To please others? It's better to please yourself.

"Grandpa—, Grandpa—"

The children hadn't seen their father for quite some time and missed him terribly. Every day they would ask, "When is Grandpa coming back?"

Mr. Shen grinned with joy as he saw his grandchildren surrounding him.

"Grandpa, when are Grandma coming back? I miss her so much~" Dou Dou always had a sweet tongue, and since Shen's mother didn't have a daughter, she doted on her the most.

"Soon, soon~" I guess my husband will be back once my eldest daughter-in-law finishes her postpartum confinement.

"Are your younger brother and sister good?" Mao Mao felt that she was finally not the youngest, so she copied the question "Was Mao Mao good today?" and asked her younger brother and sister.

"Oh dear, they're already crying. They're definitely not as well-behaved as Mao Mao~"

Zhuangzhuang: "Grandpa, I got first place in the exam this time. The teacher gave me a notebook. I'll give it to you, Grandpa." The notebook that Shen's parents used to keep accounts every day was almost empty, so Zhuangzhuang remembered it.

"Good, good, good," Mr. Shen patted each of his children's heads, feeling very comforted.

The family enjoyed a lively dinner together. The children were cared for by Shen's father, which relieved Shen He of some stress.

Before going to bed that night, Xu Jing'an suddenly remembered: "Did you bring my things back from the bureau?"

Shen He: "I got it back. Why did you remember?" He thought about it carefully. Nothing had happened in the past few days.

Xu Jing'an: "Your bureau hasn't offered any response whatsoever?"

"So what? I've done something to rid the people of a menace and contributed to your police force, haven't I? Just because I'm a family member of a police officer doesn't mean you can ignore me!"

There were four criminals in total, and he took down two of them all by himself. Such an achievement cannot be overlooked anywhere!

Xu Jing'an carefully recalled Qiao Fengchun's appearance and tone of voice, and felt that he didn't seem like a stingy person!

Shen He smiled and said, "Normally, we'd just get a certificate, some gifts, and maybe someone to help us find a job. You don't need any of that."

"After the case was closed, Director Qiao mentioned this matter a few days ago. Aren't you busy with the college entrance exam? I told him to talk to him after you finish the exam."

My wife has everything she needs right now, so we might as well wait and see!

After hearing this, Xu Jing'an leaned over Shen He and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Shen He truly understands me."

Xu Jing'an's eyes were dark and bright, filled with surprise.

Shen He grabbed his wife's waist and turned to look at Mao Mao. The little guy had his hands raised to either side of his head. Looking at his son, who had already "surrendered," he knew he was fast asleep.

He turned his head and whispered in his wife's ear, "Let's try a different position today~"

Xu Jing'an felt the hands around her waist slowly tighten like iron hoops, and by then it was too late for her to get down.

……

Not long after Shen's father returned, the college entrance examination arrived as scheduled!

Because there were no unified textbooks or teaching syllabus nationwide in 77, the college entrance examination papers were set and administered by each province, municipality, and autonomous region independently. Therefore, the college entrance examination dates varied from province to province.

In the winter of 77, a total of 570 million candidates entered the examination hall, but only 27 of them changed their lives.

On average, only one out of every 29 test takers can enter university. There were twelve graduating classes from 1966 to 1977, plus a small number of outstanding students from the 1978 graduating class, making a total of thirteen classes of test takers.

Xu Jing'an entered the battlefield with a thin piece of paper and a simple black-and-white photo of her admission ticket.

At that time, almost every test center had a banner that read: "Motherland, please choose!"

During the Cultural Revolution, ordinary people rarely had a chance to get a spot in the Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' University. Not to mention the rural areas, even in factories, many cadres would "recommend" each other's children to attend the Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' University.

Where is the fairness in this approach? Although the workers didn't say it, they were all overjoyed that the college entrance examination could be held, regardless of whether there were any students taking the exam at home!

Xu Jing'an rubbed her hands together and finished the exam. Before it was time to hand in the papers, some people had already walked out crying.

Outside the examination hall, many candidates' relatives and family members were still waiting, worried about them.

At a time like this, Shen He is unreliable. For major events like this, the larger the crowd, the busier the police station and bureau become.

Three days passed in a flash, and Xu Jing'an went to find Director Qiao Fengchun as soon as she left the examination room.

"What? You want to learn how to shoot a gun?" Qiao Fengchun stared at the woman in front of him, his eyes wide with surprise.

Xu Jing'an nodded affirmatively: "Yes, Director Qiao. I won't learn to use those submachine guns, automatic or semi-automatic rifles from the military."

"I want to learn how to use a handgun, something that's easy to carry and that you'd encounter in everyday life."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Fengchun understood what Xu Jing'an meant. Those kinds of long rifles used by the military are not commonly encountered in daily life. Even if you did come across one, its large size makes it difficult to conceal and easily arouses suspicion.

What can truly pose a surprise threat to life is a handgun that is easy to carry and conceal.

From her two encounters with Xu Jing'an and the information she gathered after investigating her, Qiao Fengchun learned that Xu Jing'an was a timid but cautious and considerate person.

That being said, she wouldn't have survived the murderer if it weren't for these qualities.

Knowing this was one thing, but it was the first time he'd faced Xu Jing'an like this. He needed to prepare for the worst in everything, to be on the safe side!

"How long are you planning to practice?" Qiao Fengchun asked, adjusting her expression.

Xu Jing'an: "At least until before the New Year? I'll just ask my workplace for leave then." Ammunition isn't that easy to come by! She finally has a chance, she'll definitely take advantage of it!

Qiao Fengchun: "Okay, wait for my news!" Although the female lesbians have some special requests, they are not impossible to meet.

Most of the current police officers are veterans who have served in real combat situations.

That evening, Shen He brought news to Xu Jing'an.

Shen He took out his identification and a letter personally signed by Qiao Fengchun: "Director Qiao has already spoken with the military and told me to take you there directly tomorrow."

The next day, the two went to the military base. After showing their identification to the soldiers in the guardhouse, a female soldier arrived shortly afterward.

The person who taught Xu Jing'an was not a stranger, but the outside help that the Public Security Bureau had invited last time—Lü Hongyan.

Xu Jing'an followed Lü Hongyan all the way to the shooting range, where everything was already prepared.

"Comrade, I've heard about what happened to you. No doubt about it, you're amazing—" Lü Hongyan gave Xu Jing'an a thumbs up.

Xu Jing'an: "Don't even mention it! I was so scared my legs went weak. I had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius in the middle of the night, and I didn't know anything!"

"I'll be troubling you today, comrade."

Lü Hongyan: "What kind of gun do you want to practice with?"

Xu Jing'an: "They're pretty common on the market!"