Hearing what Sun Fatty said, I gave him a bitter smile and said, "I know that's what I should do. Da Sheng, how about you come with me? I don't feel confident going alone—if I let something slip, you can help me patch it up. And, uh, that 3000 yuan you just gave Old Jin, put it on my tab." Sun Fatty curled his lips and replied, "Only you would still make a fuss over a few thousand yuan. This morning I didn't bother arguing with Old Jin, but if it had come to a real fight, I could've taken him with just one hand."
Having talked Sun Fatty into it, the two of us went to Section Five to look for Ouyang Pianzuo. On the way, Sun Fatty had the presence of mind to call the airport to ask about flight arrivals from my hometown to the capital. After finishing the call, he grinned at me and said, "Lazi, relax. There are only two flights today—one arrived this morning, so that's out. The other doesn't land until ten tonight. We've got more than enough time. After picking them up from the airport, we could even squeeze in an act at the Ministry of Public Security if we wanted."
As he spoke, we happened to run into Deputy Director Yi from Section Five. We asked him about Ouyang Pianzuo, only to find out that he hadn't come in today. All the documents and such were personally locked away by Director Ouyang, and not even Deputy Director Yi had access to them. That made me even more uneasy. After Yi left, Sun Fatty glanced at me and chuckled. "Come on now, your grandpa's not arriving till tonight. We've got all the time in the world. Just walk outside and pick any random utility pole—there'll be four or five people hanging around offering fake IDs. No biggie. Toss in 200 more yuan, and they can get you a State Council pass."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go. Da Sheng, I'm counting on you." I tugged him along toward the stairs. Just as we stepped out of the Bureau's main entrance, two taxis pulled up. The cars came to a stop and five people stepped out. Leading the group was a bald man—none other than Xiao Heshang. Walking beside him was an old man who, unmistakably, was my grandpa. Behind them were my dad, mom, and Third Uncle.
Xiao Heshang spotted me and started waving wildly, shouting, "Lazi! Look who came to see you!" That loud call completely cut off any chance of sneaking away, and I could only force a smile and brace myself as I walked over. When Grandpa saw me, he burst out laughing. "Lazi, Xiao said you quit the police force and took a leadership job in some bureau. Since we didn't have much to do for the New Year, we figured we'd drop by the capital. Xiao Kui's getting married on the tenth—thought we'd drag you along to make us look good." Then, spotting Sun Fatty behind me, he paused and said, "Oh? Little Sun Commissioner, you're here too?"
"Y-Yes, yes, Grandpa Shen, you've come as well." Sun Fatty could only smile awkwardly and hold back his words. Thankfully, Xiao Heshang interjected, "No need for 'Little Sun Commissioner' anymore. He's in the Bureau too now, partnered up with your grandson. You could say it's fate with your family." I could only laugh dryly, doing everything I could not to lead them further inside the Bureau. My dad, however, was much less restrained. "So what exactly are you now, kid? Old Uncle Xiao didn't explain clearly. Is it better than being a cop?"
Once again, it was Xiao Heshang who stepped in to smooth things over. "Old Shen, your eldest is now a director here. Don't underestimate this little office—this bureau reports directly to the State Council." I caught his meaning and gave my dad an awkward smile. "Didn't you say last time that being a cop was too dangerous? So I pulled some strings and landed this director job. Same rank as before, though." My dad looked me over and muttered, "Director... doesn't sound as impressive as 'Division Chief.'"
Just then, Grandpa turned to Sun Fatty and asked, "Little Sun Commissioner, what do you do in this… whatever-it's-called bureau?" Having grasped the situation by now, and having exchanged a glance with Xiao Heshang, Sun Fatty flashed a toothy grin and replied, "Let's drop the 'Little Sun Commissioner' bit. I'm now with the Bureau of Folk Culture Investigation and Research as…" He deliberately drew out the words, trying to come up with a title that would sound bigger than "Director Shen." In the end, he clenched his teeth and said, "Deputy Bureau Chief."
"Well, Deputy Chief Sun it is," Grandpa said with a smile. "Deputy Chief Sun, I'm counting on you to look after Lazi." As he spoke, he turned to my dad and gestured for him to hand over the large bags he was carrying. "Deputy Chief Sun, this is just some stuff from home—not much, but try a few bites." "Oh, come on now," Sun Fatty said with forced humility. "Lazi and I are comrades and coworkers. Doing this makes us feel like strangers. Uh… just this once, alright?"
As Sun Fatty babbled nonsense, I was busy racking my brain for a way to send them all packing. At that moment, the Bureau's front doors opened and out walked a white-haired man with a "grass dog" on a leash. It was Director Wu, out walking his wolf. His appearance caught all our attention—out of courtesy, we all turned to glance at him. Grandpa and the others turned their heads back almost immediately, but my Third Uncle… he just stared, utterly entranced by the white-haired man.
Director Wu and Third Uncle exchanged a glance. Holding Yin Bai, he calmly approached. When Third Uncle saw Wu Ren'di's facial features up close, he gasped, his expression suddenly flushed red, and the muscles around his eyes started twitching spasmodically. Once Wu walked away, Third Uncle finally drew a deep breath. Fortunately, Grandpa and company had their attention back on Wu—it would've been hard not to notice him! No one but me noticed Third Uncle's odd behavior. After a moment, he quietly pulled me aside and whispered, "Lazi, is that white-haired man one of your people too?" He paused, his gaze drifting as if he was recalling something from many years ago. Then he hesitated before continuing, "Do you remember when I told you that I took the train from Daxing'anling years ago…"
Before he could finish, I nodded. If he'd already recognized Wu Ren'di, hiding it wouldn't work. It'd be better to be honest. "Third Uncle, you're right—he is the white-haired man from back then." After I said this, Third Uncle looked at me differently. He gasped for breath and murmured, "Lazi, what kind of agency are you in? How did you end up mixed up with someone like him? You were a fine cop—what are you doing here?"
