The Plough

and anger echoed in the police station, making Shen Renjie unable to help but sigh.

He had seen Du Yunning from a distance before, when she was still alive.

At that time, Du Yunning was wearing a pink robe with silver edges.
Such a vulgar color was worn by her, giving off a unique charm that was different from others.

In the whole Shanghai beach, there were not many beauties like Du Yunning.

It was a pity that beauty was brief.

This case was destined to shake the Shanghai beach.

When the two had gone, Shen Renjie quietly asked, “Mr.
Yue, should we give the food to Ling Shu just now?”

This matter was originally not Yue Dingtang's decision, but Smith had just given him a different look, so Shen Renjie naturally wanted to take the opportunity to please him.

’

Yue Dingtang said: “According to your usual practice, will you give it or not?”

Shen Renjie gave a knowing smile: “Well…
“

Yue Dingtang immediately understood the unspoken words– give it if they pay a bribe, nothing without payment.

Shanghai can be called the centre of the far east and the model of the Republic of China, but behind its prosperity, there is also corruption.
After all, it has only been twenty years since the decadent Qing Dynasty.

“Then I won't give it!” He said sternly with a righteous expression, “All I asked for is fairness!”

___

Ling Shu knew what a prison environment was like, being a police officer himself.

The brick and tile houses had walls covered in moss and cracks, stained with black marks.
Under the eaves was a small window, the only source of light.
In the day it was just barely enough to make out some brightness, but at night, the guards certainly wouldn't waste candles or electric lights on the prisoners, leaving everyone to sleep in the darkness while they whiffed the smell.

In winter it was even harder to survive.
The stone floor was cold and hard, with bumps and hollows.
At most, some straw would be spread out.
If someone was sent to prison wearing thin clothing, it wouldn't take long for them to freeze, with some of the heavier criminals having a harder time and even not living to see their sentence announced.

Ling Shu's body was warm, wrapped in a thick coat.
It was the one his sister had bought from the Yong'an Department Store last month, intended for him to wear during the New Year's holiday, but Ling Shu had taken it without asking when he went out tonight, never expecting it would come in handy like this.

Dark, damp, and dim, that was all Ling Shu's impression of prison.

No matter where the prison was, it was all more or less the same.

In the dark depths, faint sobbing and muddled muttering could be heard from time to time, coming and going, easily stirring up fear in the depths of one's heart.

The only source of light came from the low-wattage lightbulbs on the ceiling.
The feeble light not only failed to generate any warmth, but even made the shadows look more sinister.

Standing at the gate of the cell, the smell of urine and moisture made him hesitate.

The guard behind him gave him a shove, pushing him in.

With a clang, the cell door was locked again.

“Behave yourselves!” came the guard's voice from outside.

The prison guard gave a not-so-serious warning and left.

The prison cell was another world.
In the darkness, one could hear various breaths coming from different directions, indicating that there were at least five or six people in the cell.

When the brightness suddenly changed to darkness, Ling Su’s eyes hadn’t adjusted yet and he couldn’t make out the people around him.
However, with the little bit of light from outside the window, those who had been in the cell prior could see him clearly.

The young man had fair skin and an average build; it was obvious that he was from a wealthy background and had never suffered hardships.
Such a person in prison was like a sheep among wolves, a walking target, a firefly in the night, right down to the “come bully me and exploit me” sign on his forehead.

’

Every inch of his body was under scrutiny in the darkness, particularly the thick wool coat that he was wearing.

Ling Su didn’t move an inch.
He knew that the beasts would only attack after confirming the prey’s weaknesses; if he made the slightest movement, those countless pairs of eyes in the darkness would pick up on his vulnerability immediately.

These days, those who were sent to prison weren’t just him and Yuan Bing, the suspects.
From gang members to fugitives, from swindlers to murderers, the weak ones would not last more than a few days here; only the ones with viciousness and cunning would survive.

As a cold wind blew, Ling Su felt an itch in his nose.
He tried to resist but couldn’t help but scratch it.

He opened his mouth, lowered his head, and gave a small sneeze.

Just as he was about to rub his nose, an extra hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Before he had time to react, Ling Shu was already harshly pushed against the iron door!

The loud bang from his back colliding with the iron door echoed in the empty prison, piercingly loud and shocking.

In the distance, the sound of the jailer running over could be heard, but it soon disappeared without a trace.

In such places, no one would come to manage as long as there were no casualties.

Even if there were casualties, unless the deceased had a powerful background, there would not be severe consequences.

In a chaotic world, life was as fragile as grass, even in the most prosperous city in the Far East.

It was foreseeable that he would be facing a harsh night.

Why was it so hard to get a midnight snack?

Ling Shu was filled with sorrow.

___

Author had this to say:

Ling Shu: Life’s too difficult.jpg

Reader's question: I'm a bit confused.
So Ling is a small police officer from outside, and he is being interrogated by the police inside the concession.
Yue is an advisor who helps the concessionary police station.
Do they belong to two different police stations?”

Answer: Let me answer this here.

At that time, Shanghai was divided into three parts: one was the foreign concessions, one was the public concessions (from the English, Americans, Japanese, etc.), and one was the Republic of China government.

Ling Shu was from the Jiangwan district police station under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China government.

The case happened in the public concessions, and the one who interrogated him was also from the public concessions.