From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

A warrant for arrest?

Zhu Hong blurted out, "Could it be that he's trying to manipulate..." The word "manipulate" had barely left his lips when he realized his mistake and quickly swallowed the rest of the sentence.

This matter is too complex; something's not quite right.

He felt as if those words were not meant for a lowly constable like himself.

Zhu Hong felt increasingly uneasy and was about to find an excuse to bow and take his leave when Wang Zhenshan suddenly spoke up:

"I have something for you to do."

Zhu Hong was taken aback:

"Boss, is it me?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing difficult." Wang Zhenshan waved his hand, took off his waist badge, and placed it on the table. "Of all the students in Class Two, you're the quickest-witted. Take this badge; seeing it is like seeing me." He looked relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and his mood improved greatly.

"How do I check, and where do I check?"

"You make the decision yourself. You're in charge of deploying the people in Class Two."

Seeing the token, Zhu Hong didn't take it, unsure how to speak. "This...this isn't appropriate, is it?" After a moment's hesitation, he quickly bowed, gave a dry laugh, and said, "I'm just a newcomer to the government, with little experience. How can I entrust you with such an important task and send Brother Dao and the others?"

"Our identities as constables are sensitive, so it is inconvenient for us to set off."

Wang Zhenshan waved his hand dismissively, "The rest of the team aren't as meticulous as you." He then took a sip of tea, clearly indicating that he was seeing the guest out: "That's settled then. You can go back and rest now; you'll be busy tomorrow."

"Yes……"

Seeing this, Zhu Hong knew that it would be futile to push any further, so he could only bow and leave.

The sunlight outside was intense.

He stood under the eaves, and as the wind blew, he sighed inwardly. He had barely sat down after returning home when a major matter was placed on his shoulders. How annoying!

However, since things have come to this, there's no use worrying.

……

On this free day, there's nothing much to do.

Zhu Hong bought some cooked food and a pot of hot wine at the market, then slowly walked towards the shantytown in the poor alley in the west of the city, carrying the food box.

The shantytowns remain largely unchanged.

The alley was narrow, with crooked wooden sheds crammed together, and tattered clothes hanging overhead on bamboo poles. The air was filled with a musty smell, mixed with the smoke from burning firewood in each household, making one's nose and eyes sting.

Zhu Hong walked along several bumpy paths and stopped in front of a low, dilapidated house.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" someone inside asked, their voice aged.

Zhu Hong lowered his voice and replied, "Uncle Liu, it's me."

"Squeak—"

The wooden door was wide open, and Liu Hou poked his head out, his face slightly sickly. "Hong, Hong boy!" But when he saw Zhu Hong, he was first taken aback, and then a smile immediately bloomed on his weathered face.

"You've finally arrived! Come in, come in!"

Zhu Hongmai stepped inside and placed the wine and meat on the table.

The room was cramped, with a bed, a table, and a few benches. The wall edges that he had previously damaged had been repaired.

A woman was sitting on the edge of the bed sewing shoe soles. When she saw him come in, she quickly stood up, her eyes filled with joy, but she complained, "You child, you've come all this way, but you've gone to the trouble of bringing all this stuff."

As he spoke, he poured a bowl of hot water and a plate of steamed sweet potatoes from the kitchen.

"Aunt Liu, no need to bother, the boy has already eaten."

Zhu Hong laughed heartily, sat down on the bench, and asked, "Uncle Liu, has your injury fully healed by now?"

"Okay, okay."

Uncle Liu's voice was still fairly strong: "After taking those few doses of medicine, I'll be able to get out of bed and walk around in a few days." He patted his chest.

"Look at it, isn't it quite robust?"

As he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly fell on Zhu Hong's attire. He scanned him from head to toe and was stunned.

Dark blue uniform.

With his arresting officer badge hanging from his waist and his swift boots on his feet, his demeanor was no longer what it used to be.

Aunt Liu saw it clearly too, and stammered, "Hong, Hong boy, your clothes..."

"He became a constable."

Zhu Hong smiled and spoke casually, as if he were just making a casual remark.

"It really is!"

Uncle Liu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh and laughed out loud: "Good lad, you've really made something of yourself. If Old Shuan knew you were like this today..." He stopped halfway through his sentence, his eyes already red.

Zhu Hong didn't respond, as he didn't really have much of an impression of his father who had died young.

"Sigh... alright, alright."

After a while, Uncle Liu vigorously wiped his face and laughed, "We don't talk about this when we're happy."

Zhu Hong nodded, then asked:

"Uncle Liu, how have you all been lately?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liu's face showed a relieved smile: "Everything's fine. Ever since you beat those guys up last time, they haven't even been seen." As he said this, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Aunt Liu, calling out:

"By the way, old woman."

Go and fetch that cloth bag you've been keeping!

Aunt Liu said "Oh," and took a small blue cloth package from the bedside table and placed it on the table.

Uncle Liu pointed to the cloth bundle and said softly:

"A while ago, that guy from the charity office named Li Hang said he went to the yamen several times looking for you but couldn't find you, so he sent this packet of silver here and asked us to give it to you." He shook his head and smiled helplessly.

"He won't leave unless we take him in."

Uncle Liu had no choice but to accept it for you.

After saying that, he pushed the package over.

Zhu Hong reached out and opened the package layer by layer. Inside were neatly stacked ingots of official silver, exactly one hundred taels of silver.

That's clever of them.

Seeing that he wasn't there, they brought the silver here.

He hesitated for a moment, then casually pushed the cloth bag back: "Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, you can keep this money."

"How can this be allowed!"

Uncle Liu hurriedly waved his hand and stood up anxiously, "Hongwa, it's not easy for you to save money. You're practicing martial arts and working as a servant. Your expenses are high."

"We have enough to eat and wear, we don't lack this."

Zhu Hong smiled, picked up the bowl, took a sip of tea, and put it down before saying, "I'm a government official, after all, with a generous salary and plenty of money." His tone softened, leaving no room for refusal.

"Please accept them!"

With this silver, I can find a peaceful little house in the city to live in, and from then on, I can live a more secure life.

Uncle Liu paused, "This, this..."

He moved his lips a few times, but seeing Zhu Hong's resolute attitude, he did not refuse again, though his eyes were already wet.

"alright."

Seeing that everyone was alright, Zhu Hong stood up to take his leave: "Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, I have other business to attend to, so I must go now." He added as he reached the door:

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come to the government office for help."

"Hongwa, wait a minute," Aunt Liu rushed forward, straightened his clothes, and said in a low voice, "Hongwa, wait a minute."

"When you're in a government office, you should eat properly and not just make do with whatever you can find."

If your clothes get dirty, bring them over, and Auntie will wash them for you. When you have free time, remember to come back and visit. Come over when you're tired, and just tell me if you're hungry...

She already considers Zhu Hong as her own son.

Uncle Liu coughed and said in a deep voice, "Alright, alright, kid, you have important business to attend to, stop nagging."

"Okay." Zhu Hong smiled broadly.

Come whenever you have time.

Just then, a figure suddenly ran from the alley entrance, as if having made some kind of decision, and shouted from afar.

"Hong, Brother Hong!"

Zhu Hong looked over and saw a boy of about twelve or thirteen standing at the entrance of the alley.

It was Liu Ci, the son of Uncle Liu.

He was as thin as a bamboo pole, his clothes patched upon patched, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.