277: Chapter 277 A Warm Life, Zhou Xiumei's Dream

Sunlight filtered through the glass and shone into the room.

The old wooden flooring and pale yellow wall paint seemed to be coated with a layer of warm-toned filter.

In the living room, the television was playing a news program.

The news anchor's articulate voice echoed through the room:

"According to the latest news from our station, after 49 days of continuous efforts, our city's police have successfully solved the 'Vampire Madman Serial Murder Case'."

"According to the police department's report, the criminal suspect Wang disguised himself as a vampire, deliberately created panic, and is suspected of committing crimes across multiple locations within three months, resulting in 7 deaths."

"During the investigation of the case, the municipal criminal investigation detachment established a special task group. Through crime track analysis and cross-regional police cooperation, they locked onto the suspect hiding in an old apartment building in the suburbs."

[Writing this here, I hope readers remember our domain name: Reading Taiwan Good Books, Choose Superb]

"At four o'clock yesterday morning, the police launched the 'Thunder Capture' operation and successfully captured him. The tools of the crime and some of the victims' belongings were seized at the scene. Currently, the case is undergoing further processing..."

Zhou Yongnian sat beside the dining table, steam rising from the vegetables and lean meat in the porcelain bowl.

As he drank his porridge, he raised his head, glancing at the news broadcast screen from time to time.

In the kitchen, the gas stove flickered blue flames, the pressure cooker's valve bubbled with a sizzling sound, and a rich fragrance drifted over.

Suddenly, a clattering sound of collisions rang out.

Zhou Yongnian frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again.

His chopsticks picked up a slice of pickled radish, placed it into his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"Daddy, the police uncle on TV is holding a gun, how majestic!"

Sitting beside him, Pengpeng leaned over the edge of the table, staring unblinkingly at the scene of the SWAT team breaking down a door on the TV screen, his drool almost dripping down his bib into his porridge.

"In the future, I want to be a police officer too, to catch bad guys and catch vampires..."

Although he was already fifteen years old, his chubby cheeks were still as innocent as a child's. His small, plump hands grabbed a plastic spoon and stirred wildly in the bowl, as if dealing with some villain.

Hearing this, the corners of Zhou Yongnian's mouth relaxed. He reached out to wipe the drool from his son's chin and straightened his crooked bib.

"To be a police officer, you must be able to endure hardship and not be a picky eater."

As he spoke, he pointed to a few leaves of green vegetables picked out in Pengpeng's bowl.

"Endure hardship, I want to endure hardship, I want to be a police officer to catch bad guys!"

Hearing these words, Pengpeng immediately raised his spoon excitedly and shouted.

But he accidentally spilled a lot of porridge and knocked over the seasoning bottle, spilling white pepper powder onto the tablecloth like a thin layer of snow.

Zhou Yongnian did not open his mouth to scold him; instead, his gaze revealed affection as he stood up to tidy the tabletop for this seemingly grown-up-yet-still-childish son.

"Yo, our Pengpeng wants to be a big police officer in the future?"

At this moment, He Huiqin came out of the kitchen carrying a casserole, her apron still stained with some oil spots.

When the casserole was placed on the table and the lid was lifted, it puffed out steam with a "pu" sound, and a rich medicinal scent instantly mixed with the aroma of meat, overflowing all around.

"Then you must learn well from your dad."

As she ladled soup into Zhou Yongnian's bowl, her spoon clinking against the rim of the bowl, she said rather smugly:

"Did you see this case on the TV news? It was your dad who led the effort to solve it."

Pengpeng immediately turned his head, his eyes curving into crescents:

"Daddy is amazing!"

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under his son's full-of-admiration gaze, Zhou Yongnian sat back down in his chair, picked up a piece of pickled radish and put it into his mouth, saying rather reservedly:

"It doesn't have much to do with me. I was just responsible for running down clues; the people who arrested the criminals at the scene were sent by the headquarters."

Hearing this, He Huiqin looked somewhat displeased:

"How does it not have to do with you? You led your team to stay up for three consecutive nights, your eyes as red as a rabbit's, just to find the criminal's whereabouts. If it weren't for you, how could they have solved the case so easily?"

