Chapter 366 The Police Officer's Ghost

The police officer sat there, flipping through a book and occasionally checking the time on his phone.

Honestly,

his presence in the store put a lot of pressure on both Zhou Ze and Bai Yingying.

It was like having needles pricking their backs.

He was a good cop, radiating righteousness. The uniform he wore seemed to repel all evil.

But Zhou Ze couldn't avoid him; this was his store, after all.

Fortunately, Zhou Ze and Bai Yingying weren't low-level wandering spirits or wild mountain demons. While they felt uncomfortable, there was no real harm.

On the contrary, Zhou Ze had a sincere respect for him.

You can't judge a book by its cover, that's true,

but as a ghost, he was even more sensitive to this feeling.

So, when Zhou Ze initially gave him those books, it wasn't to make fun of him, but because Zhou Ze had assumed that a police officer with such an aura of righteousness would enjoy reading serious and valuable books.

However, Zhou Ze later realized that police officers are just people;

and as people, they have their own interests and hobbies. Like the police officer in front of him, engrossed in a novel.

"Uncle, have some tea."

Bai Yingying timidly brought over a cup of tea.

"Oh, thank you." The police officer took the cup and looked at Bai Yingying, asking, "Aren't you in school?"

"It's a holiday today."

Bai Yingying didn't dare to admit that she wasn't in school and was just drifting along, to avoid any further trouble.

She was a little afraid of the man in front of her, even more so than Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze was a modern person who could relate to this way of thinking. While the man in front of him made him instinctively fearful, it also meant that he was more worthy of respect.

Bai Yingying, however, just felt her heart beating faster. After handing over the tea, she immediately ran upstairs, not wanting to come down again.

"Boss, how much?" the police officer asked Zhou Ze.

"Just give what you think is appropriate," Zhou Ze said.

"That won't do. Never mind, I'll settle it when I leave. They should be here to pick me up in half an hour." The police officer sat down again and patted his pockets, then paused.

As a longtime smoker, Zhou Ze understood and offered him a cigarette.

"Thanks."

The police officer thanked Zhou Ze for lighting his cigarette, and then the two of them smoked together.

Cigarettes are indeed a bridge for men's socializing, turning strangers into smoking buddies, making it easier to brag a little.

"Your business isn't easy to run, is it?" the police officer asked.

"Just scraping by," Zhou Ze replied.

"Oh, I remember who you are." The police officer patted his head and said, "You were the one who bravely rushed into the fire to save people last time, right?"

Zhou Ze nodded.

"What a memory I have! That's right, the bureau wanted to give you a banner last time, why didn't you go to receive it?"

"Just doing my duty, didn't want to show off," Zhou Ze replied.

The police officer nodded, a little helplessly, "Indeed, in the end, no one expected that the arsonist would be one of the heroes who rushed into the fire to save people."

"Damn it, the taxis have really disappeared. It's hard to get a ride-hailing service at this hour, and I can't even get a taxi. Old Zhou, it looks like we really have to move. This godforsaken place doesn't even have taxis.

I'm missing a cable here, I have to go back and buy a new one, otherwise, I can't set up the host."

Xu Qinglang complained as he walked in, then saw the police officer sitting in the bookstore.

"Yo, Director Zhao!"

Xu Qinglang clearly knew the police officer, and immediately put on a smiling face, warmly saying:

"Director Zhao, you look very fit! Hmm, I remember seeing news about you a while ago, what was it about? I forgot, but it seemed like you had accomplished another feat and received a medal, right, that must be it, congratulations, congratulations!"

"You little rascal, you're getting better looking." The police officer stood up with a smile, patted Xu Qinglang's shoulder, appearing very affectionate, "Still stealing chickens and dogs?"

"How could I dare? My house was demolished, and I got over twenty apartments. Now I'm a legally tax-paying citizen," Xu Qinglang replied.

"You..." Director Zhao pointed at Xu Qinglang, "You've finally seen better days."

"Director Zhao, your son is getting married soon, right? How about I give you an apartment as a wedding gift for your son?"

"You brat, if you dare to say such nonsense in front of me again, believe it or not, I'll lock you up in the bureau again?" Director Zhao sternly scolded.

"Hey, I'm just running a noodle shop, I'm not bribing you. If it wasn't for you back then, I probably wouldn't have made it until my old house and those lands were demolished. It's only right to show my respect with an apartment."

"Just live your life well."

"You guys know each other?" Zhou Ze asked.

Director Zhao nodded, "Know each other? More than just knowing each other, this kid has been running around stealing things and picking pockets since he was under ten years old, and I've caught him many times.

The first time I caught him, I even told my police officers that I had caught a little girl thief, who knew it was a boy!"

"Those were things I didn't understand before, don't bring them up," Xu Qinglang didn't want Zhou Ze to hear about his past misdeeds.

"Bring it up, we have to bring it up. You've done a lot of bad things in the past. Those mistakes can't be forgotten, you have to remember them in your heart, and remind yourself not to make them again in the future. Good times are hard-won."

"Director Zhao, I understand," Xu Qinglang nodded.

"By the way, I used to send you to Master Sun as an apprentice, how is Master Sun doing now?" Director Zhao asked.

"He's doing okay, but he passed his shop on to his son. I also came out to work on my own."

It turned out that Xu Qinglang's reason for opening a noodle shop was also due to this. Back then, his family had suffered changes, and he was almost becoming a hoodlum. Director Zhao, who was then the director of the police station, caught him and educated him several times. In the end, Director Zhao arranged for him to work as an apprentice in a noodle shop, which helped him get on the right path.

Otherwise, Xu Qinglang might have needed another apartment, and that would be a prison cell.

"Director Zhao, why did you come here?" After saying that, Xu Qinglang whispered, "I'm telling you, come to this place less often, the feng shui is bad."

