Chapter 1127: A Small Trial of Skill

The dining car on the train had chefs stir-frying dishes on the spot. If passengers wanted to eat or drink, they still had to present grain coupons and meat coupons. It was no different from eating at a state-run restaurant during normal times.

The meals for the crew on the train were also prepared by the dining car chefs. The food expenses came out of their monthly wages; everyone pooled their money together and ate together.

Of course, there were benefits to eating "public" food: compared to normal meals, the amount they had to pay out of pocket wasn't much. Although supplies were still scarce at this time, they had finally caught their breath; while the food couldn't be called great, it at least kept them from going hungry.

By the time Wang Yan and Wang Xin returned, the aroma of food was already wafting through the dining car. A few tables of passengers were drinking, while the crew sat together on the other side, chatting and laughing.

"Yo, the two big talents are back," Cai Xiaonian greeted them exaggeratedly.

"Look at you, all jumpy and jittery, not steady at all. Old Lu, you haven't trained this apprentice well," Wang Yan replied with a smile, taking his lunchbox to get his food.

"Exactly. Just by a glance, I can see your lunchbox has the most meat. Did you eat all of our meat too?" Wang Xin wasn't one to be outdone in words, teasing Cai Xiaonian.

"Get lost, this was given to me by my dad."

Cai Xiaonian's father was a train driver—the same "Boss Hu" from *Beijing Love Story*, the boss of Shi Xiaomeng. Ahead of them was the stoker Wu Changgui, and Niu Dali, who was considered an apprentice.

Wu Changgui was the one who lost the chicken, the same actor who played Cao Debao in *In the Name of the People*. Niu Dali was also a familiar face; he was the serial killer in *Police Honor* who ran to a bar to find prostitutes and killed them after finishing.

There really were a lot of acquaintances...

Today's staple food was cornmeal flatbread, called "ganmianzi" in the Northeast. It was made by mixing cornmeal with a little white flour, kneading it into balls, and sticking them along the edge of the pot to steam. When done well, the side of the ganmianzi touching the pot would be dried out, making a crunching sound when bitten—very crispy.

Wang Yan's father loved this, as well as thin griddle cakes—cooked in a dry pot over high heat until extremely crispy, the kind that would crumble at a single break. Served with scallions and bean paste, one bite and it would crunch—so fragrant. Of course, there was a barrier to entry: you needed a good set of teeth...

The dish was pork, cabbage, and vermicelli stew. The cabbage was old cabbage that had survived the winter, the meat was mostly thick slices of fat with a little lean meat, and the vermicelli, needless to say, was made from ordinary sweet potatoes. In addition, there were salty pickled mustard roots—the roots of the mustard plant, shaped like an oval sphere. After being salted and steamed, then dried of moisture, only a small piece remained, very hard; one piece could be gnawed on for a week.

Wang Yan filled a lunchbox with the pork, cabbage, and vermicelli, took two pieces of ganmianzi, an egg, and a piece of pickled vegetable, then walked over to sit by Cai Xiaonian.

Wang Xin followed along, and they all sat together.

At this moment, a woman with two large braids and straight-cut bangs blinked her large eyes and looked over: "Wang Yan, you caught three in one morning. You're really amazing."

She was Yao Yuling, a supporting character in the show, the announcer for the train station stops. Large eyes, a melon-seed face, knew how to dress, smelled fragrant, and was very lively. Niu Dali adored her and pursued her frantically...

"Hey, it wasn't just my credit; it was Wang Xin and me together," Wang Yan said with a smile, waving his hand. "Actually, it was just good luck. That lone one had poor psychological quality, purely thinking about taking advantage, and panicked the moment he saw the police. Those two working as a gang were just spotted by me by chance; otherwise, we wouldn't have caught them either."

"That's right, you guys don't know, Wang Yan's eyes are truly good. He can see across two carriages at a glance, seeing clearly what people are doing. If he couldn't see that, it would really be hard to catch them."

Wang Xin looked at the people present and said, "Those two thieves had special skills; they could steal the watch right off your wrist without you knowing. When they saw us coming, they were still there watching the excitement. One even started chatting with me, not even hiding—that's truly Yama lighting a lamp, courting death."

"Is it that miraculous?" Cai Xiaonian took over the conversation.

"What did you think? Let me tell you..." Wang Xin started talking while eating; he was quite talkative.

Listening to their lively chatter, Wang Yan ate his meal in big mouthfuls.

