As soon as dawn broke, I left Cuiping Primary School. I'd leave it to Ah Jing to rack his brains over what was causing the strange noise in the wall. Recently, Ah Jing was working on a sensational program, and the ghostly sound from Cuiping Primary School provided him with the perfect material.
In the early morning, a thin layer of mist enveloped the mountains, so I drove extremely slowly, listening to a CD as I went.
"That year, snowflakes drifted and plum blossoms bloomed on the branches / That year, too many sorrows lingered by the Huaqing Pool / Don't say who's right or wrong in matters of love / I just want to get drunk with you in my dreams once more..."
As one of Li Yugang's classic masterpieces, "New Imperial Concubine's Drunken Song" cleverly combines traditional Chinese culture, classical art, Peking Opera, and modern fashion with pop music. Coupled with Li Yugang's unique and ethereal "dual-voice" singing style, the song is full of the "Li Yugang charm" and has won over a large number of fans.
"A love that traverses a thousand years, crossing the boundaries of life and death; A song that takes us back to the Tang Dynasty, singing of eternal love."
I've never liked the story of Emperor Ming of Tang and Concubine Yang. I can't understand how a father-in-law could fall in love with his own daughter-in-law!
That's not our national concept of love! And certainly not our moral standard!
Just as I was about to switch to another song, a spoken segment suddenly popped up: "Hello! I don't know who you are, but please listen to what I have to say. I'm an 18-year-old girl. A month ago, my three roommates and I played the 'Ouija Board' game. Something went wrong in the middle, and then my three roommates died one after another in a mysterious way. I'm so scared. I suspect that an evil spirit is at work. I told my relatives, but they don't believe me and even want to send me to a mental hospital..."
"Boring!" I slapped the player off. I'd dealt with a similar case before. It was also a pretty girl who made up a ghost story to lure brave and kind-hearted people to "save" her, only to accuse them of sexual harassment and extort a large sum of money.
Two and a half hours later, my car drove into Hongcheng City. I drove to my place, took all the stuff out of the car, including that CD. Due to my profession, I didn't want such a problematic CD to spread around.
Then, I drove the car to the taxi company.
The people at the taxi company inspected the car and found no problems. They collected the rental fee from me.
"Jay!"
As I walked out of the taxi company gate, someone called me. I turned my head and saw my colleague Fang Yingwen. She was riding a brand-new red motorcycle and wearing a police uniform, looking very heroic and dashing.
Fang Yingwen joined the force a year earlier than me. She was a household registration policewoman. Her ex-husband was a deputy director of the Municipal Government Office. They had been divorced for more than a year. She had a cheerful personality and could take a joke well, so I was happy to joke around with her.
"Fang, what's up? Your eyes still have bloodshot veins. Did you miss your husband last night..."
"Get lost!" Fang Yingwen spat at me.
She let me get on the motorcycle and then said angrily, "What's wrong with girls these days? They don't come home for days!"
"Who are you talking about?"
"My brother's daughter. She hasn't come home for three days now. I can't reach her on the phone. A 16-year-old kid is still so worrying." Fang Yingwen sighed.
Fang Yingwen talked a lot and kept complaining to me. She said that when she was 16, she not only had to study hard but also do a lot of housework. Nowadays, kids have a life like in paradise, yet they're still not satisfied.
As the motorcycle was about to reach the police station, Fang Yingwen's phone rang.
As soon as she pressed the answer button, she shouted excitedly, "Jun, where are you? You're driving me crazy!"
I don't know what was said on the phone, but Fang Yingwen said hurriedly to me, "Jay, ask for leave for me. I have to go find my niece."
"Okay. Be careful on the road." I watched Fang Yingwen ride away on the motorcycle and then turned and walked towards the police station.
The police station was located in the center of Zigu Road. To facilitate police responses, street vending was strictly prohibited nearby.
There were nine people in the entire police station: a chief, a political instructor, three case-handling policemen, a household registration policewoman (Fang Yingwen), and three auxiliary policemen.
Usually, there weren't many things to do. We just drank tea and chatted. We only got busy when there were cases.
I greeted a few colleagues and then went to the chief's office to ask for leave for Fang Yingwen. The chief wasn't there, so I told the political instructor.
I went back to my desk, turned on the computer, and browsed through domestic and international news.
Regarding the latest developments on the Diaoyu Islands, I saw the follow-up posts from Chinese people. Ninety-nine point nine percent of them expressed their stance and declared the country's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, including compatriots from across the Taiwan Strait.
However, most people believed that our government was too weak! It was always just protesting and had no practical means. Some radical thinkers even suggested launching a few missiles to see if Japan would behave better.