The next day, Dong Xuebing returned to work at the Public Security Bureau.
Bureau Chief Liang Chengpeng was still in Beijing, and Dong Xuebing was not in a rush to start his work. He just finished some paperwork in his office and drove to Hui Tian Village Station for a meeting with Liu Dahai and Li Sanmiao on the cases that happened during his absences. Luckily, there were only petty crimes and nothing major. The only major crime was the child abduction cases where the Bureau had set up an investigation team a few days back. Hui Tian Village also starts to have missing people cases. Dong Xuebing ordered his men to investigate these cases and try to solve them as soon as possible. He left the station in the afternoon as he does not want to interfere with the station’s operations. He only wants to be a leader who sets the general direction for his men.
5 pm. County Public Security Family Quarters.
Dong Xuebing entered his unit and saw Yu Qianqian hugging Yu Meixia, acting cute. Yu Meixia held her daughter’s hand lovingly and was arranging the middle school textbooks on the coffee table. They saw Dong Xuebing, and Yu Meixia quickly ran over to give him his slippers. Yu Qianqian is very close to her mother and every time Dong Xuebing saw them, they were either holding hands or hugging.
“When did you come back.” Dong Xuebing asked while taking off his shoes.
Yu Meixia replied. “We got back from Qianqian’s school 10 minutes earlier.”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “How is the registration?”
Yu Meixia looked at Dong Xuebing gratefully. “Thanks to you, everything had gone well. Sister Luan brought us to do the registration personally and it was smooth. We also got books and study materials, and Qianqian can start attending classes tomorrow.” Yu Meixia paused for a while and continued. “The household registration transfer is almost completed. They told us that our registration will be transferred in a few days.” Her daughter can finally return to school and their household registration will be transferred to the County. Yu Meixia had never felt so happy in her life.
Dong Xuebing nodded and smiled to Yu Qianqian. “You have stopped attending classes for almost 6 months. Can you pass the end semester exams?”
Yu Qianqian nodded. “I… I read books every day, and I think I can pass.”
“Good. Haha…”
“Chief Dong, please take a rest first. I will prepare dinner now.”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “Let’s not eat at home. The 3 of us should eat out to celebrate Qianqian is going back to school.”
Yu Meixia blushed when she heard Dong Xuebing saying ‘the 3 of us’, but she knew Chief Dong is trying to tell her that he does not treat them as outsiders. Yu Meixia was moved and quickly said. “It’s too troublesome. I can cook something.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Just listen to me, ok?”
Yu Meixia nodded and replied weakly. “Thank you.”
“That’s right.” Dong Xuebing patted Yu Qianqian’s head. “Let’s go. Qianqian, we will go to the shopping mall later. Tell me what you like, and I will buy it for you as a gift.”
Yu Qianqian looked at her mother and quickly said. “Thank you, brother. But I… I don’t need anything.”
Yu Meixia added. “That’s right. Qianqian doesn’t need anything.”
Dong Xuebing gave Yu Meixia a glance and said. “Have you bought a pencil case? Schoolbag? You don’t even have these, and you tell you don’t need anything? You don’t tell me she has a school bag. That grey school bag is already torn. How is she going to use it? The students at school are childish and they will make fun of Qianqian for carrying that bag. It will not be good psychologically.” Yu Qianqian’s character is similar to her mother. They have low self-esteem and Dong Xuebing wants Qianqian to change.
Yu Meixia was surprised as she did not expect Chief Dong to be so meticulous, and she starts to tear.
Dong Xuebing gave her a stare. “Your daughter is around. Why are you crying?”
Yu Meixia quickly wiped her tears and kept quiet.
Jindi Shopping mall. This shopping mall is considered big in the city and has all sorts of shops.
After they entered the mall, Dong Xuebing brought Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian to a stationary store. He asked Yu Qianqian to pick the stationaries and school bag she likes. Yu Qianqian looked at her mother and saw her nodding. She was overjoyed and start to look around the shop. After a while, she points to a pink school bag.
“Brother, I… I like that bag.”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Ok. We will get that bag. Go and pick the pens and a pencil case.”
Yu Qianqian mustered up her courage and points to a pencil case and pens on a counter.
Dong Xuebing did not even look at the price and paid for everything.
The shop assistant passed the school bag and stationaries to Yu Qianqian, and she immediately took the bag out of its packaging and carries it. She had always envied her classmates for their new school bags. But her father was always gambling and their family was poor. She could only envy her classmates for using new stationaries and bags. Now, she finally got a new school bag!