Catching two batches of three petty thieves wasn't big news, because it was only natural for police to catch thieves. Which police officer on the train didn't catch a few every trip? It was mainly because there were many thieves at this time, and many people who would just snatch things. With insufficient material supplies, lack of spiritual enrichment, and low levels of education, it was hard for the overall quality of individuals to rise, making such things hard to avoid.

As Wang Yan told Wang Xin, most were crimes of opportunity, driven by greed; there weren't many professional thieves. Those two working as a gang had mature techniques and tacit cooperation, and who knows how many people they had stolen from or how much they had stolen. Catching these two would save a lot of trouble.

As long as they kept catching them like this, no matter how much professional thieves roamed to commit crimes, there would come a day when they would be scared of being caught and wouldn't dare to make a fortune on this line. This was what Wang Yan wanted to do...

Amidst the laughter, Wang Xin finished explaining the methods of the two thieves working as a gang, leaving everyone listening in a daze.

Cai Xiaonian said, "Master, you've been doing this the longest here. Have you seen thieves like this?"

"I've heard of them," said Train Captain Lu Hongxing. "They all belong to sects, they all know some old-school underworld jargon, acting all mysterious. Don't think of them as too formidable; they're just petty thieves. How formidable can they be? Aren't they still caught by us, the People's Police?"

"Hey, Master is right, our People's Police are still the best." Cai Xiaonian pointed at Wang Xin and teased, "Look at Wang Yan, quiet and unassuming, then look at you, acting as if you caught all the thieves yourself."

"Are you trying to sow discord?" Wang Yan raised his head, looking annoyed. "I think your skin is itching, kid. Should I loosen your bones for you?"

"Big brother, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Hurry and eat, you're not full, right? Should I get you another ganmianzi?"

"No need."

Wang Xin looked on with disdain: "Your face changes too fast."

"Should I let my big brother loosen your bones then?"

"That's better left out."

"Look at you, the pot calling the kettle black; you're no better yourself."

"Why are you guys so afraid of Wang Yan?" Yao Yuling asked curiously.

She only joined the railway system after returning to the city and was also assigned to live in the same compound as Wang Xin and the others. Actually, she hadn't been there long, so she wasn't too familiar with Wang Yan or Wang Xin.

But she did have a good impression of Wang Xin, and it wasn't just because Wang Xin gave her a few White Rabbit candies when she had low blood sugar. It was mainly because there were few choices; in the same compound, in the same train crew, there were only so many peers, and Wang Xin had the best conditions.

Wang Xin himself was a police academy graduate, his father Wang Yongge was a leader in the train operations section, and he was the only child in the family. With these conditions, he was the choice of any young girl.

"We're joking, didn't you see?" Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "These two are just acting cute here."

Wang Xin laughed: "It's not a joke. He really is amazing. We all grew up together, and he's the most amazing one. He's practiced martial arts and is especially good at fighting. Cai Xiaonian is two years older than us; when he was bullied in middle school, it was Wang Yan who went to get revenge for him."

"Back then, Wang Yan and I were still in elementary school. He chased after middle schoolers to beat them up—that guy, holding a brick in his hand, chased them for three whole streets. From then on, he became famous in one battle, and he has a reputation in Ningyang. People of similar age all know him."

"It's a good thing he became a police officer; otherwise, who knows when he would have been taken to the execution ground."

Cai Xiaonian clicked his tongue unhappily: "If you want to say it, say it, but you have to drag me into it. Big brother, you heard it, right? He said you're going to be shot. I think you really need to tidy this kid up."

"You two are both quite despicable," Wang Yan scolded with a smile, then looked at Yao Yuling. "Don't listen to their nonsense. If I weren't reliable, I wouldn't have become a police officer."

"You still have the face to say that, kid? It was the organization taking care of you; otherwise, with you fighting from childhood to adulthood, no matter how good your grades were, could you have gotten into the police academy?"

"Look at you, Old Lu, why are you the same? I was just a child without a father who had to grow up early. That's all ancient history. I'm now properly serving the people. Wang Xin said he wants to wipe out the thieves on this train, and I'm assisting him."

"Not bad, Wang Xin, you have ambition."

"Uh... serving the people, right?" Wang Xin scratched his head, biting the bullet to agree to this matter. The boast was out, and he certainly wouldn't take it back; he also wanted to save face, okay?

But he added, "It's mainly because Wang Yan is amazing; he has good eyes, he was first in reconnaissance at the police academy, and I'm just his assistant."

