gentry

Chapter 2 First Arrival in Shanghai
The train slowly entered Shanghai North Railway Station, and passengers began to get off the train one after another in front of the platform surrounded by white smoke.Qin Xiaoman, who just graduated from the Central Police Academy, poked his head out of the carriage, and then a large suitcase rolled out of the carriage first, followed by a pile of large and small luggage.The porter who picked up the station glanced down at Qin Xiaoman's legs as he stepped out of the carriage, and said, "Sir, I need to carry the luggage... Miss, do you want to carry the luggage?"

"Thank you, no need, and remember to see clearly next time before calling."

Qin Xiaoman stomped his feet wearing leather shoes, straightened his trousers, then walked away with the pile of luggage on the ground.The porter was left alone, staring blankly at the spot.

Qin Xiaoman, who was carrying her luggage, didn't seem to feel tired, her attention was completely attracted by the street scene in Shanghai.

"This is the big Shanghai, it is indeed much more prosperous than Nanjing." Qin Xiaoman said excitedly to himself.

At this time, a rickshaw driver followed up: "Miss, where are you going?"

"Do you know where Sullivan's apartment is?" Qin Xiaoman asked.

"Sullivan's apartment? I haven't heard of it. Do you have the address?"

The driver looked embarrassed: "Miss, I don't know how to read."

"No. 1235 Fuxing South Road..."

Before Qin Xiaoman finished reading, the coachman suddenly realized: "Oh, I see, it's quite far from here, you carry so much luggage, and you don't know the way, I'll take you there, two copper coins."

"Okay." Qin Xiaoman nodded.

When Qin Xiaoman was moving her luggage to the rickshaw, she was suddenly bumped by someone behind her. Immediately, Qin Xiaoman saw a man running past her quickly. At the same time, she turned her head and saw several people chasing after him. Reluctant.

"Catch the thief!"

"Thief?" Xiao Man's eyes lit up, "It's your bad luck!"

Without saying a word, Qin Xiaoman ran after her.

"You can't run!"

The thief who was running wildly, suddenly heard such a scolding from the girl behind him, he couldn't help but glance back, and saw Xiaoman reaching out to grab him.The thief rushed into a vegetable market on the side of the road.The two followed each other like this, the vegetable market was in a commotion, the melons, fruits and vegetables were flying all over the sky, and finally the two chased into a dead end.

The thief turned around, gasped heavily, and flashed a dagger from his arms, glaring at Xiaoman: "Stinky bitch! If you want to die, hurry up... get out of here!"

Qin Xiaoman sneered, with a look of excitement eager to try, "Before joining the job, let me practice with you!"

The thief, who was puzzled by what he heard, stabbed at Xiaoman indiscriminately with the knife trembling in his hands.Xiaoman dodges easily, then grabs the knife with a backhand, and pushes the thief hard against the wall.

"Ouch! It hurts! The heroine, please spare my life..."

At this time, two police officers came back and handcuffed the thief.

"Miss, thank you for your courage, but you are a girl, you must pay attention to your personal safety next time, and don't rush into it." A patrolman said.

Qin Xiaoman waved his hands again and again, "You're welcome, these are actually what I should do, everyone will be colleagues in the future."

"colleague?"

The two policemen looked at each other.

Qin Xiaoman clapped his hands and tidied his clothes: "My name is Qin Xiaoman, and I'm the new detective from the Chief Detective of the Public Settlement."

"No way, female police detective?" The two patrolmen were dubious.

Qin Xiaoman pouted, "What's wrong with the female police detective, if you don't believe me, I'll show you... Oops, my luggage!"

When Qin Xiaoman returned to the side of the train station, the rickshaw driver and his luggage had long since disappeared.Qin Xiaoman searched but found nothing, and finally sat down on the side of the road with his hands in his pockets, and found the note with the address - Sullivan's apartment at 1235 Fuxing South Road.

Qin Xiaoman had no choice but to stop another rickshaw, thinking of going to the apartment to see the situation first, maybe the landlord is a kind-hearted person and will help him find his luggage.

But when Qin Xiaoman stood in front of Sullivan's apartment, the original plan in his heart was somewhat lost.

Qin Xiaoman rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and a sleepy-eyed woman with curly hair and a cigarette in her mouth leaned against the door, humming impatiently and said: "No order, no order, how many times have I said, newspapers are not ordered, milk is not ordered, order Don’t order anything that costs money!”

Qin Xiaoman smiled awkwardly: "You misunderstood, my name is Qin Xiaoman, we talked on the phone before..."

The woman froze for a moment, then closed the door with a bang.

Just when Xiaoman was at a loss.

A few seconds later, the door opened again, and the woman at the door changed her appearance. The curly hair on her head and the cigarette in her mouth were gone, and she had completely transformed into a graceful Shanghai girl.

