Shanghai Redemption by Qiu Xiaolong Read Free Book Online Page A

embarrassing international scandal for the Shanghai government. Interpretations and speculations flew around the Internet. People panicked, and there were rumors that there was a plague going around. The government and local farmers denied the rumors repeatedly, but the question remained unanswered: why were there so many dead pigs if there was no plague?
    Finally, the matter was sent to the squad as a “special case.” Assuming it was a damage control assignment, Chen had barely looked at it. Still, as Detective Yu had pointed out, it was one of the newest cases. So this morning, Chen was going to make a few inquiries—not in his former role as chief inspector, but in his new one as the director of the Legal Reform Committee. He thought he could come up with a plausible enough pretext to get away with it.
    The director of the Shanghai Foreign Liaison Office was a man named Sima, known as a capable, hardworking cadre who started out as an ordinary clerk. He was also rumored to be connected to Internal Security, which would be no surprise given his job. He still managed to keep good working relations with everyone, including Chen, who, as a member of the Shanghai Writers’ Association, sometimes met with Western writers.
    In the early days of China’s economic reform, the main function of Sima’s office was to make arrangements for people either coming into or leaving the country. It wasn’t easy in those days for regular Shanghainese to get a passport approved. Applicants had to pass a rigorous political screening. State-arranged junkets abroad, in contrast, were very important to the officials making those government-funded trips, and required swift processing. In recent years, however, making those travel arrangements was no longer an important role of the Foreign Liaison Office. Nowadays people had little trouble getting a passport and international travel approved, and as more and more Western expatriates moved to Shanghai, the work of the office had shifted. Foreigners had to apply for a Shanghai residency permit—something like the United States’ green card—in order to move here. In addition, the office also had some say regarding which foreign enterprises were allowed to set up offices or factories in Shanghai. Rumor had it that director of the Foreign Liaison Office was a lucrative position, but Chen knew better than to be too nosy about such things.
    In a spacious office basking in the morning light, Sima stood up with an affable smile and reached out his hand to Chen as he arrived for his unannounced visit.
    â€œCongratulations, Director Chen.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œYour new position.”
    â€œCome on. Surely you know better, Director Sima.”
    â€œWell, I’ve just read an article from the Associated Press saying that Beijing is determined to give China’s legal system a thorough overhaul. The article said that it’s possible that new judges at the highest level will be appointed. So your transfer to this new position may be another step toward that reform.”
    â€œReally! I’ve not heard anything about that.”
    â€œBut it’s possible, right?” Sima said. “What favorable wind brings you here today?”
    â€œOh, I’m here to familiarize myself with some aspects of my new responsibilities.”
    â€œGreat! What can I do for you, Director Chen?”
    â€œTo start with something specific, are there any regulations involved in the matter of the dead pigs?” He added in a hurry, “I’m just curious.”
    â€œYou mean the dead pig scandal? What a shame that was! I’m not an expert in that sort of thing, but when the scandal broke out, I did look into it. Because there were Westerners involved in the background, as you know. What I found out is that the regulations are vague. Theoretically, the farmers should see to the proper disposal of any livestock that dies, in this case the dead