I forced a smile—there was no way I could explain. I couldn't say I'd messed up on a military assignment and ended up in the Bureau of Folk-Cultural Investigation by accident. At that moment, Grandpa called out to us: "What are you two whispering about? Third—you come over here if there's something to say."
That question saved me. I leaned close to Third Uncle and whispered, "Dad"—I still couldn't help calling him that sometimes—"I can't explain everything right now. I'll tell you when there's time." Third Uncle glanced at me, sighed, and reluctantly returned to Grandpa.
My parents had been insisting on seeing my workplace, but Grandpa blocked them, saying, "Don't pester him. Lazi's new here; don't make things difficult." As Grandpa spoke, Sun Fatty kept giving me reassuring looks. I followed his gaze and saw Director Qiu and Vice Director Wang walking out of the Bureau's gates. Qiu would have been fine, but Vice Director Wang was practically our department's nemesis—he threw barbs at all of us indiscriminately. If he saw my family here, he'd make offhand comments that could blow our cover. I silently prayed for luck.
Xiao Heshang noticed Qiu and Wang too. Though he didn't care much himself, he knew that if our cover was blown, he'd be implicated with my grandpa. "There's nothing special to see here," he said. "All these government offices look the same. Since you're in the capital, you should've gone to the Great Wall or the Forbidden City. There's still time; I'll take you there to see where emperors and empresses slept." With that, he led Grandpa and the rest away from the Bureau's entrance, coaxing them out of view.
It turned out Grandpa had planned to surprise me in the capital after I didn't come home for New Year. To keep it secret, he made my parents and Third Uncle promise not to tell me, so even Xiao Heshang had no idea. This morning, Xiao Heshang thought my family had come to send him off at the airport—only later did he realize they'd all gone through security with him. By then it was too late for him to call me, and Grandpa kept my parents with him so they wouldn't spoil the surprise. Once the plane landed at the capital airport, Xiao Heshang found a chance to text me.
In the next day and a half, I took leave for all my owed vacation days (with approvals from Xiao Heshang since both Director Gao and Hao Wenming were out) to show Grandpa and the family around Beijing. Sun Fatty was a great help—he handled lodging and booked our flights for my younger brother's upcoming wedding. Only Third Uncle kept trying to pry into my connection with Wu Ren'di and the Bureau, but Xiao Heshang and Sun Fatty came up with excuses to keep me from him.
Before I knew it, it was the ninth day of the lunar new year. Early that morning, Grandpa got a call from Second Uncle. My brother's fiancée's family had arranged everything—local bigwigs were coming to officiate, and since my brother was "marrying into" their family, his status would be lower. They needed someone with official standing from our side to balance things. The best person they could think of was Sun Fatty, standing right beside me. Sun Fatty didn't hesitate: "Don't worry, Grandpa Shen. I'm always happy to outshine someone."
That day, Sun Fatty and I sneaked back to the Bureau to request leave—technically he should've notified Pang-jun too. Later, packing in our dorm, Sun Fatty decided to stuff that tax-cheat-of-a-rodent mascot into his pocket—he wanted the rat to experience some sightseeing too. As we were heading out, Xiong Wanyi greeted me: "Lazi, someone who said they're your Third Uncle is here." There was no one else beside him, and my stomach sank. "Old Bear, where is he? Didn't you bring him in?" He gave me a strange look. "He didn't come for you. Your Third Uncle asked him to find a white-haired guy walking a dog. The official already took him to Section Six."
Hearing that, Sun Fatty and I were jolted. We sprinted to Section Six's office. Section Six had two rooms—inner and outer—and usually only Yang X shows up. For context, Yang Jun generally stays in his own room in Basement 2. He watches TV and crib notes what interests him; once he compiles a wishlist, he gets it. Within months, Director Gao even approved a warehouse for storing Yang Jun's acquisitions.
I paused at Section Six's door, trying to calm my racing thoughts—dozens of possible scenes flashed through my mind if Third Uncle and Wu Ren'di had met. But when I entered, Yang X was absent. Wu Ren'di's office door was slightly open, and I heard voices inside. Gritting my teeth, I pushed it open.
To my surprise, there sat Third Uncle and Director Wu face-to-face. Third Uncle looked tense, but something he said must've made Director Wu crack a faint smile. On seeing me burst in, Third Uncle froze, then said, "Lazi, why didn't you say this man was—" He froze, embarrassed. Then Wu Ren'di did the unexpected—he nodded respectfully and introduced himself in measured tones: "I'm Wu Ren'di…"
Third Uncle was taken aback, and echoed, "Wu Ren'di…?" It was clear he thought the name was a nickname. I leaned over and whispered, "Third Uncle, this man is Wu Ren'di, Director of Section Six at our Bureau." As I did, I subtly wrote the character "Wu" in the air.
Third Uncle blinked, flushed slightly, and cleared his throat. "Yes—yes, Director Wu. Lazi, this man and I go back decades. He saved my life. If not for him, I might've died long ago. You and Director Wu working together… it's like ancestral good fortune coming true." Uncle never spoke like this—his praise was sincere, and even a blind man could see it.