Era: Starting from the local police station

Upon arriving at the office, he put the household registration booklet and grain and oil certificate from the desk into his backpack, picked up the bag containing his clothes, and headed out.

When I arrived at the entrance of No. 88 Courtyard on my motorcycle, I saw several teenagers squatting in the corner playing with mud under the scorching sun.

Upon seeing the three men, the boys immediately surrounded them, making "putt-putt" sounds.

Zhao Xiaojun was wearing a blue jacket and cloth shoes with his big toes sticking out. He was covered in mud.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Jiang, is this your motorcycle?"

Jiang Zhenghua jumped off the motorcycle, smiling, and asked, "What kind of mud did you use?"

Zhao Xiaojun stared intently at San Kuazi and replied, "Using urine is so much fun."

Jiang Zhenghua reached out and touched his forehead: "Why don't you use water? There's a tap in the yard, isn't there?"

"My mom would beat me if she saw that."

Seeing his serious answer, Jiang Zhenghua smiled and pointed to the mud splatters on his clothes: "Aren't you afraid of getting a beating if you go home like this?"

Zhao Xiaojun looked down and immediately frowned. He shouted at a child next to him, "Zhang Junbao, I told you not to play in the mud earlier. Look, you've gotten mud all over me. I'm not playing with you anymore."

Zhang Junbao looked down at himself and saw that he was the same. He said with a wronged expression, "Weren't you having a lot of fun falling down just now? You were even saying you wanted to fall down again next time."

"It's all your fault."

Zhao Xiaojun snorted coldly and turned his face away.

Zhang Junbao?

That's a pretty domineering name.

Jiang Zhenghua laughed and said, "Alright, it's no big deal, you're a grown man. Just stand in the sun for a while, rub it with your hands when it's dry, and you won't be able to tell."

Zhang Junbao said, "Yes, then my mom won't find out."

Zhao Xiaojun looked up at Jiang Zhenghua, his eyes filled with admiration: "Uncle Jiang, you're really amazing! Have you done this before?"

Jiang Zhenghua picked up the bag and said irritably, "Get lost, I've never been this filthy before."

As he turned around, he said to the children, "It's okay to play near the motorcycle, but please don't touch the exhaust pipe. It's hot and you could get burned."

"Okay, Uncle Jiang."

The children, their faces beaming with excitement, immediately agreed.

As Jiang Zhenghua walked into the yard carrying a bag, he smelled the aroma of vegetables coming from the makeshift shed, and heard the sounds of spatulas and woks clattering inside.

A middle-aged woman with gray hair and a slightly hunched back came out carrying a tray. When she saw Jiang Zhenghua in his uniform, she was taken aback at first, then asked, "You...you're Zhenghua?"

Jiang Zhenghua looked closely and recognized her; it was his childhood friend Zhao Shanhe's mother. He smiled and replied, "Aunt Zhao, are you cooking?"

Aunt Zhao nodded: "We've built a hut here, with two stoves inside, and several families cook their meals here."

She looked you up and down, then asked in a low voice, "So you've become a police officer?"

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "My superiors assigned me to work at the police station. I just reported for duty this morning and came back."

"The police are great. Not only do we not have to do hard labor, but we also look even more handsome in this uniform."

Aunt Zhao said warmly, "Come on in, let's have dinner at home. I just stir-fried some shredded potatoes, and I'll stir-fry some eggs later."

Jiang Zhenghua waved his hand repeatedly: "No, Auntie, my mom has already cooked dinner. I'll come over to your house sometime."

"Okay, when I came out, I saw your mom go into the kitchen. Your house is in a good location; you can set up a kitchen right by the entrance, which is convenient."

The two walked towards the backyard as they talked.

"Zhenghua, which department have you been assigned to?"

"The police station is located in Taotiao Hutong just ahead."

"Oh, this is great! It's right at my doorstep. It will be so much more convenient for commuting to and from get off work from now on."