"Besides, you are already the criminal investigation captain of the district police station, and you are also a leader. Those SWAT officers are just running errands for you; they have to call you Captain Zhou when they meet you. How can they compare to you!"

"Ahem—"

Zhou Yongnian seemed to be choked by the porridge, his dark face turning flush red as he waved his hands repeatedly.

Seeing this, He Huiqin quickly put down the soup spoon, reached out to pat his back, and complained:

"What are you rushing for? No one is fighting you for it."

When he caught his breath, He Huiqin pushed the bowl full of soup forward again, changing her voice slightly as she said:

"Honey, try this Black-Bone Chicken and White Phoenix Soup. I simmered it for a full three hours and even specifically asked an old apothecary at the traditional Chinese medicine shop to add some Gastrodia elata and Codonopsis pilosula."

"These past few days you've stayed up until your face turned pale. If you don't eat something nourishing, if you faint at the police force one day, people will think I mistreat you."

Her tone was extremely soft and sweet, completely different from her past acid-tongued and sharp-tempered self who would stand with arms akimbo and curse on the street or throw tantrums at every turn.

Zhou Yongnian's eyes couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

He felt that the wife standing before him had become a bit more gentle and beautiful, and the two of them seemed to have returned to the time when they were first dating.

However, at this moment, a shout broke the atmosphere.

"Mom, I want to eat too!"

Pengpeng stretched his neck, looking at the steaming black-bone chicken soup, and kept licking his lips.

"Little ancestor, what are you joining the fun for? Be careful you can't handle such rich nourishment and will get a nosebleed."

He Huiqin hurriedly waved away her son's hand.

Pengpeng's mouth pouted enough to hang an oil bottle, and tears quickly welled up in his eye sockets.

Hearing the crying, Old Mrs. Zhou walked out from the inner room and coaxed:

"Aiyo, my good grandson don't cry, grandma will buy you candy to eat later."

Seeing this, Zhou Yongnian spoke up:

"Give him half a bowl."

He Huiqin rolled her eyes helplessly:

"You, you might as well keep spoiling him like this; how will the child grow up in the future?"

Despite saying this, He Huiqin still lovingly ladled half a bowl of soup, pursed her lips and gently blew on it again and again until the surface of the soup stopped steaming, before carefully handing it to her son.

"Drink slowly, if you burn your tongue there'll be crying for you."

"Mom, Xiumei, you guys come over and drink some too."

Zhou Yongnian then turned his head to look at Old Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Xiumei.

Old Mrs. Zhou shook her head and smiled:

"I'm not used to the smell of this medicinal herb. Drink more yourself; you must replenish your Origin Qi after staying up late, lest you leave behind root illnesses when you get older."

Zhou Xiumei's crisp voice came from the bedroom:

"No, Dad, I'm already full. I have to catch a ride to class later."

Zhou Yongnian secretly sighed, the soup spoon in his hand pausing at the edge of the bowl.

Ever since his promotion and salary raise, he seemed to have become the focus of the whole family's attention.

Even his wife, who used to lecture him for "not being home," had become gentle, virtuous, and sensible.

This feeling of being put on a pedestal made him somewhat unaccustomed for a moment.

Hurriedly finishing the remaining soup at the bottom of the bowl, Zhou Yongnian stood up quickly and said to his wife:

"There is still a meeting to be held at the police station this morning; I need to go over early."

Saying this, he strode toward the sofa, picked up his briefcase, and prepared to go out.

"Hey, wait!"

He Huiqin immediately put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hand, took the neatly ironed police uniform from the back of the chair, walked quickly behind him, and helped him put it on.

"You just got promoted now. If you're not going out to handle cases, wear your full uniform more often to make a better impression in front of the leaders. Last night you said the cuff button was a bit loose, so I sewed it tighter for you. Try it on to see if it fits."

She instructed him carefully, her fingertips gently brushing across the newly replaced floral shoulder insignia.

Suddenly remembering something, she quickly turned around and took out a thermos box from the kitchen:

"I've packed up the unfinished black-bone chicken soup for you. Heat it up in the microwave at noon."

"Don't go through the trouble, the police station has a cafeteria."

