Chapter 6: The Radish Pit

It is said that the barbecue in Northeast China is delicious, and it truly is!

After eating for over an hour, Lu Ling is now feeling somewhat conflicted. He does not understand whether he should go and settle the bill. It is not that he cares about the money; he is simply unsure whether it is appropriate to pay the bill or not

Originally, Lu Ling had no appetite at all, but Wang handed him a few skewers and even inquired if he could handle spicy food. The aroma was so enticing that he felt a bit of hunger, especially since it was already 2 AM.

However, upon reflection, this carrot pit has been raided for two consecutive years, and this carrot is indeed quite unfortunate

The first night in Su Ying Town has passed just like that

There are a total of four beds in the room, two of which are covered with bedding, while the remaining two are empty. He chose one bed close to the heater and began to organize his belongings

Graduate student?" Li Jingjing raised her voice by three degrees, staring with wide eyes: "You, a graduate student, have been assigned here? The police station?"

The bill was paid personally by Wang, who even had a dispute with the landlady. The landlady refused to accept the money, but Wang insisted on paying it, ultimately receiving a 10% discount.

"Hmm, hello, Sister Li," Lu Ling nodded.

He truly does not understand the customs of Northeast China

He can tell that Wang Xingjiang possesses a certain leadership quality; he handles matters of face quite well and is also able to empathize with his subordinates, which is a significant improvement over Sun Guolong. Sun Guolong, for reasons unknown, tends to remain silent and simply sits quietly.

I am older than you and I also came through social recruitment. I used to work at a company in Shanghai, but I wanted to return to my hometown, so I applied for a position here in Liaodong. Are you a fresh graduate?" Li Jingjing looked at Lu Ling and found that he looked quite pleasant after changing into the uniform: "You didn't steal someone else's position, did you?"

After the meal, Wang arranged a room for Lu Ling and then left. Lu Ling went to the activity room to get his bag. He also took a special glance and noticed that the incense in the incense burner had been replaced with a new one, though he did not know who had changed it

He eats chili peppers like this, and several people frequently look at him, but perhaps they are not very familiar with him, so no one talks to him about it

Hmm, Lu Ling nodded and said: "Lu of land, Ling of command"

At eight o'clock in the morning, just as dawn broke and the alarm clock rang once, Lu Ling woke up. He did not even have any toiletries, so he could only wash his face and rinse his mouth briefly before changing into his police uniform and heading to the conference room next door

Thank you, Brother Liang. Lu Ling took out his phone, scanned the code, directly entered the group, and then modified his own note.

However, fortunately, his psychological resilience is truly commendable; after a few seconds of contemplation, he no longer concerns himself with the matter and simply sits there waiting for the meal gathering to conclude

Those who can share a few heartfelt words are worth cherishing, but this does not mean one must immediately lay bare their innermost feelings

When Lu Ling was offered a drink, he absolutely refused; he truly cannot drink alcohol

"Hey, are you Lu Ling?" the female police officer beside her, who was not very busy at the moment, asked.

Sister Li... Li Jingjing was momentarily taken aback, as no one had ever called her that before

He originally thought that, since people were drinking, it would at least last three to four hours. However, with this kind of casual meal, one person could only have a maximum of two glasses of wine. After finishing, they had to leave quickly and get some sleep, and they were done eating in just one hour

The coldness in his heart formed a stark contrast with the warmth of the heating, and in a daze, Lu Ling fell asleep.

Having finished speaking, Li Jingjing stood up from her seat and scrutinized Lu Ling from top to bottom

Wang brought some wine, specifically cheap Erguotou and Tushutou. There are only two people here who are on duty today; the others, except for the driver, can drink. The people here also enjoy wine, so several have poured themselves a drink.

Radish pit? Lu Ling was somewhat puzzled by the meaning of this term, and even more so by what Li Jingjing meant by "also"...

It is already 4 a.m., and I cannot fall asleep. Lying next to the radiator, I feel somewhat hot, yet my heart remains cold.

"What else could it mean? Is the position you applied for here?" Li Jingjing blinked her big eyes and glanced at Liang Caihua.

Choosing the path of a police officer, he originally applied for a criminal investigation position at the municipal bureau, but for reasons unknown, he was assigned here. However, it does not matter; since he is here, he will make the best of it

I understand, Lu Ling is not a fool: "Sister Jingjing, you?"

Before going to bed, he set an alarm on his phone for the meeting at 8:30 tomorrow morning

Lu Ling understood clearly that the police force is becoming increasingly professionalized. There are already few positions available for social recruitment, and even fewer good positions at the municipal bureau. There is a good position here in Liaodong that most majors can apply for, making the competition extremely fierce. Li Jingjing and Lu Ling both belong to the category of "top scorers," achieving very high scores and successfully securing their positions. However, after securing their positions, they were both assigned to the police station and the *图* book office.

This unfamiliar small place, instead, provided him with an extra sense of security, but the case he encountered today was truly heart-wrenching

I sat in the conference room until 9 o'clock, but no one came.

"When free to chat," Li Jingjing felt somewhat lonely, said little, and watched as two elderly women entered through the front door, her demeanor turning cold again as she began to handle the household registration work

The food is quite simple; there were dozens of skewers of meat grilled in the front, and mainly grilled vegetables and tofu in the back. Four clay pots were served, followed by grilled pancakes. It is estimated that it can be done for around 200 yuan

"You are not in our group. This morning at 8 o'clock, the leader announced that today's morning meeting is canceled and arranged for everyone to shovel snow in the yard. After shoveling the snow, most of us took the day off." Liang Caihua took out his phone: "Come, scan my code to join the group."

Are you the police officer who just arrived yesterday? The auxiliary police came over to greet: My name is Liang Caihua, with 'cai' meaning wood. This morning, I saw in the group that the leaders mentioned a newcomer had arrived.

Uh... Lu Ling also did not know how to respond to this: "What happened? Sister Jingjing, are you...?"

The boss is quite efficient; in just over ten minutes, a large plate of skewers was served, sizzling and dripping with oil.

Lu Ling looked at the empty conference room and silently got up to go down to the first floor

He does not drink alcohol, but Lu Ling can eat spicy food. There is a plate of chili powder here, and he scooped a large spoonful, then rolled the skewers in the chili powder, finding it quite fragrant while eating

"Um, hello Brother Liang, I am new here. I just sat in the conference room for a while and did not see anyone." Lu Ling immediately said

Due to the lack of important matters, I worked overtime again yesterday, and the meeting this morning was canceled; however, Sun Guolong did not inform Lu Ling about it

There is indeed someone in the duty room on the first floor, a female police officer handling household registration matters, and in addition, there is a support police officer at the front desk, appearing to be in their 40s

On the first night, he found it somewhat difficult to fall asleep

"Ah, Sister Jingjing, hello," Lu Ling immediately changed his tone

"En en," Li Jingjing felt that this form of address was much more comfortable, so she chatted a bit more: "Which university did you graduate from?"

"Department of Psychology, West University," Lu Ling thought for a moment: "Graduate student"

This name is quite interesting, my name is Li Jingjing, I should be a bit older than you Li Jingjing nodded

Lu Ling observed Li Jingjing's demeanor and understood that she had not had a good year. However, he said nothing, as he was well aware of one thing: it is better to keep relationships shallow and avoid deep discussions.