Po Sir's Police Affairs: The Hunter

On the first day after their marriage, Jiang Bo woke up very early.

It was still dark outside, the sky a hazy gray, the streetlights still on. He opened his eyes and saw Liu Ya sleeping beside him, her hair spread out on the pillow, her breathing light and even. She looked beautiful in her sleep, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream. He didn't move, afraid of waking her. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying those names, those apologies. He had gotten used to it; the first thing he did every morning was to go through those names in his mind. Ah Zhen, Xiao Mei, Chen Fang, Wang Li, Zhao Xiuying, Liu Xiaoqin, Sun Xiaomei, Zhang Jianguo, Li Mei, Gao Deming, Xiulan, Lin Xiaoxue, Zhao Xiaoyun, Wang Xiaochen, Wang Xiulan. He went through them once, then again. He remembered them all.

Liu Ya stirred, turned over, and placed her hand on his chest. Her hand was warm and soft. He held her hand; she didn't wake up. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. He remembered he didn't have to work today; he had taken three days of honeymoon leave. He could stay home for three days, with Liu Ya, trying not to think about the cases, not to think about those names. But he couldn't let go. Those names were rooted in his mind, impossible to eradicate.

Liu Ya woke up at daybreak. She opened her eyes, saw him looking at her, paused for a moment, then smiled. "You woke up so early? What time is it?"

"It's past six. It's still early, you can sleep a little longer."

Liu Ya shook her head, sat up, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not going to sleep anymore. I'll make you breakfast. What do you want to eat? Porridge, noodles, or dumplings? Your mom made so many yesterday, there's still a lot in the fridge."

Jiang Bo thought for a moment. "Noodles, please. Instant noodles will do. Didn't you say my cooking is bad? Cook some for me. I want to try your cooking."

Liu Ya smiled. "Okay. I'll cook you noodles. But not instant noodles. We have dried noodles at home, so I'll make you tomato and egg noodles. Just wait, it'll be quick."

She got up, put on her slippers, and went to the kitchen. Jiang Bo also got up and stood at the kitchen door, watching her. She opened the refrigerator and took out two eggs, a tomato, and a handful of scallions. She washed the tomato and chopped it into small pieces. She cracked the eggs and whisked them with chopsticks until well combined. She turned on the stove, poured in oil, and once the oil was hot, poured in the eggs, scrambled them with a spatula, and cooked them until golden brown. She then set them aside. She poured in more oil, added the tomato, cooked it until it released its juices, added water, and once the water boiled, added noodles, the cooked eggs, salt, and scallions. She did it all in one smooth motion, her movements very practiced. Jiang Bo watched her, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Someone was making him breakfast in the kitchen—something that had never happened before. Xiuying also made breakfast, but that was his mother's. It wasn't the same. Liu Ya was his wife. She was his wife now.

The noodles were cooked, and she ladled out two bowls, placing one in front of him and the other in front of herself. She handed him the chopsticks. "Try it. Is it good?"

Jiang Bo picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. The noodles were chewy, the broth was flavorful, the egg was tender, and the tomatoes were sweet and sour—it was delicious. "Delicious. Much better than instant noodles."

Liu Ya laughed. "Of course. Instant noodles have no nutritional value, so you should eat less of them in the future. I'll make them for you. When you're busy, I'll make them for you and put them in the refrigerator. You can just heat them up and eat them. Don't eat instant noodles all the time. Your stomach is already not good, and eating instant noodles will make it even worse."

Jiang Bo lowered his head and ate his noodles. His eyes were red, but he didn't shed a tear.

After finishing their noodles, Jiang Bo cleaned up the dishes. Liu Ya wouldn't let him, saying he was a grown man who couldn't wash dishes. She washed the dishes, wiped the stove, and tidied the kitchen spotless. Jiang Bo stood in the living room, looking at the couplet: "The river flows on, recording a thousand years of grievances. Mirror Lake remains forever, witnessing a lifetime of love." The horizontal inscription read, "The lamp shines eternally." He looked at it for a long time, thinking of his teacher, the old pontoon bridge, and that lamp.

