The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

The short, stocky prison guard glanced at Master Liu, who was still kowtowing.

"At most, I'll just get a few scoldings from Director Liu and a couple of slaps."

"If that old bastard dares to make up lies, we'll give him a good beating when he gets back."

"Judging from his cowardly appearance, he doesn't seem like he'd dare to try anything funny."

Upon hearing this, Master Liu felt as if he had grasped a lifeline. He immediately stopped kowtowing and echoed the words repeatedly, his voice trembling with urgency.

"This boss is right, he's right. If I dare to lie, may I be struck by lightning and die a violent death in this jail. Please, bosses, have mercy on me!"

The tall prison guard looked at his colleague, then at Liu Siye, who was lying on the ground in a disheveled state, but whose eyes still held a last glimmer of desperate hope, and pondered for a moment.

He weighed the keychain in his hand; the metal clanged together with a soft rattling sound.

Finally, he slowly nodded, his face expressionless.

"Then you should go."

He said to the short, stocky prison guard.

"I'll get ready here. Let's see if there's an empty private room, and move him over there so he's not in the way."

The short, stocky prison guard agreed.

"become."

He glanced at Master Liu again, his tone carrying a warning.

"You better be telling the truth, you old codger. Otherwise, you'll be in big trouble."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer, turned around and strode away, the sound of his leather shoes echoing in the empty corridor, gradually fading into the distance.

The tall prison guard bent down and roughly pulled up the still trembling Liu Siye.

"Get up. Go back to your cage and stay put. Wait for my call."

Liu Siye was pulled so hard he stumbled, but he dared not complain in the slightest. He thanked him repeatedly, his face a mixture of humble gratitude and lingering fear.

He was pushed back into that cold, damp cell, and the iron door slammed shut behind him and locked.

Most of the light was blocked again, leaving only the dim light from the small window overhead.

Liu Siye leaned against the cold iron gate, slowly slid down to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.

He raised his hands, looked at his grimy fingers, and touched his completely white hair.

The news of his daughter absconding with the money gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, but at this moment, what was stronger was a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

His savings for his coffin... that was his last and most solid support.

The tickets and certificates hidden in the trading company's safe, and... A glint of light flashed in his cloudy old eyes, but it was quickly swallowed up by deeper weariness and fear.

He curled up, burying his face between his knees, motionless like a stone statue, with only the occasional, barely suppressed gasps faintly audible in the deathly silent cell.

He was waiting, waiting for that glimmer of hope that might not even exist, yet which he had to grasp.

Time slipped by little by little, each moment feeling like being fried in a pan of oil.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, maybe half an hour, but finally, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor again.

Two prison guards arrived at the cell door.

The keychain rattled, and the short, stocky prison guard picked out a key, inserted it into the lock, and gave it a hard twist. The iron door creaked open with a harsh groan.

"Liu Si".

The tall prison guard spoke, his voice dry and flat.

"Get up and come with us."

"Director Liu has arrived and is waiting for you in the visiting room."

"You better not try anything funny, or else..."

He stepped forward, and the shadow fell over Liu Siye's hunched figure.

"Making you feel worse alive than dead."

Master Liu trembled and quickly lowered his head, forcing a humble smile onto his filthy face as he repeatedly bowed.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare to try anything funny. I'll follow the boss's orders and Director Liu's orders."

The tall prison guard snorted and stepped aside.

"Walk."

Master Liu dared not delay and walked out of the prison gate with somewhat unsteady steps.

Two prison guards flanked him, one on each side.

Walking through the dimly lit, long corridor, with rows of tightly closed iron doors on both sides, and the occasional suppressed cough or groan coming from behind the doors, added to the eeriness.

The gas lamps on the wall emitted a dim yellow light, casting long, distorted shadows of the three people onto the mottled wall.

The visiting room is at the end of the corridor.

The door was open, and the room was brighter than the prison cell, but it was still just an empty room with only a wooden table and two chairs.

The air was filled with the smell of dust and old wood, mixed with a faint musty odor.

Liu Jiaxiang sat in the chair at the back. He was wearing a crisp black police uniform, and the epaulets on his shoulders gleamed coldly in the dim light streaming in from the small window high up.

He sat very steadily, his hands casually resting on his knees, his face expressionless, only his eyes calmly looking towards the door.

Two prison guards brought Master Liu to a stop at the door. The tall guard stood straight and saluted Liu Jiaxiang inside the room; his movements were slightly stiff but respectful enough.

"Chief Liu, the person has been brought here."

The short, stocky prison guard also saluted, adding:

"You two chat with him, and we'll wait outside. Just let us know if you need anything."

Liu Jiaxiang shifted his gaze from Liu Siye to the two prison guards, and nodded slightly.

"Go."

"Yes."

The two responded in unison, took a step back, turned and left, closing the door behind them. With a soft click, the wooden door closed, separating the inside from the outside.

Only Liu Jiaxiang and Master Liu remained in the room.

Silence filled the air, broken only by the slightly heavy, suppressed breathing of Master Liu.

He stood across the table, not daring to sit down or look Liu Jiaxiang in the eye, only staring down at the tips of his muddy shoes.

There were dried stains on the shoes, some of which were mud or something else, I couldn't tell.

Liu Jiaxiang did not speak immediately.

His gaze fell on Master Liu again, slowly scrutinizing him from head to toe.

That gaze was like a cold brush, scraping across Master Liu's greasy, tangled white hair, across the deep wrinkles on his face that were now filled with fear and exhaustion, and across the hem of his trembling silk robe.

This kind of scrutiny, devoid of any emotion, is more unsettling than a direct rebuke.

Time slipped away bit by bit, each second feeling like a dull knife cutting into flesh.

Fine beads of cold sweat trickled down Liu Siye's forehead, sliding down the lines of his cheeks. It itched, but he dared not raise his hand to wipe it away.

Finally, Liu Jiaxiang spoke. His voice was not loud, and his words were flat and straightforward, yet they were like a block of ice thrown into stagnant water.

"Liu Si, you've raised a fine daughter."

Master Liu's body trembled violently.

Liu Jiaxiang continued, his tone ambiguous, neither praising nor mocking:

"You're really filial to your own father."

Liu Siye's head drooped even lower, almost buried in his chest. A hoarse sound came from his throat, like a broken bellows.

"Tell me about it."

Liu Jiaxiang tapped his knee lightly with his finger, the subtle sound particularly clear in the silence.

"How do you plan to resolve this matter?"