REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 26: Resign to Bird Hunt
Duan Feng’s surgery went smoothly and was successful as expected. The young police officer returned with feelings in his legs. The wound will heal completely by next week and he will start physical rehabilitation. As for the burn scars on his face, the doctor said his skin is recovering nicely and a minor cosmetic surgery should help his face return to normal.
Upon hearing that Duan Feng needed surgery, they looked for young faces that were the dreams of women. They even asked Lu Yipeng to visit regularly and print out catalogs to choose from. After listening, Lu Yipeng had to sigh softly.
“Captain Duan Feng, your original face is already good enough. You don’t need to imitate anyone else’s face.”
Duan Feng responded without hesitation, “No, I think my original face is not outstanding enough. How about a little enhancement, inspector? I think it’s good enough.”
Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes. Before the little bird in the cage could chirp,
“Not handsome, not handsome.”
“Oh… Paechik, why speak like that?” Duan Feng turned to deal with the bird.
After the surgery and the burn scars healed well, Lu Yipeng brought
Paechikchik to visit Duan Feng every day, until the two began to get along well.
“You said… not handsome. Is it me or Inspector-Lu or not?”
“I won’t say. I won’t say.” The little bird said, Duan Feng sneered, “Compare and see, in fact, will you say Inspector is not handsome?!!”
“Compare and see.” Paechikchik continued as Lu Yipeng chuckled. Since he brought Paechikchik to visit Duan Feng, he seemed to be more cheerful. At first, everyone was worried that he might be depressed due to the leg issue that may not allow him to walk normally again and his facial disfigurement. But Duan Feng had a surprisingly strong spirit. He was depressed for several days, but then he accepted what had happened and tried to comfort himself. Lu Yipeng truly admired this man.
After arguing with the bird for a while, Duan Feng turned back to talk to the young police officer, “Inspector, cockatoo’s fur is growing back now. At first, one would think it was a different one from that day.”
“Um… It seems like it’s shedding its fur because it didn’t find its owner.” Lu Yipeng replied. Duan Feng nodded and spoke up, “But it’s okay, now that there’s you, it probably won’t shed its fur anymore.”
Lu Yipeng smiled before continuing, “Captain Duan. If you want to have any surgery, go ahead and indulge, but I prefer your original face much more.”
“Oh… If you were a woman, I would think you are confessing your love to me for sure.” Duan Feng spoke and chuckled as soon as he saw Lu Yipeng’s face, “Inspector, don’t make a face like you’ve seen a ghost. I don’t really want to be your wife, inspector. I see that the nurse in the physical therapy room is beautiful to look at… I might have to spend time in physical therapy. Not sure, inspector. I might have to get a wife before I can walk.”
“Get a wife first, get a wife first.” Paechikchik interjected. Duan Feng turned to talk to it again, “Yes, get a wife first, then marry.”
“No marriage. No marriage.” The little bird protested, hopping and dancing in its cage. Lu Yipeng looked at the man and the bird arguing with each other again.
After arguing with the bird, Duan Feng chuckled and made Lu Yipeng chuckle too. When it was time to inject the anti-inflammatory medicine, the young police officer asked to be excused.
“Inspector, you’ve started working today, right?” Duan Feng asked as Lu Yipeng prepared to leave the room. The person being asked nodded and Duan Feng was quiet for a while.
“Inspector… if in three months I still can’t walk properly, you’ll need a new assistant inspector. Don’t forget to ask if they’re used to riding roller coasters. They won’t be surprised when driving with the inspector.”
Lu Yipeng chuckled, “I don’t have a new partner anymore.”
“?!”
“I’m going to work now. Get well soon, Captain.”
…
Lu Yipeng returned to work on the first day. He heard rumors circulating about him and Hong Kongque, but the young police officer paid no attention and continued to work diligently as usual. Several newspapers contacted him for private interviews regarding the boat explosion case, and the secret relationship he had with Hong Kongque. Lu Yipeng denied everything in every interview, but they continued to stir up trouble with him every day.
Sometimes Lu Yipeng thought to himself, if Hong Kongque were still around, would these people dare to follow him and interview him like this?
But now Hong Kongque was no longer around…
A month passed, and Paechikchik’s feathers began to grow back anew, dense and white, reminiscent of his former self. Meanwhile, Duan Feng seemed happy with his physical therapy sessions, pursuing the nurse that caught his eye.
