The man was of medium build with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a handlebar mustache.
"Greetings, Constable Zheng."
Seeing the newcomer, the constables at the entrance of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office nodded and greeted him repeatedly.
"Constable Zheng."
"Constable Zheng."
"..."
Greetings rang out one after another.
The man gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. He strode forward, quickly reaching the inner area where several large chairs were placed. Constable Zheng found the one in the center and immediately sat down.
"Why is Constable Zheng here today!?"
Monkey Head asked in a low voice.
"No idea."
Chen Ping'an shook his head slightly.
Constable Zheng rarely showed up for the daily roll call.
The rule of reporting for roll call was for the constables; it didn't really bind the Constables. Besides, who was present and who was absent was just a matter of a few strokes of the pen for the clerk taking attendance.
"Maybe it has to do with the operation from the day before yesterday."
Monkey Head guessed.
"Perhaps."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
The few of them stood in a corner, waiting quietly with the other constables. Not long after Constable Zheng entered, another Constable arrived.
"Constable Li."
"Greetings, Constable Li."
A constable greeted him.
This Constable Li was also one of the Constables of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office was responsible for over a dozen streets and alleys of varying sizes. It was a place teeming with shopkeepers, street vendors, artisans selling their crafts, and neighborhood thugs loitering about. All walks of life were present—a motley mix of good and bad.
Maintaining order in a place like this was no easy task.
The Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office had one Lord Chief, one Vice Chief, five Constables, over thirty official constables, and more than a hundred unlisted temporary constables.
Even among the temporary constables, there was a pecking order. The highest status belonged to those who were both skilled and had some connections. They had a good chance of being officially registered in the future.
Next came those who had either connections or skills.
At the very bottom were those who had neither.
And Chen Ping'an was among this lowest tier of temporary constables at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
Monkey Head and Da Shan, in contrast, were both better off than him.
However, the three of them got along well and didn't really care about these differences.
The constables waited a while longer. After a tall, thin man called Constable Huang arrived, the daily morning meeting of the Town Patrol Office officially began.
The one who spoke to lead the meeting was Constable Zheng, who had arrived first. Although Chen Ping'an didn't know the relationships between the Constables, based on his observations, Constable Zheng seemed to be the leader among the five Constables of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.
Monkey Head had guessed right. The very first thing Constable Zheng spoke about was related to the raid on the gang from two days ago. He explained the gains from the operation and offered verbal praise to all the colleagues who participated.
"Yesterday morning, the Lord Chief had already gone to the South Town Garrison Command on behalf of our Nanquan Lane to report this matter. In response, even the Grand Chief of the Command issued a statement, praising the valor of the constables of our Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office."
Constable Zheng stood at the front, speaking eloquently to the assembled constables. When mentioning the Grand Chief, he clasped his fist and bowed slightly toward the sky as a sign of reverence and respect.
"This is an honor for our Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, and an honor for all of us..."
Constable Zheng spoke from the front with great enthusiasm, but who knew what the constables below were actually thinking. On the surface, however, everyone played along.
"Praise, praise, it's all just talk. No actual rewards came out of it!"
Monkey Head muttered, covering his face to hide his pout.
Chen Ping'an just smiled faintly and didn't reply. He was always cautious about speaking on such matters.
Seeing that Chen Ping'an didn't take the bait, Monkey Head turned his attention to Da Shan.
"Da Shan, what do you think the Lord Chief and the Vice Chief are so busy with? Since the Grand Chief himself offered praise, wouldn't it be more prestigious if our own Lord Chief announced it personally?"
"Hehe, no idea."
Da Shan chuckled foolishly.
"Tch, knew I was asking for nothing."
Monkey Head rolled his eyes. But he was used to Da Shan's personality.
Chen Ping'an listened to Constable Zheng's words, but his mind was preoccupied with how he would practice the Iron Cloth Shirt after getting off duty.
Yesterday was his day off, so he had the entire day for Cultivation. Today, he'd be late getting back from his shift, so he would probably only be able to practice the Iron Cloth Shirt once.
If so, he would only gain a little experience. At this rate, he wouldn't reach the Entry Level for the Iron Cloth Shirt until the day after tomorrow.
'No!'
'I have to try and see if I can practice twice tonight. If I can manage two sessions, my progress will be much faster.'
'What a shame!'
'I only get one day off for every ten days of work. Otherwise, I could have reached the Entry Level for Iron Cloth Shirt tomorrow.'
Unlike usual, while listening to the same old boring speech, Chen Ping'an's heart was filled with anticipation today.
He looked at Constable Zheng standing on the high platform at the front, and at Constable Li and Constable Huang sitting behind him.
They were also listening, but they were sitting.
'Right!'
'One day, I'll be the one sitting there and listening!'
'No, that's not right!'
'I'll be the one standing there, speaking eloquently, making everyone else listen patiently to me.'
'No matter how dry or boring my speech is, they'll have to listen to the end with a smile on their faces.'
'This is how a true man should be!'
Chen Ping'an thought to himself.
With his Golden Finger, his future held infinite possibilities. He might have grander goals in the future, but for the Chen Ping'an of this moment, this was his ambition.
'You eat a meal one bite at a time, and you walk a path one step at a time!'
Constable Zheng spoke for a full quarter of an hour before finally stopping. He ended by symbolically asking Constable Li and Constable Huang if they had anything to add.
The two Constables shook their heads slightly, having nothing to add.
The constables below the platform collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
'It's finally over!'
'This bullshit is more tiring than a whole day of patrol!'
The Town Patrol Office's daily meeting concluded, and the Constables went inside. The rest of the constables began to get busy.
"Let's go, Ping'an! The three of us are scheduled to patrol Willow Leaf Street today!"
Monkey Head's face was gleaming with excitement after finding out the day's arrangements.
"Willow Leaf Street! Hehe~"
Da Shan chuckled foolishly.
Willow Leaf Street was quite famous among the many streets in Nanquan Lane. This was because it housed the Spring Rain Tower, which attracted countless energetic young men.
A place of romance and pleasure, where one could dabble in poetry, listen to music, and admire the moon—it was all quite fascinating.
Indeed, a person of such refined taste as Monkey Head was naturally overjoyed to hear they would be patrolling this street.
Influenced by Monkey Head, Da Shan had also developed such interests, and had even become quite addicted to the idea.
Unfortunately, the Spring Rain Tower was extremely expensive. If they truly wanted to let loose and enjoy themselves, their monthly allowances couldn't possibly withstand the cost.
Therefore, although they yearned for it, they probably only had one chance a year to properly indulge themselves. And even when they did go, they had to be frugal and could never fully enjoy it.
...
PS: Good morning, everyone. The weather's great for a Saturday~ Anyone interested in tossing a recommendation ticket my way?