Chapter 40

Back at home, Chen Shuifen peered out cautiously from behind her door, scanning the area for a long time. Aside from a few villagers lingering out of curiosity, the group of thugs was nowhere to be seen.

“It seems this young man Xu really does have some skills. I hope he can genuinely handle this huge trouble. If he does, I’ll have to thank him properly someday…” she murmured, feeling a sense of relief mixed with lingering caution. Turning back, she noticed the large packages Xu Tianyou had brought. She hesitated, then decided to open them all.

Though wrapped elegantly, the gifts Xu had brought were practical—bags of rice, oil, flour, and other essentials, all of which looked high-quality. These were things Chen Shuifen currently needed the most.

In the midst of the gifts, she found a carefully sealed envelope. Opening it, she was first struck by the beauty of the handwriting, neat and graceful. Inside the envelope was a small stack of cash, modest and worn with various denominations.

“Auntie, these things may not be expensive, but they carry my sincere wishes. Please don’t refuse them. I saved up all of this myself, bit by bit, and it has nothing to do with my family. Rest assured, and please pass this on to Xiao Hai as well so he doesn’t worry.

My family lives quite far, so I might not be able to visit often. But whenever I have time, I’ll be back to see you.”

“Such a good child… Thank you so much for being so thoughtful,” whispered Chen Shuifen, wiping tears from her face, feeling a mix of relief and pride.

In these recent months of hardship, waves of trouble had come one after another. Many relatives and friends had subtly distanced themselves, fearful of being entangled. Yet Xiao Hai’s friends had remained loyal and supportive.

Pan Zhuangzhuang was particularly steadfast, moving his entire family into their home and handing over every cent he earned working outside. Lin Xuan’er, that girl, had no other means of help, so she had tried to save as much as possible, thinning down in just two months, which broke Chen Shuifen’s heart to see. And now there was young Xu.

“Xiao Hai, your friends are truly remarkable. Remember this kindness—they’ve shown such loyalty, and you should repay them well someday.”

Chen Shuifen sighed deeply, counting the bills. The total was 322 yuan and 40 cents, not a lot, but she was deeply grateful, knowing it was carefully saved by Xu Tianyou over time.

—

On December 15, Wang Tiejun visited the First Prison once again, a bit more frequently than usual lately.

“So, Captain Wang, was there an issue with the intel?” An Xiao Hai asked with some apprehension.

He had his reasons for feeling cautious. On December 1, his mother had visited, bringing him warmth and comfort. She also mentioned Xu Tianyou’s visit, urging him to remember the kindness and repay it someday after his release.

While he appeared calm, inwardly An Xiao Hai was struck with shock. He hadn’t expected Xu Tianyou to take such a bold risk—appearing at his home when the entire city was on the lookout for him. If he’d been spotted, it would have been impossible to clear his name.

Luckily, Xu was clever and hadn’t flooded the house with money, which could have drawn attention. But why the 300 yuan?

Xu had made it clear in his note that the money was his own hard-earned savings and unrelated to any other activities.

“Besides… how could he have made money doing anything other than shady deals?” An was confused but didn’t dwell on it, dismissing it as Xu’s odd sense of humor. If the amount had been larger, he might have felt differently.

Thankfully, the two brothers of Liu Jun who’d caused trouble at home had run into Xu, so that problem seemed solved for good. He didn’t even care what happened to them now; with grudges this deep, there was no point dwelling on it.

“No, the information was accurate. We captured the target and found three ‘books,’” Wang Tiejun confirmed, holding up three fingers.

An Xiao Hai raised an eyebrow. Three “books” was underground slang for kilograms. That Taiwan dealer had overreached—three kilograms of goods would likely mean his downfall.

“That’s good news, but you don’t seem very happy, Captain Wang,” An observed.

“You’re right; I’m not feeling thrilled,” Wang replied, unusually sighing as he leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling.

His uncharacteristic demeanor intrigued An, as Wang Tiejun had never shown this side before.

“Captain Wang, what’s bothering you?”

“I don’t really know!” Wang shook his head. “It’s just that… these recent cases, these arrests—they’ve come too easily. If it were always this simple, would so many of my brothers have had to die? I just feel as though I’ve let them down.”

An could only sympathize. He knew Wang’s struggle. Working nonstop to fight crime, only to have these successes handed over through tips, would shake anyone’s confidence.

Wang Tiejun was taking all the responsibility for the sacrifices of his comrades onto his own shoulders.

An had no words to offer. He understood Wang’s ideals but didn’t fully agree with them.

“Captain Wang, I’m sorry… but these aren’t really my achievements. All these victories are yours; I’ve just stated them in advance. I’m sorry…” An apologized silently in his heart.

“Well, anyway, no more talk of that. I mainly came today to inform you about the Moonlight Club case. You’ve done very well, and on behalf of my colleagues, I sincerely thank you!” Wang’s momentary sadness passed, showing the resilience of a dedicated soldier.

“No need to thank me, Captain…” An’s heart was heavy.

“Your contributions deserve recognition. I’ve recorded all of your achievements in a classified file. Even if I’m not around one day, your deeds won’t go unacknowledged. Rest assured!”

“Captain, you don’t have to do this.”

An felt his heart twist with a sudden urge to tell Wang everything, but he resisted the impulse.

“Alright, I’ll be on my way. In a few days, I’ll have Xia Jing visit your family to deliver some of the recent rewards.”

“Thank you, Captain Wang,” An muttered, not wanting to betray his emotions.

“It’s my duty. You really don’t want me to help reduce your sentence? With everything you’ve done, you could be out very soon.”

“No need, but thank you.”

An could only manage another thank you, finding himself short of words.

“Alright then, I’m leaving. You can stay here and gather your thoughts. Someone will be back to escort you in ten minutes.”

“Thank you.”

After Wang Tiejun left, An stood in silence facing the closed door, then sharply straightened and saluted in a standard military stance.

“Captain Wang, this salute is from the An Xiao Hai who once attended the National Defense University.

From now on, that An Xiao Hai no longer exists.

You have your battlefield, and I have mine. See you on the battlefield!”

At that moment, An could not have foreseen that just two days later, he would once again meet Wang Tiejun in this very room—but under much more strained circumstances.