The investigations into the Hong family massacre case, the car bombings case, and the boat explosion case were all closed with the explanation that all the suspects had died and disappeared. The case files were stored in a room for future studies. Photographs taken over thirty years ago of Hong Kongque were quietly stored away once again.
Upon reflection, it really was absurd. He had lived closely with Hong Kongque, yet there was not a single photograph of that man anywhere.
Only the photos taken over thirty years ago, which were in the case files, remained…
The childhood photos of Hong Kongque were ordered to be destroyed by his older brother. Hong Kongque, who had separated himself, lived a mysterious life, with only those photos hanging or displayed as adornments in secret rooms where mafia members or respected individuals liked to hang or display. No public photos of him existed. Only three Chinese characters were displayed as decorations.
红孔雀 (Hong Kongque=Red Peacock)
Sometimes, when bathing, Lu Yipeng could not help but reread the three words written on his inner thigh…
Hong Kongque left only his name behind, a story that would be passed down for eternity…
…
Today, after work, Lu Yipeng stopped by to visit Duan Feng, had dinner with him, then returned to his resting place. Upon arrival, he placed Paechikchik’s cage that he had taken to work regularly outside. The little bird seemed to be popular within his department. Although many wondered if it was Hong
Kongque’s bird, Lu Yipeng neither confirmed nor denied. He never spoke about Hong Kongque unless necessary. Not in the past, nor now.
Paechikchik flew out of the cage and landed on the shoulder of the hill. He shook his head as he liked to do regularly, and then ran his hand through his hair. Lu Yipeng was playing with a bird for a while before walking over to the writing desk. On the desk, besides the books on forensic medicine, law, and criminology, there were several framed photographs. Whether it was a picture of his father holding him in a detective costume, a picture of himself as a child wearing a hat standing tall like a chief inspector, a picture with classmates at the police academy, or even a picture in a full black suit on the day of induction, or in a blue uniform of the police officer model, they were all captured and kept.
This was the profession he dreamed of. These were the dreams he had chased and fulfilled to the fullest.
Lu Yipeng looked at those photographs. Then tears began to flow down his cheeks.
The air was still cold as it should be. Even though he was inside the house, Lu Yipeng tightly wrapped himself in a winter jacket. Tears kept flowing until there was nothing left to shed.
He waited until the tears dried up. The young detective picked up a piece of white paper. He then wrote something down.
The sky outside was dark and peaceful. The cold air continued to descend. Paechikchik flew out of the slightly open cage to perch near the dimly lit writing desk. To absorb the warmth from the light bulb. He observed the person writing on the paper.
Lu Yipeng wrote the letters on the paper carefully. When he finished writing, he folded it in half. He folded it again. Then he picked up a white envelope and inserted the folded paper inside. He placed it on the table.
By the time Lu Yipeng finished writing the letter, it was quite late. The young detective got up from the table, leaving the dimly lit writing desk open like that, because he saw the white bird sleeping peacefully. The gesture was warm and fitting.
Lu Yipeng got up from the writing desk and walked towards the wardrobe. He opened it and reached for a shirt. Then he began to change his clothes.
It was close to midnight, and the whole house was quiet and cold. Lu Yipeng stood in front of the mirror, bathed in the light from the lamp left on at the writing desk. He looked at himself in the full black detective suit, with the insignia of the department decorated on the left chest.
This was the outfit he had always dreamed of wearing, and he used to wear it with full pride…
In this uniform, almost everything about him is infused with his dreams and determination. He loves being a police officer more than anything else. After receiving this uniform, Lu Yipeng was determined to wear it with pride at every official event he was assigned to by the police department.
He has never taken off this uniform in front of anyone, not even once. Not even when ordered by a superior.
But he took it off in front of one person…
Lu Yipeng slowly took off his hat. Then he removed the black necktie. He slowly took off the full dress uniform once again.
Not because of any orders, or any coercion.
He took it off, because of the voice of his own heart.
…
“Oh, inspector, you’re here early this morning.” Duan Feng greeted the person who walked in with an enthusiastic tone, “Inspector, you have come at the perfect moment, will you be the one judging me, sir?”
Lu Yipeng smiled, “Hmm. I want to see if your face is still as handsome as before.”
