Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Jiang Dahai’s Promotion

"Son, your shrimp noodles are really good. Even better than the authentic shrimp noodles Mom had in Binhai for thirty-eight yuan."

"Thirty-eight? That’s pretty cheap." Jiang Liu picked up a piece of red chili and put it in his bowl, a little stunned.

Jiang Dahai said, "That was in ’05."

"Oh, that explains it. You scared me for a second." Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

’He’d just been thinking there was something wrong with his sense of value.’

Meanwhile, at the door.

Liu Honglei circled twice, looking shifty, before finally pushing open the glass door and stepping inside sheepishly.

Detectives usually wear plain clothes, and today, he was in loose, durable jeans and a white V-neck T-shirt.

"Boss Jiang, any buns left?"

"Sold out long ago. You should come earlier in the afternoon."

Jiang Liu sized up Liu Honglei, ’wondering why a regular like him would ask at this hour.’

"Huh?" Jiang Dahai looked up in surprise and put down his chopsticks. "Captain Liu? What are you doing here?"

Jiang Liu thought, ’Dad knows this guy?’

Lin Qiu whispered a reminder to Jiang Liu, "Your dad’s supervisor, Liu Honglei."

Jiang Liu nodded thoughtfully. ’I’d better treat him well, then.’

’Since Dad’s a public servant, these kinds of connections are important.’

Liu Honglei put on a smile. "I was just passing by and hadn’t eaten yet, so I thought I’d come and ask if your son had any buns left to sell."

"Since they’re all sold out, I guess I’ll just head back."

As he spoke, his eyes couldn’t help but drift to the several unfamiliar delicacies on the table.

Despite himself, Liu Honglei’s heart began to race.

"Why don’t you come over and have a bite with us?"

Jiang Dahai offered politely.

Liu Honglei hesitated, looking at Jiang Liu.

"You’re having a family meal. Would that be appropriate? I haven’t eaten, so I can just go to the steamed bun shop down the street and make do with some buns and pickles."

’He was worried Jiang Liu wouldn’t be happy about it. He wasn’t afraid of Jiang Dahai, but the problem was, the man had a great son.’

’If he offended Boss Jiang and got cut off from his delicious food, wouldn’t he have to trouble others to stand in line for him from now on?’

"Come on, Uncle Liu. One more person just means one more pair of chopsticks. It’ll be more lively." Jiang Liu smiled and invited him, standing up to personally pull a stool over for Liu Honglei.

"Well, in that case, I’ll take you up on that... I can’t believe Nephew Jiang has gotten so big in the blink of an eye."

Liu Honglei was absolutely thrilled to be called "Uncle Liu" and couldn’t help but flash a wide, toothy grin. ’From now on, if anyone dares to cut in front of me in line, I’ll just call Jiang Liu "nephew" right in their face. That’ll scare them off!’

"Sit down and eat, Captain Liu. My son made all of this." Lin Qiu set out a pair of chopsticks for him.

Liu Honglei’s breathing quickened slightly as he looked at the table full of Jiang Liu’s private stash. The moment his butt hit the seat, he eagerly tore the paper wrapper off his chopsticks.

"Boss Jiang, this Uncle Liu won’t stand on ceremony then, alright?"

Jiang Liu chuckled. "No need to be polite, Uncle Liu. We’re all family here. You start eating, I’ll go get you a bowl of shrimp noodles."

"There’s shrimp noodles too? Oh, alright!! Thanks, my good nephew."

Jiang Liu went to the kitchen.

Liu Honglei swallowed hard and picked up a piece of fatty tuna belly glistening with fish oil, popping it into his mouth.

Before he’d even swallowed, he picked up a slice of stir-fried pork, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and put it in his mouth.

The suckling pig was rich and fragrant.

"Delicious. Nephew Jiang’s skill is incredible. If only he could join our squad."

’What a shame,’ Liu Honglei thought.

"You can stop right there. The law says fathers and sons can’t be in the same squad."

Liu Honglei wasn’t bothered. "I was just thinking out loud."

He soon noticed the Golden Coin Eggs, stir-fried to a faint reddish color.

"Hm? What’s this?"

"Golden Coin Eggs, made by my son."

"Golden Coin Eggs? How come I’ve never had this before?" Liu Honglei got excited. "Let me try some."