Just when Xiaoman was too shocked to speak, the woman couldn't wait to invite Xiaoman in: "Little sister, you are here to rent a house, right? I am Sister Wang on the phone, my name is Wang Susu, I've been waiting for you for a long time, please come in!"

After Xiaoman walked into the apartment, the scene in front of her could no longer be described as old-fashioned, it was a bit dilapidated, because the facing light was not good, and there was still such a gloomy look inside and out.

Qin Xiaoman followed Wang Susu up the creaking and shaking stairs, but Wang Susu in front ignored it and talked to himself, happily telling some anecdotes about the apartment.

"Sullivan is my husband's surname. He bought this Sullivan apartment and gave it to me. Don't underestimate me, Dou Mali, president of the China-West United Chamber of Commerce, you know? He likes it here, cough cough ..." Wang Susu flicked the handkerchief just now, and a piece of wall covering fell off, and she coughed unpreparedly, "It's just a pity that I come to visit every now and then."

Qin Xiaoman, who had just arrived in Shanghai, asked curiously, "What's the pity?"

"His business failed and he jumped into the river to his death." After Wang Susu finished speaking, she held onto the mottled stair railing and looked back at Qin Xiaoman, "This stair railing was beautiful when it was new. Shanghai No.1 Yuan Lin Xiaoxiao, you know Is it? She took pictures here, but it's a pity."

"What's the pity?" Qin Xiaoman tilted her head, and at the same time, she was really afraid that she would fall down along with the handrail.

"It's a pity that the man she married was not good. She swallowed opium and died."

The two then came to the corridor on the second floor, where the light was even more dim, and the black doors were like coffin boards, making people feel flustered and gloomy.But Wang Susu didn't care, touched a porch lamp and continued to boast: "This porch lamp is a French product, do you know the movie star Shi Hui? He praised me that this porch lamp lights up like the waves of the Danube..."

"What a pity?..." Qin Xiaoman answered tentatively.

"It's a pity... one of them is out of order." Wang Susu pressed the switch, and a row of lights flickered on and off, and the atmosphere became even weirder in an instant, "I don't know, which one..."

Before Wang Susu could finish speaking, a lamp not far from him blew out.

Wang Susu smiled awkwardly, pointed to a door in front of him with a cobweb hanging on the handle, and said, "Your room is here, and it's fine inside."

When Wang Susu opened the door, there was a loud noise from the opposite room!
Qin Xiaoman immediately turned around nervously.Wang Susu stared helplessly at the opposite door, and then pushed Qin Xiaoman into the room: "Don't worry about it, come in."

After the two walked into the room, Wang Susu pointed to the dusty furniture and introduced: "Look at it, it's all expensive furniture. I don't know how much it took to buy it. This bed, cabinet, and writing desk are all ..."

Qin Xiaoman didn't care to listen to the landlord's flattery, but went to the fireplace and fiddled with it casually.

Mrs. Wang immediately shouted: "Be careful!"

Immediately afterwards, the grating of the fireplace fell down, and a burst of black ash was raised, covering Qin Xiaoman's face.A pair of big bright eyes were left on the whole face looking at Mrs. Wang innocently.

Seeing this, Wang Susu hurriedly dragged Qin Xiaoman towards the bathroom, "It's all right, the bathroom is here, just come and wipe it off."

As soon as the bathroom door opened, the bathtub was squeezed crookedly, and Wang Susu hurriedly closed the door again.

While Qin Xiaoman was scrubbing her face, Mrs. Wang started to say again: "I almost forgot to mention, this carpet is authentic Persian!"

Qin Xiaoman lifted the carpet, but saw the outline of a person drawn with white lines on the floor.

"What is this?" Qin Xiaoman immediately became alert. Although she has always felt that the apartment is uncomfortable and gloomy, Qin Xiaoman didn't really feel that there was anything wrong until she saw this white silhouette.

"There must have been a murder here, right?"

"This one……"

"Great!" Before Mrs. Wang could make up a reason, Qin Xiaoman excitedly patted the floor.

"Ah?" Mrs. Wang was even more puzzled.

"Shhh, don't say anything, let me restore the scene... The body faces the door with its feet facing the window. There are holes in the window glass. The deceased was shot to death from the building opposite."

"No, no, no one died. It was drawn by children as a prank." Mrs. Wang hurriedly covered the carpet, and then went straight to the topic, "What do you think?"

"Very good." Xiaoman agreed without hesitation.

Only then did Mrs. Wang breathe a sigh of relief, her eyes lit up, and she stretched out her hand to Xiaoman, "Then come."

"Come what?"

"Rent!"

"Oh——, Sister Wang, it's like this. I was originally rich, but it's a pity..." Qin Xiaoman smiled awkwardly at Mrs. Wang.

(End of this chapter)