Zhou Yongnian frowned and declined, but his gaze inadvertently fell on the scalded red mark on his wife's wrist, so his voice softened.

But He Huiqin acted as if she hadn't heard. After packing the soup, she shoved the thermos box into his hand and smoothed his collar for him:

"Captain Zhang said last time that your blood pressure was low during your physical examination. This soup nourishes Qi and blood. Be a good boy, make sure you finish it."

Watching his wife's busy figure bustling about, Zhou Yongnian suddenly remembered how she looked mending his police uniform in their rented house right after they got married.

Back then, her hands were still very tender, her stitches were crooked, and she always pricked her fingertips with the needle while mending, yet she loved polishing his police badge and shoulder insignia until they gleamed brightly.

When he reached out to take the thermos box, brushing against his wife's the back of her hand, the roots of Zhou Yongnian's ears grew slightly hot as he responded in a low voice:

"Got it."

He Huiqin looked up at him, noticed the faint flush on his dark face, and the corners of her mouth quietly curled up.

Outside the Tubular Building, the sounds of morning rush hour traffic could be faintly heard. She pulled open the door for him.

In the morning light, his posture was upright, and the shoulder insignia on his dark blue police uniform flickered with a faint light, looking very much like his handsome appearance when he first wore a police uniform back then.

"Be careful on the road."

She also said softly, resembling the scene when she first sent her husband off to work, starlight shimmering faintly in her eyes.

The moment Zhou Yongnian stepped across the threshold, he couldn't help turning back to look at his wife.

Just as the two of them were gazing deeply at each other with lingering affection, staging a romantic moment.

An inopportune voice suddenly rang out in the hallway.

"Uncle Zhou, Auntie He, you guys are..."

The two of them snapped out of it abruptly, their closely pressed bodies instantly pulling apart, and then they simultaneously looked in the direction of the voice.

They saw a young man wearing a sports hoodie and a duck-billed cap standing not far away, looking at them with a slightly startled expression.

Instantly, the corners of his mouth curved into a teasing smile:

"Uncle Zhou, you look really handsome wearing this new police uniform. Auntie He had great taste back then; no wonder she often muttered about why Uncle Zhou still hasn't come home."

He Huiqin's cheeks burned, and she flurriedly helped Zhou Yongnian tidy the hem of his police uniform, putting on a brave face as she said:

"Of course, when has your Auntie He's taste ever been bad? You young people should learn more, so as not to meet the wrong person."

Zhou Yongnian gave a light cough, raised his watch with a feigned air of dignity, and glanced at it;

"A-Cheng, it's almost nine o'clock. Let's go, don't delay work time."

Before his voice had faded, they saw Zhou Xiumei wearing a pink wool sweater and carrying a school bag, rushing out from the room and shouting somewhat anxiously:

"Brother Cheng! Wait for me, I'm taking the ride to Jiangdong with you!"

Seeing her daughter's unfinished makeup, He Huiqin quickly stuffed the cosmetic bag into Xiumei's hand:

"You're a big girl now, your hair is as messy as a bird's nest. Fix yourself up nicely on the way before entering the classroom."

The three of them walked downstairs together and came to the main entrance.

Seeing that both Fang Cheng and Xiumei were carrying heavy bags, Zhou Yongnian suddenly spoke up:

"Let me give you a ride."

"No need, Uncle Zhou. It's more convenient for Xiumei and me to take a taxi together later."

While politely declining, Fang Cheng imperceptibly stepped half a step to the side.

He knew that Zhou Yongnian usually paid the utmost attention to police discipline and personal image.

Although his work attendance required him to frequently drive home, he had never misused the official vehicle to pick up or drop off his family.

Even when Xiumei had a fever of 39 degrees as a child, Zhou Yongnian insisted that his wife take a taxi to send her to the hospital.

Hearing this, Zhou Yongnian's gaze shifted between the two of them, looking at Fang Cheng meaningfully:

"It's naturally a good thing for young people to do things with a sense of proportion, but sometimes, missing a car can be waited for, missing a meal can be rescheduled, but missing a person is for a lifetime..."

