bookbashuk Chapter 5 Drawing Memories
Chapter 5 Drawing Memories
Shen Yi's room was on the second floor, and he had already finished eating when he came to the door of his room on the second floor.
Pushing open the door, Shen Yi found that the furnishings in the room were basically the same as those in his room in Shanghai.
A large, carved mahogany bed was already covered with bedding, and a Persian carpet was laid on the floor, which was exceptionally soft to the touch.
In addition, there is a Western-style wardrobe, a phonograph, a ceramic vase, and so on.
"Uncle Song, you've gone to so much trouble!" Shen Yi said with a smile to Song Yu beside him.
"I don't have time to tidy up these things for you. It was Cuilan who asked me what your room in Shanghai was like, and then I tidied it up a bit," Song Yu said.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi looked at Cui Lan and said, "This... thank you, Aunt Cui, for your trouble."
"No, no," Cuilan waved her hand. "Young Master, as long as you're comfortable, that's all that matters."
"Alright, young master, you should rest for a bit. I have some things to take care of and need to go out for a while," Song Yu said.
"Okay, Uncle Song, you can go ahead and get back to work."
Shen Yi then entered the room and casually locked the door from the inside.
Instead of going back to bed to rest, he put down the box, took out a pair of gloves from his pocket, and began to slowly examine it.
Although Song Yu probably wouldn't install anything in his room, Cui Lan might.
Cuilan's identity is definitely not simple; he needs to be extra careful now.
I never expected that there would be a dangerous person in my place of residence so soon after I arrived in Nanjing.
As Shen Yi examined the items, he began to ponder Cui Lan's identity.
Is it the Special Service Department? Or the Investigation Department?
Or was he a Japanese spy? Or a Communist?
There were just too many spies operating in Jinling; Shen Yi couldn't quite figure it out for a moment.
After carefully searching and confirming that there were no problems, Shen Yi sat down in a chair to rest for a while.
He opened the box, put away some of the clothes he had brought, and then took out a few sheets of paper and some pens, and lay down on the table to prepare to draw.
In his previous life, Shen Yi was a police portrait artist, and the thing he did most often was to draw portraits.
No matter how well the suspects disguised themselves, or how blurry the surveillance footage was, Shen Yi was able to basically reconstruct their appearance.
That's the skill of a portrait artist.
Shen Yi was recalling the man from Cui Lan's memory.
The scene depicts a man wearing a melon-shaped hat standing in front of a cheongsam shop during the night.
However, due to the darkness and the angle of view, the man's face was not very clear; one could only vaguely see that he had two small mustaches.
The cheongsam shop simply has the three characters "Ji Cheongsam".
But this didn't stump Shen Yi. He started drawing as if he were watching surveillance footage from his past life.
In no time, a portrait sketch appeared on the paper.
Shen Yi has completed all the facial details of the man in the painting.
He wore a black skullcap with a slightly sloping brim that outlined his forehead. His face was thin, with small eyes and a neatly trimmed mustache, giving him a somewhat shrewd appearance.
Shen Yi looked at the painting in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.
The memory was much clearer than some of the surveillance footage from his previous life. He felt that although he wouldn't say his drawing was exactly the same, it was about 80 or 90 percent similar.
He then drew the surrounding environment on another piece of paper, and basically depicted Cuilan's memories.
"Appearing in front of a cheongsam shop late at night, if it's not just passing by, then it's very likely that it's the owner of that cheongsam shop," Shen Yi murmured.
Unfortunately, he didn't see the full name of the cheongsam shop, but knowing this much was enough to give him a clue.
Once we find out this man's information, we can deduce Cuilan's identity.
Shen Yi carefully put away the two sheets of drawing paper and then started drawing again.
This time, he drew the man he saw in the memory of the female flight attendant.
The man's facial features were very clear, and Shen Yi drew him without breaking a sweat.
Shen Yi looked at the drawing paper in his hand. The other person's rank was lieutenant colonel, and he guessed that the other person might be working in the Special Higher Police.
The Special Higher Police (THP) primarily conducts espionage activities within China.
But you'll have to ask the female flight attendant about that.
"I wonder how the interrogation of those two Japanese spies is going."
Shen Yi folded the drawing paper again and put it away.
He then burned all the sheets of drawing paper that had been placed underneath, in case Cuilan noticed anything while cleaning.
Just then, Cuilan happened to pass by the door. She glanced at Shen Yi's door, then tiptoed to the door and put her ear to it.
However, she didn't hear anything, but she felt like she smelled something.
After finishing all that, Shen Yi felt a little tired, so he lay down on the bed to rest.
. . . . . .
3 PM.
A brand-new Buick pulled up in front of a gambling den called Wanli near Confucius Temple, and Shen Yi got out of the car.
This car is the same one that was previously parked in the courtyard of Qixia Mansion. It was a new car that Song Yu specially bought for Shen Yi's convenience when traveling.
Shen Yi could hear shouts coming from inside the casino from the entrance. Once inside, the noise became even louder, which was quite annoying.
However, Shen Yi was not affected in any way. After exchanging some chips, he went to the "Big or Small" gambling table.
There were noticeably more people at this gambling table than elsewhere, simply because the rules for "betting on big or small" were very simple and straightforward.
At this point, the dealer placed three dice in the dice cup and shook it before placing the cup on the table.
"Betting begins."
As soon as the dealer finished speaking, the people standing around the gambling table began placing their bets, with most betting on big and few on small.
Shen Yi, on the other hand, placed his bet on the smaller position.
After everyone had placed their bets, the dealer opened the dice cup. "113, Small!"
"We won!"
"Ah! Why isn't it big!"
Winners are happy, losers are miserable; that's just how casinos are.
Shen Yi was not affected at all and continued playing.
After having played around for a while, he went to the "points comparison" gambling table.
Half an hour later, Shen Yi was invited to the second floor of the casino.
Because he had already won a thousand dollars in chips in just half an hour.
Keep in mind that this is 1936. The Nationalist government only began implementing the legal tender policy in 1935, prohibiting the circulation of silver.
The fiat currency remained strong during this period, unlike in the following years when it depreciated drastically.
Shen Yi's winnings of 1,000 yuan could buy a house in Jinling.
Upon arriving at a room on the second floor, Shen Yi heard screams coming from inside.
"Go in quickly."
A very tall man behind Shen Yi pushed him forward.
Shen Yi smiled, then pushed open the door and went inside.
There are three people in the room.
A man dressed in a long black robe stood to one side, smiling as he watched Shen Yi enter.
One person, with their back to Shen Yi, was stepping on another man's face.
He heard the door open, then kicked the man at his feet hard in the face.
"Who gave you the courage to cheat at Wanli Casino?"
He turned his head as he spoke.