Chapter 27

Chapter 27 A Bowl of Rinsed Noodles

Five minutes later.

Bella went to sleep in her mother and sister’s room, while Qi Lin led A-Long into his own bedroom.

“Not bad, living the good life, even got yourself a wife.” A-Long turned his head to look around the room, then plopped himself down on the bed without a care.

Qi Lin glared at him, fists clenched: “If you want to get yourself killed, go do it somewhere else. Why the hell did you come back to Songjiang? Do you have any idea how close I came to losing my job because of you?!”

A-Long’s real name was Qi Long, and he was Qi Lin’s older brother, but the two of them were completely different kinds of people. Qi Lin was more cautious, more willing to keep his head down and work within the system. Qi Long, on the other hand, had always been one to take risks, drifting around outside for years at a time, rarely coming home.

The last time Qi Long had left was two years ago, and he hadn’t contacted the family once during that time, so Qi Lin had sometimes assumed he was dead somewhere out there. But then, during that arrest operation, he’d seen his own brother again. The two of them weren’t exactly close, but blood is thicker than water, and Qi Lin simply couldn’t bring himself to shoot and stop his own brother just to earn a commendation.

This was something he couldn’t tell anyone, so Qi Lin had been bottling up his frustration for days, and on top of that, he was genuinely worried about Qi Long’s safety.

Qi Long lazily pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, lit one, and said: “Honestly, I didn’t want to run into you either. If it hadn’t been for that day, I probably wouldn’t have come home at all…”

“Right, you fill your own belly out there and don’t think about anyone else. When have you ever given a damn about this family?” Qi Lin gritted his teeth: “Why did you come back? If anyone out there finds out about our connection, you’ll get me killed.”

“Ha, looks like you’re doing just fine to me.”

“Bullshit!”

“Relax, even with ten thousand guns pointed at my head, I wouldn’t sell you out.” Qi Long always had that same devil-may-care attitude: “I’ve been watching the place for days, nobody’s keeping tabs on the house. And if I hadn’t been caught, they never would’ve known about our connection. When you joined the force back then, you made sure the paperwork didn’t say we were brothers, didn’t you?”

“What I don’t get is, there’s plenty of ways to make money, so why did you have to choose this path?” Qi Lin shook his fists, shouting in frustration: “Do you know that the pharmaceutical companies are pressuring the police department, and the department is pressuring our bureau? The entire Songjiang justice system is watching you, trying to figure out where your supply is coming from. If you get caught, there’s absolutely no way out for you, you’ll definitely be…”

“I know.”

“You know and you still do it?”

“What else am I supposed to do? Live like a pushover like you?” Qi Long shot back.

“A pushover? Maybe I am out there, but when it comes to this family…” Qi Lin was furious, almost on the verge of throwing a punch.

Qi Long heard that, furrowed his brow slightly, lowered his head, and cut in with a hoarse voice: “You’re right. I’ll admit it, when it comes to this family, you’re more of a man than I am.”

Qi Lin had nothing to say.

“Damn, I’m starving. You got anything to eat? Get me something.” A-Long looked up and said with a grin.

Qi Lin hesitated for a moment, let out a long sigh, and walked out of the room.

……

Inside the bureau.

After personally pouring Qin Yu a glass of water, Yuan Ke sat down on the sofa and said: “Have the drug dealers we arrested given up any details about A-Long’s movements?”

Qin Yu shook his head: “They talked, but they all think A-Long has already run and isn’t in Songjiang anymore.”

“These guys put their lives on the line for money every day, they know what’s coming for them, so they wouldn’t talk nonsense.” Yuan Ke smiled, crossing his legs: “But it doesn’t matter, I’ve got a lead.”

Qin Yu was startled: “You have a tip?”

“Yeah.” Yuan Ke turned his head and said quietly: “I’ve got some friends out in the streets. They rely on me, and I give them certain conveniences in return, so they look out for me. The drug trafficking ring is run by the Ma family, and A-Long has a working relationship with them.”

“I know that.” Qin Yu nodded.

“There’s a guy on the black market who deals in illegal firearms, goes by Claude. He and I are on decent terms. He called me during dinner just now and said someone wants to use his smuggling channels to get a person out of District 9.” Yuan Ke said casually: “I had him dig around a bit, and he told me the person who came to him for help has a close relationship with Old Ma and has been in contact with him on the side.”

Qin Yu was taken aback: “The person they’re moving could be A-Long?!”

“Eighty percent chance it’s him.” Yuan Ke nodded: “If it were just some nobody, Old Ma would’ve gone straight to Claude himself, no need to go through a middleman. You follow me?”

“That makes sense.”

“I’ve had Claude agree to the deal. Old Ma will probably arrange for A-Long to move soon.” Yuan Ke looked at Qin Yu with a grin: “I’m handing you the lead, you handle the case. This time you have to bring A-Long in and squeeze his supply chain out of him.”

Qin Yu was a bit stunned hearing this and didn’t respond right away.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Ke asked.

Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile on his face: “Captain Yuan, there’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while.”

“Go ahead.”

