CS: K9 GF | Chapter 11 – Preparing to Rent a New Home

At six o’clock in the evening, Luo Fei returned home from work.

His mother, Wu Yan, had already finished cooking and was simply waiting for him to come home so they could eat.

Dinner was served in the room shared by Luo Fei and his younger brother, Luo Hao. The room was so small that once the table was set up, there was only enough space for three stools. As a result, Luo Hao had to sit on the bed while eating.

Fortunately, their family had very few visiting relatives. Aside from Luo Fei’s second aunt and uncle, hardly anyone came by. Otherwise, there wouldn’t even be enough room for guests to sit and eat.

After some thought, Luo Fei looked at his mother.

“Mom, I’m working now and can finally contribute to the family income. Don’t you think it’s time we found a new place to live?” he asked.

The moment he said that, Luo Hao and Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up.

The house was old, cramped, and worn down. Countless times, they had dreamed about moving into a larger, cleaner home—preferably one where each of them could have their own room.

Luo Hao, in particular, had a strong obsession with having his own space—perhaps even more than Luo Xiaoxiao. The truth was, he was genuinely afraid of his older brother. Sharing a bed with Luo Fei every night made him feel like he had to be careful even when turning over in his sleep.

Wu Yan’s expression softened with relief and pride. Her eyes immediately became moist.

Raising three children by herself had been unimaginably difficult.

The hardest years came after Luo Fei entered university. Besides tuition, she also had to send him money for living expenses every month.

She still remembered those desperate days when she went everywhere trying to borrow money for his tuition, only to be turned away repeatedly. At one point, she had even considered selling her blood.

There had been countless sleepless nights.

Had it not been for her children, Wu Yan felt she might have collapsed long ago.

Thankfully, those difficult days were now behind them.

Although Luo Fei had gone through a rebellious phase, he had grown into a responsible and dependable young man.

After a moment of hesitation, she said,

“You’ve only just started working. Besides, we still owe a lot of money to your second aunt and uncle. Maybe we should wait a little longer before moving.”

Luo Fei had already made up his mind.

“Mom, Luo Hao will be starting high school soon. The workload in high school is heavy, and he’ll need a quiet room of his own to study. Besides, I’m earning a salary now. We can repay Auntie and Uncle little by little every month. It won’t take long before everything is paid back.”

Hearing that he might finally get his own room, Luo Hao’s heart nearly burst with excitement. All he could do now was hope his mother would agree.

Wu Yan looked at Luo Fei, then at the eager expressions on Luo Hao and Luo Xiaoxiao’s faces.

In the end, she nodded.

“Yay!”

Luo Xiaoxiao immediately shouted with excitement.

Luo Hao, meanwhile, tried his best to remain composed. Despite being thrilled beyond words, he deliberately acted calm and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

The sight made Luo Fei want to laugh.

Now that the decision had been made, Wu Yan smiled as well.

“There’s one condition,” she said. “We can move, but the rent can’t exceed 1,000 yuan a month.”

Luo Fei readily agreed.

With housing prices in Ningjiang County, 1,000 yuan was enough to rent a fairly decent apartment.

“Alright. Over the next few days, I’ll ask my coworkers if they know of any available places. Mom, you can ask Auntie and Uncle too,” Luo Fei suggested.

“I’ll talk to your aunt tomorrow,” Wu Yan replied.

After dinner, Wu Yan cleaned the house while Luo Hao and Luo Xiaoxiao worked on their homework.

Luo Fei picked up The Law of Evidence and continued reading.

“Big Brother, you already have a job. Why are you still studying?” Luo Xiaoxiao asked curiously.

In her mind, once people started working, they no longer needed to study.

Luo Fei smiled.

“Of course I still need to study. Knowledge is important no matter what stage of life you're in. There’s a saying: ‘Live and learn.’ Learning never truly ends. No matter how old you are, you have to keep improving yourself if you want to keep growing.”

As Wu Yan watched the scene while cleaning, her face was filled with happiness.

The next morning, Luo Fei arrived at the office at his usual time—7:30 a.m.

To his surprise, Wu Wei, Zhao Le, and Jiang Xiaoxiao had already arrived.

“Morning. You guys are here early today,” Luo Fei said casually as he walked to his desk.

Wu Wei looked at him and made a face uglier than a funeral mask.

“It’s all your fault,” he complained bitterly.

Luo Fei blinked.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Jiang Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes.

“You seriously don’t know? You’ve become the model officer of Songxin Town Police Station.”

She continued indignantly:

“Yesterday, Chief Zhou told all the new recruits to learn from you. He said that even though you didn’t graduate from a police academy, you’re outstanding—hardworking, diligent, and always arriving before 7:30 every morning. Then he told us to follow your example. So tell me, isn’t this all your fault?”

After hearing the explanation, Luo Fei finally understood.

Secretly, he felt a little pleased. Being recognized by leadership was definitely a good thing.

Of course, he couldn’t let that show on his face. Otherwise, he’d only attract resentment.

“You two can stop looking so miserable. Lunch is on me today. I’ll buy everyone milk tea.”

Wu Wei immediately brightened up.

“Now that sounds better.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao pointed at him.

“I’m remembering that. If there’s no milk tea at noon, we’re going to have a problem.”

Only then were the two finally satisfied.

As for Zhao Le, he remained at his desk reading a book.

Ever since Luo Fei had gained recognition for helping solve the Gu Youguo murder case, Zhao Le’s attitude toward him had become noticeably cold.

Luo Fei wasn’t interested in forcing friendliness on someone who clearly didn’t want it.

‘You can act however you want,’ he thought. ‘I’m not going to indulge that attitude.’

At eight o’clock sharp, Chief Zhou Weimin walked into the office with a broad smile.

“Everyone, please pause your work for a moment. I have an announcement.”

The room immediately quieted down.

“At ten o’clock this morning, the Public Security Bureau will hold a commendation ceremony in the main conference hall. Two outstanding officers from our Songxin Town Police Station have received municipal recognition.”

He paused dramatically.

“One is Comrade Zhang Haiyang, who has been awarded a Third-Class Merit Citation.”

A fresh round of applause erupted.

“The second is our newest recruit, Comrade Luo Fei, who has received an Individual Commendation.”

The applause grew even louder.

“Let’s give both of them a warm round of applause!”

The office filled with clapping.

Once the applause subsided, Zhou Weimin looked at the two men.

“Haiyang, Luo Fei—straighten up your uniforms and make sure your appearance is presentable. We’ll leave promptly at nine.”

Then he turned toward the rest of the staff.

“And anyone who doesn’t have urgent work can attend the ceremony as well. Consider it a learning opportunity. Go see how these outstanding officers earned their recognition.”

With that, Zhou Weimin left the office.

The moment he was gone, the room erupted into noise.

“Haiyang, you and your apprentice are incredible,” Liu Haiquan said as he immediately stood up.

“The master gets a Third-Class Merit, and the apprentice gets an Individual Commendation. So, what’s the plan tonight?”

“That’s right!”

Zheng Jie from the Household Registration Department laughed as she joined in.

“Luo Fei gets a pass since he hasn’t even received his first paycheck yet. But Zhang Haiyang, you can’t seriously expect to get a Third-Class Merit and not treat everyone to dinner, can you?”

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously from beside her master.

Clearly, the entire office had already begun planning how to celebrate at Zhang Haiyang’s expense.