"Tsk, are you two being humble with each other now?" Cai Xiaonian looked on with disdain.

"Wang Xin, I support you, you can definitely do it," Yao Yuling said with a flower-like smile, even giving him a wink.

"Uh..." Wang Xin was a bit at a loss, pretending to lower his head to peel an egg, then suddenly patted his head. "Hey, Wang Yan, why don't we send these eggs to that old blind man in a while? I'm afraid he won't have an easy time eating at noon. He's quite old, and it's not easy for him."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Fine, let you be the good guy."

"Which old blind man? The one you asked me about?" Lu Hongxing asked in surprise.

"Just him."

"It's not easy for him," Lu Hongxing smiled. "Take care of him in the future."

"Not kicking him off the train is care enough, and now we're sending him eggs?" Wang Xin was still a bit annoyed; the old blind man's words were infuriating.

"Take mine along too."

Wang Xin said: "Two are enough, I heard eating too many eggs isn't good."

"He still needs something to eat, though," Lu Hongxing shook his head with a smile, still placing the egg in front of Wang Xin, then stood up to wash his lunchbox...

After everyone finished eating amidst laughter, washed their lunchboxes, and rested a bit, they continued their work.

Wang Yan still patrolled the train with Wang Xin, solving various problems. Besides lost items and lost children, various conflicts were also major issues.

"What are you looking at?" "Looking at you, so what?" This was a joke known to the whole country. After the new century, when a slap cost ten thousand yuan and lying on the ground could earn five thousand, Northeasterners weren't that tough either; they didn't dare to fight casually, as the price was hard to bear. On this point, the whole country was the same; the Northeast was nothing special.

But at this time, the concept of the rule of law wasn't widely promoted, far from reaching the later stages, and regulatory means weren't in place. "What are you looking at?" "Looking at you, so what?" Such a sentence could truly ignite conflicts and evolve into a full-scale brawl.

Actually, it wasn't just the Northeast; those who were bold and relied on their own strength, if two such people clashed, regardless of North or South, eight out of ten times they would fight at this time.

Of course, this was just one situation; there were all sorts of other messy things: occupying seats, bumping into or squeezing people, getting food on others, children being naughty and touching others, someone bragging and others not liking it and beating them up, someone feeling unwell and vomiting—all such things were numerous.

If the crew could solve it, they would; if they couldn't, the police had to step in. There was basically never a moment of leisure; this was the main content of their work: mediating conflicts between passenger comrades on the train. They also caught thieves and human traffickers, of course, but relatively speaking, they put less energy into it, as police force was limited.

The real start of catching thieves was in the early eighties. Just after opening up, population mobility increased, and thieves were most rampant at that time, with the railway being the worst. It was also from that time that specialized anti-pickpocketing teams were formed all over the country, working for more than twenty years; it was the career of many in this generation of police officers.

Human trafficking, drug trafficking, train bandits, and road tyrants, etc., were all things they were constantly fighting. Reform and opening up was the beginning of economic take-off, but hidden beneath the prosperous scene were countless evils and constant struggles.

And what marked the entry of the struggle into a new stage was the crackdown on organized crime...

Thus they traveled all the way to Harbin.

Before arriving in Harbin, Wang Yan caught another three greedy ones and two professional ones, totaling five people. To be precise, he caught four of them. One greedy one was caught by Wang Xin, which could be considered a lucky strike.

Because he now scanned people with a sharp gaze, whenever he found someone with a strange look in their eyes, he would go up to check their ticket, thereby forcing out more actions.

That thief was just guilty, couldn't withstand Wang Xin's gaze, and before Wang Xin could even go over, he got up and ran to the toilet himself. He was pulled out of the toilet by Wang Xin, the stolen items were found, and he was caught red-handed.

Because of some delays along the way, they arrived in Harbin near noon, rested for half a day and a night, and set off the next morning. During this period, they had to inspect the train, clean the carriages, and so on.

Wang Yan didn't sleep from exhaustion; he wandered around outside for half a day, looking at Harbin at this time. He also disguised himself, found the black market here, exchanged with a few resellers, and then had a very luxurious meal—anyway, it wasn't his money he was spending...

Only after this did he return to Harbin Station to sleep soundly for a night. The next morning, with the train's "woo-woo-woo," he began the 600-kilometer journey south again.

"Yo, you're here," Wang Yan said with a smile, looking at the old blind man sitting on a small stool.

