Chapter 52
On the way

Ren Yaguang, familiar with the route, was designated as the driver.

Tan Yi sat in the front passenger seat while Xie Qing enjoyed the back seat, leisurely watching the scenery.

Lishan County is south of Anhai, and driving along the coastal highway, the journey is filled with hills and the sea, offering a more magnificent view than the city – Blue sea and sky and large patches of yellow reeds swaying in the northwest wind like waves of wheat.

Just when Xie Qing thought she should get a camera, Xie Chen called.

“Happy New Year, brother.”

“Qing Qing, are you at the city bureau?”

“No, I’m on the way to Lishan County.”

“Aren’t you on duty? How come you’re on a business trip?”

“There is a suspect there that needs to be arrested immediately.”

“This is too hard on you.”

“It’s not bad. I get to enjoy the scenery while riding in the car.”

“Who’s looking at the scenery during the New Year?”

“Brother, there’s a saying, ‘There is no peace without someone bearing the burden for you.'”

Xie Qing was only tagging along today and not bearing much burden. She meant to praise Tan Yi and Ren Yaguang, as well as the entire police force. But Xie Chen was touched. He remained silent for a moment, then said, “That’s true. My sister is also one of those who bears the burden. Dad says to stay safe.”

“Okay, tell Dad not to worry. Captain Tan and the other colleagues are here.”

“Is Captain Tan not spending New Year at home? Let me have a word with him.”

“Sure, hold on.” Xie Qing handed the phone to Tan Yi.

They exchanged New Year greetings, and after a few refusals, Tan Yi declined Xie Chen’s invitation, ending with “Chai Yu said to come back early, and on the fifth night, you all are welcome to my place. Okay, that’s it.”

Xie Chen likely agreed.

Tan Yi handed back the phone, saying, “Xiao Xie’s eloquence is not bad.”

Ren Yaguang agreed, “Yeah, that was spot on. I’ve encountered more evil in ten days here than in ten or eight years in other jobs.”

Xie Qing took out three oranges from her bag, peeled them, and handed over two. “When I was in college, I thought being a police officer was cool. Now that I am one, reality is even cooler—harshly cool.”

“There’s even an orange. Traveling with a female colleague is a blessing. Thank you.” Ren Yaguang took one. “Well, after being a police officer for a long time, you feel that human nature is inherently evil, making it hard to trust people easily. When taking a child out, you become highly vigilant, feeling that anyone approaching for no reason might be a trafficker…”

Ren Yaguang was very talkative, and once he started talking, the atmosphere in the car became lively.

An hour and a half later, the road conditions worsened, and after turning a bend, the car reached the most difficult part of the journey.

Ren Yaguang reminded, “Captain Tan and Xiao Xie, hold on to the handrails.” As he spoke, the car climbed a rather steep uphill, then descended. The road was full of potholes and gravel, making it very difficult to drive on.

A mountain cart carrying New Year goods clattered down the road ahead.

Ren Yaguang followed behind, controlling the speed and holding the steering wheel tightly, moving down bit by bit like an old lady with bad legs.

At the foot of the hill was a riverbed with a ruined road. The soil was loose and sandy, making it very easy to get stuck.

The Xiali car ahead was being dragged by a large tricycle.

Two burly men dismantled the tow rope, and one bald man collected the fee with great coordination. The Xiali driver handed out some money through the window and drove away with a kick of the accelerator.

Tan Yi said, “The road condition seems man-made. Everyone be careful.”

Ren Yaguang clicked his tongue, “Indeed, they don’t seem like good people.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the burly men stopped the tricycle that had passed smoothly. They were not far away, and their conversation could be heard clearly.

“Brother, where are you going?”

“My home, Yangtun.”

“Yangtun, huh? You seem to be doing well; there are a lot of New Year’s goods. My family is short of two strings of firecrackers. Are you selling?”

“Not selling; take them if you need them; we’re all neighbors.”

“Haha, you’re generous, thanks. Happy New Year.”

The tricycle drove away.

Tan Yi said, “These people take advantage of the New Year period, knowing people don’t want to cause trouble and are engaging in borderline robbery.”

Ren Yaguang said, “They’re smart. Even if we know the truth, we probably can’t do anything about them.”

Tan Yi said, “Let’s see what the situation is.”

Ren Yaguang shifted to second gear, and just as he was about to floor the accelerator, Tan Yi stopped him.

Tan Yi said, “These people won’t let us go easily. We’re the police. It’s better to fight than to run over someone.”

Ren Yaguang asked, “Should we reveal our identity?”

Tan Yi thought for a moment, “Let’s wait and see how far they take it.”

“Got it.” Ren Yaguang eased off the accelerator and drove at a normal speed.

The large tricycle driver also got out of the car. Four burly men stood in the middle of the road, posing as if daring the car to run them over.

Ren Yaguang rolled down the window, “What’s the meaning of this, brothers?”

The bald man crossed his arms and approached with a smile, “It’s New Year. My family can’t afford meat. Can you spare some money, little brother?”

Ren Yaguang looked at Tan Yi.

Tan Yi asked, “How much do you want?”

“Oh, an outsider, a rich man.” The bald man leaned against the car door, “Happy New Year, be generous.”

Ren Yaguang said, “Brother, the license plate is from Anhai, aren’t we Anhai people? My relatives just came back from out of town, so they have a bit of an accent.”