The implication was that in Zhou Ze's bookstore, there were more dead people than living people who came to read books.

Zhou Ze raised his eyebrows at the side,

What do you mean?

"You brat, you still haven't changed your habit of playing tricks and pretending to be a ghost. I was born under the red flag and grew up under the red flag, so I don't believe in these crooked and evil ways.

Besides, if you walk straight and sit upright, you don't have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door if you haven't done anything wrong,

Even if there really are ghosts in this world, the ghosts would be afraid of me, I wouldn't be afraid of ghosts!"

Zhou Ze touched his nose at the side, you're actually right.

"Director Zhao, I'll personally cook a few dishes and show off my skills, it's been many years since we've met, how about we have a few drinks tonight?"

"Can't do it, someone will be here to pick me up later, I'm going on a business trip to another province. I'm just afraid of being bored on the road, so I specially bought two novels to read on the way."

"You're already the director, and you're still so busy," Xu Qinglang said regretfully.

"It's good to be busy, I'm a police officer, if the police are slack, the people won't be able to rest easy."

Director Zhao scratched his head, put his police hat back on, and then took out his phone to check the time, saying:

"It's almost time, they should be here to pick me up, I'll go first."

"Take care."

Zhou Ze thought that he had finally sent away this radiant god.

Director Zhao walked to the door and then thought of something, reaching into his pocket as if he was going to take out his wallet:

"Look at my memory, I took the books and drank the tea, almost forgot to pay."

"Look at you being so polite, I already paid," Xu Qinglang immediately stepped forward and said, "This boss grew up eating my food, he's one of us."

"............" Zhou Ze.

"That won't do, why should you pay for the books I bought?" Director Zhao disagreed.

"Okay, I'll personally visit you in a few days and let you pay me back for the books, and I'll also mooch a meal, how about that?" Xu Qinglang begged, "You have to give me a reason to visit, right?"

"Alright, your aunt's cooking is still good, I might not be home at that time, let your aunt cook you a meal, and you can learn from it too, just say I said so. Strive to turn this noodle shop into a hotel in the future.

People always have to have some pursuits, don't lie on top of those houses and just eat and wait to die, that's no fun."

"Hey, what would I go there for if you're not home?" Xu Qinglang laughed.

"Alright, I'm leaving, goodbye!" Director Zhao waved to Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang, and pushed open the bookstore door and left.

"Boss, there are so many cars outside." Bai Yingying, who was originally on the second floor, came down the stairs and shouted to the people in the bookstore.

"What kind of cars?" Xu Qinglang asked, "A wedding carcade?"

"What wedding car has an eight-sedan chair with a license plate?" Zhou Ze teased Xu Qinglang.

"Not wedding cars, taxis, so many taxis, the whole road is full of taxis," Bai Yingying said, she could see it very clearly from the window on the second floor.

"Taxis?" Xu Qinglang was stunned for a moment, then said, "Damn it, I was wondering why it was so difficult to get a taxi today, I couldn't see any taxis, are they organizing a strike and protest?"

Suddenly, Xu Qinglang was stunned,

He seemed to have thought of something, and immediately took out his phone and started searching, finally, he found it.

It was a news item from half a month ago,

The front page of the news was a large photo of Director Zhao, and the content below was about a car theft gang that had been roaming in multiple provinces being arrested in Tongcheng, discovered by a deputy director of the police bureau who was off work and going home. During the struggle between the two sides, the deputy director unfortunately died in the line of duty.

And three days later, the police wiped out this criminal gang in one fell swoop, leaving no one out. This car theft gang mostly stole taxis and had taken the lives of two taxi drivers.

Director Zhao had already sacrificed himself.

"He's already dead... I remember I read this news, and I was sad for a long time, but as soon as I saw him in front of me just now, I subconsciously felt that he was still alive, and I didn't think about this news at all."

After saying that, Xu Qinglang angrily looked at Zhou Ze:

"He's a ghost, he's not a living person, why didn't you remind me just now, I still had a lot of things to say to him!"

Zhou Ze was also stunned, and said, "He's a ghost?"

"Didn't you notice? You're a ghost messenger, didn't you notice?"

"I specifically observed him when he came in, he's a person."

"How could he be a person!" Xu Qinglang almost roared.

He could have said goodbye to him earlier, but just now he was only focused on chatting!

"Why would I lie to you, I carefully observed him, I really didn't notice that he was actually a ghost."

"I didn't notice either." Bai Yingying came over at this time.

At this time, on the road in front of the store,

Rows of taxis were slowly moving forward side by side in two rows, the line was very long, almost endless.

Xu Qinglang pushed open the bookstore door and walked out, Zhou Ze and Bai Yingying also followed out.

Nearly a thousand taxis spontaneously organized themselves into a convoy and moved forward, the taxi drivers changed their usual habit of speeding and constantly overtaking,

This time,

they were driving very slowly.

At the rear of the convoy,

there was a hearse, playing mourning music,

At the same time, a large black and white photo was hanging above the hearse, it was Director Zhao's portrait.

"Is it a funeral today," Xu Qinglang said with a sigh, "So he said he was going on a business trip, and someone was coming to pick him up, it's this funeral procession?

But how could I not see that he was a ghost, and you didn't see it either."

"Some people are alive, but they are already dead;

Some people are dead, but they are still alive.

Perhaps, that's the reason," Zhou Ze said.

"Sigh." Xu Qinglang nodded when he heard this, and then waved to the long convoy, he was saying goodbye.

At the same time, he also felt somewhat relieved, no wonder it was so difficult to get a taxi in Tongcheng today.

Zhou Ze watched the car with the portrait slowly drive past,

and said in his heart:

"Farewell."

——————

This story is based on real events.