If you were made a mascot, you would become a legend in the police force.

If the battle at Old K Manor was a physical challenge to the limit, then the three days of hospitalization and observation that followed were nothing short of mental torture for Li Tuantuan.

The doctor guarded against Lin Wan's sneaky snacks like a thief, and all three meals a day consisted of specially made "high-fiber nutritional liquid food".

Looking at the pale green vegetable paste in the bowl, Li Tuantuan even began to miss the plate of braised beef that had been blown up in Old K Manor.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Psychological trauma? My only trauma right now is an empty stomach! If you don't let me eat meat, I'm going to slurp up your hospital's IV tubing like a spicy snack!

After finally making it to the day she was discharged from the hospital, Li Tuantuan felt that she had lost weight, at least two ounces.

He rushed out of the ward building, but as soon as he appeared, he was so frightened by the scene before him that he slammed on the brakes.

The red carpet stretched all the way to the main street, and media reporters with their long lenses and microphones blocked the entrance like a zombie apocalypse. Even more extreme, a group of enthusiastic fans holding light boards completely surrounded the hospital.

The slogans on the banners were all sorts of strange and unusual:

"Welcome back in triumph, Kung Fu Bear King!"

"Fly bravely, little one, Mom will always be with you!"

"I want a panda to sit on me and kill me! I want to be its cushion too!"

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: ...Aren't young people these days using XP a bit too advanced?

Zhao Gang and Wang Zhenhua came to pick them up in person.

Chief Wang had specially dyed his hair today, his police uniform was ironed so perfectly it could cut tofu, and every wrinkle on his face was brimming with pride. Seeing Li Tuantuan come out, the old man's eyes reddened, and he opened his arms, ready to embrace their meritorious beast with the deepest affection of his life.

"Go away, you want to die..."

"Smack."

Li Tuantuan ruthlessly stretched out her bear paw, pushing aside the sentimental Director Wang as if pushing open a door blocking her way.

His target was very clear—the insulated bag in Zhao Gang's hand that emitted a deadly fragrance.

That's the taste of Old Ma's secret-recipe braised beef! Apart from that stingy but incredibly skilled old man, no one can make this aroma that haunts even a bear's dreams.

Li Tuantuan snatched the bag, skillfully tore open the packaging with her teeth, and stuffed it directly into her mouth, ignoring the fact that it was a large five-pound bag.

"This...this brat!" Director Wang awkwardly withdrew his hand, chuckled and scolded, forcing back the tears welling in his eyes. "Still the same gluttonous character, hasn't changed a bit."

"Snap, snap!"

The sound of reporters' camera shutters clicking filled the air.

While chewing on the beef, Li Tuantuan naturally found the right position for the main camera.

His cheeks were bulging, but he still managed to free up one greasy paw to make a "V" sign for the camera, a sign he had practiced countless times in front of the mirror in his hospital room these past few days.

Although the bear paws are so thick, this scene looks more like he's making a "two" gesture.

The next day's headline is predicted to be: "Shocking! National Treasure's First Public Appearance After Discharge: Holding Up Two Fingers to the Nation – What Was His Intention?"

……

On the way back to Taiping Town in the police car, Li Tuantuan truly experienced what "top-tier treatment" meant.

Before the convoy even entered the town, the sound of firecrackers was already making Li Tuantuan's ears ring.

This isn't welcoming heroes at all; it's more like celebrating the New Year and getting married at the same time.

Aunt Liu, who usually argues for ages over a few cents' worth of vegetables, shoved a full basket of farm eggs through the car window, almost hitting Lin Wan on the head; Grandpa Zhang, who runs a supermarket, emptied the shelves of sausages; and the most outrageous was Butcher Wang, who carried half a freshly slaughtered pig and chased after a police car for two miles, insisting on throwing it into the back of his truck for Gun Gun's extra meal.

"Gun Gun! Even after you go to the city, you must come back to visit often!"

"Don't be blinded by the glitz and glamour of the city; the bamboo in our town is the sweetest!"

Li Tuantuan sat in the back of the truck, which was full of sausages and eggs, holding half a pork carcass in her arms, watching those familiar and enthusiastic faces recede in the rearview mirror.

He suddenly felt a bit choked by the braised beef in his mouth.

This is a poor and remote place. The police station is drafty in winter and leaky in summer. The canteen serves cabbage and tofu all year round, and even a bowl of milk has to be carefully budgeted.

But this group of people truly treated him like their own child.

The car finally drove into the police station compound.

