Hong Kong Detective [90s] 121

The emotional venting session in the kitchen finally came to an end, and Yi Jiadong washed his face, then walked out laughing heartily.

Although his swollen eyes revealed that he had just had a crying session, as long as he didn’t look in the mirror, he was still the cheerful and free-spirited pillar of the family!

Dish after dish of lavish food was served to the table, and Liu Jiaming rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Seeing the timing was right, Jiayi took out a large box that she had prepared earlier and had been secretly hiding in Liu Jiaming’s backpack.

Holding the wrapped box high, Jiayi walked behind the sofa and tapped on the round head of Jiajun, who was sitting there.

“What is it, big sister?” Jiajun kicked his legs and looked up curiously.

“Open it and see.” Jiayi handed him the box with a smile, “With last month’s salary, I prepared gifts for you all.”

“Hurry up and open it.” Jiaru leaned over the back of the sofa, stretching her hand to help her brother unwrap the package.

“Ah, we want gifts too.” Liu Jiaming exclaimed enviously.

“Why don’t you become my little brother too?” Jiayi teased, tilting her head.

“Sure, Sister Eleven.” Mimicking Jiaru, Liu Jiaming also leaned over the back of the sofa.

“Can you act a bit more dignified?” Sanfu kicked Liu Jiaming in the butt.

“Hey!” A protest.

“Hahaha…” Everyone was having a great time watching the commotion.

Jiajun finally unwrapped the package, and when he saw the Nintendo Entertainment System placed on his lap, he froze completely, as if he had been hit with a freeze spell by Monkey King.

“How about it? Do you like it?” Jiayi leaned over to see her brother’s reaction, but saw the young boy’s emotional control gradually collapse, and he burst into tears.

Embarrassed, he buried his face in the console, hugging it tightly, sobbing as if heartbroken.

“It seems he likes it too much.” Seeing his brother crying miserably, Yi Jiadong couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

In just a short while, three members of the Yi family had cried.

Jiaru scratched her head, contemplating whether she should also cry along with the atmosphere, given that she was already 16 and it would be embarrassing for a young lady to cry.

So, the strong Jiaru took on the responsibility of the second sister, sat next to Jiajun, and began to comfort him by patting his shoulder. Sure enough, she quickly soothed the boy, and the siblings connected the console and started a game battle.

Leaning on the back of the sofa, Jiayi watched the two happily playing, feeling relaxed and content.

Turning her head, she saw Ding Baoshu helping to set the chopsticks. Recently, he seemed to have gained some weight too. It’s hard not to put on weight with the food at Yi Ji, which is both delicious and filling.

Moreover, she frequently paid out of pocket to provide him and Sun Xin with extra meals, like a chicken leg one day or a milk tea the next… Jiayi was genuinely taking good care of these two ‘guests.’

A sense of accomplishment rose in her heart, perhaps similar to the sense of achievement her elder brother felt when he looked after the three siblings.

The feeling of happiness, oh, the feeling of happiness…

Such a complex emotion. Despite having gained nothing, and on the contrary, constantly spending money, one can still feel happy.

Fang Zhenyue sat by the table, glancing around the room, his gaze finally resting on the back of Jiayi’s head, topped with her fluffy short hair.

In such a short time, the once green, freshly graduated girl had grown into a strong detective, even branching out, starting to provide shelter and protection for others.

He touched his chest, also feeling a warm sense of happiness.

A sense of achievement, who doesn’t have it?

Liu Jiaming waited quite a while before all the dishes were served.

Yi Jiadong called everyone to start the meal. With nearly 20 people, there wasn’t enough space for chairs, but luckily, Yi Jiadong was prepared. A row of small plastic stools was set up, instantly creating the atmosphere of a bustling food stall.

Liu Jiaming, who was usually the most eager to eat meat and drink soup, surprisingly did not rush to the table immediately.

Jiaru, dragging her brother away from his game, sat down and couldn’t help but turn around and say, “Everyone, please sit down.”

As soon as her words fell, the lights inside the room suddenly went out, and Jiaru let out a startled cry.

In the next instant, candlelight lit up at the kitchen doorway, and Jiayi walked into the living room carrying a cake. All the detectives, usually trying to act cool and tough, dropped their facades and heartily sang the birthday song.

Although everyone was off-key in their own way, singing together with excitement and joy, they managed to create a chorus-like beauty.

Jiaru, in disbelief, widened her eyes and silently counted the numbers on the cake, 16, her age.

She suddenly remembered, it seemed to be her birthday! She had been so busy moving and happy that she had completely forgotten.

Jiayi placed the cake on the table, and as everyone finished the birthday song, Yi Jiadong led the chorus, shouting, “Happy birthday, Jiaru.”

Gifts were passed around from every side, a surprise that had been well-prepared in advance.

Although the temporarily gathered Team A detectives hadn’t prepared in advance, they still offered their blessings.

The young girl was suddenly cherished by many.

Jiaru, who had just told herself she was now an adult and that crying would be embarrassing, finally couldn’t hold back her tears.

She couldn’t help it; she was too tearful, Jiaru couldn’t resist.

Clutching a handful of gifts, Jiaru stuttered as she placed the items on the sofa, then returned to make a wish and blow out the candles.

The lights were turned back on, and Liu Jiaming cheered as he took his seat, thrilled that he could finally feast to his heart’s content.

