Chapter 142

When Zhou Ze and Lawyer An returned to the bookstore, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

Xu Qinglang started preparing dinner only after they came back.

Dinner was simple, not too many dishes, and not exaggeratedly filling the entire table.

There was a pot of beef soup that had been simmering since morning, and when it was opened, a thick layer of oil floated on top.

Taking a large sea bowl,

Heaping a large handful of beef into it,

Using a spoon to skim off the top layer of oil, scooping a large spoonful of broth into it, and then using the spoon to press down on the beef in the bowl, pouring the soup back into the pot.

The second spoonful filled the bowl with soup again, and after putting it down, he grabbed a large handful of chopped green onions, almost covering the surface of the bowl.

And there was a bowl of beef soup.

Xu Qinglang also prepared some baked flatbreads and fried meatballs, which could be torn apart and soaked in the beef soup.

It felt similar to mutton paomo (a Xi'an specialty), although it wasn't as famous, the taste was in no way inferior. For those who liked this flavor, it was definitely an unforgettable obsession.

At the table,

Everyone lowered their heads and drank the soup, feeling completely refreshed.

Lawyer An was hungry and drank three bowls in a row.

In reality, no extra beef was added, but the soup was so nutritious that a bowl could easily replace a meal for someone with a normal appetite.

As everyone was eating,

A radiant and mighty figure appeared at the bookstore door,

And as always, he greeted with the classic line:

"Oh, what a coincidence, everyone's eating!"

Zhang Yanfeng, in his uniform, walked in, and without any ceremony, directly took a seat.

Xu Qinglang served him a bowl and handed him a plate of flatbreads. Old Zhang gulped down a mouthful of soup and exhaled with satisfaction.

"Hey, this is the Luoyang style, right? I remember going to Luoyang on a mission a few years ago, and local comrades took me to drink this soup. Tsk tsk, the taste, unforgettable."

Zhou Ze glanced at Old Zhang,

Too lazy to even say anything to this mooch.

Those who knew the situation would think it was a sign of the close relationship between the police and the people.

Those who didn't know would think this policeman came to freeload at the store every day, morning, noon, and night.

"Little Zhang, I thought you weren't coming tonight."

The old Daoist said while tearing apart a flatbread.

Because the boss and the lawyer came back late today, dinner started late as well, but Old Zhang was able to arrive just in time, it was too "coincidental."

If he didn't know that Old Zhang was usually very busy with work, the old Daoist would have almost suspected that he parked his car outside to scout and waited for the bookstore to start dinner before "coincidentally" coming in.

"No, there was a rectification meeting at the bureau tonight, so I'm late.

The director of a local police station, his own daughter was made to stand as punishment by a teacher;

And what did he do? He directly had the teacher arrested and locked up in the police station for seven hours.

Now that the matter has blown up,

That director has been dismissed and transferred.

These bastards, we work so hard to risk our lives to protect the safety of the people's lives and property,

The reputation and image of the police are built up bit by bit by our blood.

And it's ruined by these grandsons."

Old Zhang really had the qualifications and the right to say these words,

In his previous life,

He died in a kindergarten hostage situation, and in order to save the kidnapped children and female teacher, he struggled with the kidnapper and was burned to death together.

"Rectification meetings are good!"

At this time,

Lawyer An suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted,

Scaring the little black girl next to him, who was drinking soup, and causing her to choke.

Zhou Ze helplessly shook his head,

While the others looked at the overly excited Lawyer An with some confusion.

"Old Zhang."

Lawyer An put his hand on Old Zhang's shoulder and patted it hard, "You have to straighten out your thinking and attitude, and your personal sentiments have to be sublimated even further."

Old Zhang was a little baffled,

Had he done something wrong?

Lawyer An had already finished eating, so he simply got up, sat next to Old Zhang, and pointed at the sea bowl in front of Old Zhang, "You eat, you eat yours, I'll say what I have to say."

"Oh, okay."

Old Zhang lowered his head and continued to drink the soup.

"Old Zhang, in fact, one's vision really needs to be broadened, you think so, right?"

"Mm."

"Then how can you see far? First of all, you have to stand tall, right?"

"Mm."

Zhou Ze was too lazy to listen to this bullshit from Lawyer An,

Got up,

Walked to his favorite spot on the sofa, and sat down.

Because he had just eaten, he didn't lie down.

Yingying came over and brought Zhou Ze a few newspapers.

Tea wasn't brewed because drinking tea right after eating is bad for digestion, it was written in *The Maid's Self-Cultivation*.

"Old Zhang, all living beings are equal, you know that?"

"Uh, isn't that Buddhist..."

"No, no, it should be in the constitution too, everyone is equal, right?"

"Mm, right."

"The living people are the people, but the dead people, aren't they also the people?"

"Old An, what exactly do you want to say?"

"I'm telling you, there's a great opportunity in front of you right now, that I worked so hard to get for you."

"You go first."

