Chapter 166: Free from Illness and Disaster, Earning Merit on the Front Line

The quiet village of Jiangcun suddenly burst into noise.

Mainly because there were too many idle people in Jiangcun—truly, utterly idle.

"Brother Qi, what do we do?" The police officer following Qi Shanwei got out of the car, then stood there stunned, listening to the various wailing cries all around.

The several elderly men and women, all over seventy, blocking the car's path, who didn't even know how to use WeChat, took out their basic phones and dialed a number, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Jiang Yuan really died—I saw it with my own eyes. Why would I lie to you?"

"No mistake anymore—whose daughter-in-law was that? Her eyesight's better than mine; she saw the wreaths too."

"The wreaths could be fake, but the ones that fat cop brought over last time couldn't be."

At this moment, the police in the car behind also got out, equally bewildered, listening to the surrounding clamor.

The driver of the rear vehicle hurried forward anxiously and warned Qi Shanwei: "What do we do now? Don't let this turn into an incident."

"Ah." Qi Shanwei let out a heavy sigh. "Don't worry—I know this stretch well."

"Huh?"

"You guys, follow me and shout together." Qi Shanwei gathered them, then pulled various items out of the trunk.

In a short while, their small team raised a plaque reading "Home of a Second-Class Meritorious Servant" and chanted in unison:

"Comrade Jiang Yuan is in good health, free from illness or disaster, serving with merit on the front line!"

"Comrade Jiang Yuan is in good health, free from illness or disaster, serving with merit on the front line!"

After chanting several times, the people gathered in front of the small supermarket all calmed down.

That's right—not only was Qi Shanwei familiar with this, they were too.

"Is Xiao Yuan still alive?" An old man stepped forward, as if needing to confirm it himself.

"Alive. He earned merit. Just like last time—no illness, no disaster." Qi Shanwei spoke softly to the old man, afraid to raise his voice.

"Then tell my brother—I told him, but he still doesn't believe me." The old man handed over a basic phone, his expression serious.

Qi Shanwei automatically took the phone, sighed involuntarily, then spoke into it: "Old man, Jiang Yuan isn't dead. Comrade Jiang Yuan performed excellently in the Wu Long Wildman case, played a key role multiple times in solving the case, pointed the investigation in the right direction, and bravely fought armed criminals during the arrest, protecting his teammates and upholding justice…"

Qi Shanwei rattled off a string of words, then took a deep breath and handed the phone back to the old man.

The old man thanked him, took back the phone, and shouted loudly and proudly: "I told you so…"

Before Qi Shanwei could catch his breath, an old woman beside him handed him her phone: "Tell my sister too."

Qi Shanwei blinked, then sighed again: "Who else needs to hear it? I'll say it once."

A pile of basic phones landed in Qi Shanwei's hands.

…

Qi Shanwei and several officers walked stiffly at the very front of the procession.

Behind them marched a formation of agile fifty-year-olds, their laughter and chatter proving they'd received countless likes on their Moments.

Right behind came the mixed formation of sixty- and seventy-year-olds, each gripping a basic phone in one hand while wildly waving the other, conflating Jiangcun's history with their own personal struggles.

Jiangcun residents under fifty were uniformly called "Landlords." They walked with hands behind their backs, shuttling between different rental units—guiding new tenants with agents, paying water and electricity bills, fixing plumbing, cleaning houses, hauling away trash.

If they didn't own enough properties, they had to work as security guards or cleaners just to stay fully occupied—something far from satisfying.

Thus, those with few rental units often opened supermarkets, small restaurants, or bought storefronts to run hardware or curtain shops—all jobs with wide contact and requiring patience.

When something important happened in the village, the small shop owners were always the first to vanish into the crowd.

With the plaque "Home of a Second-Class Meritorious Servant" already displayed, even if not for the excitement or profit, joining the village-wide feast clearly brought more gain.

…

Jiang Fuzhen didn't sleep today, but his mood remained stable.

Because his son was sleeping at home; the flood of messages on his WeChat merely told Jiang Fuzhen one thing: it was time to cook meat.