Aunt Zhao's shout caused many people to peek out.

A woman in her fifties emerged from the west wing: "Old Zhao's wife, who is this...?"

Aunt Zhao said with a smile, "Sister Sun, this is the second son of the Jiang family in the main house. He just returned from military service and is now working at the Taotiao Hutong Police Station. He's really made something of himself."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded to the group of people who came out and quickly walked towards his house.

From behind came Sister Sun's voice: "I thought he was a relative of yours. By the way, did he say he has a girlfriend?"

A young woman standing nearby asked, "Yes, Aunt Zhao, I have a younger sister from my family who just turned eighteen this year. She's very pretty. If you don't have one, I can introduce you."

Hearing the voice behind him, Jiang Zhenghua quickened his pace toward home.

Upon entering the main room, I saw my mother and third sister sitting at the dining table eating.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Qinghe turned around and saw her brother in uniform. She immediately stood up and exclaimed, "Second brother, you've become a policeman?"

Jiang's mother immediately stood up, scrutinizing her second son: "You've really become a policeman? Where have you been assigned to work?"

Jiang Zhenghua put the bag on the kang (a heated brick bed) and then said, "You'll be assigned to Taotiao Hutong Police Station as deputy director."

The mother and daughter's eyes widened immediately.

Jiang Qinghe took two steps forward and exclaimed, "Brother, so you've become an official? Does that mean the salary is very high?"

Jiang Zhenghua reached out and touched his younger sister's hair: "What do you mean by becoming an official? It's just a position; it's all about serving the people."

Jiang's mother smiled and stepped forward, touching his uniform: "This uniform looks really good, my son looks even more handsome in it."

Jiang Zhenghua silently took off his hat, placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed), and asked, "Is there any food for me? I need to eat before I go to work at the institute."

"I saved some for you; it's keeping it warm in the pot."

As she spoke, Jiang's mother turned to her daughter and said, "Go quickly and bring your brother his food."

Jiang Qinghe nodded, then looked at her second brother: "Tell me how much your salary is first, otherwise I won't go."

Jiang Zhenghua flicked her nose and whispered, "Seventy-seven yuan a month, are you satisfied now?"

Jiang Qinghe immediately opened her mouth slightly and exclaimed, "So tall? This is..."

Jiang Zhenghua immediately patted her on the shoulder: "Keep your voice down, what kind of behavior is this, shouting like that?"

Jiang Qinghe immediately shut her mouth and whispered, "Officials' salaries are that high?"

Jiang's mother also looked delighted, but she held back her cries and said in a low voice, "That's great, our family will have a big income coming in from now on."

"Third sister, hurry up and get the food. I need to go to work after I finish eating."

Jiang Qinghe nodded, turned around and ran outside.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get to work? Didn't your director even offer you a day off?"

Jiang Zhenghua walked to the washbasin, saw that there was water in it, and reached out to wash his hands: "Mom, there's no other way. There was a case this morning, and the branch office asked me to be in charge of the investigation. The people at the station are waiting."

"Since it's an arrangement from the leadership, then we should pay attention. By the way, what's your quota?"

"Calculated based on light labor, plus subsidies, it's 32 jin per month."

"That's great! You're four pounds taller than normal. What about the house?"

Jiang Zhenghua picked up the towel: "There's no house available right now, but there are vacant dormitories at the institute. I'll stay here for now; it'll be more convenient for me to get to work."

Jiang's mother said somewhat disappointedly, "I thought that once you became the deputy director, you would be allocated a house immediately."

After wiping his face, Jiang Zhenghua said, "Don't worry. Once a vacant house becomes available, I'll definitely be the first choice."

Jiang's mother was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction: "Then when you leave, take your sister's quilt with you, just in case you don't come back tonight. I just took your quilt apart and washed it; I'll sew it back up this afternoon once it's dry."

"No need, Mom. The institute gave me a set, but I didn't bring it back."