Chapter 318: Night Patrol

Although he was somewhat reluctant, Lin Ming quickly turned and walked back. His heart was very excited. Although he had not seen Li Yongxun clearly, and she was speaking the so-called “Australian official language,” her accent could not be changed. Lin Ming was ninety percent sure that the speaker was his sister-in-law!

He was both happy and worried. Happy that Li Yongxun was safe and sound. Since she could work for the Australians, she was naturally safe, which showed that she had not become a concubine or official prostitute of the short-hair rebels, and probably had not been “sold by the government” as another man’s wife or concubine. And as a “police officer,” she must have considerable freedom of movement. Worried that since she had joined the short-hairs, it was almost the same as “acknowledging a thief as a father,” and she had even joined the lowly profession of a police officer!

Although being from a military household was not a high-class background, yamen runners were genuine “lowly people,” and their social standing was on par with that of musicians. If the news that his sister-in-law was an “Australian police officer” spread to the Ming Dynasty, wouldn’t her parents die of shame and anger! Even he and his wife would lose face. She had been a police officer for some time, yet she had not taken the opportunity to escape back, nor had she sent any letters back. It was clear that she had been “bewitched” by the Australians.

Lin Ming knew that the Australians were very good at seducing people’s hearts. Once one was “bewitched” by the Australians, it was truly impossible to pull them back, even with eight bulls.

It seemed that the only way was to reason with her and move her with emotion, especially family affection. Fortunately, she and his wife were very close as sisters, and she still had parents and relatives in Nanjing. She couldn’t be too heartless. As long as he could persuade her to return to Foshan, then whether by soft or hard means, he would hand her over to her own parents and family, and his burden would be lifted. As for fantasies like “half a buttock,” Lin Ming had long since thrown them to the nine heavens. Lingao was a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair for him. How could he have such romantic thoughts?

Lin Ming walked and thought, and unconsciously took a wrong turn. By the time he realized it, he was already in a strange alley.

The alley was quiet. Although there were some shops here, they had all closed early. There were no pedestrians on the street. Lin Ming knew he was lost. Fortunately, the streetlights in the alley were still bright, and there were road signs. He quickly took out the map and found his location by the light.

Seeing the alley he was in, he realized he had walked a long way. It would be a long walk to return the way he came. Lin Ming saw that the Wenlan River was not far ahead and couldn’t help but have an idea. He might as well walk to the river, check out the terrain, and then take a detour back.

Having made up his mind, he walked straight ahead along the alley. Lin Ming knew that this was not a bustling market, and most of the buildings along the street were residential. This was the best place to see the livelihood of the people under the rule of the short-hair rebels.

In the side roads and small alleys, not only were there very few pedestrians, but Australian carts were also rare. However, no matter how deep and remote the alley, there were streetlights for illumination. The streets were mostly paved with stone slabs and were very clean even at night. Not only was there no garbage or excrement, but there was not even any standing water. And there were toilets at the entrance of the alleys, and public wells in the middle of the alleys, which was very convenient.

This town built by the short-hair rebels was truly exquisite. No wonder so many people were willing to shave their heads and change their clothes to join the short-hairs. He was secretly admiring it when he saw that the shops and residences along the street had all closed their doors. There was no light coming from the cracks in the doors and windows. It was clear that most people were already asleep. He thought to himself: this is what it means to live and work in peace. If it were as lively as the East Gate Market everywhere, it would actually feel abnormal.

As he was walking, he suddenly heard footsteps on the street ahead. Lin Ming looked closely and saw a group of “imitation-short-hairs” in short jackets coming from the opposite side of the street. The leader was carrying a blue lantern. Lin Ming saw that they looked like “public servants” and wanted to hide in a side alley, but the streetlights here were very bright, and hiding like that would inevitably arouse the other party’s suspicion.

Thinking of this, he had to pretend to be nonchalant and walk towards them. Fortunately, he had his documents on him, and he was not carrying anything forbidden.

Sure enough, the patrol team came up to him and blocked his way. The leading police officer raised his right hand with his five fingers together to the side of his head, and at the same time, with a “smack,” he brought his feet together, probably as a salute, and said, “Night patrol. Check your documents.”

Lin Ming cursed inwardly, why did they have to check me? He was very nervous but tried his best to remain calm and not let his nervousness show. On the other hand, he put on a smile and respectfully handed over his ID card with both hands. The imitation-short-hair took it and carefully checked it by the light of the streetlight.

“Lin Min… temporary permit? Newcomer?” There was a hint of suspicion in his voice. The lantern was immediately brought close to his face, probably to look at his face. Lin Ming’s face was a little unnatural. At this time, he could see clearly that except for the leader who was wearing a black “police” uniform and a conical hat, the colors of the other people’s short-hair attire were not the same. It was clear that not all of them were “public servants.” It was just that everyone had a red armband on their arm with the word “Patrol” on it.

This was a night patrol. He hadn’t expected that although there was no curfew here, the night patrols were very diligent. No wonder there were no watchmen or watchtower soldiers in the streets and alleys.