"Let's go see your husband today," Liu Ya said, wiping her hands as she came out of the kitchen. "We're married, but we haven't told him yet. He went home last night alone. Nobody talked to him. Let's go keep him company."

Jiang Bo nodded. "Okay. Go see him. Bring some dumplings. My mom made them; he loves them. He lives alone and can't cook. He only knows how to make noodles, just plain soup. He's old, his teeth aren't good, and he can't eat hard food. Dumplings are soft, so he can chew them."

Liu Ya went to the refrigerator to get dumplings and put them in a thermal container. Jiang Bo changed his clothes.

They went out.

In the morning light, the old pontoon bridge resembled a forgotten battlefield. The bulldozers were still there, their rust deepened. The withered grass, yellow and dry, swayed in the wind. The door of the small house was open, the light still on. The gentleman sat in the doorway, wearing his new overcoat, dark gray and impeccably tailored. In front of him lay the notebook, its blue cover badly worn. He saw Jiang Bo's car, stood up, and, supporting himself on the doorframe, made way for him. His movements were slow, his knees creaking, but there was a light in his eyes, as if he were waiting for something.

"You're here? You're here. On your first day of marriage, why aren't you at home? Aren't you afraid I'll bother you? I'm used to being alone, I don't need anyone's company."

Jiang Bo got out of the car and walked over. "Sir, we came to see you. We were worried about you being alone. You drank quite a bit yesterday, and we were afraid you wouldn't feel well. You have a sensitive stomach and shouldn't drink too much. But you wouldn't listen and insisted on drinking so much. You're getting on in years; you need to be careful."

The man smiled. "I'm happy. I'm only drinking because I'm happy. I'm happy that you're getting married. If your father were still alive, he would have drunk even more than me. He had a high tolerance for alcohol, he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Even when he drank too much, he wouldn't make a scene, he would just laugh. When he laughed, his eyes would crinkle like crescent moons. You're just like him. You laugh when you drink too much. You laughed several times yesterday. You don't usually laugh, but you laughed yesterday."

Liu Ya came over carrying a thermal lunchbox. "Sir, we brought dumplings. They're pork and cabbage dumplings, made by my mom. Please eat them while they're hot. They're still warm from the journey. Please try some."

The man took the insulated food container and opened it. The dumplings were still steaming, white and plump. He picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed for a long time. He had lost several teeth, and the remaining ones were loose, making chewing very difficult. He chewed very slowly, as if savoring something, as if memorizing something.

"It's delicious. Your mom's dumplings are delicious. Yizhou used to bring me dumplings too. Every time he came to visit me, he would bring dumplings. He said his wife made them. He smiled so happily. He was young then, with bright eyes that curved like crescent moons when he smiled. You smile now too, and your eyes curve like crescent moons. You're like him."

Liu Ya squatted down and looked at the man. "Sir, Jiang Bo and I will come to see you often from now on. You live alone and are lonely. With us here, you won't be lonely anymore. If you need anything, just tell us. Don't be shy. We're family now. You're Jiang Bo's teacher, which means you're my teacher too. You taught Jiang Bo's father and Jiang Bo. You're also my teacher."

Tears streamed down the man's face. "Fine. Come on. I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here, writing those names, writing those 'I'm sorry's. I'll write until you come."

They sat with the gentleman all morning. Jiang Bo flipped through the notebook, checking for any names he had forgotten. Liu Ya helped the gentleman organize the photos and letters. She arranged them by year and put them into a new folder. The gentleman looked at them and nodded. "You're a good girl. And you're very skillful. You're better at organizing than I am. I used to just pile things up haphazardly, and I couldn't find anything. Now that you've organized them, it's much clearer."

Liu Ya smiled. "Sir, I'll come and help you organize once a week from now on. You don't need to worry about it, just focus on writing. When you're done, I'll put it away for you. It won't get lost."

At noon, they ate dumplings at the gentleman's place. The gentleman ate very slowly, one dumpling at a time, as if counting them. Liu Ya poured him a cup of hot water, which he took a sip of and then put down.

"Xiao Jiang, will you still investigate cases in the future? Will you still work so hard? You have a wife now, you can't be like before. You need to take care of your family and spend time with your wife. Cases are never-ending, but you only have one wife. You need to know what's important."

