Chapter 12: Taking Office Immediately

The days at the arrest officer's office were easygoing.

Chu Ning followed Old Liao every day strolling the streets in the morning, listening to operas in the brothels in the afternoon, and practicing martial arts at home in the evening.

In a month, the saber at his waist had been drawn a total of two times; once when a troublemaker at the restaurant refused to pay for his meal, and another time when there was a gang fight on the street.

Chu Ning learned from Old Liao to draw his saber and retreat to the back of the crowd.

Life was just that bland and monotonous.

"Chu boy, in a few more days you'll be assigned a district. Have you thought about which part of the city you'd like to go to?"

New constables at the arrest officer's office would normally be allocated a district upon joining, but Chu Ning had received special treatment; Head Officer Zhao let him learn the ropes with Old Liao for a whole month first.

Being privileged like this, Chu Ning understood it was because Director Huang had given Head Officer Zhao some instructions.

Before leaving the academy, he had written a letter to Director Huang explaining his reasons for dropping out. Director Huang replied, not blaming him but encouraging him to keep striving even though he'd left the academy.

With that letter, Chu Ning knew his days at the arrest officer's office wouldn't be tough; after all, having the number one man like Director Huang looking after him, a small constable, wouldn't be a problem.

During that month, Chu Ning ran into Director Huang several times at the arrest officer's office, but he didn't speak up to greet him, hence Old Liao knew someone influential protected him but had no idea who it was.

"I'll see how Head Officer Zhao arranges it. That's not something I can choose for myself."

"You're young, but your lips are sealed tight. So many newcomers can't wait for everyone to know about their influential background and clamor about it all over the arrest officer's office. You, on the other hand, won't let slip a word."

Old Liao wasn't really angry; he had enjoyed patrolling the streets with Chu Ning over the past month. Though young, Chu Ning caught on to things with just a hint.

"Old Liao, let me buy you a drink today."

As the two passed by a tavern, Chu Ning called out to Old Liao, who was momentarily startled before realizing that Chu Ning was offering him a farewell drink.

The boy must already know where he's going.

They ended up drinking for an hour, the liquor sweet, and Old Liao got somewhat drunk, patting Chu Ning's shoulder and pouring out his heart.

Only then did Chu Ning learn that Old Liao, despite his carefree appearance, had his own story.

What's the phrase... Every person in distress must have...

Wrong, Chu Ning thought he had drunk too much as well, his mind growing fuzzy.

It's that every careless person harbors an unresolved issue in their heart.

He still remembered that year, when he was a young man full of pride, eager to compete with the heavens.

But reality slapped the young man with a cruel blow.

Old Liao entered the academy only to be eliminated within three months.

Despondent, Old Liao spent his days frolicking in the brothels, where a woman named Lian Xiang became his favorite.

They say the pleasures of love are the burial ground of heroes, yet Lian Xiang was the one who encouraged Old Liao daily, eventually pulling him out of his slump.

Determined to learn martial arts elsewhere, Old Liao ended up in the provincial city apprenticing under a martial master with a family martial arts heritage.

After ten years, being the least skilled among his many fellow disciples, his master, fearing disgrace, found an excuse to send him away.

Old Liao made peace with it, his lofty ambitions faded, thinking to return to Daning County to buy Lian Xiang's freedom, and then to become a constable at the government office, letting life pass by simply like that.

But to his unforeseen shock, upon returning to Daning County, he learned that Lian Xiang had married a merchant as a concubine and had given birth to a daughter. What shocked him even more was that the merchant had abandoned Lian Xiang, and to support her daughter, she had no choice but to return to the brothels.

When Old Liao found Lian Xiang, she refused to see him, and a few years later, she died of melancholy.

Whether it was because of Old Liao or the merchant wasn't clear, but Old Liao insisted it was because of him.

Lian Xiang was gone, but her daughter gradually grew up. Although she lived in the brothels, she didn't follow her mother's path and instead learned opera from the brothel's troupe.

Chu Ning now realized why Old Liao always took him to the opera; it was to support Lian Xiang's daughter.

Though just a constable, with Old Liao around, Lian Xiang's daughter would never be wronged in the brothels.

Toward the end of the drinking session, Old Liao, completely drunk, mumbled about wanting to arrange a marriage for her, "Little Xiang," with Chu Ning.

Little Xiang was Lian Xiang's daughter.

"That was close; I almost called Old Liao father-in-law."

Walking down the street, the cold wind blowing, Chu Ning sobered up quite a bit; Little Xiang sure was pretty, and she sang opera well, especially skilled in ventriloquism. When Old Liao first suggested the idea, he was somewhat tempted.

It really was close.

You, Old Liao, were just a fling of her mother's, what say should you have, and that "father-in-law" title would've been meaningless even if called out.

...

...

"Auntie, with the cold freeze right now, just stay in the city. I'll fetch you to the town when spring comes again next year."

"Sister Huang, you've worked hard,"

Chu Ning, with a travel bag on his back, had given lengthy instructions to the old aunt, and watching her silently wiping away tears, he felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. Yet, heading to Xiazhen Town was a decision he had thoroughly deliberated on.