“Let’s eat!” Jiayi clapped her hands together and announced loudly.

Next came a symphony of joyful noises—chopsticks clinking, soup slurping, meat chewing, and loud exclamations of how delicious everything was…

After the meal, there was cake to enjoy, with every kind of nutrient packed into it, providing a burst of energy.

After a busy day, sitting around the table and eagerly diving into a feast was truly delightful.

This must be what pure enjoyment of life is like. Could the heroes in TV dramas possibly feel any more thrilled or content?

Certainly not!

Uncle Jiu felt so pleased that he even let out a hearty laugh after the meal to express his satisfaction.

Jiayi was startled by his sudden laughter, but after recovering, she couldn’t help but join in with a big laugh.

Full of food and happiness, it was time to part ways.

Fang Zhenyue clapped his hands, indicating to Jiayi that there was still a pile of things at home that needed unpacking and organizing. Everyone was tired today, so it might be best for everyone to head home and rest.

Everyone agreed immediately, and they all stood up to say their goodbyes.

Just as everyone was helping to clear the tableware to the kitchen, a series of “beeps” suddenly sounded throughout the room.

Fang Zhenyue quickly unclipped his BB-call from his belt, Uncle Jiu took off the pager clipped to his pocket, and Jiayi picked up her own from the little table by the door… Team B’s agents all looked down at their pagers and said in unison:

“A male corpse was found sitting on the second floor of a double-decker bus terminal when the driver finished his shift.”

“Hey! Let’s go check it out together, team A,” You Zhaohua quickly put on his coat.

“Big brother, I might have to work late tonight, you guys go to bed early,” Jiayi said, and then pulled out a set of keys from her pocket, tossing them to Jiaru: “Here’s the key to our bedroom, go see the surprise later.”

With that, Jiayi pushed open the door and followed the group of agents, swiftly leaving.

“Thanks for the hospitality!” Fang Zhenyue didn’t forget to be polite even as he left.

“It’s us who should be thanking everyone,” Yi Jiadong quickly waved his hand.

Sun Xin and Ding Baoshu also took the opportunity to say goodbye and leave with the group.

The Yi siblings stood at the door, bidding farewell to the tall, solemn-faced agents as they squeezed into the ‘justice-overloaded’ elevator, which dinged and descended.

The world suddenly became peaceful. Yi Jiadong patted his younger siblings on the head, turned around, and closed the door with a bang.

…

After the older sister left with ‘her boyfriends,’ Jiaru couldn’t wait to run to the bedroom she shared with her sister. She inserted the key, turned it, pushed open the door, and turned on the light—all in one fluid motion.

The next moment, she was stunned.

A pink warmth enveloped her, wrapping Jiaru completely.

She stepped into the room, as if stepping into a pink dream.

On the desk, there was a piece of pink stationery, filled with her sister’s distinctive handwriting.

Jiaru picked up the paper, sat on a small pink stool, and began to read slowly:

【Jiaru has turned 16 this year. Ever since she could remember, she has shared a room with her elder sister, wearing her hand-me-down clothes, following her sister’s rules about when to sleep, and taking turns using the desk. According to her sister’s arrangement, they divided the wardrobe; her sister used the left side, and Jiaru used the right.

She was not allowed to disturb her sister, so Jiaru never stayed up late, and even turning over in bed had to be done carefully.

Despite being a cheerful and thoughtful young girl, she never expressed her own ideas about how to use their shared room.

I don’t know if my sister has grown accustomed to this or if she truly never had any complaints.

Perhaps she did feel dissatisfied or aggrieved at times, but Jiaru never let her sister know about these feelings, and we have continued to live together for so many years like this.

Three weeks ago, Jiaru’s pillowcase changed. It went from a light blue, worn-out old pillowcase to a brand-new pink one with lace trim, which was very cute.

The big sister who used to happily make milk tea for her older brother and bustled about cheerfully, had secretly harbored her girlish dreams.

I guess she bought it with the pocket money I gave her after payday. Quietly and frugally, she bought just one pillowcase, resting her head on it as she drifted into a pink, girlish dream.

Even though we moved to a new house, we still couldn’t provide Jiaru with a room of her own.

Even though the whole house was renovated and made more spacious, and we even got a dedicated study room, and temporary small desks were placed in the bedroom… the sisters still had to sleep in bunk beds.

But there are surprises to be prepared, with all the love that everyone could offer, hoping you like it.

It’s late, but in her adolescence, she can finally have a room full of pink dreams.

Pink curtains, pink bedding, a pink desk, light pink walls, a white lace-trimmed mosquito net, and a pair of fluffy pink slippers… We hope the grown-up young lady, Yi Jiaru, will happily accept.

For your 16^th birthday, we give you this room of girlish dreams.

We hope that in this not-so-wealthy home, you can still grow up healthy and happy like a little princess.

With love from your elder sister, big brother, Jiajun, and those who helped with the renovations: Sanfu, Jiaming, Gary, Sister Yin who helped choose the mosquito net, Uncle Jiu who helped hang it, Brother Yue who sponsored the pink desk, Brother You Zhaohua and Tony who helped move the furniture…】

By the time she finished reading this letter, the big girl, Jiaru, was already in tears.

The person who promised not to cry, cried twice today.