A Day in the Life of a Patrol Officer

Bobok, a patrolman from the South City Branch Bureau of the Woodfort City Police Department, left home early in the morning.

After a night of heavy snowfall, the main street of Woodfort City was covered with a large amount of snow.

Because Bobok got up too early, it was still dark outside, and there were only a few pedestrians and workers clearing snow on the road.

The workers were wearing heavy winter coats, which were defective products purchased by the Urban Construction Department from garment factories. The workmanship might be a bit rough, but the effect of keeping warm was still quite good.

The orange cloth strips tied to their cotton-padded coats indicate that these people belong to the road cleaning team, which is jointly managed by the Civil Administration and urban construction departments.

Bobok walked quickly, partly because he didn't want to stay in the cold wind for too long, and partly because he really had something urgent to attend to.

The reason he left home so early today was because his South City Branch Bureau had a special operation and he had to go to the branch office to assemble in advance.

Just as Bobok was passing an intersection, he suddenly smelled a strong aroma of oil.

He turned his head and saw that a stall had already been set up at the end of the road not far away.

The stall owner was frying some fried dough cakes in a pot of oil. These were a local delicacy from the Two Rivers County — Yousubing. They originated from Duke Duke's private kitchen and later spread to other places. Because they were rich in oil and calories, they became very popular with the local residents.

These flatbreads come with various fillings, including vegetarian and meat fillings, and you can also add jam and sugar, making them a versatile and delicious snack.

Bobo smelled the aroma and figured the stall owner was frying meat-filled Yousubing.

Bobok smelled the aroma of meat emanating from the high temperature. He took a deep sniff, then turned and strode over. "Boss, what kind of filling?"

At first, the vendor didn't pay much attention, continuing to fry the Yousubing with his head down, "The meat fillings are made with fish and pork, and the vegetarian fillings are made with pumpkin and cabbage, but the vegetarian fillings will take a while."

But when the boss noticed Bobok's black leather boots and the black uniform peeking out from under his heavy cotton coat, he immediately realized that the man in front of him was a police officer.

He quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "Sir, the pork and fish fillings I made are made with top-quality pork neck meat and deboned white cod. The taste is first-rate, and they absolutely meet hygiene standards."

Bobok glanced at the already fried meat patties next to him, but didn't say anything; he just wanted to buy breakfast.

Although the patrol department in the Two Rivers County is subordinate to the police force, its work is not limited to public order management. It also includes municipal traffic management, market order management, and a variety of other miscellaneous tasks.

Therefore, it's understandable that the shop owner felt somewhat intimidated by him. After all, the police had previously conducted sanitation cleanup campaigns, and vendors who did not meet the standards would have their stalls suspended, or even be punished in serious cases.

Because the Two Rivers County developed too quickly, many management issues arose at the beginning, leading to numerous food poisoning incidents in the local markets.

To prevent such incidents from spreading and impacting the development of the entire Two Rivers County, Victor specifically enacted regulations regarding food hygiene and safety.

However, since the Two Rivers County does not yet have a proper public health department, the management of this area has been handed over to the Police Bureau, so it is handled by patrol officers.

This has led to a poor public perception of patrol officers, with many vendors and small business owners jokingly referring to them as "black-skinned dogs."

Most vendors, though they might mutter a few complaints and badmouth him behind his back, still feel fear when actually facing these guys, since these black-skinned thugs can decide their fate.

"Give me two, how much?"

The vendor quickly said, "Officer, you're out patrolling so early, how can I take your money?"

I happen to have some freshly fried fish and pork Yousubing here. Please try them; if you like them, you can come back for more.

After saying that, the vendor wrapped four large Yousubing in oil paper and handed them to Bobok.

Bobok took the Yousubing; it was still freshly fried, and even through the thick Yousubing paper, he could feel the heat emanating from it.

Bobok muttered something under his breath, which the stall owner didn't hear. Then Bobok casually tossed down two copper coins and turned to leave quickly.

The vendor was stunned for a moment when he saw the copper coins Bobok threw down, but after quickly counting them, he looked up at Bobok and shouted, "Sir, you've given me too much! These Yousubing are four Copper Piece each!"

Bobok simply tossed down two copper coins, making it exactly 20 Copper Piece, which was indeed a bit too much.

However, Bobok had already walked away quickly and ignored the boss.

Seeing this, the vendor had no choice but to accept the money and silently pray that the patrolman wouldn't cause him any more trouble later.