Jiang Fuzhen took a lamb from the refrigerator, didn't wash it, hung it from a hook on the kitchen ceiling, slid it along the track to the stove, dropped it in, then added water.

The lamb came from a friend's pasture, selected with extreme care, delivered on a fixed schedule, then slaughtered, skinned, and blown by a butcher in Ningtai County before being sent to his home.

Because of the blowing-and-skinning technique, as long as the slaughter was clean, the meat remained spotless—before human hands touched it, the meat was still attached to the fascia and skin; why say it was unclean?

Even Jiang Fuzhen's refrigerator was carefully chosen—large, vertical, branded units. If the lamb was hung early, it was fresh lamb; if hung later, it was aged, rigor-mortised fresh lamb. The methods differed slightly, but the taste was excellent either way.

Once the pot was full of water, Jiang Fuzhen slowly lit the fire, then added chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic—half a basket each. When the blood foam rose, he slowly skimmed it clean; just then, people outside began arriving at his doorstep.

The newly installed smart alarm and defense linkage system—two Dobermans—began barking eagerly.

These two puppies had been around for a while; villagers were already familiar with them, greeted them casually, and walked right in.

Jiang Yuan got up and personally greeted the villagers.

"Jiang Yuan's impressive—another second-class merit."

"Now he's got two plaques for second-class meritorious servants."

Villagers bustled around the doorway, glancing here, nibbling there, having a joyful, carefree time.

It had been many days since the last feast; finally, another chance had come.

Even better, the guest of honor was here this time.

Everyone was delighted—now they'd send Jiang Yuan to fetch salt, now they'd cry that the meat was insufficient. As long as they could make the second-class meritorious servant do something, they felt they'd gotten the better end.

If they could take a few good photos for Moments, even better.

Jiang Yuan bustled about without getting angry—in Jiangcun, cooked lamb no one ate was the greatest waste.

Qi Shanwei and the others were also pulled into eating lamb, gradually smiling broadly.

Because so many people came, one lamb was clearly insufficient, so others brought dishes from home.

They didn't even need Jiang Yuan or Jiang Fuzhen's help—they set up a lavish banquet themselves: five-spice beef, braised beef, pickled seafood, salted seafood, charcoal-grilled pork neck, braised and roasted pig's head…

Unlike last time, the villagers didn't offer ancestral sacrifices this time.

Grandpa San specifically sought out Jiang Yuan and said: "Ancestors are busy too. You've already earned a second-class merit this year. If we go again to report, they might think we're reporting the same thing twice—that wouldn't be good. Let's wait until year-end and report everything together."

"Alright," Jiang Yuan agreed.

"Some ancestors were already confused when they passed. Down there, we don't know if they've recovered. Next year, when you earn another merit, we'll report again. This year, we'll report only when you earn other merits." Grandpa San, still worried Jiang Yuan wouldn't understand, explained again in detail.

Jiang Yuan personally lit a string of firecrackers, finally expressing his emotions clearly.

Seeing that Jiang Yuan was truly happy, Grandpa San happily wandered off.

Jiang Yuan was naturally happy.

Who wouldn't be happy to earn merit and receive an award? Especially since yesterday's award ceremony gave him the chance to choose a new skill:

Forensic Pathology (LV4)

This was the skill Jiang Yuan chose himself.

Technically, he could have selected a more specialized sub-skill to obtain a higher-level LV5.

But after careful consideration, Jiang Yuan ultimately held back.

After all, Jiang Yuan was a certified forensic pathologist—and the most important skill for a forensic pathologist is forensic pathology.

Mastering forensic pathology comprehensively is obviously vital for any forensic pathologist.

As for LV5 skills in more specialized fields—honestly, after handling cases for this long, Jiang Yuan felt more strongly than ever that high-end skills were out of touch with reality.

Most criminal suspects were caught easily without needing LV5 skills.

Having those extra skills would be a waste.

In any case, Jiang Yuan's new skill was now ready…

————EXTRA NOTES————

Last night I ate hotpot, got a headache, and couldn't write the second chapter.