Are You Addicted?

At 10 PM sharp, Gu Hai invited the Director of City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau to drink tea.

“Is Commander Gu healthy lately?”

Gu Hai answered with a blank face, “Very good, how about you?”

“Me? Ah, I’m pretty good too.”

“I can see that you’re not only physically healthy, but your psychological condition is also very good.”

Bureau director laughed awkwardly, “Psychological condition? Ah, regarding that matter,  there’s a lot of trouble recently, so….”

“If your psychological condition is not good, then how are you able to dispatch a troop of remarkable law enforcers?” Gu Hai interrupted the director’s words.

The bureau director’s complexion changed, his smile showed some akwardness.

“Young master Gu, if there is something you want to say, please say it directly, if we have done something wrong somewhere, please do not hesitate to point them out.”

Gu Hai slightly restrained both of his eyes, his gaze was concentrated on the director, not saying anything.

When the director received an icy and sharp gaze from Gu Hai, he felt rather nervous, his heart was pounding like a drum, what have I done to provoke this man?

“My aunt’s breakfast stall was destroyed by your Law Enforcement Officers, my Aunt is still in the hospital right now, please explain this to me.”

“That…….” The director’s face turned pale in a split second, his talking became not too nimble, “Ah…..  That bunch of scoundrels…… Who dared to destroy your aunt’s stall? Young master Gu, please don’t be angry, I will find the captain later to discuss about this problem, I’ll drag those troublemaking brats out one by one to apologize to your aunt.”

“So if she’s not my aunt, she deserves the wreckage, huh?”

“What?” The director’s palm started to sweat, “No matter whose stall they wrecked, it’s still wrong! I’ve educated them time and again, to supervise and influence compa.s.sionately, to win people by virtue, try our best to persuade, yet they didn’t listen….”

Gu Hai looked at director with a cold expression, “How about this, you bring me to the Law Enforcement Office right now.”

“Right now?” The bureau director glanced at his watch, his face was filled with discomfort, “They already went home by now, even if you go there, you won’t meet anyone!”

Gu Hai smiled faintly, “They went home already? Law Enforcement Officers still have specific working hours?”

“Of course.” The director forced a smile, “Law Enforcement Officer is also a profession, they also need to follow the established rules and schedules, right?”

“Then, what time do they start working in the morning?”

“They start at 9 AM.”

“But, they smashed my aunt’s stall at 6 AM.”

The bureau director couldn’t say anything, his throat frozen.

“All of them came simultaneously, you see, is this the way they enforce the law?”

The director had just ended his formal talk with Gu Hai, then he immediately turned his head towards four men and scolded angrily, every unpleasant words and curses were spoken out.

Gu Hai indifferently swept a glance at these men, he only said four words.

“One person is missing.”

The director’s cold sweat flowed down, the last remaining person was the most ferocious officer with the crew-cut hair, he was the director’s blood-related nephew.

“Do you perhaps remember incorrectly? Only these four men were on duty.”

Upon hearing these words, the four officers secretly gritted their teeth.

“If I manage to uncover one more person and let him bear all the blame, will you allow it?”

The director’s mouth opened, then closed repeatedly. In the end, with a long and deep sigh, he walked outside to make a phone call.

After a while, that aggresive and arrogant officer with crewcut hair was also summoned, once he saw Gu Hai, he became dumbfounded, he didn’t expect that a person  with such background, actually went to that place and had breakfast!

That morning, there was still sheer hostility coming out from these men, now everyone is completely listless, they continuously gazed at the director, hoping that he could protect them.

Gu Hai took out a cigarette, and held it on the edge of his mouth, the director immediately bowed his body to light Gu Hai’s cigaratte.

Once they saw the director’s behavior, the short-haired officer knew that he had disclosed a huge basket. [1].

“How about this, I will give them penalty. This money can be used to cover your aunt’s medical fees and to rebuild the stall, is it okay? “

“Don’t trouble yourself like that!” Gu Hai flicked his cigarette several time, “Since my aunt set up a stall, which is subjected within your scope of supervision, to prevent trouble in the near future, I decide to find a proper shop for my Aunt to run her business.”