The shop owner began to hesitate, wondering whether to set up his stall this morning and immediately move to another location tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Bobok continued his journey to the police station with the Yousubing in his hand. When he felt the Yousubing cool down, he took one out and started eating it.

It smells delicious; the pancake is made with ghee, and the whole pancake is fried until crispy. The filling inside is also very well seasoned.

What he was eating was probably a pork patty. The pork contained a lot of onions, and the meat was juicy and fragrant with onion flavor. It filled his mouth with the aroma of pork and onions.

Judging from the texture and taste, the shop owner was right; it should be top-quality pork neck.

Bobok quickly devoured the Yousubing, feeling his previously empty stomach instantly warm up.

He quickly took out the remaining fried dough sticks and stuffed them into his mouth one by one, but by the time he ate the third one, Bobok already felt his stomach was a little bloated.

One Yousubing is about the size of a palm and almost two fingers thick; three are already quite a lot.

Bobok usually doesn't eat that much for breakfast, which shows how delicious this Yousubing is. Bobok thought he could buy some more when he passed by tomorrow morning, hoping the vendor would still be there then.

However, he couldn't finish the last piece of Yousubing, so Bobok had to keep holding it in his hand, and they were almost at the police station.

Bobok arrived at the police station entrance, pushed the door open, and saw that some of his colleagues had already arrived and the door was already open.

Sure enough, when Bobok entered the station, there were already a few officers like him waiting there.

As Bobok entered, someone immediately greeted him, "Good morning, Officer Bobok!"

Bobok returned the greetings one by one. He was a senior member of the bureau, no less senior than some of the deputy directors, and was qualified to do so.

At this moment, Bobok noticed one of them and walked over. "Boyang, good morning. What brings you, an Auxiliary Police Officer, here so early?"

I remember you weren't required to participate in this operation!

"Lord Bobok, I just came in this morning to do some cleaning!"

Bobok sighed when he saw Boyang's cautious demeanor, guessing it was at the request of the other patrol officers.

Boyang was Auxiliary Police Officer recruited by the South City Branch Bureau. Compared to patrol officers with official status, many of them were just there to help out. They were paid less and worked harder, often having to work overtime and patrol in place of patrol officers. Their treatment was even worse than that of a laborer at the dock or a factory worker.

Many residents of the Two Rivers County are unwilling to do this job, so the Auxiliary Police Officer recruited by the police department are mostly new immigrants from other areas, as they are the only ones who won't complain about the hard work.

Boyang is a new immigrant from Qinghe County. His family situation is quite special. Boyang's father was once a private soldier under the Qinghe County nobles. When the Raine Kingdom attacked the East Sea Alliance, his father died in battle along with his lord, so he did not even receive a pension.

As the eldest son, Boyang had to support his mother and two younger brothers. The family had previously relied on his father's salary, and they owned very little land, which was not enough to support the whole family.

During the migration in Two Rivers County, Bo Yang, whose family owned relatively little land, was tempted by the prospect of acquiring more land after moving Two Rivers County. He brought his mother and brothers, having sold their land and house in Qinghe County, to come here.

As expected, they were allocated more land and were able to buy large livestock and houses at low prices.

However, because Boyang's two younger brothers are both twelve-year-old boys with big appetites, Boyang took the initiative to go out to work after settling his family before winter to support them.

His two younger brothers are both eleven or twelve years old and can help their mother with chores, so Boyang was able to leave with peace of mind.

Because his father was originally Squad Leader in a nobleman's private army, and the family was relatively well-off when he was alive, Boyang had studied reading and writing and had a certain level of education.

After seeing the Auxiliary Police Officer recruitment notice, I applied and successfully passed the exam.

Bobok's experience is somewhat similar to Boyang's. He is also the eldest son in his family, his father died early, and he also has younger brothers and sisters.

But Bobok was fortunate that he came here early with Duke Victor, served in the army for a few years, and was discharged due to injury Civil War, where he became a patrolman.

Therefore, Bobok was considered a veteran in the branch office, and his salary and benefits were not low. Seeing that Boyang's situation was somewhat similar, he also took good care of this young man.

Bobok asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

Boyang was about to nod when his stomach growled first.

Bobok smiled and handed the still-warm Yousubing to Boyang: "Try it, I bought this. I'm too full, but it tastes pretty good."

Bo Yang felt embarrassed to refuse his superior who had always taken care of him, so he took the Yousubing and quickly started eating it. He seemed to be very satisfied with the taste of the Yousubing, and quickly devoured it.

Bobok laughed when he saw Boyang eating like that.