An Intractable Task (continued)

"This man is a stubborn deadbeat; reasoning with him is clearly not going to work, and resorting to violence will only provide temporary relief and won't solve the problem at its root."

Si Ming couldn't think of a solution unless Su State also followed the example of those Europe countries on Earth and opened official drug dens, allowing addicts to legally use drugs there.

This may sound like a fantasy, but it exists in many Europe countries. Because private drug use often involves unsterilized syringes and improper techniques, safety is not guaranteed. This leads to many people contracting diseases more deadly than drugs, which are then transmitted to healthy individuals through various means, causing serious harm to society. For example, syphilis infection caused by drug use.

Since complete eradication is impossible, the only option is control, thereby ensuring the safety of drug users. Therefore, the police purchased clean medical heroin and provided it to drug users twice a day for free injection. They carefully prepared the dosage to ensure it wouldn't endanger the users' lives, and the entire injection process was conducted under police supervision – truly serving the people wholeheartedly.

The advantage of doing this is that it allows drug addicts to return to normal life without having to rack their brains to obtain drugs, thus preventing them from harming society. Furthermore, since all the equipment is clean and safe, it will not cause the spread of diseases. Incidentally, it also blocks the money-making channels of drug dealers, making it unprofitable for them.

Of course, the downsides are obvious. Some good young people who would otherwise never have the opportunity to come into contact with drugs might try it out of curiosity, pretending to be addicts, and end up becoming real addicts.

Essentially, opening legal drug dens is a compromise by the government, an admission that it has failed in its anti-drug efforts, is unable to control the trend, and can only resort to second best by going along with it.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages; it all depends on how you choose.

Before Si Ming transmigrated, even Nation of Valor had followed the trend and established an official drug den. Recalling how the British Empire had established opium dens in the Celestial Empire to sell opium and poison countless Chinese people, he truly felt a sense of "Heavenly Dao comes around."

"Leave this task to me; you just need to watch from the sidelines," Yu Shuying said.

Are you confident?

"Of course, don't lump me in with those guys who only know how to fight and are all muscle-bound. This task is so simple, it can be accomplished with just a few words."

"Am I just imagining things? Did you include me in your insults?"

"Since you've asked such a question, it proves you already know the answer, so there's no need for me to say more."

"Well, so I was the one who asked for a beating."

Si Ming was happy to have some peace of mind, and besides, he was also curious about Yu Shuying's method.

Following the address, the two arrived at a very simple, old rental house. The windows were fitted with rusty iron bars that looked as if they would peel off at the slightest touch. The white walls had long since turned yellow and black. Smoke rose from behind the old house, like an unbreakable, dancing white ribbon, slowly climbing to the top of a tall tree and silently enveloping it.

Not far from the rented room was a stinking ditch, with all sorts of garbage and oil floating on it, emitting an unbearable stench that attracted many Diptera flies.

After knocking a few times, a woman with a slightly hunched back, a withered face, and several bruises on her arms cautiously opened the door, her face showing an inescapable worry.

Who are you?

Yu Shuying said, "We are the Mohist Knight Guard, here specifically to fulfill your request."

"Oh, please come in."

Upon hearing this, the woman did not show any joy like most employers; instead, she appeared very indifferent. She stepped aside to make way for Si Ming and his companion to enter the house.

There was no hope for the future in her.

Si Ming stepped into the house and immediately understood what "bare walls" meant. Apart from a bed and a table, there was almost nothing else in the house.

On the table stood a framed photograph containing a tattered image of a woman, a child, and a hand—the hand's owner had been torn off.

Clearly, a complete photo should be a family portrait, with the child holding the parents' hands, their face beaming with an incredibly bright smile, radiating light like the sun, full of vitality, while the mother holds the child's hand, her eyes filled with beautiful hopes for the future as she looks at the camera.

Putting aside the torn parts, just looking at the two people in the photo, the almost overflowing happiness is completely out of place with the atmosphere of the house. And the woman in the photo and the lady of the house have nothing in common except for their appearance.

Si Ming suddenly felt that if Hongdou were here, she probably wouldn't be able to resist taking out her paintbrush and painting this scene. The cottage, the woman, the photograph—just three elements could create a masterpiece, which could be called "Heaven and Hell Broken" or "Imagine Killer."

