I Start with a Mysterious Island

Chapter 307 - 247: Be Civilized, but Your Uncle Is Still Your Uncle

"Uh... I don’t have any cash on me!" The man in the tank top usually paid with his phone; he hadn’t used cash in ages. Now that Mr. Liu was demanding cash, he was in a real bind.

Just then, his underling, Yaozi, stepped forward. "I have cash."

He pulled a fifty-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Liu, paying the fine on behalf of his boss.

After taking the fine, Mr. Liu nodded. Before he left, he addressed the man in the tank top and his underling, Yaozi.

"Try to stay out of trouble and live a quiet life. You don’t want to screw up so bad you end up in a cell, regretting it when it’s too late."

"Yes, yes, of course... We’re all good, law-abiding citizens. We’d never break the law. Take care, Mr. Liu." The man in the tank top nodded obsequiously as he saw the man from the neighborhood committee, identifiable by his red armband, to the door.

You wouldn’t know it from the way he was acting, but the man in the tank top ran an arcade and had several underlings working for him.

In front of his underlings, he usually acted like a big shot, but when faced with anyone from a government agency, he knew exactly when to grovel.

Of course, these volunteers from the neighborhood committee, the ones with the red armbands, were mostly just old men and women.

Normally, while the man in the tank top might be afraid of actual government agents, there was no reason for him to be so deferential to a mere volunteer.

But there was a reason for his attitude. The man in the tank top and his men were so respectful because this particular Mr. Liu was no ordinary person.

Before retiring, this Mr. Liu had worked for the Superpower Administration Bureau. He might have just been a civilian employee and not very powerful himself, but he was a genuine, bona fide retiree from the Bureau.

He knew plenty of Investigators, and word was his granddaughter was an active Investigator herself.

With a background like that, the man in the tank top and his crew were like mice before a cat whenever they saw him. They could barely scramble out of his way, let alone dare to provoke a retired old man like him!

After Mr. Liu left, the atmosphere in the office grew a little awkward.

It was Yaozi who broke the silence, continuing his attempt to persuade his boss.

"Boss, I’ve been keeping up with the news. The Superpower Administration Bureau is about to launch a month-long anti-crime operation.

"We should probably lay low for a while. So, about getting revenge on that guy... I think we should just drop it for now."

The man in the tank top, who had been so deferential to Mr. Liu just a moment ago, let his gentle smile vanish. His face grew serious as he thought for a few seconds before speaking.

"He’s lucky. I’ll let him off the hook for now. Once the heat dies down, I’ll go settle the score for you."

Yaozi breathed a sigh of relief, glad his boss had given up on going after Lin Li.

"Your hand’s pretty banged up. Go find a small clinic and get it looked at," the man in the tank top said. "Later tonight, I’ve got a business dinner, you’re coming with me."

"Got it."

...

Mr. Liu, red armband still on his sleeve, stepped out of the noisy arcade. He resumed his usual patrol, walking slowly down the street.

After he had gone some distance, an elderly woman, also wearing a red armband, approached him.

Upon seeing Mr. Liu, the woman quickened her pace to meet him.

"Old Liu, you left your phone at the office."

"Yes, I know. I’ll head back for it after I finish my patrol on this street."

"Your phone rang not long after you left. It was your granddaughter. I picked it up and told her you’d forgotten it at the office."

"Jialin called? Was it for anything important?" Mr. Liu asked quickly, hearing that his granddaughter had tried to reach him.

"She didn’t say. Why don’t you call her yourself when you get back to the office and pick up your phone," the woman said. "Anyway, I’ve got other things to attend to. I’ll see you later."

As Mr. Liu watched the woman leave, he wondered what his granddaughter could have called for.

He couldn’t think of anything. Shaking the thought away, he picked up his pace to finish the last stretch of his patrol, eager to get back to the office and his phone.

Back at the Superpower Administration Bureau, Liu Jialin returned to her department’s office after finishing her work and having lunch in the cafeteria.

She had barely sat down when the phone on her desk began to ring. She picked it up; it was her grandfather.

"Grandpa, you forgot your phone again, didn’t you!" Liu Jialin said as soon as she answered.

"I did. I was in a hurry heading out and forgot it. You called earlier, did you need to tell me something?"

Having finished his patrol, Mr. Liu had returned to the office, grabbed his phone, and called his granddaughter.

Liu Jialin glanced around the office. Seeing that her colleagues weren’t back yet and she was alone, she said cheerfully, "Grandpa, I got a commendation from my superior this morning!"

"What? You got a commendation? What did you do to earn that?"

Mr. Liu was thrilled for his granddaughter, hearing she’d been commended by a superior at the Superpower Administration Bureau. He was also incredibly curious about what she had done to deserve it.

"Well, what happened was..." Liu Jialin explained why she had received the commendation, and Mr. Liu listened intently, nodding frequently as she spoke.

"With this on your record, you’ll probably be up for a promotion within a year or two," Mr. Liu said with a smile after she finished.

"Mhm."

"You should be sure to thank your friend properly."

"I am. I called him just now. I’m taking him out to dinner tonight."

"Have you told your grandmother?"

"I have."

The two of them chatted for a little while longer, hanging up only when Liu Jialin’s colleagues started trickling back into the office.

After hanging up with his granddaughter, Mr. Liu put his phone away, a wide, happy smile on his face.

At the same time, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift to his son and daughter-in-law, who had died in the line of duty.

’If they could see her now,’ he thought, ’if they knew their daughter had grown up to choose the same profession and become such an outstanding Investigator, they would be so proud.’

...

DING.

The elevator doors opened, and Lin Li stepped out.

Just then, the door to the apartment next door happened to open, and a little girl emerged.

He turned to see it was Zhou Tongtong, Xia Qing’s daughter. The little girl was wearing a pretty dress with a cartoon pattern.

Her hair was in a single braid, and she wore a baseball cap. In her hand, she carried a black plastic trash bag.

’Xia Qing really loves styling her daughter’s hair,’ Lin Li thought to himself, observing Zhou Tongtong’s getup. ’First, it was a topknot, then pigtails, and now a braid...’

He could understand it, though. Many mothers couldn’t help but treat their kids like living dolls, dressing them up in the cutest ways possible.

"Hello, Lin Li..." Zhou Tongtong said politely when she saw him.

"Hey, Tongtong. Are you heading out to take out the trash for your mom?" Lin Li asked, glancing at the black bag in her hand.

"Mhm." Tongtong nodded. "Mom’s in the kitchen washing dishes. I told her I’d take the kitchen trash downstairs for her."

"What a good girl," Lin Li said with a smile, praising the adorable little girl. Then he added,

"After you take out the trash, come over to my place. I just bought some of a new kind of ice cream, and I’ll give you some."

...