The man was of medium build, with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a walrus mustache.
“Greetings, Chief Constable Zheng.”
Upon seeing the newcomer, the Yamen Runners at the entrance of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office repeatedly nodded in greeting.
“Chief Constable Zheng.”
“Chief Constable Zheng.”
“......”
Greetings rang out one after another.
The newcomer nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He strode forward, quickly reaching the inner area where several large square chairs were placed. Chief Constable Zheng chose the central one and immediately sat down.
“Why is Chief Constable Zheng here today!?”
Monkey Head asked in a low voice.
“I’m not sure.”
Chen Ping'an shook his head slightly.
Chief Constable Zheng didn't often appear for the usual roll call.
The rule of reporting for roll call was for Yamen Runners; it didn't bind Chief Constables. Besides, who was present and who wasn't today was all up to the scribe at roll call, stroke by stroke.
“Maybe it’s related to the operation from the day before yesterday.”
Monkey Head guessed.
“Perhaps.”
Chen Ping'an nodded.
The few of them stood in a corner, waiting quietly with many other Yamen Runners. Not long after Chief Constable Zheng entered, another Chief Constable arrived.
“Chief Constable Li.”
“Greetings, Chief Constable Li.”
A Yamen Runner greeted him.
This Chief Constable Li was also a Chief Constable of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
The Nanquan Lane Garrison Office was responsible for more than a dozen large and small streets and alleys, with shop owners, street vendors, artisans selling their crafts, and ruffians lurking in the alleys... a mixed bag of people from all walks of life.
Maintaining order in such an area was no easy task.
The Nanquan Lane Garrison Office had one Squad Leader, one Deputy Squad Leader, five Chief Constables, over thirty official Yamen Runners, and more than a hundred unregistered temporary Yamen Runners.
Even among temporary Yamen Runners, there were different ranks. The highest status naturally belonged to those who were capable and had some background. They had the potential to be officially registered in the future.
Next were those with either background or ability.
The lowest were those with neither.
And Chen Ping'an was precisely one of the lowest-ranked temporary Yamen Runners in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
In contrast, Monkey Head and Dashan were both stronger than him.
However, the few of them got along well, so they didn't care about these differences.
The Yamen Runners waited for a while longer. After a tall, thin man named Chief Constable Huang arrived, today's Zhenfu Division pre-duty meeting officially began.
The earliest to arrive, Chief Constable Zheng, presided over the meeting. Although the relationships between the Chief Constables were unknown, based on Chen Ping'an's observations, Chief Constable Zheng implicitly led the five Chief Constables of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
Monkey Head was right; the first thing Chief Constable Zheng spoke about was related to the attack on that Gang the day before yesterday. He explained the gains from the operation and verbally praised all colleagues who participated.
“Yesterday morning, Squad Leader already represented our Nanquan Lane at the Nancheng Suppression Office to report this matter. Regarding this, even Chief Warrant Officer issued a statement, praising the bravery of all Yamen Runners in our Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.”
Chief Constable Zheng stood at the very front, speaking eloquently to the Yamen Runners. When he mentioned Chief Warrant Officer, he clasped his hands and bowed slightly towards the sky, showing respect and reverence.
“This is the honor of our Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, and it is also the honor of all of us...”
Chief Constable Zheng spoke spiritedly at the front. But what the Yamen Runners below were thinking, no one knew. However, on the surface, everyone was cooperative.
“Praise, praise, it just stopped at words, and no real benefit came down!”
Monkey Head covered his face to block his view and pouted slightly.
Chen Ping'an smiled faintly and didn't respond. He was always cautious about speaking on such matters.
Seeing that Chen Ping'an didn't take the bait, Monkey Head turned the conversation to Dashan.
“Dashan, tell me, what are Squad Leader and Deputy Squad Leader busy with? Since Chief Warrant Officer has even given praise, shouldn't Squad Leader come and say it himself? That would make him look good.”
“Hehe, I don’t know.”
Dashan chuckled honestly.
“Alright, I knew it was a pointless question.”
Monkey Head rolled his eyes. However, he was used to Dashan’s personality.
Chen Ping'an listened to Chief Constable Zheng's words, but his mind was entirely on how to practice Iron Cloth after duty.
Yesterday was a day off, and he had a full day to Cultivate. Returning from duty today would likely be late, so he probably could only practice Iron Cloth once.
In that case, he would only gain one point of experience. Calculating at this pace, he would have to wait until Acquired to get started with Iron Cloth.
No!
He would try to practice twice tonight. If he could practice twice, the progress would be much faster.
What a pity!
He only had one day off for every ten days of duty. Otherwise, he could get started with Iron Cloth tomorrow.
Unlike usual, even though he was listening to the same dry and boring words, Chen Ping'an's heart was filled with anticipation today.
He looked at Chief Constable Zheng, who was standing on the high platform at the very front, and Chief Constable Li and Chief Constable Huang, who were sitting behind Chief Constable Zheng.
They were also listening, but they were sitting.
Hmm!
One day, he would sit there and listen!
No, that's not right!
He would stand there and speak eloquently, making others patiently listen to him.
No matter how dry or boring his speech was, they would have to listen with a smile, grinning until he finished.
A true 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 grander goals. But for Chen Ping'an at this very moment, his goal was precisely this.
You have to eat your food one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time!
Chief Constable Zheng spoke for a full quarter of an hour before stopping. Finally, he symbolically asked Chief Constable Li and Chief Constable Huang if they had anything to add.
The two Chief Constables shook their heads slightly, having nothing to add.
The Yamen Runners below collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
It's finally over!
This darn thing was more tiring than patrolling for a whole day!
The daily meeting of the Zhenfu Division ended, and as the Chief Constables entered the room, the Yamen Runners began to get busy.
“Let’s go, Ping'an, the three of us are just in time to patrol Liuye Street today!”
Monkey Head, whose face was beaming after hearing today's arrangements, was full of energy.
“Liuye Street! Hehe~”
Dashan chuckled honestly.
Liuye Street was quite famous among the many streets and alleys in Nanquan Lane. This was because Liuye Street had a Spring Rain Pavilion, which attracted many young and energetic men.
It was a place of romance, where one could compose poetry, listen to music, and admire the moon, all quite interesting.
Indeed, for a refined person like Monkey Head, hearing about patrolling this street naturally filled him with uncontainable joy.
Influenced by Monkey Head, Dashan also developed this interest, and it had become quite an addiction.
Unfortunately, the Spring Rain Pavilion was extremely expensive, and if they truly wanted to enjoy themselves freely, their monthly salary couldn't withstand the extravagance.
Therefore, although they yearned for it, they probably only had one chance a year to truly go and enjoy themselves. And even then, they had to be stingy and never fully satisfied.
......
PS: Good morning, everyone. Today's Saturday weather is very nice~ Are you interested in casting a small vote?