Dong Xuebing silently sighed in his heart when he saw Yu Qianqian getting so excited over a school bag. He could tell what sort of hardship she had suffered. “Let’s go to level 2 to look at electronic products.”
Yu Qianqian asked innocently. “Brother, our house’s appliance is faulty?”
“No. I want to give you another present. Let’s go.” Dong Xuebing brought them to the second floor.
Yu Meixia and her daughter were confused. Give Qianqian an electronic product? Home appliances?
They realized what Dong Xuebing was talking about when they stepped into the computer section on level 2. There was not a lot of CPU on display, but there are a lot of laptops. Yu Qianqian’s eyes were glued to the laptops. Brother… Brother is going to buy a computer for myself?!
Yu Meixia panicked. “Chief Dong, this is too expensive.”
Dong Xuebing ignored her. “Qianqian, go and pick the model you like.”
“It’s… It’s too expensive.” Yu Qianqian really wanted a computer, and everyone can see it from her eyes.
Yu Meixia said. “Chief Dong, you should not do this.”
Dong Xuebing looked at her. “I say buy means buy. We are living in a digital age now. How can a child don’t have a computer? Sometimes I need to use my computer, and you also don’t allow Qianqian to enter my room. So, I might as well buy a new computer for her. She can use it in your room. This is also for her own good. Alright. Qianqian, don’t listen to your mother. Just tell me which one you like. You don’t need to worry about the price.”
Yu Meixia knew she could not change Dong Xuebing’s mind, and she saw her daughter looking at her with a sparkle in her eyes. Yu Meixia nodded. “Since your brother asked you to choose one, just go ahead. You must remember to repay Chief Dong when you grow up.”
Yu Qianqian nodded and ran happily to look at the computers. But computers are something that’s out of reach for her, and she had only seen or touched one a few times. She doesn’t even know what the specs are written on the laptops mean and could only pick by the appearance. She walked around and stopped in front of a white notebook with a small apple logo on it.
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Good. We will get this one.”
Yu Meixia walked over and got a shock when she saw the price tag. “No… This is too expensive. It’s over 10,000 RMB.”
Yu Qianqian did not notice the price earlier and got a shock too.
Dong Xuebing ignored them and called the sales assistant over to test the laptop. After that, he paid for it and looked at Yu Qianqian. “Ok. This Apple is yours from today onwards. I will get someone to install a wireless router and you can surf the internet.” Dong Xuebing turns to Yu Meixia. “Sister Yu, you must learn to use computers with Qianqian. You can ask me if you need help.
Yu Qianqian was excited as she looked at her laptop.
Yu Meixia waved her hand. “I am so stupid. I will not know how to use it.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Qianqian is very smart. You can ask her to teach you.”
It’s not that Yu Meixia does not want to learn. She was only afraid she might damage the laptop.
“Let’s go over there.” Dong Xuebing walked in front.
“It’s enough. Please don’t give Qianqian any more gifts.” Yu Meixia does not want to owe Dong Xuebing too many favors.
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Ok. I am not buying things for Qianqian. This time it’s for you. Pick a phone.”
Yu Meixia gasped. “I… I don’t need one.”
“What do you mean you don’t need? How do I contact you when you are at the market or sending Qianqian to school? Having a handphone is more convenient. Listen to me. Just treat it as your job requirement.” Dong Xuebing said and walked over to the mobile phone section.
Yu Meixia hesitated and said. “Alright… I will buy myself. I still have some money with me.”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand and points to a pink-colored Nokia N8. “What do you think of this?”
Yu Meixia looked at the price first and saw the phone cost 3,000 RMB. “I can use a phone that costs a few hundred. This is too…”
“Ok. We will take this.” Dong Xuebing did not listen to her and called the shop assistant over to pick a phone number.
After paying for the phone, Dong Xuebing pushes the phone into Yu Meixia’s hands. “Hold it. I will teach you how to use it when we get back.”
Yu Meixia replied softly. “Please deduct the money from my salary.”
Dong Xuebing sighed. “Sister Yu, don’t treat me like an outsider. Just take it when I give it to you. These few days, you had taken good care of me.”
Yu Meixia blushed when she remembered she had massaged Chief Dong and even helped him wash his hair and feet last night. She mumbled a reply and kept quiet.
