Since his mother passed away, Han Weidong had been wanting to bring his father to live in the city.
But Han Tingqian refused.
In his words, "I can't get used to living in a place without a yard."
Whenever he had free time, Han Tingqian would relax in the courtyard. On the west side was a tall grape trellis — in sunny weather, it provided shade and a cool breeze; in rainy weather, he could sit under the vines and listen to the rain, enjoying a slow, peaceful life.
The grapes ripened in August and September. They could be eaten fresh or made into wine. Grapevines love sunny, dry climates and tolerate cold well — perfect for growing in the north.
Beneath the trellis sat a round table where Han Tingqian usually ate his meals.
On the east side of the yard hung a birdcage with two birds inside. Their green feathers were strikingly beautiful, and they chirped non-stop.
Next to the birdcage were two blue-and-white porcelain fish tanks — the southern one held goldfish, the northern one housed a pair of turtles.
"Meow…"
In the corner of the courtyard lay a tabby cat with soft, glossy fur — rings of brown-black and white — extremely cute.
When Han Bin and the others returned, they seemed to have disturbed the cat's nap. It lazily rolled over and began licking its paw.
Unable to change his father's mind, Han Weidong hired a housekeeper from the same village. She came daily to clean the courtyard, wash clothes, and cook lunch.
In the mornings, Han Tingqian would walk out himself to buy breakfast. The old house was right by the main street, and a short walk led to breakfast stalls selling steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, egg pancakes, eight-treasure porridge — anything he wanted.
In the evenings, he preferred light meals — usually cooking corn porridge or millet rice, paired with pickles, ham, and other small side dishes.
Today, with Han Weidong and the family home, they gave the housekeeper the day off. After putting away their groceries, they began preparing lunch.
The sky was overcast and the weather pleasantly cool.
Han Bin suggested having a barbecue, and the old man agreed enthusiastically.
Han Weidong and Wang Huifang mostly just followed instructions.
The vegetable skewers included enoki mushrooms, eggplant, and chives.
The meat skewers: lamb, lamb kidneys, beef, and chicken wings.
Seafood: mussels, lobster, oysters, and mantis shrimp.
All four pitched in — Wang Huifang washed vegetables and cut meat, Han Weidong and Han Bin skewered the food, while Han Tingqian lit the charcoal.
Once everything was ready, Han Bin set up the grill and started cooking.
A light breeze passed through the courtyard, a few raindrops fell, and the family enjoyed grilled food and homemade wine, chatting and laughing together.
…
Qindao Branch Bureau
Criminal Investigation Team 3, Second Unit Office.
Han Bin had stayed at the old house for two days, returning to the city Monday morning. Han Weidong dropped him off at the station entrance.
"Morning."
"Good morning." Colleagues greeted him.
"Morning," Han Bin nodded back.
Perhaps it was the impression he made when receiving that banner, but Han Bin noticed more people greeting him than before.
Inside the office, Tian Li was cleaning, while Li Hui was peeling tea eggs.
Han Bin chuckled. "Hui-ge, you're living well — tea eggs for breakfast."
"Come on, it's 2025 — tea eggs are outdated. Rich people now eat instant noodles with pickled mustard greens," Li Hui joked, winking.
"How about when I get my paycheck, we skip the lamb kidneys and I treat you all to instant noodles with pickles? You know, experience the high life," Han Bin said seriously.
"Better not. We're just lowly police officers — the rich man's combo is too extravagant. If someone posted it online, we might even get called in for tea with the authorities," Tian Li teased.
"Ha ha…"
The three laughed heartily.
"What's so funny?"
Zhao Ming walked in carrying a bucket of instant noodles, set it on his desk, and pulled out pickled mustard greens and sausages.
"See? What did I just say?" Li Hui slapped his thigh. "Not just pickles, but sausages too. Now that's living large."
Zhao Ming looked confused. "Seriously? It's just instant noodles…"
They explained the "pickle joke" to him, and he laughed along, generously offering everyone some pickles.
Knock knock.
They turned to see Zeng Ping at the door.
"Well, you all look lively," he said.
"Captain Zeng."
"You're finally back — we missed you," they called out.
"What are you all chattering about?" Zeng Ping asked, smiling.
"We were just discussing where to take you for a welcome-back meal," Han Bin grinned.
"Now that's the kind of talk I like." Zeng Ping patted Han Bin's shoulder.
"I heard you did well while I was away — even got a commendation from Director Dai."
"It was all thanks to your and Captain Zheng's guidance, plus help from the team. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a chance to shine," Han Bin said humbly.
"That's what I like to hear. Binzi is our team's Jordan, and I'm Pippen," Li Hui said, striking what he thought was a cool pose.
"You're more like a pair of shoes," Tian Li teased.
Laughter broke out again.
…
Around 11 a.m., just as they were deciding where to eat for Zeng Ping's welcome lunch, Zheng Kaixuan walked in with a thermos.
"Lao Zeng, how's the paperwork coming?"
"All done — files and case reports sorted," Zeng Ping replied.
"Good. We've got a case for you."
"No problem," Zeng Ping said seriously.
"You're not even going to ask what case?" Zheng Kaixuan nudged him.
"Doesn't matter what it is — I'll get it done."
"Good. Handle this one well, and our team will almost certainly win 'Police Team of the Year.'"
"Yes, sir — we'll get it done."
"Captain Zheng, what's the case?" Han Bin asked.
"Missing person," Zheng said, pointing to Tian Li. "The complainant's in reception — bring her in."
Tian Li left and soon returned with a young woman.
She was in her twenties, short, with slightly tanned skin and delicate features, looking nervous.
"Have a seat. I'll take your statement," Tian Li said, pointing to a chair.
"Okay," the woman replied, sitting down.
Tian Li switched on her body camera, opened her notebook, and asked, "Name, gender, age, place of origin…"
"My name's He Ru, female, 25…"
"Why are you filing a report?"
"My sister's missing."
"When did she go missing?"
"Yesterday morning."
"Did she leave a message or say anything before she left?"
"I wasn't there when she left. She handed her child over to her mother-in-law, said she had some errands, and never came back," He Ru recalled.
"How did she leave?"
"I don't know."
"What's your sister's name and age?"
"Her name's He Yan, three years older than me."
Bzzz…
At that moment, He Ru's phone buzzed. She looked down and exclaimed in surprise:
"It's a message from my sister."
(End of Chapter)