Two clouds of red flush suddenly drifted onto Zhou Xiumei's cheeks, and she couldn't help stamping her foot:

"Dad, what are you talking about? It's not what you think..."

Her eyes glanced quickly at Fang Cheng, wanting to cover it up, but she didn't know what to say.

Suddenly recalling the scene during the building lockdown last time when her father caught them huddled together at the dining table eating breakfast.

At this moment, her face was red and burning, blushing all the way to the roots of her ears, so hot that an egg could almost be fried on it.

Perhaps this easy-to-blush Physique was passed down from father to daughter.

Watching his daughter's flustered appearance, Zhou Yongnian remembered when he was young and pursuing He Huiqin, how he also couldn't hide his thoughts like this.

He shook his head and smiled, not saying anything more that would spoil the mood, turned around, pulled out his keys, and walked toward the old car parked downstairs.

As the engine started, the car body trembled slightly and drove into the morning rush hour illuminated by the morning light.

Watching her father drive away, Xiumei suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

Then she turned her head to glance at Fang Cheng, her fingers twisting the straps of her school bag as she explained somewhat awkwardly:

"My dad is just like this. He's used to being a police officer and likes to say inexplicable things. Don't take it to heart."

Fang Cheng smiled slightly, his tone carefree:

"Uncle Zhou's gaze just now looked like he was interrogating a criminal. He was probably worried that I'd bully you and wanted to drag me back to the police station for interrogation."

Zhou Xiumei was amused into a giggle, though her face was still flushed with a blush.

"Let's go, if we don't go, you really are going to be late for class."

Fang Cheng raised his hand and pointed to the endless stream of vehicles at the intersection ahead.

Zhou Xiumei gave an "en" sound and quickened her pace to follow.

The two walked side by side, stepping over the puddle-filled sewage.

The morning Jiuchang Street was very lively; the honking of electric scooters and the shouting of breakfast stalls rose one after another.

Amidst the clamor, Fang Cheng suddenly asked:

"How have your music classes been going these past few days?"

Zhou Xiumei's eyes lit up, and a delighted smile curved the corners of her lips:

"Yesterday during the vocal guidance class, Teacher Li specifically called me out for praise, saying that when I sang Fisherman's Song, my timbre was clear and clean, and the emotional layers were handled with special delicacy."

Her speaking speed sped up slightly, and a rare excitement welled up in the depths of her eyes.

"She also said she'd let me be responsible for the lead vocals in next week's community charity performance. Brother Cheng, do you know? This is the first time I've ever served as the main vocal part in a formal performance."

"So amazing!"

Fang Cheng raised his eyebrows and praised with pleasure:

"I said you have a lot of talent in this area. When we were little, I loved listening to you sing the most; every time I finished listening, my mood was great."

"In the future, if you become a great singer, don't forget me, your veteran audience member."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei pursed her lips, but the dimples on her cheeks couldn't help rippling open.

She was then full of joy, talking about her various novel experiences in the music training camp, making friends with several classmates who had a good relationship, and so on.

As the two walked and talked, the atmosphere quickly relaxed.

Fang Cheng turned his head sideways, looking at the long-haired, brilliantly-eyed girl beside him, his heart unable to help stirring slightly.

Back then, he had once asked Zhou Xiumei what her dream was.

Zhou Xiumei's eyes were very confused. She had thought about opening a cake shop or a breakfast stand, and also thought about finding a stable desk job, but she never found an answer that made her eyes shine.

Fang Cheng remembered that when they were little, she always liked to lean on the windowsill humming songs, and her homework books were also filled with crooked musical notes.

So he decided to help her find her dream.

During the Spring Festival, Zhou Xiumei had given him a sports watch as a New Year gift.

Fang Cheng also reciprocated with a set of music training camp courses and secretly helped her sign up for the singing talent show hosted by Dongdu TV Station this year.

"Go give it a try."

When he said these words, he could clearly see the surprise and fluttering emotion flashing in the depths of her eyes.

At this moment, looking at Zhou Xiumei with shining eyes and a smiling mouth, Fang Cheng muttered inwardly:

"Even if this road is full of hardships, I will stand behind you and become your most powerful support."