Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the small canteen. The head chef had already gone home for the Chinese New Year, and the canteen was empty.

Wu Shanheng wanted to cook a few dishes with Yu Duoduo, but Qi Tongwei stopped him.

"Hey friend...the West has no shortage of beef and mutton...let's get a hot pot...it'll be lively..."

The suggestion was met with enthusiastic support.

After a flurry of activity, a copper pot was placed on the table, surrounded by various side dishes.

The hot, spicy broth simmered in the copper pot, steam rising straight to the ceiling.

Through the thin mist, Qi Tongwei looked at several young faces and raised his glass.

"Come, let's raise a glass together and welcome the arrival of 1992..."

The New Year's Eve dinner was very lively, and everyone put aside their trivial matters and worries.

They told jokes, chatted about everyday life, talked about work, and discussed their dreams; they talked about everything.

After a few drinks, Li Guangran suddenly looked at Su Lie and asked softly.

"Hey, Director Su... I've always been curious, I don't think I've ever seen you smile..."

Why do you always have such a square face, always so serious...?

His words immediately resonated with the crowd, and everyone began to stir up trouble.

Su Lie was not good with words to begin with, and the commotion from everyone made him even more embarrassed.

He blushed and looked at Qi Tongwei, pleading for help.

"Secretary Qi... please don't let them make fun of me. You know I'm bad with words... I don't know how to talk..."

Qi Tongwei had no intention of helping him out of the predicament; instead, he smiled and spoke.

"There's nothing special about Secretary Qi today... You're older than me, so I should call you Brother Su."

Brother Su, to be honest, I'm also curious... why are you always so serious...?

We're all family here, and it's Chinese New Year, so please tell us about it...

Upon hearing this, Su Lie grinned, his face turning even redder.

He hesitated for a moment, frowned as he looked at everyone, and said in a deep voice.

Have you ever seen how poachers hunt wild donkeys?

Before anyone could speak, Su Lie lit a cigarette and continued in a deep voice.

"You know about the August 1st motorcycle, right? The most common practice is to have two people on a 125cc motorcycle..."

One person was driving in front, and someone behind them was firing a gun...

At this point, he deliberately made a rifle gesture and continued.

"After I left the military, my first mission was to catch poachers... I'll remember that scene for the rest of my life..."

From that day on, I understood a principle...

In the border region, if you're a public security officer, you have to make people fear you first... otherwise, you shouldn't be doing this job...

After he finished speaking, the small canteen fell silent, with only the bubbling of the pots remaining.

Seeing the somber atmosphere, Qi Tongwei patted Su Lie on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"It's the Lunar New Year, why make it so heavy... Guangran brought this up, so you should punish yourself with a drink..."

After saying that, he clinked glasses with Su Lie and continued speaking.

"Let's not talk about anything so heavy... let's talk about something light."

Having worked in the police force for so many years, you must have had your share of bizarre and unusual experiences...

Come on, tell us about it, let's have a good laugh and broaden our horizons...

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately echoed in agreement, and the atmosphere instantly eased considerably.

Upon hearing this, Su Lie grinned and said with a wry smile.

"Director Sanbao, Secretary Shitou..."

"You guys already have enough gossip to talk about in the county... do I need to tell you more...?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guangran immediately smiled and continued.

"That's not the same thing... I'm sick and tired of hearing all that old, trivial stuff..."

Come on, tell us something new, preferably something we've never heard of before..."

Seeing everyone looking at him, Su Lie took a sip of wine and said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll tell you about one... a major case, a very important case, but we can't talk about that..."

Let me tell you a story from 89, about how I caught a burglar in Santai County...

This man specialized in stealing from the county government's residential compound; it caused quite a stir at the time...

Ironically, it was also December when we caught this guy...

This guy is absolutely phenomenal. That night, he single-handedly raided half of the county government's staff quarters...

Guess how this person finally caught him...

Upon hearing this, everyone became interested and immediately looked at Su Lie, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing the excitement of the crowd, Su Lie deliberately kept them in suspense and said with a smile.

"Come on, let's have a drink, then I'll continue..."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly and, amidst their complaints, downed a drink together.

Setting down his glass, Su Lie raised an eyebrow and continued speaking.

"This guy robbed several houses in one night... He was exhausted and hungry by the end."

After stealing from the last house, the guy couldn't resist anymore and started eating and drinking there...

After eating and drinking his fill, this guy actually fell asleep on the sofa...

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, saying it was meaningless.

Seeing that no one was buying it, Su Lie immediately blushed and shouted.

"And that's not all... his interrogation was even more outrageous."

This man was originally an electrician, doing odd jobs and repairs for people...

I asked him why he became a thief and why he specifically targeted the county government's residential compound.

Guess what he said?

Seeing that everyone was uninterested and no one paid attention to him, Su Lie became anxious and immediately spoke up.

He said he had worked for a cadre, and the electrical wires in that company were all made of gold...

He thought officials were rich, so he specifically targeted their homes to steal...

This story clearly failed to capture everyone's interest.

Before he could finish speaking, everyone raised their glasses and changed the subject.

As everyone was drinking and chatting, the song "Unforgettable Tonight" suddenly started playing on the TV.

Seeing this, Qi Tongwei blushed, raised his glass, and said to everyone with a smile.

"My dear, lovely comrades, 1992 has arrived..."

May our motherland be prosperous and peaceful... May you all have a bright future...

.....

The next few days were quite monotonous for Qi Tongwei.

Time flew by and it was already the third year of junior high school. Baimaiti returned to Fuyuan County as scheduled.

Knowing that Qi Tongwei wanted to return to Handong, he deliberately left half a day earlier.

Entering Qi Tongwei's office, Baimaiti sat down on the sofa and said with a smile.

"It's Chinese New Year, could you give me a red envelope...?"

Qi Tongwei knew he was joking, so he smiled and replied.

"Hey, you're older than me, why should I give you a red envelope? You should be the one giving me one..."

Baimaiti didn't hesitate. He took out a sleeper ticket, slapped it on the coffee table, and said with a smile.

"Sigh, a sleeper berth back to Handong, and a lower berth at that...looks like some people don't want it..."

Seeing this, Qi Tongwei smiled, shook his head, and said softly.

"Using this to test cadres...which cadre couldn't withstand this kind of test..."

Upon hearing this, Baimaiti tried to put away his train ticket, but Qi Tongwei snatched it away.

He didn't argue with Qi Tongwei, and said softly.

"There's plenty of time to prepare for tomorrow morning's tickets."

After saying that, he paused slightly, his voice becoming more serious.

"Your trip will take more than a month. Is there anything the county should be aware of afterwards?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei adjusted his tone and replied in a deep voice.

"Key tasks can proceed as usual; we need to pay close attention to Fuyuan Mine..."

You can first talk to the township and see if anyone there is interested in investing..."

Baimaiti frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"How can private individuals invest in county-owned coal mines? They can't invest without being affiliated with a collective."

Qi Tongwei glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and replied softly.

"Just testing the waters. Everyone's pushing for reform and opening up these days; what if the winds change?"

After saying that, he paused for a moment and then added another sentence.

"By the way, the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources wants to discuss the Fuyuan Mine. Just stall and don't agree to anything..."