Duan Feng chuckled, “Of course, be careful, inspector, you might fall in love with me. Oh… I said, oops.”
Lu Yipeng also chuckled. After a while, a doctor walked in with nurses and medical tools. Then the bandage on Duan Feng’s face was removed, revealing the stitched wounds. The stitches were removed one by one, and once it was done, the doctor handed him a mirror to look at his own face.
“Oh, thank you, doctor, it feels like I never had anything done on my face before.”
The doctor smiled at him, exchanged a few words, then left the room. Duan
Feng turned to look at Lu Yipeng, “Inspector, do you have anything to say?”
“Well… I’m glad your face is back to normal.” Lu Yipeng said, with a hint of disappointment in Duan Feng’s expression, “Hmm. I might consider having the doctor enhance it a bit, or else inspector you might think I’ve become more handsome.”
“Normally, you’re already handsome.” Lu Yipeng said with a smile. Duan
Feng looked at him again, then asked, “Didn’t you bring your assistant today?”
“Oh.. no. I left it at home before, because I might have to drive a long way later.”
“?!” Duan Feng looked at him with an immediate look of surprise, “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet.” Lu Yipeng replied straight, before smiling at Duan Feng again, “More than likely, there will be a new inspector to replace me. There is a need to impose rules on someone who’s not afraid of trains.”
“Inspector, what do you mean?!” Duan Feng asked in a shocked tone. Lu Yipeng looked at him again, “Actually, I just made the decision last night.
Seeing that you’re the one I’m closest to, I came to tell you first.”
“Inspector!” Duan Feng called his name again, and tried to sit up from the bed, “What’s happening, why all of a sudden. Why would you…”
Lu Yipeng walked over to hold him down, “I’m sorry, sir, for possibly disappointing you, but I’ve made my decision.”
Duan Feng looked at him, puzzled, “Why, inspector? Where are you going?” Lu Yipeng smiled faintly on his face, “I’m going looking for a bird.”
…
The resignation letter in a white envelope was placed on Chen Qian’s desk.
Before he noticed it, the young police inspector had already driven out of town, leaving his accommodation with his full uniform hanging in front of the wardrobe.
Upon seeing the resignation letter from Lu Yipeng, Chen Qian had two more letters in his hand. The first one was a salary increase notification, with Lu
Yipeng’s name at the top. As for the other letter, it was a report from the
Forensic and Evidence Investigation Department regarding the corpse found on that day.
The report in the letter summarized that the clothing and belt worn by the corpse were abnormal, as if they had been put on by someone else after death.
As soon as he saw the resignation letter from Lu Yipeng, Chen Qian immediately placed this report in the deepest part of the desk drawer before letting out a sigh.
Lu Yipeng drove along the narrow road in a car that had a history of frequent visits to the garage. Inside the car, apart from a small bag containing a few items of clothing and a tent for overnight stays, there was a bird in a cage placed on the front seat. Seat belts were fastened securely, and in the back there was a container holding pots and pans that were just taken off the stove, neatly packed alongside the travel bag and a thick sleeping bag, to prevent them from falling over.
Lu Yipeng left his dreams at his old house, leaving behind everything he had managed to gather, heading towards a place he was not quite sure of but only the young police officer knew that he had to go there.
After working for five years, Lu Yipeng had saved up enough money. Planning to travel for a period of time, he might as well start his journey that could last for years.
He was willing to leave everything behind. In search of a red peafowl that had flown away with his heart.
The young police officer drove south, towards the place where he thought the bird would be.
Hoping the red-peafowl bird would still be waiting for him.
…
The morning air was fresh and cool, with birds of all sizes singing harmoniously. Birds flew out of cages, carrying out their usual rituals to welcome a new day, just like every day that had passed.
On the wide courtyard in front of the mansion-like house built on a high cliff, a man lay stretched out on a long bamboo chair. He wore a silk shirt, layered with another animal fur shirt in white. The man’s skin was pale like snow, the gentle sunlight fell softly on his face, his eyes closed peacefully, the sighing wind in a constant rhythm, as if he was enjoying the surrounding nature in a peaceful manner.
A clean white cockatoo flew in gracefully, catching the immediate attention of the man with closed eyes. The bird landed on his shoulder, before nuzzling his head affectionately.