He popped a piece into his mouth.

Liu Honglei was stunned.

It was a completely different flavor, a whole new experience!

The eggs were coated in a starch and flour mixture, making the outside perfectly crisp. The combination of salty, fragrant, savory, and spicy flavors immediately whetted his appetite!

’This is too good! This is what people are meant to eat!’

"I never knew eggs could be this delicious. I’ve really learned something today!"

Jiang Liu brought over the shrimp noodles.

Liu Honglei mumbled his thanks and dug in.

’He’d really come to the right place today!’

「Twenty minutes later.」

Seeing that they were almost finished eating, Jiang Liu smiled and began, "Uncle Liu, how many years has my dad been on the squad? Can you still remember?"

Liu Honglei put down his chopsticks, looked up at the lightbulb, and thought back. "Hmm... Let me think. Your dad has been working diligently for over ten years now."

Jiang Dahai said, "About that. I’m forty-three this year, and I joined the squad when I was twenty-eight. That makes fifteen years."

Liu Honglei glanced at Jiang Liu clearing the table, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said:

"Dahai, I’ll submit an application to the higher-ups when I get back. It’s about time you moved up to Squadron Leader. With all your contributions and hard work, it’s a waste of your talent to keep you in a junior position!"

"Squadron Leader?" Jiang Dahai was dumbfounded.

This was too sudden.

’He hadn’t had a promotion in fifteen years, and had only ever been a temporary group leader. Now he was jumping straight to Squadron Leader?’

Lin Qiu, who knew exactly what was happening, tugged on Jiang Dahai’s pants. "Aren’t you going to thank your captain?"

Jiang Dahai snapped out of it, overjoyed. "Thank you, Captain! I’ll be even more dedicated to my duties from now on."

Jiang Liu also chimed in with a smile, "Uncle Liu, next time you come, I’ll pack a few extra buns for you."

"If you don’t manage to buy any, and if I have some left over, I can spare a few for you."

Liu Honglei was ecstatic. "Deal! Then you’ll have to take good care of your Uncle Liu from now on."

’This was the very sentence he’d been waiting for. When a man reaches his fifties after a lifetime of hard work, what’s it all for in the end, if not for the simple pleasure of good food for himself and his family?’

The group chatted as they ate.

Soon, the entire table of delicacies was wiped clean.

"Well, I’ll be heading back. You all carry on with your work."

Hunched over and carrying a box of sashimi, Liu Honglei took his leave.

After the table was cleared.

Jiang Liu checked the time: 2:01.

"Mom, why don’t you and Dad go home and take an afternoon nap?"

"What about you, son? You’re not coming back with us?" Lin Qiu asked with a frown.

"I can just rest here in the shop. I still have to prepare the food for tonight."

Lin Qiu was immediately against the idea. Her son was the apple of her eye.

"Then we won’t go either. We’ll stay and help you with something. How can you manage all this on your own?"

Jiang Liu shook his head and said:

"It’s fine, Mom. My work is pretty technical, so you wouldn’t be able to do it. Besides, the shop has air conditioning, and I can just sleep on the chairs. It’s not tiring at all."

In the end.

His mom and dad insisted on staying with Jiang Liu a while longer.

Jiang Liu didn’t refuse.

He lay down on some chairs he’d pushed together, enjoying the air conditioning, and slept for nearly an hour.

He slept peacefully and soundly.

What Jiang Liu didn’t know was...

...that for that whole hour, Lin Qiu sat by the door. Whenever she saw a customer peering through the window, she would quickly tell them that Jiang Liu was resting and ask them not to disturb her son.

Naturally, the customers didn’t dare disturb "Boss Jiang" while he was sleeping.

When his alarm went off.

Jiang Liu sat on the stool in a daze. He had slept so deeply and comfortably that he didn’t even want to get up.

"Awake, Liu’er?"

Lin Qiu poured a cup of warm water and handed it to Jiang Liu. "Drink some warm water to warm your stomach. I saw you had the AC set really low, so I turned it up a bit. Next time you sleep, don’t set it to eighteen degrees. Twenty-five is fine, you hear?"

"Okay, I know. Thanks, Mom."

Jiang Liu took the warm water and had a sip. He glanced around the room and noticed that his parents had arranged the tables and stools neatly. They had even wiped the dust off the ceiling.