Qinghe City Construction Bureau has another incident.

  These days, its normal for things to happen, and units that have incidents arent unusual; whats news is a department that doesnt have any incidents.

  But Qinghe City Construction Bureau has a lot of things, and every case is astonishing, shocking the whole city. Since the construction bureau moved into the new 12-story office building half a year ago, it has not stopped.

  The first weekend after the Spring Festival this year, the Construction Bureau held a plaque-unveiling ceremony for its new office building. Many city leaders attended, and even the Provincial Department of Construction sent a deputy director. The atmosphere was lively, but no one expected that amidst the firecracker sounds, the newly hung aluminum plaque suddenly fell from the 3.6-meter-high stone archway and landed squarely on two elderly cadres... As the ambulance sirens wailed, the mayors face turned deathly pale with rage, and he led the crowd in storming off.

  Less than a month later, a female cleaner fell from the window of the ninth floor directors office while cleaning the glass and landed in front of the construction bureau gate, becoming a meat pie on the spot...

  In late April, the Construction Bureau held a May Day celebration and Labor Model Commendation Conference in the second-floor cafeteria. After the meeting, there was a self-service dinner, but its unclear which dish caused "trouble". More than 70 of the over 200 attendees, including leaders family members, were hospitalized with food poisoning. The bureaus soon-to-be-retired chief planner ended up retiring completely in his hospital bed.

  Right after the Labour Day, people from the Municipal Discipline Committee suddenly arrived and took away seven out of nine people in the administrative approval office. After being tossed around for nearly a month, only two people returned, while the other five, from the director to the clerks, were sent to a labour camp in Binhai County with corruption charges...

  Good things come to an end, the new office building of the Construction Bureau must have "violated" Feng Shui.

  Those things, Xiang Tianliang had only heard of them before. He reported for duty in early June and was assigned to the office of the bureau. He has been doing odd jobs ever since. Whats the use of being a university graduate? You still have to start by pouring water, sweeping the floor, and distributing newspapers.

  Few words, many deeds, this is one of the mottoes he learned from books.

  When something happened in the bureau this time, Xiang Tianliang was not in the bureau again. The Construction Bureau has a poverty alleviation point called Dayang Village in the mountainous area of Nanhe County. Xiang Tianliang was temporarily assigned to go to the village for poverty alleviation. When he received Director Yus phone call, he had been in Dayang Village for more than 20 days.

  Yu Fu Bureau didnt say anything, just said that something had happened and told Xiang Tianliang to return immediately.

  Xiang Tianliang answered the phone, and his heart couldnt help but feel a little happy. Being stuck in this mountainous area, guarding a broken phone, not even able to watch TV, was almost suffocating him. Director Yus call gave him an excuse to "slip away".

  In the Construction Bureau, Xiang Tianliang didnt know many people yet, but his relationship with Yu Fubureau was not shallow. Both were from Binhaicounty, and when Xiang Tianliang was in junior high school, Yu Fubureau was still a teacher who had taught him history for two semesters.

  Three months ago, when the police officer Yu Tianliang, a university graduate, was rejected by the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Director Yu Fu knew about it and proactively arranged for him to be transferred to the Construction Bureau. As poverty alleviation work fell within Director Yus purview, he naturally trusted Yu Tianliang to take charge of it.

  In the Construction Bureau, Xiang Tianliang recognized a principle: other peoples words can be obeyed in appearance but disobeyed in reality, but for Director Fus instructions, they must be executed without any compromise.

  Its the season when chestnuts are ripe, and Dayang Village is a famous village for chestnuts. I asked Laozhi Shu for over ten catties of chestnuts, roasted them, let them cool down, put them in a cloth bag and stuffed it into my backpack. The next day, at dawn, I set off downhill from the village with quick steps.

  Set out at 7:00 in the morning and returned to the city at 2:00 in the afternoon. As soon as he got off the bus, he stood by the bus stop and carefully examined the Construction Bureau building across the street, imitating Director Yus mannerisms.

  Xiang Tianliang didnt know that every time Yu Fubureau went to work, he would first gaze at the towering office building.

  Looks very normal, doesnt seem like anythings wrong.

  The building was quiet, the elevator had no one else going up and down, even the usually busiest seventh floor office was also completely silent.

  Whats going on? Where have all these people gone?

  In the spacious office, only Old Liu was nestled in the corner, the veteran of the office Liu Zhengfeng, wearing old-fashioned glasses, buried his head in a pile of documents, and none of the other six colleagues were seen.

  "Old Liu, busy with that." Xiang Tianliang plopped himself down in the office chair in front of the desk opposite Liu Zhengfeng, which was originally his seat.

  Liu Zhengfeng was fifty-six years old, one year older than the director. In terms of age, except for a few old men in the Planning and Design Institute, he was the oldest. He was also from Binha County, a fellow villager of Xiang Tianliang. On the first day of working together, Liu Zhengfeng set a rule for Xiang Tianliang: in any situation or at any time, he must address him as "Old Liu".

  "Huh? How did you little scamp come back?" Liu Zhengfeng raised his head in curiosity.

  "Whats wrong, the construction bureau is my home, Ive been in Dayang Village for almost a month, cant I come back to breathe some air?"

  Toward Tian Liang said, grabbed a handful of corn from the bag, stretched out his long arm and put it in front of Liu Zhengfeng, "For you, roasted."

  Liu Zhengfengs face sank, "Less of the smiling and joking, be serious, Im asking you a question." As he spoke, he reached out to sweep the board game pieces on the table into the drawer.

  "Has something really happened?" Tian Liang asked in a low voice.

  Liu Zhengfeng nodded and said while looking at the office door: "The directors office has been stolen."

  "What?" Tian Liang was startled and didnt dare believe his ears.

  "Just yesterday at noon, when everyone was having lunch in the cafeteria, the directors office was robbed."

  Xiang Tianliang couldnt help but turn his head back, on the other side of the office was Director Zhangs single office, next to which was a one-meter-wide passageway that led directly to the directors office.

  "Unlikely, its still broad daylight, who has eaten leopard gall?"

  "Hmph, in this day and age, theres nothing that cant be done, only things you cant think of."

  Tian Liang nodded repeatedly, "Thats it... Ah, how is it now?"

  "This is it. Liu Zhengfeng pointed upwards with his hand, "Everyone is in the 8th floor conference room having a meeting, everyone has to pass, like theyre launching a campaign."

  "Oh." Tian Liang let out a sigh of relief, "Then it has nothing to do with me, right? By the way, Old Liu, everyone else is at the meeting, why are you still here by yourself?"

  Liu Zhengfeng smiled somewhat complacently, "Im lucky, yesterday I had a toothache and took the day off to go to the hospital, so theres evidence that I wasnt at the scene. Youve read four years of police academy, you understand."

  "Then, has anything been lost in the directors office?"

  "This question is stupid, doesnt sound like its from a police university graduate." Liu Zhengfeng liked to tease Xiang Tianliang about his profession.

  Xiang Tianliang gritted his teeth and said, "Old Liu, Im buying you a drink."

  "Is that settled?" Liu Zhengfengs eyes lit up, he was a notorious drunkard, not much of a capacity but a huge craving.

  "Come on, spit it out, dont be coy."

  Liu Zhengfeng glanced at the office door again, stretched out three fingers and shook them slightly, saying mysteriously:

  "The three treasures of the director were stolen."