“Kongque, Kongque.”
A gentle smile appeared on the man’s face. In the shadows of the morning sunlight, a tall figure walked in with a smile.
-End-
–
**Everyone sees the word “End” above, would want to smash the screen and definitely want to pull my head out to drain my blood for sure!!!
In truth, the story continues, but unfortunately this promotion does not include any desserts (only big-sized instant noodles!!! << get slapped )
Furthermore, the dessert section reserves the right to remain your dessert in your mind…
But… From the comments (almost every comment), everyone seems eager for dessert… So, to keep the peace, I will share some of the dessert content that will be in the collection for you to read and enjoy before that.
-To be continued in the special-
Lu Yipeng drove with his companion, a bird named Paechikchik, in the car with a venus flytrap swaying due to the shaking of the car in support of the driver.
They were headed to a place where he had only been once before, and the winding road was full of bumps and jolts from the car. It was a place where the police did not inspect, a place located far out in the wide sea.
An island full of a flock of birds that Hong Kongque had once taken him to, where he was forced to feed those birds for several days.
Looking back, it wasn’t a beautiful and happy memory at all, yet why… Why did the image of a large flock of birds that flew majestically appear in the back of his mind?
The fact that he had abandoned his dreams, resigned from his job to search for that crazy bird. Anyone who knows would say that he was truly crazy, and Lu Yipeng started to think that he must really be crazy.
But to say he was sorry again, there is no way he would be sorry.
The young police officer drove the car down, stopping to play with the bird to help it cope with the stress of long-distance driving. At first, Paechikchik seemed to be car sick, but after half a day passed, the original bird began to mimic the song playing from the CD, so Lu Yipeng ended up listening to both the bird and the radio singing along.
And then, the bird seemed to get along quite well with its owner after all.
If he had not seen that corpse with his own eyes, Lu Yipeng would never have known for sure that the crazy peacock still had a life. No one would have suspected that someone dead had the time to change his own pants for a corpse, right?
He did not want to believe that this was all planned in advance. Was Hong Kongque just testing his courage like that?
Lu Yipeng could not answer- they said that testing it all seemed like a waste of time and resources. Once he understood that his red peafowl might still be alive somewhere, his heart palpitated. He wanted to go ask the crazy peacock himself, to find out how all of this even happened.
The problem was that the crazy peacock would probably not come out to meet him.
He invested in burning his own secret mansion and ordered his accomplice to leave, and even left the cockatoo he loved like his own child with him like this…
Indeed, truly so!!
Lu Yipeng could not explain what he was feeling towards Hong Kongque. Perhaps a little bit of resentment, a little bit of anger, but what words did he want to say to that swan before this? He still wanted to say…
But before he could say anything he wanted to bite the neck of that peacock at least once. The cause of his restless heart is like this…
Regardless of whether this was all just a planned test or not… in the end, Hong Kongque released him from the model, pulling him out of the old dream successfully.
In this matter, Lu Yipeng lost for real
The plan that Hong Kongque orchestrated to deal with him, played around with him. It made his heart jump out without realizing it, and then repeated it, making him retreat without getting up…
If you think the strategy of Sun Tzu’s martial arts is complex and mysterious, then the love strategy of Hong Kongque is even more intricate and hidden. With a new military genius like Lu Yipeng, will he be able to defeat it?
All in all, losing to such a great intelligent general, no one can match him
Lu Yipeng stopped and spent the night at a gas station, parked his car and rested for the night. In the morning, he drove to the port, a vague memory that belonged to him.
The young man arrived at the pier around 9 in the morning, but he had to spend some time negotiating with the boatmen before they would agree to find a large boat and a paddle strong enough to lift his car onto the boat. However, the most difficult part was finding a boat driver who would take him to the mysterious island.
Just like in old movies, to pass his examination at the Shaolin Temple, he must first pass through the Eighteen Golden Human Checkpoints. Lu Yipeng wanted to sail to find the rare bird on the island, but he had to first pass through the fifteen notorious boat captains, as luck would have it that the bird he was looking for happened to be an incredibly rare species called the “once-in-alifetime” bird, thought to have disappeared for who knows how many years and probably would not appear again, because one specimen was enough to satisfy his hunger.
