Chapter 33: Lafayette Lane
Chapter 33: Lafayette Lane
At the Central Police Station on Rue Vallon.
Cheng Qianfan signed the attendance register and casually signed in for He Guan as well.
“Xiao Cheng.”
Big-Head Lu handed him an exquisitely wrapped gift box.
“How much?”
“Thirty yuan in legal tender.”
Big-Head Lu spoke loudly while glancing around, then lowered his voice.
“Just give me ten yuan. Best packaging possible, cheapest-grade American ginseng inside.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded knowingly.
Deputy Patrol Chief Ma Yishou came in cursing under his breath.
The duty room fell silent.
Everyone pricked up their ears to listen and vaguely caught phrases like “fake foreign woman” and “putting on airs.”
“Master, what happened?”
Cheng Qianfan asked curiously.
Seeing Cheng Qianfan, Ma Yishou’s eyes lit up.
“Qianfan, you go. There’s a case on Avenue Joffre. You speak foreign languages.”
“Sure.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded and put on his police cap.
“Which house?”
“Number Fifteen, that foreign woman surnamed Lu’s place.”
Cheng Qianfan suppressed a laugh.
Number Fifteen Avenue Joffre was a house a wealthy businessman had purchased for his concubine.
The concubine was Chinese, yet had chosen the Western name Rose.
This woman was notorious at the police station.
For the smallest trivial matter, she would call the police.
If the officers’ “service” fell even slightly short of her expectations, she would threaten to call Police Commissioner Ferguson and file a complaint.
What irritated the officers most was that whenever she dealt with Chinese people, she spoke entirely in foreign languages.
When officers said they couldn’t understand her, Rose would lift her chin proudly, shoot them a look of contempt, and only then reluctantly switch to Shanghainese, acting as though speaking Chinese would somehow dirty her mouth.
Even a bastard like Old Mo thought she went too far.
In private, the officers gossiped about whether she even screamed in foreign languages when sharing a bed with her patron.
The officers at the police station found the woman extremely annoying.
No one wanted to handle calls from her household.
This situation only changed after Cheng Qianfan began serving at the station.
The handsome and refined Cheng Qianfan, who spoke French, seemed quite favored by Madam Rose.
As a result, incidents at her residence became increasingly frequent.
Cheng Qianfan took along two third-class Chinese constables.
Just then, he ran into He Guan.
The moment the fellow heard it involved Madam Rose’s household, he eagerly volunteered to come along.
“That fake foreign woman may have a terrible temper, but she’s beautiful.”
He Guan waggled his eyebrows.
“I think you should just give in to her.”
“Get lost!”
The Lafayette Lane area had been meticulously planned as an upscale residential district.
Only European-style garden villas were permitted there, and property prices were exorbitant.
Building a three-story Western-style house on Avenue Joffre cost approximately thirty thousand yuan.
Cheng Qianfan’s official salary as a constable was one hundred and fifty yuan a month.
In other words, if he wanted a villa on Avenue Joffre, he would need nearly seventeen years of saving every penny without spending anything.
A dead dog lay in the garden.
Madam Rose stood far away, crying.
The maid’s explanation went around in circles, but Cheng Qianfan managed to piece together the facts.
Madam Rose’s dog had been beaten to death.
They had only discovered the corpse in the garden that morning.
With her beloved pet murdered, Madam Rose had no enthusiasm for inviting Cheng Qianfan in for coffee.
Accompanied by the maid, she returned indoors and continued weeping while looking at the dead dog through the window.
Cheng Qianfan crouched down to examine the body.
He pried open the dog’s mouth and leaned in to inspect it.
A foul stench nearly overwhelmed him, causing him to wave his hand repeatedly.
The dog had terrible bad breath.
“I said long ago that this fake foreign woman’s dog would meet a bad end.”
He Guan stared at the large dead dog, his eyes shining.
The dog was vicious.
It had bitten multiple innocent civilians and was infamous throughout the Central District.
If its owner had not possessed such powerful connections, the officers would have dealt with it according to the law long ago.
After greeting Madam Rose, Cheng Qianfan asked whether the family intended to bury the dog themselves or...
“Take it away, take it away.”
Madam Rose shrieked.
She claimed she was afraid of the dead dog.
“Very well.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded.
He wanted to offer condolences but decided the phrase was inappropriate.
“You must find a good place for Jack.”
Madam Rose sobbed.
“Don’t worry, Madam Rose, we’ll definitely find the most suitable resting place for Jack.”
He Guan declared loudly.
The officers found a thick pole and suspended the dog’s body upside down by all four legs.
Two officers carried it back to Rue Vallon, one in front and one behind.
Along the way, citizens recognized the famous dog Jack.
News spread rapidly.
Some even applauded and cheered the officers.
He Guan repeatedly clasped his hands toward the crowd, immensely pleased with himself.
Cheng Qianfan glanced at the fellow and clicked his tongue without commenting.
Several silk threads hung between Jack’s teeth.
They closely resembled the fibers from the scarf Madam Rose was wearing that day.
Yet Madam Rose had just behaved as though she were terrified of the corpse and unwilling to go near it.
Logically, she should not have come into contact with the dog.
The location of the threads inside the dog’s mouth made it impossible for them to have gotten there during ordinary play.
They were more likely left behind when the dog had struggled fiercely and bitten at something during its final moments.
This could only indicate one thing.
The dog’s death was connected to Madam Rose in some way.
Cheng Qianfan found himself increasingly interested in the haughty Madam Rose, the woman whose very name made officers groan and avoid her whenever possible.