"There's an opportunity to get an official position in hell, which is more comfortable and pleasant than being a little ghost messenger in the mortal realm, do you want to go?"

"Don't want to."

"Yeah, you definitely want to..."

Lawyer An took a deep breath,

"You... how can you not want to go?"

Old Zhang subconsciously looked at Zhou Ze sitting in the distance.

"Don't look at him, you'll become useless if you learn from him."

"..." Zhou Ze.

"Is it going to hell?"

"Yeah."

"Can't I stay in the mortal realm?"

"There's also a chance, you can come up and take a look every three to five years."

"I don't want to go, I think I'm doing pretty well right now."

"How can you be doing well?"

"Going to work, handling cases, catching bad guys, it's pretty fulfilling."

"Is that fulfilling? Old Zhang, my expectations for you have always been very high.

I often tell the boss,

That in the whole bookstore,

I think the most promising one is actually you!"

"Ah, uh, is that so?"

"Yeah, definitely. Old Zhang, hell needs you now."

"But I don't have any abilities..."

Lawyer An stretched out his little finger,

And poked Old Zhang's chest.

"..." Old Zhang.

"Having this conscience is enough, it doesn't matter whether you have anything else or not.

What should be there, will be there, but only conscience, no one else can give you."

"I..."

"I what, Old Zhang, listen to me, do you know how bad the atmosphere in hell is right now?"

"How bad?"

"Small cases depend on relationships,

Medium cases depend on influence,

Large cases depend on politics!

Tell me, isn't that serious?"

"Oh, it seems like it is."

"Look at me, I'm already like this, isn't that serious?"

"You are..."

Old Zhang hesitated, and didn't say the words "you deserve it."

No matter which regime it is, when faced with rebels, it will definitely crack down mercilessly.

"I participated in such a serious matter, and I'm still not dead, and I can still sit here drinking beef soup and chatting with you about life's insights;

Isn't that scary?"

"Uh..." Old Zhang.

You put it that way,

And I suddenly feel like it makes a lot of sense.

"So hell needs you to go, and this opportunity in front of you, is also worth seizing..."

Boss Zhou put down the newspaper, couldn't listen anymore, stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

Yingying followed, and put a coat on Zhou Ze.

In fact, Zhou Ze knew clearly that no matter how good Lawyer An's eloquence was, he wouldn't be able to persuade Old Zhang.

Old Zhang was "very silly," the things he had believed in the police force for the past twenty years, including his later sacrifice to save the children, were probably seen as "foolish" by many people.

But this "fool" wasn't the same as "senile dementia."

Unless he himself opened his mouth, using their previous relationship, personally spoke to Old Zhang, otherwise Old Zhang wouldn't agree.

And Boss Zhou didn't want to open this mouth,

For himself, the boss, to continue staying upstairs watching the newspaper, basking in the sun, and drinking coffee,

And send you down to hell to fight in a new workplace?

He really couldn't do this.

Under the streetlights,

Zhou Ze walked in front,

Yingying walked behind,

Two shadows,

Stretched out together.

In fact, they didn't walk very far, they just turned back from the street corner in front, and unknowingly circled back again.

"Yo, taking a stroll?"

Qu Mingming was sitting on a chair by the side of the road at this time, wearing earphones, and when he saw Zhou Ze coming over, he politely took off his earphones.

Zhou Ze also nodded politely.

"Brother, there's something that's been stuck in my heart for several days, I don't know if I should say it or not."

Qu Mingming stood up, looking a little troubled.

"Then don't say it."

"..." Qu Mingming.

"I..."

"Yingying, my head is a little dizzy, the wind outside is too strong, let's go back."

"Uh..." Qu Mingming.

When Zhou Ze crossed the road,

Qu Mingming gritted his teeth and chased after him.

Zhou Ze shrugged helplessly.

"I want to ask you for a favor."

"I've been very busy lately."

"I live across from you."

Meaning that,

I can see you sitting by your window every day from my window,

And what you're busy with every day.

"Speak, I may not help." Zhou Ze said.

"Next to you." As he said that, Qu Mingming pointed to the spot on the right side of the bookstore.

It was the place that Lawyer An rented to grow spider lilies for the little black girl.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Ze asked.

"Recently, the Gu worms I'm raising have all become restless, I don't know what the reason is, later, I released a few Gu worms and found that they were all crawling towards the place next to you."

"Oh."

Zhou Ze nodded and instructed Yingying:

"Yingying, buy more insecticide and flypaper tomorrow, and put more of it next door."

"Okay, Boss!"

"Boss Qu, thank you for your reminder, don't worry, we'll be careful, we won't let ourselves get bitten by the bugs, Boss Qu, you're really kind."

Immediately after,

Zhou Ze seemed to have thought of something again, and instructed:

"No, insecticide is too expensive, tomorrow tell the Deadpool to guard at the door of the store, swallow a bug when it comes, consider it a snack for him."

"Okay, Boss!"

"..." Qu Mingming.