Lu Yipeng had no choice but to exchange fists with the fifteen boat captains. There was Paechikchik jumping and dancing in the cage, making croaking sounds, sometimes speaking alternately. It was unclear whether it was cheering or teasing him. For example…
“Fight, Fight.”
“No pass. No pass.”
“Definitely dying, definitely dying.”
Lu Yipeng covered his ears and eyes, thirty times he had to escape from those captains’ punches and kicks. He thought that he had gotten closer to the rare bird because it was with him for a while. Never had he heard such ridiculous and senseless speech. The bird must have a special radar and caught signs of his old boss. Surely such gibberish was not meant to be spoken.
Before Lu Yipeng could knock down all fifteen boatmen, the clock was almost showing noon. Both humans and birds were hungry and tired at the pier which was once used as a revolving stage. Less than fifteen minutes. That was the time where that fighting arena changed to become a place where sixteen people and one bird were sitting down to have lunch together.
Because they were chit-chatting during lunch, Lu Yipeng learned that all of them were people who had once been helped by Hong Kongque. Each person showed scars with the words Hong Kongque written on their legs. Some had scars, some had tattoos on their arms, some on their chests. Some even had scars on their necks and backs, but none of them seemed to be in a horrifying place.
When it was time to show his scars, Lu Yipeng felt the most uncomfortable, as he had to remove his pants in front of so many people staring at him. Even if he had a thick face like a brick wall, he couldn’t handle it. So Lu Yipeng had to go to the bathroom and come back with a piece of wiping cloth saving his lower nakedness. Then he slowly opened the softness of his inner thigh for everyone to see, trying to cover that part as closely as possible.
People react differently when they look at the scar. Some widen their eyes while others furrow their brows, but the most interesting thing is not the people but rather the different reaction of that crazy cockatoo.
“Sexy. Sexy.”
Lu Yipeng thought that he really wanted to break the cockatoo’s neck and grill it for real. The thought of cruelty towards him was like a thorn in his side. As he approached the old master, he began to speak uncontrollably, both out of anger and frustration.
Fifteen pairs of eyes looked at the scar on his leg and then applauded, saying that this was the place where they wanted to adorn their Red Peafowl scar the most. This was a crucial place that Hong Kongque would not easily let people scar those three words. So the person who was allowed to have a Red Peafowl scar there. This meant that he was truly special.
Lu Yipeng hesitated, unable to help but asked if there was another person with a scar on the thigh. All shook their heads, then said that a person with a scar like that. Mostly either died or disappeared completely.
Instead of being shocked or afraid, the young man kept asking again and again. Upon receiving confirmation that those with scars like that. Either died or disappeared, Lu Yipeng finally felt a little relieved. When he arrived on the island and encountered Hong Kongque with another person, he then …
Examining the scar again, Lu Yipeng changed into pants. That cockatoo talked nonsense again, trying to make a good impression. Then he asked about the scheduled departure of the boat. It appeared that they were going to that island, but they still had to wait for the high tide of the day, which only occurred in the early morning and late evening. The problem was the morning tide when the water rose. Lu Yipeng wasted time fighting and eating, so he had to sleep there and wait for the late tide to leave by boat.
Why is it so difficult to find a crazy peacock like this?
Lu Yipeng thought about how to deal with that crazy peacock. If he found it, he would cook it in a spicy soup, shred it and gnaw at it. But he also knew full well that thinking was one thing, it would be another thing to find such a rare bird. If he found it, he shouldn’t hope that he could do anything. Not being treated badly or harmed is not enough to make the common people respect and appreciate, so it is considered a good deed if the crazy peacock will let him live alongside him. Instead of thinking of ways to cook the bird in a spicy soup, which would likely never happen, it would be better to plan and deal with the bird in case it suddenly decided to play tricks and escape.
After thinking for a while, the ship’s captain came in to talk to him again. Lu
Yipeng realized that each of them respected Hong Kongque as a father, a brother, a few as an uncle, or an elder. Hong Kongque had helped these people in times of crisis, and they all repaid him by coming to work as boatmen and guarding the entrance and exit of that island.
Listening, one would think of the influential figures in movies who were not wrong, but Lu Yipeng encountered something different, not a movie, but a reality situation.
Conversation goes on until late at night, the captain finally signals that it’s time to leave the boat. That’s when Lu Yipeng had to board the boat.
…
– The End –
…
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