Chapter 309: Grinding a Skill

"I know the case Shen Yaoguo mentioned—he wants you to handle it, so just do it. This case will eventually be reopened anyway; you can't ignore obvious investigative errors. Maybe a new direction will crack it."

Yu Wenshu, hearing Jiang Yuan's report, was deeply pleased and elaborated further on the case details before adding, "I'll speak with Shen Zhi again later. Rest assured, we won't lose out. Shen Yaoguo is a man of principle—he'll remember our favor. You don't need to worry about the details."

Unresolved homicides from the past ten years? Every detective in the bureau has them memorized. But these cases are like scars—unless someone's overly curious, no one dares to reopen them.

As Shen Yaoguo himself said, this case only becomes a thorn in his side if he's up for promotion or faces some other issue. Of course, if it could be removed early, that would be even better.

At the same time, listening to Yu Wenshu's soothing words, Jiang Yuan understood perfectly—he was being passed along again.

"I'll inform Captain Huang when I get back." Jiang Yuan was still officially with Ningtai County Bureau—he couldn't let Yu Wenshu profit alone as middleman.

Jiang Yuan first said casually, "I'd like to handle this case secretly—is that possible?"

Yu Wenshu grunted, "You're worried Jianyuan Company might exert influence? Fine. Caution never hurts. Go ahead with the investigation—I'll report to higher-ups. By the way, when are you returning? How many days do you plan to rest?"

"Three more days." Jiang Yuan was resting not just for himself, but for his team. If he returned to work, all members of the Cold Case Unit would have to resume theirs.

Yu Wenshu, though slightly disappointed by the wasted manpower, was still reasonable: "Alright, rest up. Recharge before getting back to work. But only three more days—everyone's watching. If your team rests too long, people will get jealous."

"Alright." Jiang Yuan agreed immediately.

"When you return from rest, the year-end meeting for the entire bureau will be held." Yu Wenshu began painting a picture: "I got word from the director—he wants to award you during this event. Get yourself polished up, come back, do some rehearsals… so you look good on stage…"

At home, the quiet atmosphere was broken when Jiang Fuzhen, with his sharp ears, caught the keyword "award"—he shuffled closer eagerly.

After Jiang Yuan hung up, Jiang Fuzhen asked, "Another merit? Still getting awards? What class this time?"

Jiang Yuan chuckled: "Aren't you always telling me not to chase after merits and awards?"

"As long as you protect yourself, the more merits the better. You're not a junior officer anymore—you're a leader. A leader's merits aren't the same as a soldier's." Jiang Fuzhen spoke with perfect logic, then asked again: "What class?"

"At least a Second-Class Merit." Jiang Yuan had already received hints; he added, "Don't say anything until it's official…"

"Got it." Jiang Fuzhen dismissed him as nagging and pressed on: "Should I send gifts? Honestly, we've got so many houses we can't even live in them all—if we could trade for a First-Class Merit…"

"You're trying to get me and the leadership both locked up, aren't you?" Jiang Yuan laughed, shaking his head. "Next time, just bring a case of good wine to dinner. But you never used to care so much about my merits. Do you even know the difference between Second and First-Class?"

"I know the inscriptions on the plaques are different." Jiang Fuzhen said, "If your uncle becomes village chief this year, come Qingming Festival next year, they can hang a new plaque for you. Whatever merit you earn, they'll carve it—second-class gets a small plaque, first-class gets a big one, sizes are strictly regulated. Once carved, the next one won't come until you achieve something truly great."

Jiang Fuzhen sighed, somewhat regretful: "Our Jiang family ancestral hall never hangs plaques like 'Wealthy Beyond Measure.' So you're the only one who'll ever get one."

"I'll

try, I'll try." Jiang Yuan dodged with two evasive laughs, unsure what to say.

For young people, plaques meant nothing. Whether big or small, hung on beams or walls—it made no real difference.

But Jiang Fuzhen clearly cared. When Jiang Yuan returned to his room, he heard his father already on the phone, asking about cellar construction prices.

The next day.

Jiang Yuan voluntarily reported to Ningtai County Bureau.

Though it was his vacation, due to the arson case, he'd already called Huang Qiangmin—he couldn't just keep lounging at home.

Everyone knew police had no holidays.

