I'll Make the Rules on These Streets

The teahouse fell so quiet that a pin could have been heard dropping.

The patrons gaped, their eyes darting between the thugs howling with their heads in their hands, the panting Shen Yan, and the utterly composed Old Chen.

The brutal beating just now, like a performance on a drum kit, had been utterly shocking.

No one had expected the young patrolman, usually so meek and quiet as he followed Uncle Chen around, to be so ruthless when he fought.

Still less had they expected the excitement in his eyes as he beat them. It made their skin crawl.

Shen Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and hefted his baton, still hungry for more.

"That felt good."

He spoke quietly, but Old Chen heard him all the same.

The old patrolman's mouth twitched violently.

He had lived nearly forty years and been a patrolman for twenty. He had seen men who coasted through their days, men with black hearts, and men as timid as mice, but never one who enjoyed beating people this much.

What on earth is in this kid's head?

Old Chen cleared his throat and stepped forward. His gaze swept over the three thugs sprawled on the floor like lumps of mud. His voice was quiet, but it carried an unquestionable authority:

"What are you waiting for? Do you want me to invite you to tea?"

Lai San, Tie Niu, and Shu Si shuddered in fright. They scrambled to their feet and stumbled out of the teahouse without daring to look back, forgetting even to pick up the dagger they had dropped.

"Pay for the tea and compensate the owner for his losses. Get off this street. If you dare cause trouble here again, I'll break your legs."

Old Chen added the words calmly.

He spoke quietly, but the three thugs shuddered from head to toe. They turned around, took out all the money they had on them, and respectfully placed it on the table in front of Old Chen. Then they ran off without looking back.

With the farce over, the teahouse patrons breathed sighs of relief, looking at Shen Yan with a newfound measure of awe.

The woman who had been performing pingtan onstage was still shaken. She pulled the male string player beside her along as she hurried over to the two patrolmen and curtsied deeply.

"Thank you, Officer Chen, and thank you, Officer... for saving our lives."

Shen Yan hurriedly put away his baton. The air of a "living King of Hell" vanished from him in an instant, and he became the same low-key, reserved junior patrolman again. He nodded slightly.

"Just doing my job."

The woman's eyes reddened, and she wanted to say more, but Old Chen raised a hand to stop her.

"You two should pack up and leave as soon as you can, in case they come back for revenge."

"Yes... thank you for the warning, Officer Chen."

The two thanked them again, then hurriedly packed up their instruments and left the teahouse without touching the money and valuables on the table.

The teahouse gradually returned to its earlier bustle, though the looks directed at Shen Yan were noticeably different.

Old Chen returned to his seat in the corner and took a sip of his thoroughly cooled tea. He looked up at Shen Yan, his gaze full of meaning.

"Sit."

Shen Yan sat down as instructed.

Just then, a man in his forties came out from behind the counter. Wearing a somewhat worn short jacket, he had a kindly, honest look about him as he walked quietly over to the table.

He carried a wooden tray holding two large bowls of steaming wontons, two small plates of side dishes, and the money and valuables the thugs had paid in compensation.

He was the teahouse owner.

He gently set down the bowls and plates. Without saying much about what had just happened, he spoke in a low voice:

"Officer Chen, Officer Shen, it's chilly out. Have something hot to warm yourselves up. The wontons were made here, and we pickled the side dishes ourselves. No charge."

The owner bowed slightly, his tone mild and tactful.

"Make yourselves comfortable. It's quiet in here, so feel free to talk."

With that, he lingered no longer. He gave a slight nod and quietly withdrew.

Shen Yan picked up a bowl of wontons, and steam rose into his face. He instinctively glanced at the owner's retreating figure, and Heavenly Eye activated automatically-

[Name]: Zhou Deshun

[Gender]: Male

[Identity]: Teahouse owner / underground party liaison (codename-Longjing)

[Good and Evil Points]: +18

[Current thoughts]: These two patrolmen are good people. I should look out for them more in the future.

Shen Yan's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

An underground party liaison.

He was hiding right here on this street, serving people tea and water every day with a smile.

Shen Yan lowered his head and took a sip of wonton soup. His expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts had already taken eighteen turns.

So that's how it is.

No wonder this teahouse was so well informed, and people from all walks of life came here-someone had deliberately turned it into a hub for gathering and distributing intelligence.

Shen Yan did not give the owner a second look.

It was none of his business.

At least, not for now.

Old Chen put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment's silence, he suddenly spoke.

"You've hidden yourself well, kid."

Shen Yan's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Uncle Chen, I..."

"Drop the act."

Old Chen cut him off. A sharp glint flashed through his clouded eyes.

"That skill and nerve you showed just now aren't something an ordinary rookie patrolman would have."

He paused, lowering his voice further.

"I originally thought you were just an ordinary man who joined up to earn a living, with staying alive as your main concern."

"But now it seems..."

Old Chen looked him up and down, an inscrutable smile curling his lips.

"You're much more interesting than I thought."

Shen Yan's heart beat a little faster.

He knew that from the moment he started fighting to farm Good and Evil Points, he could no longer keep himself hidden.

An old hand like Old Chen could see through him at a glance.

He was wondering how to explain himself when Old Chen spoke again, unhurriedly.

"Don't worry. I won't ask where you came from or what you have in mind."

