Chapter 6: Secretly Happy
All the Indian police hired by the British were Sikhs, mainly from the Punjab region of India.
Sikhism is a secular religion in India. Turban, steel hoop, dagger and shorts are the main characteristics of Sikhs. Compared with India's caste system and secular customs, the equality and precepts advocated by Sikhism are more in line with British values. Therefore, the British recruited police from Sikhs and used them widely in colonial management around the world. For example, the red-headed Ah San mentioned by Li De was an Indian policeman hired by the British Concession in the Qing Dynasty.
The same is true for Cape Town. In 1900, the total population of Britain was only 37.5 million. Compared with its colonies all over the world, Britain simply did not have enough manpower to manage it. It was like a greedy snake that had eaten too much and had to rely on foreign population to assist in management. The obedient Indians were obviously the best choice for the British.
Of course, compared to the Indians, the British actually have better choices. After all, India has only 280 million people, while the Qing Dynasty has 470 million Chinese. So in terms of population proportion, the Chinese obviously have greater potential. From the Chinese Brave Battalion to the police, these are a series of attempts by the British.
Relatively speaking, Rock did not think that the British trusted Indians very much. Hiring Indian police was just a last resort for the British. If Chinese policemen like Rock could demonstrate greater value, Rock believed that they could gain more trust from the British than from the Indians.
"I know what Kunal did was not honorable, but you did not have the right to beat Kunal. Fighting between colleagues is absolutely prohibited, so you must pay the price for your audacity." Sharma was not helping Kunal, he just wanted to teach Rock a lesson. Indians also despised Kunal's escape. No one wanted their partner to run away alone when in danger.
Of course, this does not mean that Sharma approves of Rock's behavior. As Sharma said, even if Kunal's behavior was despicable, Rock should not punish him. In other words, as a Chinese, Rock cannot take action against Indians. This is the key to Sharma's teaching Rock a lesson.
When beating a dog, one has to look at its owner. Indians have always regarded themselves as the British's most loyal dogs. Even if they need a beating, it can only be done by the British. Rock is simply powerless to complain about this.
"Captain Sharma, that was not a beating. It was a special way of greeting between Kunal was so happy to see that I was safe and sound that he fainted out of excitement." Rock said it another way. After all, Sharma's rank was higher than Rock's, so he should give him the face he deserved. If Sharma was smart, he would not have kept insisting on it. Otherwise, if the matter became a big deal, it would lose face for all Indian police officers.
Perhaps Sharma didn't expect Rock to be so difficult, so he looked at Rock very attentively for a long time, then nodded : "Okay, I will keep an eye on you, you'd better not make any mistakes, otherwise you'll have to go back to where you came from. And your compatriots, by the way, your braids are really ugly."
Where did this come from?
Rock almost laughed out loud. You, a Sikh, laughed at the ugly braids of Chinese people, but you don't even look at what is wrapped in your turban. Sikhs generally have long hair, so they have to wear turbans on a daily basis. The more formal the costumes, the more turbans they wear on their heads, and the more spectacular it looks. From a distance, it looks like a person with a jar on his head. No matter how ugly it is, can it be uglier than yours?
Of course, what is ugly or not depends on the individual and the different habits. Rock thinks Sharma's turban is ugly, but Sharma doesn't think so. On the contrary, Sharma thinks that Chinese braids are ugly, and even Rock himself thinks so.
Fortunately, Rock doesn't have this problem now. Because he had to receive treatment, his hair was shaved off in the hospital, which saved Rock a lot of trouble.
After saying a few harsh words, Sharma turned around and left with a dozen of his men. This made Rock not know whether to laugh or cry. With such a big scene, he thought they were going to have a big fight, but in the end, they left just to say a few harsh words. What's the point!
"Fuck, I was so scared that I almost wanted to do it." Anton looked at the backs of Sharma and the others and let out a long sigh. He turned to look at Rock in surprise: "How come you can speak foreign languages?"
"Don't you know how? We've been learning it for so long." Rock made up an excuse.
"I have indeed learned it, but..." Anton felt indescribable. He had learned it, Anton and Rock and others had learned English in the Huayong Battalion before, but it was obvious that Rock's English fluency was beyond Anton's comprehension, which made Anton puzzled. In other words, they were probably in the same nine years, He Ruxiu?
"Anton, we probably won't be able to go back to Qing Dynasty in the future, so let's learn English well." Rock didn't want to explain too much. To gain the trust of the British, he must first solve the language problem. Otherwise, they won't be able to understand what they are saying. Why would the British trust you?
They chatted all the way back to the dormitory. Kunal was struggling to drag a large bag out of the door. It seemed that Rock's words were really carried out by Kunal. Rock watched coldly and had no intention of helping. Instead, Anton was very surprised.
"This..." Anton's partner is also Indian. Of course, he knows the morals of Indians. Cleaning is absolutely impossible. Under normal circumstances, as long as Chinese and Indians are partners, the Chinese are responsible for such things. Indians are just deliberately disgusting. No matter how bad the environment is, they can be happy. If the Chinese can tolerate it, then the Chinese can feel at ease , but if they can't tolerate it -
"There's nothing strange about it. The room was just too messy, and Kunaler took the initiative to clean it. I had just been discharged from the hospital and was very weak, not suitable for physical labor." Rock was not at all uncomfortable. When dealing with Indians, one must have a clear attitude, otherwise it will be easy for Indians to take advantage of you.
Of course Anton definitely doesn't think so. He's damn weak and not suitable for physical labor. Just now, Anton and Rock had dinner together. Anton saw with his own eyes that Rock ate about a pound of beef, a plate of salad, a large piece of bread and a cup of coffee. He can eat so much but still be weak. Does he have to eat a cow when he is strong?
It must be said that when Indians faced a crisis, their awareness of hygiene was still very good. The room was cleaned very tidyly by Kunal, the windows were clean, the air was fresh, the garbage on the table and the dirty clothes on Rock's bed were gone, and the floor was obviously swept and mopped. By Rock's standards, there was nothing wrong with it.
"Very good, Kunale, you'd better take care of your personal hygiene. Take a shower now, change into clean clothes, and keep it up. You will thank me in the future for your good hygiene habits." In Anton's opinion, Rock's face was very hateful now, but for some reason, Anton felt a secretly happy feeling growing in his heart.