Huang Qiangmin was delighted to see him, clapping Jiang Yuan's shoulder repeatedly: "You remembered to come back—good, good. Rest a few more days. Changyang isn't rushing—everything's counted by case numbers anyway."

Instructor Pei Xiang added: "We've built citywide surveillance, and the new building's foundation is being laid—you don't need to work so hard anymore. Come back often. If Changyang doesn't suit you, just return."

Huang Qiangmin cleared his throat: "If you're mistreated, tell me—I'll go see Old Yu! Our Ningtai pillar, even in Changyang, is still a pillar. You don't deserve to be mistreated, and you won't tolerate it."

"I'm not mistreated. Director Yu has been very supportive—helpful with work, caring about my personal life…" Jiang Yuan spoke up for Yu Wenshu.

"Good, as long as you're not mistreated. Changyang people's kindness is just surface-deep—don't take it seriously. People from the provincial capital? Their minds are complicated." Huang Qiangmin was torn—worried Yu Wenshu either didn't value Jiang Yuan enough, or valued him too much.

Several squad leaders took a moment to chat with Jiang Yuan, praising his achievements and updating him on recent changes in the bureau.

Jiang Yuan suddenly felt like a leading actor with his own troupe—the manager was loyal and kind, the members close-knit, and if he just worked hard, he could lead them all toward a better life…

"Here, eat a red egg." Wu Jun casually handed Jiang Yuan a red egg, then ate one himself.

Jiang Yuan blinked, his sense of mission fading: "There's no corpse today—why are we eating red eggs?"

"I figured you couldn't get them daily in Changyang. I'm giving you two extra—save them. If you get too busy and forget when a corpse turns up, you'll still have some." Wu Jun paused, then added, "For water bodies, eat at least two. Remember that."

"There's a rule for that?" Jiang Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Mm." Wu Jun nodded. "Bodies swell in water. By weight, you need double the dosage. Look at any drug label—it calculates dosage by body weight."

What could Jiang Yuan say? He replied, "Got it."

Happy moments are brief.

After chatting cheerfully for a while, as Jiang Yuan's novelty wore off, Huang Qiangmin's gaze shifted toward the squad leaders.

Wu Junhao was the most impulsive, but also the most attuned to atmosphere—he was the first to sense it: "I've got a few suspects to catch. I'm out."

Without hesitation, Wu Junhao turned and left.

Liu Wenkai, squad leader of the Second Squad, was a step slower, unable to think of a good excuse—he blurted, "I'm going to… catch prostitutes…"

Before Huang Qiangmin's hand could land, Liu Wenkai had already bolted away.

The squad leaders scattered. Wu Jun, however, remained leisurely chatting—he already held deputy section rank; as long as he didn't want full section, he was effectively deputy bureau chief.

Huang Qiangmin couldn't vent on Wu Jun—he could only fume: "Cases are down now, and everyone's slacking off. Clearance rates aren't rising, case numbers are dropping. If this keeps up, we'll become Longli County."

Hearing Huang Qiangmin's words,

Jiang Yuan's vision suddenly flashed a system window:

Task: Get them moving.

Task content: Ningtai County Criminal Investigation Unit's workload is insufficient. Solve a few cases to increase their workload.

Reward: 0/x

Jiang Yuan, alerted by the system, sniffed the air and sensed Huang Qiangmin's dissatisfaction—he quickly said, "What if I tackle some fingerprint cold cases? Give them something to chase?"

"Can you just 'do' them?" Huang Qiangmin asked.

Jiang Yuan smiled: "Same as regular cases—it's luck. Fail a few times, you'll succeed once. But fingerprint cold cases cost nothing—failure just wastes time."

When Jiang Yuan participated in the provincial fingerprint campaign, he averaged over one fingerprint match per day—quite impressive. Repeating the process, with lower targets than homicide cold cases, he could easily solve several.

He often helped his online group solve cases—he could do it himself without trouble.

Huang Qiangmin was tempted: "You're busy with cases in Changyang, and now you're solving cases back in Ningtai? I really worry about you…"

"I've got to supply goods too. Don't worry—I'll just stay up late in the office. Nothing else."

Jiang Yuan returned to the forensic office, familiarized himself with the environment, and got to work immediately.

He had nothing else to do—catch a few unlucky suspects, hand them out to squads for fun, and while at it, grind out a skill. It was perfect.