security patrol officer. What kind of living environment and residential safety would be left then? How exactly does your Guardian company operate?”
With the company’s reputation at stake, the agent’s tone became serious. “Sir, please don’t worry. We will definitely resolve this matter.”
Zhuang Ningyu asked, “So, can he be permanently detained according to the rules now?”
This time, the agent’s tone was firm. “Yes. May I have his name?”
The hostess broke free from Yi Ke, snatched the phone from Zhuang Ningyu, and hung up. Panting, she said, “Fine! Your brother can report to the security office tomorrow!”
Zhuang Ningyu smiled sincerely. “No problem. Thank you, ma’am.”
The hostess was fuming. “So can you leave now?”
Zhuang Ningyu’s rear remained glued to the sofa. He had one more thing to ask. Yi Ke pulled up Lan Lan’s photo on his phone and handed it over. “Do you know her? She’s a resident of this community.”
“I don’t know this woman personally, but I know of her. She lives in Unit 2, apartment 201.” The hostess glanced at it once before handing the phone back, asking suspiciously, “Are you her friends?”
Zhuang Ningyu smiled. “We don’t know her. We were just asked by someone to inquire about her current situation.”
Hearing they weren’t friends, the hostess let down her guard and said, “She used to be in that line of work. It seems she’s turned over a new leaf now.”
“What is ‘that line of work’?”
“A small hair salon. I only know because one time the couple was fighting, and the man yelled it out himself. They were smashing plates and bowls, making a huge racket. A lot of neighbors heard it, they almost called the police. Oh, and she has a child, a boy, four or five years old, quite mischievous.”
“Does she have any friends in the community? Or anyone she’s relatively close to?”
“No. That woman… she has a strange temper. Arrogant, not easy to get close to. Plus, with the past that came out during their fight, it wasn’t exactly respectable, so the neighbors aren’t willing to get involved with her.”
“Do the couple fight often?”
“Not often. The woman is pretty, and the man used to always dote on her. It was only this most recent time that they fought fiercely; I think it was about money. They even called an ambulance.”
“Is there anything else about her?”
“No, that’s all I know.”
The two men politely thanked her and left. As they went, under the hostess’s disapproving glare, they didn’t forget to take back both the rule coins and the doubanjiang. Making money wasn’t easy, and as for the doubanjiang, it could be used to stir-fry garlic sprouts with twice-cooked pork.
“Loving at first, then coming to blows later. Yun Dali really treats everyone the same,” Yi Ke said. “By the way, should we have Brother Qing come over tomorrow?”
“Qing Gang?” Zhuang Ningyu was slightly surprised by the suggestion. “Why?”
Yi Ke helped him by adding milk to his black tea and stirring it with a small spoon. “There’ll be no one to protect you when I’m on patrol in the community.”
Zhuang Ningyu thought about it and saw his point. Although he didn’t think he needed extra protection, the Order Maintenance Department was flush with manpower. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it. So he nodded in agreement, then added, “And have Qian Yue come over too.”
Yi Ke: “No.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “…”
There was no way Yi Ke was calling him. He was equally jealous of everyone who got to work with Zhuang Ningyu.
Zhuang Ningyu watched as he, with an arrogant attitude like a deaf swan, strode into the kitchen.
Normally, a deputy team leader summoning a subordinate wouldn’t require an intern’s permission at all. But the problem with Yi Ke was his unpredictability. The man could be crazy one moment and horny the next, making him incredibly difficult to handle. So, after mulling it over for a long time, Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t bring himself to drag the work-focused Comrade Qian into this mess.
The next day, he only called Qing Gang.
“Okay, Team Leader Zhuang, I’ll be right there,” Qing Gang readily agreed. “Just one question, how did you and Xiao Yi deal with the bus driver so quickly? Did you just refuse to get off the bus? I tried that last time, but I ended up arguing with him for ages. It was so annoying.”
Zhuang Ningyu wheeled his chair into the sunlight. “I’ll teach you.”
Half an hour later, the 155 community bus stopped on time in front of the Chunfeng Supermarket.
Qing Gang boarded the bus with a large bag and was, as expected, met with the monster driver’s angry roar about “minors and mothers.” Why are people so uncivilized these days, ignoring the rules one after another? Can’t you read?
“But I have schizophrenia,” Qing Gang said, holding onto a handrail with one hand. “I know this is hard for a normal person to understand, but in my heart, I am the mother of my former, younger self.”
The monster driver was stunned once again. His brain struggled to process this, trying to sort out the ethical relationship.
The scene was both unfamiliar and familiar, reminding him of the last terrifying incident with the giant minor and his complaint-loving male mother who had forced their way onto the bus.
Qing Gang asked sensitively, “Are you discriminating against me?”
The monster driver slowly sat up straight and drove off in silence.
The white mist was thick.
Qing Gang got off at Meiman Jiayuan. The monster security guard stopped him. “Please show your owner’s card.”
“I was just about to rent a place, it’s all been arranged.” Qing Gang saw Zhuang Ningyu in the courtyard from a distance and waved, shouting his name a few times, successfully summoning him over.
Zhuang Ningyu had already added him to the tenant list and amended the contract with the landlord. After the guard checked, he smoothly let them both pass.
“Team Leader Zhuang, why are you alone? Where’s Xiao Yi?” Qing Gang helped push the wheelchair as they returned to their apartment together.