Jiang Bo nodded. "Sir, I understand. I won't act like before. I'll come home on time, eat on time, and go to bed on time. I won't let her wait for me alone at home. She'll be scared. She's afraid of the dark and doesn't dare go out alone at night. I'll stay with her."

The man looked at him. "Good. Remember what you said. Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. Your father said the same thing: come home on time, eat on time, go to bed on time. He didn't keep his promise. He lied to your mother. Don't follow his example."

Jiang Bo's tears streamed down his face. "Sir, I won't lie to her. I won't lie to Xiaoya. I will definitely keep my promise to her."

Liu Ya held his hand. "I know. You won't lie to me."

It was getting dark when they returned from the old pontoon bridge. Jiang Bo was driving, and Liu Ya was in the passenger seat, looking out the window. The setting sun shone on the river, shattering it into pieces of gold. She gazed at it for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"Jiang Bo, will you still go to the old pontoon bridge in the future? Will you still visit the teacher, look at those notebooks, and see the glutinous rice balls?"

Jiang Bo nodded. "Yes. I'll go every week. My husband is getting old, and he's all alone. No one visits Tangyuan's grave, so I need to go and pull the weeds. I need to check those notebooks to make sure I haven't missed any names. These things can't be neglected."

Liu Ya looked at him. "I'll go with you. Every week. Don't go alone. You'll be sad if you go alone. If I go, you won't be sad."

Jiang Bo gripped the steering wheel. "Okay. You'll come with me."

The car drove into the residential area and parked downstairs. They went upstairs and opened the door. The house was warm, and the lights were on. Xiuying sat on the sofa, holding the notebook, and had fallen asleep. She had been waiting for them to come back all afternoon. She heard the door open, opened her eyes, saw them, and smiled.

"You're back? How is your husband? Has he eaten? Are there enough dumplings? He lives alone and can't cook. He can only make noodles, just plain soup. You should visit him often. He's getting old; we can't leave him alone."

Liu Ya went over and sat down beside her. "Mom, your husband is doing well. He ate quite a few dumplings and drank a bowl of hot water. He said the dumplings you made were delicious, better than anything he'd ever had. He thanked you. Don't worry about him, Jiang Bo and I are here. We'll take good care of him."

Xiuying nodded. "Okay. I'll be relieved if you take good care of him. You all take good care of yourselves too. Don't forget to eat while you're busy. Xiaojiang has a sensitive stomach and can't go hungry. Xiaoya, watch over him and make sure he doesn't eat instant noodles. You cook for him, make something good. He's too thin, he needs to eat more. You need to eat more too, being too thin makes it harder to have children."

Liu Ya blushed. "Mom, I know. I'll take good care of him. Don't worry."

Jiang Bo stood by the window, looking out. Those names, those apologies, were all in his heart. Those people standing at the door watching were also in his heart. They were gone, but he remained. He had Liu Ya, Xiu Ying, and his teacher. He was no longer alone.

That night, Jiang Bo and Liu Ya lay in bed. The lights were off, and the moonlight shone in through the window, illuminating the floor.

"Jiang Bo, are you going to work tomorrow? Didn't you take three days of leave for your wedding?"

"I'm not going. I'll stay home with you. Where do you want to go? I'll go with you. What do you want to do? I'll do it with you. For these three days, I won't investigate the case, I won't think about those names, I won't say those 'I'm sorry's. I'll only think about you. I'll only be with you."

Liu Ya turned over and looked at him. "Really? You're not lying to me?"

"I'm not lying to you."

She smiled. "Then let's go for a walk by the river. Just the two of us, no one else. No 'sir,' no 'mother,' no 'Liu Tong.' Just you and me. We'll go to the river, look at the water, feel the breeze, and talk. You can tell me about your childhood, about your father, about being a policeman. I'm listening, I don't mind."

Jiang Bo took her hand. "Okay. Let's go to the riverbank. I'll tell you everything. Whatever you want to hear, I'll tell you. I don't want you to hear it from anyone else. I want to tell you myself."

Liu Ya buried her face in his chest. "Okay. I'll listen to you."