“…I’m a little flattered, honestly. I don’t understand why you keep giving me the good stuff.” Qin Yu asked bluntly: “You dug up such an important lead yourself, so why not give it to someone else? Or just handle it yourself… this is no small credit.”

Yuan Ke stared at Qin Yu for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up, pointed at his face and said: “Because this year, I want to build you up.”

Qin Yu looked completely puzzled: “Why, Captain Yuan?”

“Because I’ll be promoted to deputy director by the end of the year at the latest, and I need my own people. I can tell at a glance who’s got what it takes in this unit.” Yuan Ke paced around the room with a confident air: “I’m planning to promote three full team captains, and it’s not just you.”

Qin Yu kept his hands clasped together and still said nothing.

“Come on, little brother, still don’t get it?!” Yuan Ke walked over to the sofa, clapped Qin Yu on the shoulder, and said with a smile: “Why am I promoting you? Because you’re new here, because you don’t belong to anyone, you’ve got a clean record, you’ve got the ability, and I can trust you…”

Qin Yu paused for a long moment: “Captain Yuan, when you put it that way, I understand.”

“The A-Long case is yours to lead. Handle it well and I’ll fast-track you three levels by year’s end, straight to captain of Team One.” Yuan Ke stood up, holding his cup, and added: “Do good work, Qin Yu. My ship is the steadiest one in this bureau.”

“Thank you, Captain Yuan!” Qin Yu stood and saluted, but his mind was racing, thinking about something else entirely.

……

At Qi Lin’s home.

Qi Long sat beside the worn round wooden table, wolfing down a bowl of plain noodles with no sauce at all, and said with a grimace: “You eat this every day?”

“Better than nothing.” Qi Lin kept his head down, smoking.

“Hm.”

Qi Long sighed, quietly finished the noodles, wiped his mouth and asked: “Is Mom asleep?”

“Long since.”

“I’m going to take a look through the window.” Qi Long stood up and walked outside.

Qi Lin hesitated for a moment, then followed him out.

Outside the room across the way, Qi Long stood by the windowsill, pressing his cheek against the cold glass, eyes scanning the bed inside where their mother lay sleeping.

Qi Lin stood behind him, smoking in silence.

“How’s Mom’s illness?” Qi Long asked, his voice trembling.

“Not good.” Qi Lin shook his head.

Qi Long was silent for a few seconds: “That’s fate. A rotten fate. Knowing the King of Hell himself wouldn’t help.”

“Can you not say something decent for once?” Qi Lin snapped.

“Keep it down, she might hear you.” Qi Long quickly wiped his eyes with his hand, turned around, and pulled a small bundle from his pocket.

Qi Lin froze.

“That’s ten thousand yuan. Take it.” Qi Long said softly.

“How the hell did you scrape together that much money…”

“I haven’t been in the drug business long, otherwise I would’ve sent money home sooner. I saved this up myself. Take eight thousand and put it toward Mom’s treatment. Whether she pulls through is up to fate, but as her children, we have to do everything within our power… use the rest for your daily expenses.” Qi Long’s tone was flat: “If I’m lucky enough to get through this, the money won’t stop… I’ll keep sending it.”

Qi Lin looked at his older brother with some hesitation.

“This is what I should do. Don’t read anything else into it.” Qi Long forced the money into his brother’s hands, lit a cigarette, and said: “Little brother, after I leave this time, who knows if we’ll ever see each other again… just take good care of this family. Your big brother… falls short of you in some ways.”

After those words, the two of them were silent for nearly a minute. Qi Long turned his head for one last look inside the room, then turned and walked away without looking back.

Qi Lin stood there holding the bundle, frozen in place for a long moment before saying: “…Can you actually make it out? If not, let me help you, I’ll find a way to get you out.”

Qi Long stopped at the doorway, turned back and said: “No matter who asks you, never admit we’re related. Starting today, just treat me as dead. Take care of Mom, take care of little sister.”

Qi Lin’s eyes instantly turned red.

“If there ever comes a day when you’re truly out of options, when you can’t get by anymore, there’s a contact in the bundle. Find him, he can help you.” Qi Long waved at his brother: “Take care.”

……

Late at night, tiny snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.

After walking nearly a kilometer away, Qi Long suddenly turned around, tears streaming down his face, staring in the direction of home. He suddenly dropped to his knees, his voice trembling as he kowtowed and cried out: “Mom… your son has amounted to nothing. I’m not going to make it… in the next life, I’ll be a proper son to you.”

Inside the house.

Qi Lin sat in his chair, smoking in a daze, his heart full of worry. He and Qi Long may have had clashing personalities, but the same blood ran through their veins. What looked like a cold relationship was in fact filled with an unspoken bond of family.

He prayed that his brother would make it through this ordeal, but he had no way of knowing that after this meeting between the two brothers, a storm powerful enough to change everything was already on its way, and with it, the fates of many people would be altered forever…

……

Half a month later.

Qin Yu received a call from Yuan Ke, who told him that Claude had gotten word: tomorrow night, Old Ma was arranging for someone to move A-Long out of the territory. The life-or-death arrest was about to begin.