“Yes, I just arrived in Lingao three days ago…” Lin Ming quickly said. “I work at the Haixing Firm.” He then quickly took out his “employment certificate.” It not only had the stamp of the Haixing Firm, but also the stamp of the employment agency and the stamp of the temporary household registration. Shopkeeper Qian said that this certificate was sometimes more useful than a temporary ID card.

He had originally wanted to take out a few circulation coupons from his sleeve and stuff them over, but he didn’t know what the “market rate” was here. Bribing public officials was a delicate matter; giving too much or too little could easily cause problems. Besides, he had also heard that the short-hair rebels were very strict with their subordinates, and most imitation-short-hairs did not dare to accept bribes.

The leading police officer muttered a few words with the people next to him, then looked at his documents over and over again. Probably seeing no suspicious points, his expression softened slightly, and he returned the documents.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to the Haixing Firm…” Lin Ming quickly said.

“You’re going in the wrong direction.” The imitation-short-hair police officer’s face showed a look of suspicion again. “If you keep going, you’ll reach the Wenlan River.”

“I was busy in the shop all day and came out for a walk to get some fresh air… I’ll take a stroll by the river and then go back to sleep…”

The imitation-short-hair police officer was about to say something more, but another imitation-short-hair next to him seemed to know where Lin Ming was going. He whispered a few words with a suppressed smile, and the imitation-short-hair police officer immediately had a look of “sudden realization.” He stopped asking questions and said:

“The public security at night has not been very good recently. Robberies have occurred from time to time, and some people have been injured. You should be careful walking alone.” The police officer instructed. “Don’t go out too late at night.”

“Yes, yes, thank you for the reminder, sir.”

A thin layer of sweat had already broken out on Lin Ming’s back. He did not know that imitation-short-hair, nor did he know what the other person had said to stop the questioning. But at this moment, he had no time to think too much and quickly walked forward. He only let out a long sigh of relief when he heard the footsteps behind him gradually fade away.

After walking a short distance, the alley came to an end. In front of him was a raised stone river embankment, about the height of a city wall, all built of stones. The road at the foot of the embankment was planted with various flowers, grass, and trees, and there were benches for people to rest on, which was very quiet.

Lin Ming knew that this was probably the bank of the Wenlan River. He saw that there were steps to climb the embankment, so he walked up.

Stepping onto the river embankment, a cool breeze blew, which made him feel refreshed and his heart broaden. Looking out, he saw that the East Gate Market was brightly lit, as brilliant as the Milky Way. On both sides of the river, there were also scattered lights. The streetlights on the embankment were reflected on the river surface, rippling like fish scales in the night wind… Lin Ming had never seen such a night view before. Even the city of Guangzhou during the Lantern Festival did not have such brilliant lights.

“This is truly a night view worth a million taels of silver!” A strange sense of happiness weled up in Lin Ming’s heart. He just stared blankly, with his sister-in-law, the great Ming, the short-hair rebels… all thrown to the back of his mind. It was only after a long while that he brought his gaze back.

He strolled along the river embankment reluctantly. There were also patrol personnel on the embankment. With his previous experience, Lin Ming handled it calmly and passed through without any obstruction. As he was walking, he suddenly heard a burst of noise and clamor ahead, with the faint sound of stringed and bamboo instruments and women’s singing. He couldn’t help but wonder. This was already the edge of the East Gate Market, and the map showed only side roads and narrow alleys. How could there be such a lively place?

Fortunately, this was also where he was supposed to turn back. Lin Ming came down from the river embankment and followed the road towards the sound. After walking a short distance, there was a memorial archway at the side of the road. Three large characters, “Heyuan Street,” were inlaid on the lintel. Two pink palace lanterns hung at the entrance of the archway. They served no lighting purpose under the streetlights but added a touch of “pink” color.

The sound of stringed and bamboo instruments and women’s laughter became clearer here. Lin Ming was stunned. What kind of place was this? When he reached the street entrance, he saw a short street. The road was not wide, and both sides were lined with small buildings—no different from other streets and alleys.

However, every household here had a pink lantern hanging at the entrance, and the entire street was shrouded in pink. There were not many pedestrians on the street, and the sound of stringed and bamboo instruments and human voices all came from inside the houses.

How could Lin Ming not understand in an instant: this was Lingao’s brothel street! No wonder those patrolling short-hair rebels had that expression: the route he was taking was originally supposed to pass through here. They must have thought he was here to buy sex and seek pleasure.

Lin Ming smiled wryly to himself. If it were in the past, he wouldn’t mind trying out this “short-hair’s pleasure” and tasting this “Australian secret pleasure.” According to those who claimed to have tried it, it was “a pleasure of love unheard of in the human world.” But now he was on a serious mission, and he had no wealthy merchants to pay his bills. The few circulation coupons he had on him had to last until next month’s payday.

Thinking of this, Centurion Lin could only walk past the entrance of the archway dejectedly. He quickened his pace and walked back all the way, soon returning to the Haixing Firm. When he returned to the backyard, he saw that Wang Xinglong had already returned and was animatedly talking to a few colleagues about what he had seen in the East Gate Market.