Although Whitechapel is just a borough in East London, it is home to at least half a million people.
Therefore, the search work continued until two hours later, when the night shift workers went home despite the heavy rain, and it was still not over.
"We'll probably have to wait another two hours."
Officer Wensley was so busy that he took the time to buy a cup of coffee, came to this place with a roof to protect him from the rain, and chatted with Lu Li, Duke, and Holmes for a while.
Then, he went back to work.
In fact, during this period of time, the three of them did not discuss the case. After all, they had not come into contact with the body on site. No matter how much discussion they had, it was just talk on paper and of little use.
"Let's walk around and wait for the police to notify us."
After standing in the rain for so long, Holmes felt a little cold. He wanted to find a place to rest or move around to warm himself up.
Lu Li and Duke thought it was okay. There was nothing they could do now anyway, so they agreed immediately.
"To be honest, I feel like I still don't know the East End well enough." Holmes led the way, like a guide.
"No, that's too modest."
Lu Li walked side by side with Duke, leaning on a cane disguised as a cane, and said at the same time: "I know that the East District is synonymous with poverty, but this is the first time I heard that twenty people can be crammed into one room."
"Yeah, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it myself. They were naked, lying on the floor, like maggots in cheese."
The words seemed disrespectful, but Holmes didn't mean much. He just wanted to make the words more relevant to reality.
"Collecting rent by the day is too forward-thinking." Duke exhaled.
Since Holmes likes to visit the slums when he is bored, he has been talking about what he has seen and heard in the East End over the past few years.
Rental housing is something that only the working class is entitled to enjoy, and can be subdivided into several categories:
A room with a queen-sized bed, rented to a married couple at sixpence a day;
A room with a slightly smaller bed was rented to singles. It was here that Holmes saw a shocking scene. There were more than two dozen tenants living there. Most of them were half-grown children who slept on the floor in winter.
The most outrageous thing is that in Holborn, there are a large number of houses with a capacity of a hundred beds. The beds are rented by the day, and you can get a place to stay in an international metropolis like London for only three pence.
It can be seen from Holmes's words at that time that he did not just follow others' opinions, but had conducted on-the-spot investigation.
“After paying the rent, one could receive from the landlord a rush candle set in a broken earthenware vessel to light the room.”
"Only the first forty tenants can enjoy the light, and other latecomers can only rely on the reflected light."
"In addition, that damn place is equipped with a public kitchen with a fireplace, a big kettle, a grill, and even two or three small tables. There is a pool and a sewage ditch behind the house, which are covered with scum and the grease reflects all colors."
"Large pieces of rotting water plants and bulging rat carcasses were almost exploding under the influence of decaying gases... The air smelled like a cemetery..."
After hearing these words, Lu Li couldn't help but wonder if Holmes had lived in that kind of place for a period of time. Otherwise, how could he know so clearly.
The most critical thing is that hundreds of thousands of people are living like maggots——
The children are not fully clothed and can only use sacks as clothes. The couple must have a reasonably healthy person to engage in high-intensity labor and try to save half a mouthful of food.
With enough food and clothing, one knows honor and disgrace.
When they are desperate, these poor people may turn into devils at any time and use all means to retaliate against those who caused injustice.
“The East End is like a powder keg piled next to the flames, ready to explode at any time.”
Holmes sighed.
A criminal's paradise, Lu Li couldn't find a better word to describe it. Everyone has a Jack the Ripper living in their hearts, some have released him, and some are still hiding it.
"If you don't break out in silence, you will die in silence. Maybe you have to experience a catastrophe to wake up those in power."
Duke temporarily forgot about the case and couldn't help but express his truest thoughts.
Hearing this, Holmes fell silent.
He sympathizes with the poor and homeless. If given a choice, who would be willing to give up his dignity as a human being.
However, Holmes instinctively hates chaos and disorder, especially criminal activities.
Is there a gentler way to resolve class conflicts?
While thinking, he came to a tavern.
It's not fancy here, after all, it's located in the Whitechapel district, but it's still clean and tidy.
"Sir, what do you want?"
The waiter quickly noticed Lu Li and Duke following Holmes.
Her attitude became more affectionate. If she received regular customers, she would simply ask:
Sixpence or fourpence.
They are set menus, the former being rye paired with rump and the latter being beer paired with belly.
"Brandy, do you have any? Don't mix it with anything. Just mix it with some hot food."
"It's five shillings, and if you can get it up as soon as possible, the rest will be a tip."
Holmes must have come to this kind of place often, so he showed great familiarity and quickly found an empty table to sit down.
Lu Li was attracted by a figure.
"Do you know that Liuying?" Duke followed his gaze and asked puzzledly.
This pub is a two-story building, and a group of obviously dressed-up girls stand at the top of the stairs, smiling at every customer who looks over.
Even if it's his first time here, he can still see the meaning: as long as the money is in place, he can take the girl to the small room upstairs to stay for a while.
"I met you once."
Lu Li sighed with a complicated mood.
The first night he entered this world, he stood by the stall and looked at all the things in the East District.
Until now, the only person I can remember is the young and kind-hearted Liu Ying:
She was embarrassed to solicit customers, but in order to survive, she had to leave with an old man before dawn. Before that, she even invited two homeless people to eat something to warm themselves up.
"It can be seen that this girl is not living a happy life." Holmes noticed this scene and sighed: "I hope she can find a good home in the end."
From standing on the street soliciting customers to having a permanent job, in a way, can it be considered that your career has progressed?
Thinking of this, Lu Li felt that this idea was too ridiculous.
"Although she was covered with makeup, it was still possible to see injuries on her face." Duke took the plate from the waiter.
Holmes took down his pipe and added:
"Probably there was a fight with foreign forces. Don't feel weird. Fighting and grabbing territory between women are common in the East District."