“He went to the security office to report for duty.” Zhuang Ningyu stood on one leg by the window. He was already used to the patrol officers who occasionally flashed before his eyes, and could even offer a polite smile when their eyes met.
The upside-down patrol officer: “…”
Qing Gang asked again, “You let him go alone?”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded. “Yes.”
“That’s the way!” Qing Gang cheerfully slapped the wheelchair, unable to hold back his chatter.
“Captain Zhuang, to be honest, we’ve been discussing this internally for a while. Xiao Yi ranks first in all assessments. He absolutely deserves independent operational authority, he could even lead a team, no problem. Captain Ye actually wanted to talk to you about this, she just couldn’t find the right opportunity. But I didn’t expect you to come around on your own!”
Zhuang Ningyu stared straight ahead and gave a perfunctory “Mmm.”
Qing Gang, being rather unperceptive, didn’t catch the dismissive tone in his leader’s “Mmm” and followed his gaze to the other side. “Unit 2, 201. So Xiao Cong’s mother lives in that apartment across the way?”
In an old-style residential complex, for security reasons, lower floors often had extra anti-theft bars welded on. 201 was no exception. The bars sealed off the balcony and windows, the metal glinting coldly under the cold sun. It didn’t look like a residence, but a prison.
And it was indeed a prison. Zhuang Ningyu said, “From my observation, about every ten minutes, two patrol officers appear by the window of 201. I guess there are some in the stairwell too. This is their priority surveillance zone.”
Qing Gang didn’t stay in the house for long before Zhuang Ningyu sent him downstairs to buy something. He happened to run into Yi Ke coming out of the security office.
He had already changed into his patrol officer uniform. With his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, even the shabby walkie-talkie in his hand had a certain stylish flair.
Qing Gang immediately mused that there was a good reason why livestream sellers sought out handsome men; this truly was a fine piece of Italian, custom-made security apparel.
Yi Ke said, “You seem to yearn for this uniform.”
“I do yearn for it, but the organization forbids me from snatching your mission. They only sent me here to be a nanny.”
He threw an arm around the other’s shoulders. “Share with your big bro, how did Captain Zhuang suddenly become willing to grant you independent operational authority?”
Yi Ke replied, “Because he can’t get into the security office.”
Qing Gang: “…”
Zhuang Ningyu wanted to operate as a pair but couldn’t, so he had no choice but to grant solo authority.
He himself was blocked in the courtyard by the patrol officers, waiting for a long time. But before he could even see Yi Ke emerge, he was whisked away by Qing Gang.
The tough guy’s heart broke. “I thought Captain Zhuang was waiting in the courtyard specifically to meet me. Turns out he was waiting to meet you?”
Yi Ke patted his arm, tacitly confirming his special status. “Alright, I’m off to work.”
The patrol officers’ routes were not fixed.
Yi Ke used his access card to open the main door of Unit 2. A stale, damp smell instantly hit him, like opening a can of rotten food, with invisible mold everywhere.
While Unit 1 was also old, its stairwell was at least clean, brightly lit, and had a lived-in feel. This place, however, looked more like a long-abandoned ruin.
Yi Ke stepped over stairs coated in grease, past old cardboard boxes, crushed cans, and thick dust, and saw a patrol officer leaning against the door of 201.
The man stubbed out his cigarette and looked at the newcomer with an unfriendly expression. “This building is my responsibility. Go somewhere else.”
“Alright.” Yi Ke nodded friendly, didn’t linger, and quickly turned to leave.
Behind him, the faint, muffled ringing of a telephone could be heard.
The room in 201 was empty, with very little furniture. The home had been sold off, or to be more precise, it had never been a complete home to begin with.
The woman on the dilapidated sofa was clutching a phone tightly. Her complexion was pale, and she looked as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. Her eyes were hidden under her long hair and shadows, her expression unreadable.
“Lan mei’er, don’t wander off. I’m going out to buy some groceries,” the monster nanny said, crouching by the door to change her shoes.
“Okay.” Lan Lan ignored her, simply pulling a thin blanket over herself, turning on her side, and continuing to stare coldly at the dark phone screen in the dim, unlit room.
The cold wind made the window panes rattle faintly with a creaking sound. The sky instantly grew darker.
On the living room sofa in 501, Zhuang Ningyu wrapped a blanket around his aching knees and continued to flip through an old book left by the previous owner. Qing Gang stood by the window looking out. “Captain Zhuang, something’s happening. Xiao Yi is following an older woman.”
The older woman was the nanny from 201. She had bought a lot of things at the market, two heavy bags that she was struggling to carry.
Yi Ke quickened his pace, about to go and help, but a young couple cut in from the side.
They were laughing and joking, seemed to know the nanny well, and naturally took the shopping bags from her, chatting and laughing as they entered the building together.
Yi Ke stood in the courtyard for a moment, waiting until he saw the lights turn on in apartments 201 and 301 of Unit 2 before turning to continue his patrol.
“Lan Lan isn’t living alone.” Qing Gang was also looking at the two dim yellow lights. He rubbed the cookie crumbs off his fingers and turned to ask, “So who does she live with? The older woman or those two young people?”
“The older woman, probably the nanny.” Zhuang Ningyu looked up, placing the book in his hands on the coffee table. “She has likely already lost her personal freedom.”