"I'll only ask you one thing-"

The old patrolman leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp enough to pierce a man's heart.

"Do you wear that uniform to stay alive, or to do some of the things a person ought to do?"

Shen Yan looked up and met Old Chen's eyes, which had seen through the ways of the world.

There was no panic or concealment, only calm.

"Uncle Chen," he said quietly but with unusual conviction, "while I wear this uniform, at the very least I won't be a traitor to China, and I won't bully the people."

Old Chen stared at him for three full breaths.

The clinking of teacups and the neighbors' chatter seemed to fade into indistinct background noise, leaving only the silence between the two men.

Suddenly, the old patrolman grinned, revealing teeth yellowed by smoke. His smile was full of relief.

"Good."

One word, heavy as a mountain.

He picked up his cold tea and raised it toward Shen Yan. The gesture was casual, but it conveyed his approval.

"Just for saying that, I, Old Chen, will have your back on this street from now on."

Shen Yan picked up his own teacup and gently touched it to Old Chen's. The porcelain cups met with a clear clink.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Clink-

That soft sound sealed the understanding between them.

Old Chen put down his teacup. His expression gradually darkened, and his tone took on the gravity of a seasoned hand.

"Those three pieces of trash, Lai San and the others, are thugs on the very fringes of the Green Gang. They bully the weak and fear the strong, using the Green Gang's name to extort decent people and mistreat performers wherever they go. They're good-for-nothings beyond saving."

He tapped the table with his fingertips and added in a lower voice:

"You gave them a brutal beating today. They won't have the nerve to come after you openly, but they'll definitely go to their superior-Scarface Liu."

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow and picked up on it.

"Scarface Liu?"

"A minor boss in the West District. He has a dozen or so thugs under him and makes his living collecting protection money, forcing decent women into prostitution, and running errands for the Japanese. His heart is black enough to ooze pus. Everyone around here grinds their teeth with hatred at the mention of him."

Old Chen's tone was level, but full of contempt.

"He holds a grudge over the slightest offense and never lets himself take a loss. He'll never let this go."

A barely perceptible gleam flashed through Shen Yan's eyes.

The system panel silently appeared in his mind, automatically marking "Scarface Liu" as a high-yield Good and Evil Points target.

He suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth and spoke with feigned calm.

"So what?"

Old Chen gave him a long look and chuckled under his breath.

"You're not just unafraid of trouble, kid. You're downright hoping it comes knocking."

He leaned an inch closer, his voice low and deep enough for only the two of them to hear.

"Listen. The Japanese have the police station in their grip, and Li Kui and his lot are in cahoots with the Green Gang. If this really reaches the station, you could easily come out worse for it."

"But now you have me behind you. If Scarface Liu dares to cause trouble, go ahead and put him in his place. Don't worry about the consequences. I'll back you up."

"Boss Huang at Huang's General Store on the corner is an old acquaintance of mine. He has a telephone there. If a fight really breaks out, I'll have someone call the police station immediately and report that the Green Gang is disrupting business and disturbing the people, bringing the matter to the Japanese. We'll use their authority to put pressure on them. Even if Li Kui wants to favor the Green Gang, he won't dare do it openly."

"Besides, I've spent twenty years in this area. The old hands in the Green Gang show me some respect. If things really reach a stalemate, I can step in and say a word, and Scarface Liu won't dare refuse the way out I offer him."

"Just focus on protecting the people and putting the crooks in their place. I'll clean up the mess behind the scenes."

Shen Yan listened intently.

These were the survival methods the old patrolman had learned over twenty years, and the very key to establishing a foothold in troubled times.

Old Chen tapped the table lightly, his gaze sharp.

"Whoever can protect the people and keep the thugs in line gets to make the rules. You put those three pieces of trash, Lai San and the others, in their place today, so the neighbors trust you a little more."

"If you can put Scarface Liu in his place too..."

A sharp light flashed in the old patrolman's eyes, and his tone was certain.

"Then from now on, your word will carry weight in this area."

Shen Yan's spirits rose.

He understood at once.

Old Chen wasn't warning him that he had stirred up trouble. He was pointing him in the right direction-using the situation to establish his authority.

He could uphold justice on the streets and deal with evildoers as a matter of course.

It was practically a gift of free Good and Evil Points.

Just then, a flurry of anxious commotion broke out at the teahouse entrance.

A rickshaw puller in a coarse-cloth short jacket ran in, panicked and drenched in sweat. He spotted Old Chen in the corner and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Officer Chen! This is bad! Scarface Liu has brought a gang to block the street entrance. He says he's going to break the legs of the patrolman who fought earlier, and smash up the teahouse too!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the patrons throughout the teahouse turned pale. They put down their teacups, not daring to breathe loudly.

Everyone in the neighborhood feared Scarface Liu's vicious reputation.

Shen Yan slowly stood and drew the baton from his waist. It struck his palm with a solid sound.

He turned to Old Chen, a clean smile curling his lips. His tone was as relaxed as if he were going to pick up a bargain.

"Look, Uncle Chen."

"Someone's even more impatient than the two of us."

Old Chen stared at him, momentarily stunned. Then he shook his head helplessly, though a smile appeared in his eyes.

He suddenly felt a little sorry for Scarface Liu, who had yet to show his face.

This kid looked mild-mannered, but when it came to punishing evildoers, he didn't hold back in the slightest.