Sister Huang was the neighbor next door. Chu Ning had given her ten silver taels, asking her to take care of the old aunt on his behalf.

Xiazhen Town was a small town under the jurisdiction of Daning County, and this was Chu Ning's personal choice.

A few days earlier, the arrest officer Zhao had asked him if he had any plans, and he had taken the initiative to volunteer for Xiazhen Town.

The vendor who sold game had come from Xiazhen Town. The mountains in Xiazhen Town were the habitat of the silver-backed viper, but these snakes were fast, and capturing them was not easy. On the market, they could cost as much as one silver tael each.

Unable to afford them, Chu Ning had no choice but to catch them himself.

"Little Ning, remember not to play in the water,"

Walking about ten meters away from the house, Chu Ning heard the old aunt's admonition from behind and nodded heavily. He knew the old aunt was afraid he might meet the same fate as his shiftless father.

However, what the old aunt overlooked was that his unworthy father had been drained by excessive drinking on the pleasure boats before he drowned.

It goes without saying that the primary cause of his father's drowning was excessive drinking.

...

...

With Chu Ning's walking pace, it took him two hours to finally reach Xiazhen Town.

Xiazhen Town was not big, but although it was a small place, it had everything one needed. After asking a few town residents, Chu Ning soon found the town's patrol house.

A two-section compound that had a front hall and a backyard; the front hall was used for dealing with disputes among the townspeople, while the backyard served as living quarters. Upon entering, Chu Ning saw a layer of dust on the ground.

Below Daning County, there were twelve towns, and each town's patrol house was guarded by an arrest officer. However, Xiazhen Town did not have an arrest officer because of its small size and insufficient 'benefits,' which made no arrest officer willing to come.

Half a month ago, an old constable in Xiazhen Town had accidentally broken his leg while walking, and none of the other constables wanted to come to Xiazhen Town, so the patrol house had been left vacant.

This was also another reason why Chu Ning had chosen Xiazhen Town. As the only constable in the town, he was the 'emperor of the soil,' controlling everything in the town.

Most importantly, to encourage constables to go to Xiazhen Town, the patrol house had implemented a three-year tax exemption policy.

This exemption was not for the common people but meant that any Tax Silver collected in Xiazhen Town would belong to the constable himself.

Chu Ning's door was open, and he spent half an hour cleaning. Unbeknownst to him, the townspeople were already spreading the word.

A new constable had arrived in Xiazhen Town, and he was very young.

In a dilapidated temple outside the town, where a mud sculpture had one arm broken, three men squatted behind the deity figure, muttering in low voices.

"Boss, a new constable has come to town, what should we do?"

"If you ask me, just do what we did before. Sneak up on him at night and give him a beating. Didn't we drive away that old constable just like that?"

"Idiot," the man addressed as big brother scolded, "Can that be the same? We could overpower that old constable because he was frail and his qi was weak, but this new constable looks young. With our little strength, how can we fight him?"

"But if the constable is here, our goal of dominating Xiazhen Town as three brothers will never be achieved."

"Don't rush. My cousin in the city, you know him, right?"

"We know, we know—Three Bamboo Gang's red pole enforcer, famous for his fierce attacks on several streets."

The other two men promptly nodded. They had joined the big brother after hearing about his cousin's exploits in the city's number one gang, the Three Bamboo Gang, which initially started with the Gang Leader and the Vice Gang Leaders swearing brotherhood in a bamboo forest and then gradually built up from there.

They, too, had sworn to model themselves after the Gang Leader and Vice Gang Leaders of the Three Bamboo Gang, but since there were no bamboo forests in Xiazhen Town, they had sworn an oath in a peach orchard instead.

"My cousin said that fighting isn't just about brute force; you also need to use your brains. To be on the safe side, I'll go to the city to sell straw sandals tomorrow and ask my cousin for advice."

"Boss is wise. We'll do as you say, boss."

"Same here."

Unaware that he had become a target of attention, Chu Ning, who had just finished cleaning the yard, left and headed to the town's rice shop. The shopkeeper, seeing his imposing uniform, offered him a 50% discount.

Chu Ning casually carried the two bags of rice, passing conspicuously through the street, which made many townspeople's eyes widen in astonishment.

After pouring the rice into the vat and washing up with well water, there came a sound from the front hall.

The village chiefs and elders from around Xiazhen Town had arrived.

Chu Ning smiled slightly—good, showing some muscle was quite effective.

Then, Chu Ning eagerly met with the village chiefs in the front hall, expressing the government's love for the people of Xiazhen Town, and the village chiefs and elders were moved to tears, declaring they had long awaited the arrival of a new constable.

In such a warm atmosphere, Chu Ning promptly declared he would maintain law and order in Xiazhen Town and protect the property of the townspeople.

The village chiefs and elders were once again emotionally overwhelmed, also vowing they would deliver the protection... the Tax Silver on time every month.

In summary, this familial meeting between officials and the people was a successful one, of significant import, setting the course for the future development of Xiazhen Town and also marking the beginning of a brand new chapter for the town.