Chapter 6: A Slip-up

The man was of medium build, with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a handlebar mustache.

"Greetings, Head Constable Zheng."

Upon seeing him arrive, the constables at the entrance of the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office nodded repeatedly in greeting.

"Head Constable Zheng."

"Head Constable Zheng."

"..."

Greetings rang out one after another.

The man gave a slight nod, acknowledging them. He strode forward and soon reached the inner area, where several large armchairs were set out. Head Constable Zheng chose the one in the center and sat down immediately.

"Why is Head Constable Zheng here today!?"

Monkey-head whispered.

"Not sure."

Chen Ping'an shook his head slightly.

Head Constable Zheng did not often appear for the daily roll call.

The rules of roll call were for the constables; they didn't really apply to the head constables. Besides, who showed up and who didn't was just a matter of a few strokes of the pen for the clerk in charge of the roll.

"Maybe it has to do with the operation the day before yesterday."

Monkey-head speculated.

"Perhaps."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

The few of them stood in a corner, waiting quietly along with the many other constables. Not long after Head Constable Zheng entered, another head constable arrived.

"Head Constable Li."

"Greetings, Head Constable Li."

Some constables greeted him.

This Head Constable Li was also a head constable of the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office.

The Nanquan Lane Pacification Office was responsible for over a dozen streets and alleys, large and small. It was a place where all sorts of people mingled—businessmen running shops, street vendors, craftsmen, and the ruffians and scoundrels who haunted the alleys.

Managing and maintaining order in such a place was no easy task.

The Nanquan Lane Pacification Office consisted of one Office Chief, one Deputy Office Chief, five head constables, over thirty official constables, and more than a hundred temporary constables who were not on the official register.

Even among the temporary constables, there were different ranks. The highest status naturally went to those who had both ability and some background; they were the ones with hopes of being officially registered in the future.

Next were those who had either background or ability.

The lowest were those who had neither.

And Chen Ping'an was exactly one of these lowest-tier temporary constables in the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office.

In contrast, Monkey-head and Dashan were both better off than him.

However, the few of them got along well, so they didn't care about such things.

The constables waited for a while longer, and after a tall, thin man named Head Constable Huang arrived, the daily pre-patrol meeting of the Pacification Office officially began.

The one presiding was Head Constable Zheng, who had arrived first. Although Chen Ping'an didn't know the relationships between the head constables, based on his observations, Head Constable Zheng was vaguely the leader among the five.

Monkey-head had guessed correctly; the first thing Head Constable Zheng spoke about was the operation against the gang two days prior. He explained the results of the operation and expressed verbal praise for all the colleagues who had participated.

"Early yesterday morning, the Office Chief already represented our Nanquan Lane at the Southern Town Pacification Office to report this matter. Even the Chief Constable himself has spoken, praising the bravery of the constables of our Nanquan Lane Pacification Office."

Head Constable Zheng stood at the very front, speaking eloquently to the constables. When he mentioned the Chief Constable, he cupped his hands toward the sky in a slight bow to show reverence and respect.

"This is the honor of our Nanquan Lane Pacification Office, and it is the honor of all of us..."

Head Constable Zheng was in high spirits as he spoke at the front. It was hard to say what the constables below were thinking, but on the surface, everyone played along.

"Praise, praise—it stops at words, and nothing tangible ever comes of it!"

Monkey-head covered his face to block the view from the front and pouted slightly as he spoke.

Chen Ping'an smiled faintly but didn't take the bait. He had always been cautious when speaking about such matters.

Seeing that Chen Ping'an didn't respond, Monkey-head turned his attention to Dashan.

"Dashan, tell me, what are the Office Chief and the Deputy Office Chief busy with? Since the Chief Constable has sent praise, shouldn't the Office Chief come to say it himself? That would be much more prestigious."

"Heh heh, not sure."

Dashan chuckled foolishly.

"Fine, I knew asking was a waste of time."

Monkey-head rolled his eyes. But he was used to Dashan's personality.

As Chen Ping'an listened to Head Constable Zheng's words, his mind was entirely occupied with how to practice the Iron Shirt technique after his shift.

Yesterday was a day off, and he had had a whole day to cultivate. If he went back late after his shift today, he would probably only be able to practice the Iron Shirt once.

If that were the case, he would only gain a little experience. Based on this progress, he would have to wait until the day after tomorrow for the Iron Shirt to reach the entry level.

No!

He would try to see if he could practice twice tonight. If he could manage two sessions, the progress would be much faster.

What a pity!

He only got one day off every ten days of work. Otherwise, he could have reached the entry level of the Iron Shirt by tomorrow.

Unlike usual, even while listening to the dry and tedious speech, Chen Ping'an's heart was full of anticipation today.

He looked at Head Constable Zheng standing on the high platform at the front, and at Head Constable Li and Head Constable Huang sitting behind him.

They were all listening, but they were sitting down.

Hmm!

One day, he would be the one sitting there listening!

No, that wasn't right!

He would be the one standing there, speaking eloquently, making others listen to him patiently.

No matter how dry or boring his speech might be, they would have to keep smiles on their faces and listen to him finish.

A real man should be like this!

Chen Ping'an thought to himself.

With his golden finger, he had infinite possibilities for the future. In the future, he might have even greater goals. But for the Chen Ping'an of this moment, this was his goal.

One must eat a meal one bite at a time, and walk a path one step at a time!

Head Constable Zheng spoke for a full quarter of an hour before stopping. Finally, he symbolically asked Head Constable Li and Head Constable Huang if they had anything to add.

The two head constables shook their heads slightly; they had nothing to add.

The constables below let out a collective sigh of relief.

Finally, it's over!

Damn it, this is more tiring than patrolling for a whole day!

The daily meeting of the Pacification Office ended, and as the head constables went inside, the many constables began to busy themselves.

"Let's go, Ping'an! The three of us are lucky enough to be assigned to patrol Willow Leaf Street today!"

After finding out the day's arrangements, Monkey-head's face was beaming.

"Willow Leaf Street! Heh heh~"

Dashan chuckled foolishly.

Willow Leaf Street was quite famous among the many streets and alleys of Nanquan Lane. Because on Willow Leaf Street, there was the Spring Rain Pavilion, which attracted many young and energetic men.

A place of romance, where one could write poetry, listen to music, and admire the moon—it was quite interesting.

Indeed, for a refined person like Monkey-head, hearing that they were patrolling this street naturally made him overjoyed.

Influenced by Monkey-head, Dashan had also developed this interest, and he had quite an addiction to it as well.

It was just a pity that the Spring Rain Pavilion was extremely expensive. If they really wanted to let loose and enjoy themselves, their monthly salaries wouldn't be able to handle it.

So, although they yearned for it, they probably only had such an opportunity once a year to go and enjoy it properly. And even then, they had to be stingy and never truly felt satisfied.

PS: Good morning everyone, the weather this Saturday is very nice~ Are you interested in casting a little vote?

(End of chapter)