booktalesy Chapter 7 Shaking Off the Tail
Chapter 7 Shaking Off the Tail
Seeing Zhang Beichuan walk towards the county public security bureau, Zhao Xueming, who was following behind, frowned and spat.
"That kid's pretty shrewd, he knows to hide at the police station. Qiang, you go with him and see if he really goes to the police station. Fifth Brother, you keep watch at another intersection, don't let him slip away through other roads."
Zhang Beichuan walked briskly, his canvas bag tucked tightly under his arm.
He could feel someone following him. He turned around and saw a young man, as thin as a monkey, with slanted eyes, about twenty years old, hanging at a distance behind him.
"They're probably keeping watch, trying to confirm whether I'm actually going to the police station," Zhang Beichuan thought to himself, quickening his pace.
At the same time, he was also thinking about the future of the lighter business. While retail sales like this would be very profitable, the risks were also very high.
You need to find a reliable channel or someone to back you up in order to establish yourself in this county town.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, a four-story building with a white sign with black lettering came into view—Yingcheng County Public Security Bureau.
Zhang Beichuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly walked up the steps.
As soon as you enter the gate, a cool breeze hits you, and in the not-so-spacious hall, ceiling fans are whirring.
Several wanted posters were pasted on the left wall, and on the right was a service window where several police officers in olive green uniforms were working behind the counter.
Zhang Beichuan followed the labels on the counter to the household registration window.
A female police officer, around twenty years old, was sitting behind the window, her head down, organizing documents. Her short, ear-length hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, revealing her delicate and focused profile.
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Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her clear eyes meeting hers with a professional scrutiny and calmness.
"Comrade, what's the matter?" Her voice was not loud, but clear and steady.
Having grown accustomed to glamorous, beauty-filtered artificial beauties, Zhang Beichuan was immediately captivated by this natural, unadorned beauty.
The policewoman had a slightly chubby face, with a cute, round chin. Her eyebrows weren't the soft, delicate willow-leaf type; they were thicker in comparison. Her big, dark eyes were scrutinizing her.
Feeling a little annoyed at being stared at like that, the female police officer at the window calmly asked again.
"Comrade, what brings you here?"
"Huh?" Zhang Beichuan composed himself, took out the letter of introduction and household registration book issued by Shi Tiezhu from his pocket, and handed them over. "Comrade, I'm here to apply for an ID card."
The policewoman had clean, long fingers. She took the letter and examined it carefully, her gaze shifting back and forth between the letter and Zhang Beichuan.
"The letter of introduction says you left the village 11 years ago and now want to renew your ID card?" she asked, flipping through the registration book on the table with practiced ease. "Do you have a photo?"
"Yes." Zhang Beichuan shook his head. "Can I take the photo here?"
"Sure, but the officer who took the photos today went to the city for training and won't be back until the day after tomorrow." The policewoman put down the registration book, her gaze lingering for a moment on the sweat on Zhang Beichuan's forehead and his white shirt. "You can fill out the forms first and come back to take the photos the day after tomorrow, or go home, change into dark clothes, go to the photo studio, and then come back."
Seeing Zhang Beichuan's somewhat surprised expression, the female police officer explained.
"The ID photo is black and white, so white or light-colored clothes will blend into the background and be difficult to see."
Zhang Beichuan glanced back out the window; the person was still there. His heart tightened, but he quickly suppressed his emotions, deciding to stall for time at the police station.
"I'll fill out the form first, and then come back to take the photo the day after tomorrow."
The policewoman nodded and handed over a form and a pen.
Zhang Beichuan filled out the form slowly, writing each character neatly and legibly. After completing his personal information, he carefully checked it again, and handed the form back after confirming that it was correct.
"Officer," Zhang Beichuan said tentatively, lowering his voice, "Can I rest here for a while? I came from Shihe Village, and I've walked a long way. I'm a little tired and would like to rest before going back."
The female police officer, who was looking at the neat handwriting on the form, glanced at the canvas bag that he was always tightly holding, her eyes sharp but she didn't ask any questions.
"Then you can sit over there and wait, just don't get in the way of other people."
"Thank you, comrade." Zhang Beichuan quickly expressed his gratitude, sat back down on the bench, and felt somewhat relieved.
Time passed second by second, and the clock on the wall pointed from two o'clock to two-thirty.
The police station gradually filled up, and the lobby became noisy. The female police officer also got busy, dealing with several people who came to inquire about renewing their ID cards.
But she remained clear-headed and handled things appropriately.
During this time, her gaze occasionally swept over Zhang Beichuan, who was sitting in the corner and secretly glancing out the window. Following his gaze, she saw a furtive figure loitering under the scorching sun across the street for more than half an hour.
"Sister Liu, I need to take care of something. Could you please keep an eye on things for me?" After finishing with the last person seeking advice, she turned to her colleague and said.
"Okay, Xiaoya, you go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things for you."
Just as Zhang Beichuan was racking his brains about finding a restroom and using his ability to travel through time to escape, a pair of white leather shoes appeared in front of him. He looked up and saw the female police officer from before standing in front of him.
"Comrade, do you need any help?"
Zhang Beichuan was slightly taken aback. Looking at the sincere question on her face, he couldn't help but wonder how she had found out.
However, given the current situation, the spies outside are still not leaving, and it seems they are determined to block me and won't let me escape so easily.
Zhang Beichuan quickly weighed the options in his mind. Since the other party had taken the initiative to ask, it meant that they had noticed something unusual. It would be best to tell the truth, but he couldn't reveal everything.
"Officer, I..." Zhang Beichuan lowered his voice and pointed to the direction across the street outside the window, "I came from Shihe Village and sold some local specialties. I may have been followed by someone who has been following me all the way from Jiefang Road to here."
Lu Ya frowned slightly and glanced in the direction he pointed.
The young man with slanted eyes was still wandering around on the opposite side of the road, glancing towards the police station from time to time.
There are many thugs and hooligans in the county town who extort money; every time one group is arrested, another group appears.
Just going out to scare these people won't work. No sooner will they be scared than they'll follow the crowd again, and it might even provoke more severe retaliation from these local thugs.
Are you planning to go back to Shihe Village?
Zhang Beichuan nodded. "Yes."
"By car or on foot?"
"Take a car."
Lu Ya nodded. "Okay, I'll see you to your car. In the future, it's best to bring a companion when you go out with money, so you won't be easily targeted."
"Thank you, comrade! Thank you so much, I'll definitely do it next time!" Zhang Beichuan thanked him repeatedly, then asked, "Comrade, what's your name?"
"My surname is Lu, Lu Ya."
"Okay, Officer Lu."
Lu Ya was a little curious when she heard him call her "Officer". Most people usually call each other "Public Security" or "Police Officer", so this was the first time someone had called her Officer Lu.
However, she didn't pay much attention and turned to walk out with Zhang Beichuan.
Not only was the problem solved, but a policewoman also escorted him. Zhang Beichuan's mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head as he walked out of the county public security bureau's lobby with a beaming smile.
As he reached the gate, he realized he would have to come to the county town again in the future, and it was impossible for him to be so lucky to have someone help him every time. On a whim, he called out to Lu Ya, who was walking ahead of him.