Yu Shuying also noticed the photo, but she showed no emotional fluctuation. She felt neither pity nor schadenfreude, remaining as calm as ever, like a frozen lake, undisturbed.

"I'm sorry, we don't have much to offer you," the woman apologized somewhat awkwardly, then extended her hand, saying, "Please sit down... I'm sorry, there's not even a place to sit. If you don't mind, you can sit on the bed."

As she spoke, she pushed the clothes piled on the bed to the corner of the wall, making room for the two of them to sit down.

Si Ming wasn't a germaphobe or picky about his surroundings. He was about to sit on the edge of the bed to ease the lady of the house's embarrassment when Yu Shuying said, "No need. We're here to complete a task, not to chat with you."

The woman awkwardly withdrew her hand, shrinking slightly, seemingly somewhat frightened. She appeared unable to handle someone with Yu Shuying's personality, lacking any adult composure.

Si Ming also felt that Yu Shuying's tone was somewhat inappropriate, but on the way here, Yu Shuying had said that she would be fully responsible for this matter, so he could only suppress his desire to persuade her and wait and see what happened.

"The request is the same as before, just to stop that person from harassing me and my child. I can't afford any more money as payment, only the small government subsidy, right..."

"I don't care about the compensation; I don't care at all. I have a question for you: since that man is such a menace, why don't you divorce him?"

The woman crossed her arms and said timidly, "Divorce isn't a good idea. If word gets out, people will gossip. The police also advised me to try not to divorce him. Besides, he's the father of my child. If we divorce, my child will be fatherless..."

"The child's situation is no different from being fatherless now. And is having a drug-addicted, incompetent father something to be proud of? As for the police, they're just a bunch of incompetent cowards who hold their positions without taking responsibility. Just ignore what they say! If you really care about your child, you should get a divorce quickly, find a man and remarry. That way you'll get rid of that parasite, and your child won't be without a father."

The existence of the Mohist Knight Guard in Su State has replaced the status of "police uncles". When people encounter trouble, they will go to the Mohist Knight Guard for help instead of the police. Therefore, people with a sense of justice, ambition and ideals apply to become Mohist Knight Guard. Only those who want a stable job and just want to make a living will become police officers.

Their greatest skill is to smooth things over; they believe in the principle of "the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes." They never overstep their responsibilities to cause trouble for themselves. They have a set of rules for doing things, aiming to avoid mistakes rather than seek merit. When it comes to marital problems, they will always advise reconciliation rather than separation.

If the parties involved regret their breakup, they will vent their anger on the police, blaming them for breaking up their marriage. However, if the parties find it unbearable to live together, they will vent their anger on their spouse. They may harbor some resentment, blaming the police for not advising them to separate, but ultimately it is displaced anger rather than the primary target. In addition, the police can argue that they acted "out of good intentions" and do not have to bear any responsibility in terms of morality or reason.

The woman lowered her head and said, "It's no use. Mohist Knight Guard suggested this method to me before, but that man said that even if I get a divorce, he will keep bothering me. He also said that he is the biological father of my child and that even the law cannot stop him from seeing his child. He has said this to many people, and everyone is afraid of being harassed by him. So even if I get a divorce, no one is willing to marry me."

Although Su State was not Li State, and the Mohist School did not emphasize Confucian School as much as the Confucian school, before industrialization reached a certain level, women's social status was ultimately lower than men's. The emergence of Internal Cultivation compensated for the physical differences between men and women, but men were naturally more combative than women. Whether it was the number of ordinary experts or the number of Spirit Transformation experts, men made up the vast majority. Void Returning Great Grandmaster, which further widened the social gap between men and women and reduced women's voice.

The attitude of the people of Su State towards marriage, as well as the social atmosphere, is roughly similar to that of China in the 1990s. Although divorce is legal and everyone can understand it, it is not encouraged. People try to make do as much as possible, and divorced women inevitably suffer from strange looks.

Si Ming couldn't help but say, "This is truly a case of 'the more shameless, the more invincible'! I've never seen anyone so utterly shameless before."

Yu Shuying's expression remained unchanged as she continued, "Has your child started school?"

Yes, he's in third grade now.

When the topic of children comes up, a smile finally appears on the woman's face, like a ray of sunshine piercing through the gloom.

How are his grades?