Han Bin walked out of the chief's office with a calm expression. Whatever he was really thinking inside, no one could tell.
Back in his own office, Li Hui, Tian Li, and Zhao Ming immediately surrounded him.
"Brother Bin, what did Captain Zheng call you out for?"
"Nothing much," Han Bin shrugged.
"Come on, Bin, that's not cool."
"Yeah, we're all police officers here, don't try to fool us."
The three of them wouldn't give up, pressing for details.
"Captain Zheng took me to see Chief Dai."
"Chief Dai?!"
"What did he say?" Li Hui asked with envy.
He'd been in the branch for quite a while but had never been inside Dai Minghan's office.
"Honestly, this is something Captain Zheng should be the one to tell you," Han Bin said, looking a bit conflicted.
"Brother Bin, sooner or later we'll find out anyway. Just give us a heads-up."
"Yeah, spill it."
"We're dying of curiosity here," the three urged.
"Well, since you're asking so sincerely, I'll be generous and tell you. To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect world peace, to uphold love and truth…"
"Stop! Can you speak like a normal person?" Li Hui made a T-sign with his hands.
"That sounds really familiar," Zhao Ming muttered, rubbing his chin.
"It's Team Rocket," Tian Li recalled.
"Correct. As a reward, you get one nomination for the 'Police Star' award," Han Bin said.
"We don't care about your reward, just get to the poi—" Li Hui suddenly stopped mid-sentence and stared. "Wait… Did you say 'Police Star'? Does that mean our team's been named an exemplary unit?"
"Shh…"
Han Bin held up a finger. "Keep your voice down. It's not official yet. You start shouting it out and it might jinx it."
"Han Bin, is it the entire Criminal Investigation Team 3, or just our squad?" Tian Li asked.
"The whole team."
"Tsk tsk, Captain Zheng's gonna look good this time," Li Hui smacked his lips.
"Everyone benefits from it, so don't act like you're doing us a favor," Tian Li teased.
"Tian-jie, what kind of benefits? I've never paid attention," Zhao Ming said. He hadn't been in the squad long enough to experience this before.
"The 'Police Star' selection happens once a month," Tian Li explained. "Each time, they pick one outstanding individual and one outstanding unit as role models for the entire department. Besides the honor, every member of the winning unit gets a 600-yuan bonus. The outstanding individual gets 3,000 yuan."
"Wow, that's nice," Zhao Ming said.
"You might not care about such small change, Mr. Rich Second Generation," Li Hui said. "But for those of us living on a fixed salary, that's a nice windfall. And if you also get the individual award—3,600 yuan total—tsk tsk…" He looked dreamy.
"Who's the outstanding individual?" Zhao Ming asked.
Han Bin spread his hands. "Chief Dai didn't say."
"Damn!"
Li Hui suddenly realized, giving Han Bin a jealous glare. "That's gotta be you. Why else would Chief Dai call you in and not us?"
Tian Li and Zhao Ming also caught on, both looking like it all made sense now.
Seeing all three staring at him, Han Bin decided to cut his losses. He waved them off cheerfully. "Once we get paid, roasted lamb kidneys on me!"
Two more days passed without any new cases.
It was the weekend again.
This time, Zhao Ming was on duty Saturday, Li Hui on Sunday.
Han Bin and Tian Li had the weekend off.
On Saturday, Han Bin woke up early instead of sleeping in.
He drove his father's black Passat straight to the suburban wholesale market.
Han Bin was at the wheel, Han Weidong in the passenger seat, and Wang Huifang in the back.
"Old Han, why aren't you driving?" Wang Huifang complained.
"I finally found myself a free driver. Why would I drive?" Han Weidong snorted.
"Our son's been busy for days. He finally gets a day off, and you can't drive for once?"
"Comrade Wang Huifang, that's not fair. I've been working all week too, and I'm an old-timer. Can't I enjoy my weekend?" Han Weidong countered.
"What work? At your police station you just drink tea, watch the news, chat, and somehow the day's gone. Sometimes you have a drink after work. You're living better than I am, and I don't even work," Wang Huifang said with a snort.
"Comrade Wang Huifang, that's pure imagination. Grassroots police work is closest to the people. We have to maintain public order, ensure everyone's safety. It's a heavy responsibility," Han Weidong said seriously.
"That might be true for real grassroots officers, but you just talk," Wang Huifang shot back.
"I was a grassroots cop once too. I ran my legs off when I was young. You can't expect me to work exactly the same after decades without any advancement."
"Fine, fine, I can't win an argument with you, but—" Wang Huifang began again.
Han Bin, already feeling annoyed, cut them off. "Alright, we're almost at the market. Just think about what we need to buy."
Han Bin's family home was in Beiying Village, about a 30-minute drive from Qindao City. They planned to buy some food and visit his grandfather, Han Tingqian.
"Your grandpa likes dumplings with mussel and mackerel filling. Make sure to get plenty," Han Weidong reminded.
"Got it."
They parked outside the market.
The market was huge, divided into five sections: vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, and flowers/pets.
Wang Huifang headed for the vegetables, while Han Weidong and Han Bin went to the meat and seafood sections.
First they bought 5 kilos each of beef and lamb, plus 5 kilos of ribs, six lamb kidneys, and a bag of chicken wings.
Then they hit the seafood section, buying mussels, mackerel, lobster, oysters, mantis shrimp, and more.
Wang Huifang came back with assorted vegetables.
They loaded everything into the car, then went to the fruit market for peaches, apples, bananas, dragon fruit, and so on.
The trunk was packed full.
After another ten-minute drive, they reached Beiying Village. The old Han family house was right on the main road—bright and open.
Originally, the family had two plots of land, but to join them together they swapped for one and a half plots right by the street, 12 meters wide and 18 meters deep. They built a three-story house with a large courtyard.
Han Bin parked out front. As soon as he stepped inside, he called out, "Grandpa, I'm back!"
The old man was in good health but a little hard of hearing. Han Bin had to shout several times before he heard.
"Binzi's back!" Han Tingqian hurried out, grinning from ear to ear.
"I've got the day off today, so I bought you some of your favorite food," Han Bin said with a smile.
"Good, good, good. Come inside," the old man said, holding tightly onto Han Bin's hand.
"Dad, you sit down and rest first. Let this kid finish carrying the stuff, then he can chat with you," Han Weidong said.
"What's the rush? Let's rest first," the old man said, unwilling to let go of his grandson's hand.
"Well, fine. In that case, I'll just carry everything myself," Han Weidong said with a wry smile. His father treated Han Bin like the apple of his eye.
(End of Chapter)