Old Ma from the canteen, wearing a faded apron and holding an iron ladle that had been used to cook countless large pots of rice, stood at the door, looking on with longing.

Seeing the police car stop, Old Ma's old face beamed with joy: "Gungung's back! Quick! Dinner's ready! All the good stuff! Plenty to go!"

Li Tuantuan jumped off the car and, instead of heading straight for the cafeteria as usual, rushed over and hugged Lao Ma's leg, rubbing her furry head against Lao Ma's greasy pants.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Old Ma, the taste of your braised pork is much better than that Michelin three-star restaurant.

That night, the Taiping Town Police Station did not hold any formalistic commendation meeting.

Under the old locust tree in the courtyard, a few tables were set up together. There were no speeches from leaders, no lengthy reports, only large bowls of meat and large bowls of wine.

As the absolute protagonist, Li Tuantuan had a "super-sized round table" all to herself.

The table was laden with his favorite dishes: milk in a bowl, tender bamboo shoots, apples, and braised pork belly, braised pork hock, and sweet and sour pork ribs, all prepared by Old Ma using his best skills...

Lin Wan sat next to him, like a worried old mother, constantly peeling and shelling shrimp for him.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you. The doctor said you've just recovered and shouldn't overeat..."

Lin Wan kept grumbling, but her hands didn't stop, piling the peeled shrimp into a small mountain.

Li Tuantuan, her mouth greasy from eating, reached out her paw and scooped out the largest piece of braised pork from her own bowl, precisely tossing it into Lin Wan's bowl.

"Mmm." (You eat too, you've gotten so thin these past few days, it's uncomfortable.)

Lin Wan stared at the meat in the bowl, paused for a moment, and then her eyes reddened as she smiled.

After a few rounds of drinks, Director Wang got quite drunk.

He walked over unsteadily, holding a wine glass, and plopped down on the ground next to Li Tuantuan. Not caring that it was dirty, he reached out and patted Li Tuantuan's broad back.

"GunGun...you're a good man. You've brought honor and glory to our organization!"

Director Wang let out a burp, his voice suddenly lowering: "When you go to the Municipal Bureau, it's a big organization with lots of rules. You'll have to rein in your laziness, stop escaping from prison all the time, stop stealing food all the time... If you suffer any injustice, if you can't get used to life in the city..."

The old man choked up for a moment, then didn't continue, simply tilting his head back and downing the wine in one gulp.

The police officer next to him, Xiao Zhang, also wiped away tears: "Gungun, I'll miss you. What will happen to my performance record if no one helps me catch thieves or scare away thugs anymore?"

Li Tuantuan stopped eating.

He looked at his comrades who usually joked around with him and were not respectful to him, but who dared to entrust their lives to him in critical moments.

The night wind rustled through the old locust tree, making its leaves whisper.

Li Tuantuan stretched out her greasy bear paw, which had just been gripping a pork knuckle, and vigorously wiped it on Director Wang's crisp police uniform, leaving a large oil stain.

Then, he gently patted Director Wang on the shoulder.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Old Wang, don't make it sound like a life-or-death situation. Once I'm a big shot in the city bureau, I'll transfer you all over to be my full-time animal handlers. Then we'll be eating and drinking on public funds every day, with meat at every meal!

They ate their meal until the moon was high in the sky.

Everyone was drunk and sprawled out on the table in a chaotic mess.

Li Tuantuan wasn't drunk (because Lin Wan absolutely forbade him to drink), but he was stuffed.

He lay on the familiar big rock in the yard, looking at the moon overhead, with half a pig's trotter still in his hand.

Tomorrow I'm going to the provincial capital to receive the award, and then I'll report directly to the municipal bureau.

New map, new layout, and the legendary luxury single rooms with air conditioning and swimming pools.

That was the "lying down life" he had always dreamed of.

But strangely, at this moment, he wasn't as excited as he had imagined.

He turned his head, glanced at Old Ma who was still cleaning up the mess, and then looked at Lin Wan who was asleep on the table.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: System, get to work.

[System: What are your orders, host?]

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Redeem a [Permanent Food Storage Container] for me, the largest size one. I want to take all the leftover braised pork and pork knuckle, broth and all, home.

[System: ...Host, can't you be a little more sensible? The city bureau's cafeteria has a five-star chef, it's a hundred times better than this.]

Li Tuantuan rolled over, hugging the pig's trotter to her chest as if it were some rare treasure.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: You tasteless artificial idiot, what do you know!

This is the taste of home.