"This is my home, what 'you're here'? This is 'back home'!"

"I say, how do you come and go? Doesn't anyone stop you?" Wang Xin asked with great curiosity.

"I've said it so many times, it's my home, my home. Who gets stopped when returning to their own home?" The old blind man grinned, showing yellow teeth, and laughed heartily. "Let's put it this way: on this line of yours, which station don't I come and go as I please? No one stops me."

"So if someone stops you, you just lie on the ground, right?"

"Why else would I say you're the smart one?" The old blind man couldn't see, but he still raised his head toward Wang Yan's direction.

He coughed, cupping his hands together. "Come, give the old man a cigarette to smoke."

Wang Yan fished out a Red Pagoda Mountain from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, struck a match to light it for him, and then slapped the remaining cigarettes and matches into his hand: "They're all for you."

"I won't thank you."

Wang Xin hummed: "We're all family, what's there to thank for, right?"

"Hey, that's exactly the word. Go, go, the old man won't add trouble for you." The old blind man waved his hand to urge them.

"Hey..."

Wang Xin was left between laughter and tears, but didn't say anything more, and continued to patrol with Wang Yan...

Just as they started the first patrol after departure, Wang Yan caught two petty thieves who couldn't keep their hands to themselves. Harbin, Chunlin, and Ningyang were all big stations, and naturally, there were the most thieves at these three stations—in the station, outside the station, and on the train. You couldn't say they were all thieves, but there were definitely ten or twenty of them, all with fixed locations. In these years, thieves were truly living the high life, just carefree...

"Wang Yan, some passengers over there said a child is lost, you guys hurry over and take a look," Cai Xiaonian ran over. "I'll go find Yao Yuling to broadcast it. It's in Car 8 over there."

Having said that, he hurriedly ran forward.

"Go, go, go." Wang Xin was very fast, darting out directly.

Wang Yan also followed behind, dodging people as he walked toward Car 8, observing people along the way.

Just as he reached Car 5, he saw a woman with red eyes shouting there, asking if anyone had seen her child.

"Oh my, police comrades, I beg you, you must help me find my child. He's my only son. He was just playing there, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Oh my..."

"Big sister, don't worry first, tell us the situation carefully. How old is your son, what clothes is he wearing, does he have any features on his face or arms?"

"Five years old, wearing a gray top, blue pants, small cloth shoes. My son is especially fair, has a mole next to his nose, and has two dimples when he smiles..."

Wang Yan didn't listen anymore; this woman was so anxious she was a bit delirious, her words disjointed. In less than ten minutes, they would arrive at the station. This was the perfect time chosen by human traffickers; the police couldn't search too carefully, and the flow of people getting on and off was large, making it easy to escape.

He continued to walk forward, scanning every passenger, looking at items on the ground and luggage racks. When he found someone in the toilet while passing by, he would knock on the door to call them out.

"Passenger comrades, passenger comrades, there is a five-year-old boy, wearing a gray top, blue pants, his face is especially fair..."

Yao Yuling's voice rang out again and again, and the passengers began to discuss, buzzing with excitement.

Wang Yan ignored it; he still observed everyone meticulously and quickly, every piece of large luggage, until he reached the junction between Car 10 and Car 11.

A man was smoking here, looking like he had many bags, waiting to get off the train. Seeing Wang Yan coming over, their eyes met, and in the flash, there was a hint of mockery.

Wang Yan stopped his steps: "This comrade, the broadcast just now..."

"I didn't see anything. If I had seen it, I would definitely have told you. Stealing someone's child, may they be struck by lightning, may their son be born without an anus."

"Trouble you to open this sack and let me take a look."

"Police comrade, you can't wrong a good person. I didn't see it, I really didn't see it, you can't suspect me, right?"

Wang Yan didn't waste time, directly pushing this person to the train door, not giving him room to escape, and then lifted the sack to open it.

"What right do you have to look at my luggage? Ah? I... ah..."

This person clawed and scratched, wanting to stop him, but Wang Yan had already kicked him, directly kicking him into the doorway.

He untied the tightly wound rope, and as soon as he opened it, he saw the child curled up inside, already unconscious—clearly drugged. The child was wrapped in two thin quilts, his complexion very bad, due to difficulty breathing.

Although there was a risk of suffocating the child, it increased safety.

After all, outside, one couldn't see the human shape of the child in the sack... ===== CHAPTER 1128 =====