“Keiko, you shouldn’t have agreed to let the police take Jack away.”
The maid’s expression was unpleasant.
“Didn’t you notice Officer He’s expression?”
Madam Rose smiled smugly.
“Don’t you think being eaten by policemen is the most wonderful fate possible for a dead dog?”
“Ungrateful dog!”
Madam Rose ground her teeth.
Her beautiful face twisted into something sinister.
“Just like his owner, it deserved to be chopped into pieces and turned into excrement!”
He Guan led the two third-class Chinese constables carrying the dog toward the police station canteen.
“You’d better hope Madam Rose never finds out.”
Cheng Qianfan warned.
“This is an autopsy!”
He Guan waved dismissively.
Then he shouted impatiently to a kitchen helper.
“Hurry up and buy more spices.”
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey.
Ma Yishou spat repeatedly.
“This stuff is so bitter. How can you drink it?”
Cheng Qianfan found it amusing.
After seeing him drink coffee, Ma Yishou had insisted on trying some himself.
One sip later, he had spat it all out.
“That stuff tastes worse than cat piss.”
Ma Yishou shook his head.
By “cat piss” he meant beer.
Many people couldn’t get used to it.
“Add some sugar.”
Cheng Qianfan took a tin from his drawer.
There was a spoon inside.
He added a heaping spoonful of sugar.
“Now try it. It’s sweet.”
“Boss, what’s going on? Why isn’t this sweet?”
A customer angrily slapped the table.
Many diners turned to look.
The man’s face was red with indignation.
“Why is this tofu pudding salty?”
The diners immediately became unhappy.
“Isn’t tofu pudding supposed to be salty?”
“Exactly. Tofu pudding is naturally salty.”
“Do sweet versions even exist?”
“I’ve heard people in the south eat sweet tofu pudding. What are they thinking?”
Listening to the discussion around him, the customer became even more upset, though ultimately he did not dare continue shouting.
Fan Laosan hurried over.
“Honored guest, all our tofu pudding here is salty. We don’t serve sweet tofu pudding. Please bear with us.”
“You should have told me beforehand.”
The customer replied irritably.
“I took one bite of salty tofu pudding and now I feel terrible. Is this even fit for human consumption?”
Those words instantly angered everyone.
“What did you say?”
“You Cantonese fellow, we’ll beat you to death.”
The customer was terrified and started trying to apologize.
Two figures rushed over, grabbed him, and threw him out of the restaurant.
“Well done, Haozi.”
“Brother Hao, if you hadn’t done it, we would have.”
People called out one after another.
“Leave this kind of rough work to Li Hao.”
Li Hao laughed heartily.
“Brother Hao, working the night shift today?”
“Night shift. In weather this cold, what rotten luck.”
After grumbling a bit, Li Hao returned to finish eating pan-fried buns and wontons with a half-grown boy.
“Boss Fan, what’s on your mind? Time to settle the bill.”
Li Hao handed over some money.
“My apologies, my apologies. My mind wandered just now. I’ve got worries.”
Fan Laosan accepted the money and apologized repeatedly.
“What’s troubling you? Tell us.”
Li Hao was a warm-hearted man.
“There are so many people here. Maybe someone can help.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly.”
Quite a few people were similarly helpful.
Of course, others secretly disagreed.
Who had spare time to help people these days?
Nevertheless, they all voiced their agreement.
Fan Laosan sighed and explained that his waiter Lai Xiaowu had been beaten and would need three to five days of rest.
The restaurant was short a worker, yet hiring someone new for such a brief period wasn’t worthwhile.
“That’s hardly a problem.”
“Just hire a temporary helper for a few days.”
“Boss Fan is too stingy for that.”
Someone shouted.
“Who said that? Who said that?”
Fan Laosan straightened his face.
“Don’t slander an honest man’s reputation.”
Meanwhile, after hearing the discussion, Li Hao turned to look at the half-grown boy beside him.
“Boss Fan, how about this kid?”
“No.”
Fan Laosan glanced at him.
A growing boy could eat a father into poverty.
This kid ate as much as two grown men.
Paying wages on top of that?
Fan Laosan prided himself on being shrewd and wasn’t about to make such a foolish deal.
“No wages needed.”
After hesitating briefly, Li Hao gritted his teeth.
“Just feed him.”
Fan Laosan looked the boy over again.
Then he picked up the account book and checked what Li Hao and the boy had eaten.
Recalling exactly how much the youngster had consumed, he pondered for a moment.
Next he grabbed an abacus and began calculating with a rapid clack-clack-clack.
Finally, he nodded.
“Agreed. No wages, only meals.”
“Deal.”
Li Hao nodded.
Old Huang from the medical room entered while belching from drink.
“Old Huang, drinking this early in the morning again?”
Liu Bo glanced up and laughed.
“Old Huang, you miscalculated this time. The canteen has good meat today.”
He Guan grinned.
“Why not save your drinking for noon?”
Ignoring everyone’s teasing, Old Huang asked with a flushed face,
“Where’s Old Mo?”
The crowd looked at one another.
Had Old Huang drunk himself senseless?
“Didn’t Old Mo get injured in the line of duty?”
He Guan immediately replied.
“He’s not working these two days. Old Huang, you’ve got it backwards. You should know better than anyone where Old Mo is.”
“Of course I know... I know my ass.”
Old Huang cursed.
“Old Mo was supposed to come change his dressing yesterday. I waited until late into the night out of kindness, and he never showed up.”