"Honey, I'm back!"
As soon as she got home, his mom, Zhou Hui, kicked off her shoes and dashed towards the kitchen like a young girl.
"Oh dear, my wife is back. No, no, I'm cooking. Why do you look upset? Did Su Qing get on your nerves again? It's okay, I'll teach him a lesson later!"
Su Qing had just entered the door when he heard his dad's voice from the kitchen. Instantly, he didn't feel like going home. Other parents always doted on their children, but his family was an exception—it felt like he was a son they got from redeeming mobile credit points.
"No~~ Honey, I lost another hundred today. Am I being silly?"
"Only lost a hundred? Not bad, not bad, you're improving. Next time let's aim to lose just fifty."
"Really? You're so nice, honey, but on the way back, our son found a hundred bucks and handed it over as a gift for me."
"Is that so? Then he's somewhat useful!"
Su Qing: ...
Well, of course he's useful, trading two days of his life for a hundred bucks.
Listening to the voices from the kitchen, Su Qing involuntarily shivered and turned to look at Su He sitting on the couch. The two exchanged a look full of helplessness.
Even the big yellow dog lying on the floor rolled its eyes, huddling its head down without a sound, not daring to make a peep—it was definitely an old wise dog.
In short, Su Qing started shooting practice at four, dominated the neighborhood at ten, ignored defenses at eighteen, and at twenty-two, almost choked on dog food.
The worst part was this dog food was personally fed by his parents—obnoxiously sweet.
"Bro, you don't look so good, what's up?" asked Su He, sitting on the couch.
"Nothing, just lost two days of my life. How's dinner going?" Su Qing asked, rubbing his stomach.
In response, Su He sighed and motioned towards the kitchen with her mouth, "They're still being sickeningly sweet, bear with it!"
As the two siblings were preparing to endure hunger, suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it? Coming!"
Seeing this, Su Qing quickly got up and opened the door in a few quick strides. Standing in front of him was Li Zijun, in her smart police uniform, and beside her was Zhao Minghui, also in uniform.
"Sister Zijun? And this is..." Su Qing was a bit at a loss.
At these words, Zhao Minghui stepped forward with a smile, "Young man, you remember me, right? We met yesterday."
"Yes, yes, I remember. Please, come in," Su Qing quickly turned sideways to invite them in, then called out towards the kitchen, "Dad, Mom, Sister Zijun and her colleague are here. Come out, stop all that mushy stuff."
Upon hearing this, the two people in the kitchen quickly came out. When Zhou Hui saw Li Zijun and Zhao Minghui in police uniform, she was surprised and quickly said, "Junjun, why are you here, and this is..."
"Did Su Qing get into trouble? Just tell your aunt, I can handle it."
Everyone: ...
"Aunt Zhou, what are you talking about? There's nothing like that," Li Zijun replied, caught between laughter and tears.
Hearing this, Zhou Hui was a bit confused, because in her mind, if the police came to the house for no reason, it must be Su Qing who caused the trouble.
Seeing this, Su Qing's father, the head of the family, stepped forward, "Zijun, what's going on?"
"Sir, are you Su Qing's father? It's like this, my name is Zhao Minghui, and Xiao Li and I are here today as representatives of the Jiangcheng East City Public Security Bureau to thank your son for helping our team last night." Zhao Minghui stepped forward and offered his hand with a smile to shake hands with Su Qing's dad.
Hearing this, Su Qing's dad was also puzzled, while Su Qing suddenly understood.
"Ah, it's like this, uncle..." Li Zijun quickly explained, including what happened last night, though details were spare, just a simple account of how Su Qing and Wang Xing had bravely helped them catch a wanted criminal.
When the family of three heard these words, they were incredulous. Were it not for Zhao Minghui, the captain of the criminal investigation department, standing next to them, they would have thought Li Zijun was deceiving them.
"So you're saying my son didn't cause any trouble?" Zhou Hui asked again.
Zhao Minghui: "Yes, indeed. Moreover, because Su Qing and his friend's brave actions allowed us to capture a dangerous fugitive, our superiors were very pleased. In a special exception, they had me and Xiao Li come over to express their gratitude."
"This is the honorary certificate for bravely doing what's right issued by the bureau. Please take a look," he said, taking a red booklet from his bag and handing it over. Su Qing's father accepted it and opened it, revealing Su Qing's name, commending his bravery, complete with an official stamp at the bottom.
The black and white text couldn't lie.
"Honey, it really is our son's name," Zhou Hui said in surprise.
Su Qing's father, having seen it all, was happy but kept his composure.
"It's like this, sir and ma'am. Yesterday, your son helped capture a fugitive that the bureau treats with great importance because of the severe nature of their crimes. There are still some formalities to handle, so we've simplified everything to protect your son's privacy."
"Also, the bureau has awarded them each a bonus of twenty thousand, though it will take a few days due to procedural requirements," Zhao Minghui said with a smile.
Upon hearing there was a bonus, Zhou Hui, Su He, and Su Qing—all eyes lit up. Among the family of four, three of whom were money-hungry, the source was undoubtedly Zhou Hui, a trait inherited by the siblings.
"No problem, no problem, this is already excellent," Su Qing's father quickly said with a smile.
Zhao Minghui: "Before coming here, Xiao Li told us about your family's situation. Now it seems, Su Qing having such high awareness is directly related to your upbringing."
No wonder he's a leader, he's got a way with words.
"Hahaha, not at all, the kid takes after me. Besides, isn't it our duty as good citizens!" Zhou Hui interjected, proudly taking the spotlight. Su Qing, having grown up, never saw her so proud before.
Although it was low-key and no big deal was made of it, with her capabilities, she would surely ensure the news spread throughout the neighborhood by tomorrow, gaining her much respect wherever she went.
"Mom, enough, stop!" Su Qing said, covering his face, feeling socially dead.
"What, are you saying you don't take after me?"
At this, Zhao Minghui stood up to take his leave, "Alright, now that everything's taken care of, Xiao Li and I will head off."
"No, stay for lunch."
"No, no, sir, Zhao Ming and I have work at the station, we won't disturb you. Just have Su Qing see us out!"
After a few rounds of polite refusals, it all ended well. When Su Qing returned after seeing them out, he found the three family members and a dog instantly surrounding him.
"Good job, kid. You really made me proud of the Su family!" His father said, patting his shoulder with a smile.
Zhou Hui: "Come here, son, tonight I'll cook and make a special treat for you!"
Su He: "Brother~~ only now do I realize how awesome you are, truly handsome indeed."
Big Yellow: "Woof woof woof"
Su Qing: ...
Something felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
[Your overly ambitious dad, rebellious mom, and affected sister have now set their sights on your yet-to-come twenty-thousand bonus, even the self-righteous Big Yellow seems to be cutting off your escape routes—proceed with caution]
"Son, once the bonus comes in, hand it over to dad, and I'll share some with you once it's invested."
"Exactly, you don't have a girlfriend. There's no point in holding so much money. Let mom take care of it for you!"
"Brother~~ I'm about to graduate, didn't you prepare any gift for your sister?"
Su Qing: ...
"Mom, dad, this money hasn't even showed up yet. Isn't it too early for this?"
Hearing this, Zhou Hui glared, "I'm just telling you in advance, so you don't waste it!"
"But mom, even for close family, accounts should be clear. I earned this money at the risk of my life!"
"Are you giving it or not? If not, stop calling me mom!"
Su Qing: "Sure thing, Aunt!"
Zhou Hui: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
...