The bald man stroked the window, “Anhai City, not from our Lishan County.”

Tan Yi sneered, “Yes, not from Lishan County. How much do you think is appropriate?”

“This is a new car, right? It depends on how much you think this car is worth.” Sensing the hostile tone, the bald man changed his expression and waved his hand, signaling the other three to approach with sticks.

Ren Yaguang shuddered, looked back at Xie Qing, and questioned, “Brothers, during the New Year, do you really intend to rob us?”

The bald man said, “We wouldn’t dare, we’re just begging for some pocket money.”

Tan Yi said to Xie Qing, “Stay in the car, I’ll go talk to them.”

Xie Qing understood that as long as these people didn’t make a move, Tan Yi couldn’t deal with them, so he had to risk himself. She advised, “Why not give it to them first and deal with it later.” She didn’t mind much, knowing that even the strongest cannot easily overcome local bullies. If any of them got hurt, Tan Yi would have a hard time explaining it back at the station.

Tan Yi calmed down, “Alright, we’ll deal with it later.” He took out his wallet from his bag, “How much do you want?”

The bald man was satisfied, his greedy eyes fixed on the wallet, “Your wallet is quite full, we won’t be greedy, just leave you one note.”

Ren Yaguang saw that Tan Yi had at least a thousand yuan in his wallet; leaving one meant taking nine hundred.

This was simply outrageous. However, there were four of them. Being a hero shouldn’t come at the expense of his colleagues.

Tan Yi left one note and took out the rest.

But life is unpredictable. When you think you can resolve things peacefully, the other side sees it as a sign of weakness and often takes advantage.

A burly man stood outside the back door, looking in, “Oh, there’s a beautiful lady sitting here, and she has a mobile phone too. She must be rich. Come, let me borrow it for two days.” As he spoke, he opened the car door and reached out his filthy hand toward Xie Qing’s chest.

This is really intolerable!

Xie Qing was furious. She threw a straight punch, hitting the opponent’s nose. Then she followed with a left kick to the opponent’s thigh and, with a bounce of her right foot, got out of the car. Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent covered his nose, she advanced and performed a back throw.

Ren Yaguang reacted quickly. He immediately opened the car door, pushing the bald man out and then threw a pair of handcuffs to Xie Qing, “Catch!”

Xie Qing caught the handcuffs and, with two clicks, handcuffed the man. She whispered, “Sorry, we are the police. You are under arrest for robbery.”

Meanwhile, Ren Yaguang and the bald man had started fighting.

Tan Yi was handling two people.

Xie Qing wanted to end the fight quickly. She picked up a stick from the ground, took two big steps forward, and hit one of the strong men in the leg with the stick.

The man screamed in pain but was also provoked into a rage and charged at Xie Qing.

Xie Qing dodged and countered with a side kick, sending the man to the ground. She took another step forward, pinning him down with her knee on his back.

Ren Yaguang and Tan Yi had also finished their fights.

One pair of handcuffs secured two people, and the remaining one was tied with the rope from Tan Yi’s bag.

Tan Yi went to contact the Lishan County Police Department.

Ren Yaguang looked at Xie Qing in admiration, “I never knew Doctor Xie’s skills were so good. If I had known, there would have been no need to waste words with them.”

Xie Qing rubbed her right hand, which had been hurt in the scuffle, “I just didn’t expect the bald man to be such a weakling.”

“The bald man? A weakling!” Ren Yaguang laughed heartily, “That’s hilarious.”

Although the bald man character appeared in later cartoons, there was a big bald man right in front of them, making the nickname very fitting.

Tan Yi, who was on the phone, also laughed. He took off his glasses, revealing his bright peach blossom eyes.

After giving some instructions, Tan Yi put down the phone when a few cars came down the hill behind them.

“Finally, justice is served,” one of the drivers said.

Another driver added, “I’ve been robbed a few times, lost about two hundred yuan in total over ten days. Finally, I can vent my frustration.”

“Phew!”

Tan Yi showed his credentials and stopped a small truck, “We are the police. We need to requisition your vehicle temporarily.”

The driver was startled, “What do you mean?”

Xie Qing understood and said to Ren Yaguang, “Quick, get them on the truck!”

Ren Yaguang, working with Tan Yi, dragged the strong men onto the truck, and then both of them got on.

Xie Qing followed behind in her own car.

As soon as they picked up speed, a large number of villagers appeared on a small road, carrying hoes and shovels.

Ren Yaguang then realized and cursed, “Are they crazy? Are they trying to start a rebellion?”

Tan Yi explained, “The people from the Lishan County Bureau said the local customs are tough. We need to leave immediately with the suspects.”

“Luckily, we left quickly.” Ren Yaguang waved his fist at Bald Strong, “If I weren’t a police officer, I’d beat you up.”

“Get lost!” Bald Strong cursed with his neck stiffened, “You should have said you were police earlier! I’ll take the loss today, but just wait until I get out; I’ll deal with you.”

Tan Yi gave him a sidelong glance, “You don’t have much skill, but your talk is big. Fine, I’ll wait and see if you get shot or if I get stabbed.”

Bald Strong said nothing more.

The four strong men, two of whom were taken down by a female police officer, no longer had the right to brag.