The director’s face changed, he forced himself to agree, “Yes yes yes, there is still a good shop, this…… Thinking about this shop will give you a lot of trouble, right? How about this, I will find one for you.”

“No need, I’m interested in one particular shop.” Gu Hai stubbed his cigarette, then he smiled carefreely,

“That shop on the corner of Xin Jie Kou [2] is not bad, can you discuss with the people there, to move my Aunt’s stall there?

The director’s face finally turned ugly to a certain degree, Gu Hai obviously came prepared, that shop is managed by his brother-in-law, because of the golden [3] location, they’ve earned a full big pot [4] these few years. Supposed if the shop was truly given to other people, isn’t it equal to ‘tearing his own flesh’? But if he didn’t hand it over, what else could he do? This is the man who can offend him this much?

“Alright, I will settle this matter as soon as possible.”

Gu Hai stood up, walked to the door, but he suddenly stopped again.

These men were just about to heave a sigh of relief, yet seeing Gu Hai walking back, their faces went taut once again.

“I think… The five of you are not wrong.” Gu Hai  measured these five officers with his eyes, he sarcastically praised them, “Destroying a stall early in the morning at 6 AM, very hardworking indeed!”

These five men looked at each other, they were nearly thirty years old already, yet they couldn’t say anything as they were intimidated by this seventeen years old young lad.

“How about this, I will give you a part time job! Before long, my aunt’s shop will start to operate, since it’s selling breakfast and it’s doesn’t disturb your working hours, you guys should come to work as temporary waiters? I see that your hands and feet are really agile, how can such a good job opportunity given to other people?”

The five men’s faces turned purple.

Gu Hai’s tone dropped to an extent, “So, you’re not willing?”

“It’s not like that.” One short man among them opened his mouth first, “We are willing to do volunteer work without wages.”

Gu Hai put on a fake smile, “I’m terribly sorry for troubling you!”

“There’s no need to feel like that.” The director interrupted from aside, “Let them help. If the manpower is not enough, I’ll help you to find more. You must bring my nephew with you, he was a waiter in the past, he’s very experienced.”

The short-haired officer with a bitter face glanced at the director, “Uncle~”

The director gave him a very fierce look, you ventured into a huge disaster, yet you still have the nerve to call me Uncle? Hurry and take this opportunity to atone yourself!

When Gu Hai walked swiftly towards the door, he was attracted by a random bark of a dog.

“Hey! This Tibetan Mastiff [5] isn’t bad, did you raise this one?” Gu Hai turned his head towards the director.

The director’s mouth couldn’t stop twitching, “Yes…. Someone gave it to me.”

“Good, let me take it home for few days?”

“You mustn’t trifle with this one!” The director agonized , “This dog is too ferocious, what would you do, if by any chance you are bitten by it?”

“No problem, there is a dog expert in our house, the dog will not be ill-treated.”

Gu Hai smiled, pointing to a man beside him, “Mister, for inconveniencing you, please take this dog to my home!”

The director grabbed Gu Hai’s arm, he hadn’t said anything yet, but Gu Hai had already patted him on the shoulder.

“Thanks!”

The director cried in tearless grief [7], his precious dog, his conscience! Let a single breakfast stall tossed it all.

Translator Note:

Chinese, we can address the second person (you) as  “你 (ni3) or 您 (nin2). 您 is the polite form of 你, it is used to address elder people or the people we respect, it is also used in formal meeting.

In this chapter, Gu Hai and the director used a lot of 您 to address each other “politely”.

[1] ‘disclosed a huge basket’ is the literal translation of Chinese idiom 濅大篓孿, which means got into a huge trouble.

[2] Xin Jie Kou is the name of a subdistrict in Beijing.

[3] Golden (黄金) depicts a place with prime opportunity or very strategic.

[4] ‘A full big pot’: a translation of 赚的盆满钵圆, which means getting so much profit, like filling a full big pot with money.

[5] Tibetan mastiff is a Tibetan dog breed, originating from China, it is one of the most expensive dog in the world.

[6] ‘Cried in tearless grief’ is the literal translation of  欲哭无泪 (Chinese idiom), which means to worry while being incapable of expressing oneself in a complicated experience.

Are you addicted?