Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 536 - 32 Voices (Part 1)
"Sir, you’ve returned, sir."
Zhen Lian gathered her hair and followed Li Yan with small, quick steps.
"I’ve come to change into formal attire, and I’ll be heading into the city shortly. It’s the third showing of ’Giant Lake’ today."
Li Yan replied.
"Sir, tonight might not be convenient."
Li Yan glanced at Zhen Lian, "What do you mean?"
"Today’s newspaper reported that those fat-headed members of parliament passed the amendment to the ’Berlin Game Treaty.’ Your pass has been invalidated, and moreover, the Workers’ Party organized several arson and demolition attacks against Chinatown. People with yellow skin walking on the streets are being attacked. If you go out tonight, it might cause a disturbance."
"My pass has been invalidated?" Li Yan’s expression showed nothing, "Where is Liang Hui?"
"He was here, but he hurried off this afternoon. The Steam Guard suddenly raided all of Hesheng’s opium dens and brothels. The immigration office arrested many of Hesheng’s people, claiming they were illegal immigrants and they have to be deported."
As she spoke, Zhen Lian’s face also twitched, "They’ve gone mad."
Li Yan picked up the rum from the table, poured himself a glass, and then poured one for Zhen Lian.
Zhen Lian accepted it with surprise and gratitude.
"The natives of San Francisco don’t like you. There’s nothing to be done about it; you simply don’t belong here."
Li Yan responded absently, internally wondering where Cha Xiaodao had gone, as he was nowhere to be seen in the church. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
To his surprise, Zhen Lian suddenly added, "This is an immigrant city; no one by birth belongs here. Why single us out for different treatment?"
Li Yan glanced at Zhen Lian lightly, but unfortunately, she was looking down and didn’t notice his glance. Otherwise, as someone usually adept at reading people, she would have immediately kept quiet.
But she didn’t. Her lips quivering and her face pale as iron, she murmured to herself, "This city is home to tens of thousands of Chinese, who were once promised a better life. But in the end, most starved to death, died of illness on ships, or were worked to death, froze to death, or were killed on the railroads... We should have a foothold here. We’re entitled to it."
Li Yan watched Zhen Lian’s face for a while, then his glass touched lightly against hers, "You’re right."
After speaking, Li Yan drained the glass in his hand, put down the cup, and walked outside.
"I’ll take a walk."
Zhen Lian raised her head, clearly reluctant to let Li Yan leave, but did not dare to speak up.
However, Li Yan, upon reaching the door, turned back and said, "It’s clear that the situation with the bill has you and Liang Hui both flustered. I won’t attend today’s performance and will clear my head instead; I won’t cause you any trouble. But one way or another, get me a valid pass within two days, Liang Hui. That’s what I’m entitled to."
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"Chief, sir, you have arrested over a hundred of my fellow countrymen without any reason, and even killed four of them without trial. Is this what you call the constitutional spirit of San Francisco?"
Liang Hui sat in his impeccably tailored suit, leaning on his Civilization Cane, his back bowed as he looked around the room. Across from him were several police chiefs in black uniforms. If it hadn’t been for Liang Hui spending a good deal of money on a lawyer, and using connections to pressure San Francisco’s city hall through Ambassador Zhang Mengheng of the Great Qing Consulate, he would not have been able to see these police chiefs at all.
The bearded face retained its impassive expression, "Your countrymen are rioters! Murderers! They attempted to attack the guard, and our actions were self-defense."
A police chief with a beard stated calmly.
Liang Hui laughed loudly, spreading his hands to the people on either side.
"I, my people, attacking the Steam Guard? With just a few small knives, a handful of planks and axes? To assault the fully steam-armed city guards equipped with powerful firearms, are you joking, Chief?"
The hall was silent, only Liang Hui was laughing.
Suddenly, Liang Hui stopped laughing: "Yet today at noon, a band of real thugs burst into the factory employing our Chinese workers. They set fires, looted, injured, killed my fellow countrymen, and the violent criminals hanged our queues on the lamp posts, slaughtering them with knives. And five hours later, your patrol squad arrived at a leisurely pace. What did they do? They wiped away the blood, dragged away bodies and the injured, and then took statements. Until now, not a single criminal has been apprehended. Your jails are packed with Chinese people who entered illegally. We abide by the laws of San Francisco, honestly staying within the bounds of Chinatown you have designated, never going outside. We thought, at the very least, you could protect our lives, but the truth is, as I stood outside the police station, waiting for you chiefs, Chinatown was maliciously set on fire, leaving nearly a thousand people homeless, with more than a hundred dead or injured. Why have I never seen the face of San Francisco, a city supposedly founded on freedom and equality, in these matters?"
A few chiefs exchanged glances, and suddenly a white chief with a strong Southern accent muttered something to his neighbor, provoking a round of quiet laughter.
Liang Hui understood English, but he hadn’t quite caught what was just said: "What did you just say?"
The bearded man suppressed his smile: "He just said, if you have any dissatisfaction with this city, you could always vote in our council, that is if you have a ballot in hand."
His repetition once again prompted a wave of snickers.
Clenching his Civilization Cane, Liang Hui’s face was so dark it could drip water.
Thumping the table with his thumb, the bearded man pointed at Liang Hui sternly: "Chinaman, I warn you, no matter how you dress, you are still a scoundrel, a ruffian dealing in opium. Do you think you will forever elude the law? If I were you, I would pack up that twisted logic right now and beat it."
"..."
After a long silence, Liang Hui finally stood up, put on his hat, and said in a muffled voice, "I will have my hired lawyer talk to you."
"I hope your lawyer makes it to court."
The bearded man spat.
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"I want to see Mr. St. Yves, step aside."
Chang Yu’s neck veins bulged as he waved the newspaper, his eyes bloodshot, gasping for breath in fits and starts.
"Let him in."
St. Yves snapped his fingers.
Storming into St. Yves’ office, Chang Yu pressed down the rage in his heart and barely managed to say, "Your Excellency, this is absurd! This bill completely contradicts the spirit of the constitution of this land, it will be a disgrace to Congress! I am going to write to the President, I am going to sue them. I hope you can help me."
St. Yves took a while to lift his head from his chair: "Chang, over the years, how have I treated you?"
"Your Excellency has been very kind to me, and I have the utmost respect for you,"
responded Chang Yu truthfully.
"I also greatly admire your talent, and if possible, I would hire you for life. But no offense meant, I must say, all this..."
St. Yves poked the newspaper: "...has little to do with you."
Chang Yu’s eyes widened: "Me?!"
St. Yves raised his hand to interrupt him: "They are all pagans, uncultured savages, idol worshippers, but you are different, Chang, you are a..."
St. Yves took a moment to find the words before finally saying: "A harmless person. You’re talented. Take it easy, son, it’s not as bad for you, far from it."
