After returning to the police station, everyone once again congratulated Luo Fei and Zhang Haiyang.
At noon, Luo Fei bought milk tea for all his colleagues at the station. Including both the veterans and the newcomers, there were only fifteen people in total. While he couldn't afford to treat everyone to a full meal, milk tea was still within his budget.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Haiyang took Luo Fei to the bank to cash their reward checks.
The commendation ceremony had not distributed cash directly. Instead, they were given checks that had to be redeemed at a bank.
Luo Fei had received a Personal Commendation worth 2,000 yuan, while Zhang Haiyang's Third-Class Merit award came with a 3,000-yuan bonus.
Holding 2,000 yuan in cash, Luo Fei felt as though he had suddenly become rich.
It was the first time since transmigrating six months ago that he had carried this much money in his pocket. Thinking about it now, he found it amusing.
‘I might just be the poorest transmigrator in history,’ he thought.
On the way back to the station, Luo Fei asked, “Master, do you know of any places available for rent?”
Zhang Haiyang glanced at him curiously.
“You planning to move out and live on your own?”
Luo Fei shook his head.
“Not really. The apartment my family lives in is too small, and the environment around the cement factory isn't very good. Now that I'm working, I want to find a bigger place.”
Hearing that Luo Fei lived in the cement factory dormitories, Zhang Haiyang immediately understood.
He knew exactly what those buildings were like.
Dirty.
Crowded.
Run-down.
“I'm not very familiar with rental listings,” Zhang Haiyang admitted. “But my wife has a classmate who works as a rental agent. I'll ask her to check. If she finds anything suitable, I'll let you know.”
Then he asked, “What are your requirements?”
Luo Fei thought for a moment.
“A three-bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Preferably near Songxin Town Middle School. As for rent, anything under 1,200 yuan is acceptable.”
The budget was 200 yuan higher than what Wu Yan had originally suggested.
As for the location, there was a reason.
Wu Yan worked in the cafeteria of Songxin Town Middle School.
The students were still on vacation, so she was mostly at home for now. But once school started in August, she would have to get up around four or five every morning to prepare breakfast for the students.
Since she couldn't ride a motorcycle or bicycle, living too far away would make commuting extremely inconvenient.
“Mhm,” Zhang Haiyang replied with a nod.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, the station got off work on schedule.
Zhang Haiyang once again reminded everyone about the dinner gathering at Mashi Private Kitchen at six o'clock.
Since there was still plenty of time, Luo Fei decided to head home first.
Passing through the market, he bought two jin of braised pig head meat.
Luo Xiaoxiao loved it.
He also purchased three jin of pork ribs, three jin of lean pork, and some fruit.
For the past six months, Luo Fei's pockets had been practically empty, so he had never bought groceries for the family. Wu Yan handled all the shopping.
Because she hated spending money unnecessarily, she rarely bought meat. Most afternoons, she waited until vendors discounted vegetables before buying inexpensive items like cabbage and potatoes.
Since transmigrating, the dishes Luo Fei had eaten most often were shredded potatoes, vegetable soup, and pickled chili peppers.
When he arrived home, his mother was already cooking dinner.
A plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes sat on the table.
Meanwhile, Luo Hao and Luo Xiaoxiao were watching cartoons featuring Bald Qiang.
“Why are you back?” Wu Yan asked the moment she saw him. “Didn't you say you'd be eating with your coworkers tonight?”
“The dinner starts at six, so I came home first,” Luo Fei replied. “I passed by the market and bought some braised pig head meat and ribs. You guys can cook them later.”
As he spoke, he set the groceries on the table.
The moment Wu Yan saw the pile of food, her face fell.
“Why did you buy all this?” she complained. “It's not New Year's or a holiday. We already have food at home. You're wasting money.”
Luo Fei simply smiled.
“Because something worth celebrating happened today.”
He reached into a bag on the table and pulled out his certificate and commendation award.
“What are those?” Wu Yan asked immediately.
She had never learned to read.
Before Luo Fei could answer, Luo Xiaoxiao darted forward and snatched the certificate from his hands.
She read aloud excitedly:
[Comrade Luo Fei displayed outstanding performance and achieved remarkable results during Case 7.13 and is hereby awarded a Personal Commendation.]
[Jiangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau]
“Big Brother, is this your award certificate?” Luo Xiaoxiao asked, her eyes sparkling.
“You just read it yourself, didn't you?” Luo Fei said proudly. “And it came with prize money too.”
He pulled the freshly withdrawn cash from his pocket.
He wasn't trying to show off.
He simply wanted to share his happiness with his family.
“Luo Fei, what's going on?” Wu Yan asked. “Didn't you just start working? How did you already receive an award?”
At first, she was delighted.
But soon, confusion replaced her excitement.
He had only been on the job for a few days.
How had he already earned a commendation?
Luo Fei didn't hide anything.
He briefly explained the Gu Youguo murder case.
“Wow!” Luo Xiaoxiao exclaimed.
“Big Brother, you're amazing! I admire you so much!”
When she heard that he had tracked down the killer through scent alone, her face filled with admiration.
Beside her, Luo Hao was equally excited.
His older brother had helped catch a murderer.
That sounded incredibly cool.
Unlike his energetic sister, however, Luo Hao still acted like a mouse facing a cat whenever Luo Fei was around. He didn't dare get too rowdy.
Wu Yan sat there in stunned silence.
She worked in the cafeteria at Songxin Town Middle School, and recently everyone around her had been talking about the scandal involving the school's dean and a female teacher, whose affair had ended in murder.
She never imagined that her own son had been involved in solving such a major case.
Once the shock faded, overwhelming pride took its place.
Her son had solved a murder case.
How could she not be proud?
“Mom,” Luo Fei said, handing over a stack of bills, “here's 1,500 yuan. I'll keep the remaining 500 for emergencies.”
He didn't give her everything.
After all, now that he had a job, he needed some spending money of his own.
Wu Yan accepted the money without hesitation.
“I'll save it for you,” she said. “You can use it later when you buy a house or a car.”
Truthfully, she didn't trust a young man to manage money properly.
She was afraid he'd spend it recklessly.
Keeping it herself gave her peace of mind.
After handing over the money and reminding them to cook the ribs, Luo Fei headed for Mashi Private Kitchen.
The dinner officially began at six o'clock.
Aside from one coworker who couldn't attend because of family matters, everyone from the station showed up.
Looking at the fifteen dishes on the table and the two bottles of premium Wuliangye liquor, Luo Fei immediately realized that his master had spared no expense for the celebration.
The meal lasted from six in the evening until ten at night.
Everyone started with Wuliangye.
When the liquor ran out, they switched straight to beer.
As the host, Zhang Haiyang was relentlessly toasted and forced to drink far more than anyone else.
Seeing that his master was close to collapsing, Luo Fei stepped in and drank many of the remaining toasts on his behalf.
To his surprise, Luo Fei discovered that his alcohol tolerance was absurdly high.
Whether it was because of his transmigration or the earlier gene fusion, he couldn't tell.
Liu Haiquan, Zhang Da, and several other veteran officers tried repeatedly to test his limits.
In the end, every one of them was thoroughly defeated.
Without question, Luo Fei became the undisputed star of the drinking table that night.
It was his first battle.
And he became famous because of it.
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