Golden Peacock - Aravaka Maungkalay and Other Short Stories

The case of the younger brother of Arava

One day, I returned home after completing some work in the city, and found U San Sya reading the papers written on the folded papers...

“ Kai... Ko Thein Maung, if you want to make some money, you should find a man named ‘ U Suan Pho ’,” he said to me.

Servant .. “What are you talking about? The one who sent the alms, the name is a made-up one, isn’t it?”

Rare .. “I was just trying to figure out how to find this name, so I said I would give you a reward if you could find it.”

Servant : "How much is it? Who will pay for it?"

" It 's a long story. Among the cases that come to us, there are few that are as mysterious as this one. He will come in person soon. When he comes, you will hear from him."

"Prison. Think about where you've heard that name in all this time."

Then I took out a large book called the "Burma Directory" which lists the names and places of famous people in Burma and read each name starting with the letter "S". Finally, I found a name like that.

Servant .. “Hey.. I found you, U San Sya. Hey, here you are.”

U San Shya picked up the book, looked at the name I pointed out, and then...

" Sir . . . "U Suan Poh, retired, Land Registry Inspector, No. 134, Bow Lane Road. No, Ko Thein Maung, this is the person who wrote to me and informed me. The passport papers I am reading are from him. What we want is to find someone with the same name as this person. What difference does it make if he mentions his name in the work he has been assigned?"

At that moment, our maid came in holding a piece of paper and showed it to me as I read it...

I saw the words “U Suan Poh, Senior Lawyer, Shwebo City.”

Servant . . “Okay, U San Xia, you are ready to go and send alms. I am already busy. I have already seen a way to spend money.”

U San Syaar picked up the paper and read it...

" No , Ko Thein Maung. This person is also involved in this case. We have already found two U Suan Pohs, so we need to find a third one. However, Shwebo U Suan Poh can't tell us how he came to us. Okay, let's hear from him when he comes."

At that moment, the servant brought in the alms-bearer ordered by Shwebo. He was a man dressed in the manner of a lawyer, with a long robe, a black coat, and a hat. He had a large jaw and a very masculine face.

One of the unique features of the Shwe Bo people is that they are not like other civilians, like the Blacks, like the Chinese, or like the Shans, but they are truly Burmese, as if they had an inscription on their foreheads.

He was about 30 years old, had a rather stocky, dark complexion, and his eyes were very calm and sharp, clearly possessing a kind of power.

However, the left eye was slightly larger than the right, so I noticed that it was not the kind of eye of a trustworthy person.

He looked at me and U San Sha in turn, made a judgment, and then, realizing that he was right, looked at U San Sha and said...

Lu . . “Isn’t it U San Sya, you? You can judge by pictures without ever seeing the person. And then I received a letter from an old man with the same name as me, U Suan Poh, didn’t you?” Sya . . (picking up the scraps of paper) “The Shwe Bo in this paper is U Suan Poh, you’re the one. You’ve been in Yangon for a long time, haven’t you?”

Suan.. (suddenly his face darkens) “How do you know?”

" Shah .. "I just noticed your shirt."

"What's wrong with my shirt ? "

" Sh . . . "Isn't it a little common for you to have your shirt collars dyed? This is a common practice among the Yangon Pinmins. I think it would be difficult for someone who came from Shwebo the other day to have their shirts dyed in Yangon. That's why I'm saying you're not a visitor who just came to Yangon overnight."

Suan .. (After showing his teeth and smiling after his face was ruined) “Yes, he has big eyes, that’s why he is famous. By the way, I have been in Yangon for quite some time now… However, I came here not to talk about the shirt and the yellow-colored clothes. I came here to discuss the letter in U San Sya’s hand.”

I was still thinking about why U Suan Poh had said something that U San Shya had said about the color of the collar of my shirt, and I didn't realize it.

" Sir .. "Patience, my friend, I know that sometimes the observations of the case are important, my friend Thein Maung. But more than that, the land registry inspector, U Suan Pho. Why didn't you come with me?"

Suan . . “Ha... my man is a very good man, sir. It’s not a crime, it’s not a murder, but a job that involves a lot of people, whether it’s consulting with a detective or questioning, sir. I met him this morning and came to tell him about the letter I wrote to U San Sya. I’m very disappointed in the way this man works. He doesn’t follow any method.”

" Yes , my friend, I have written to you and consulted you, but I have nothing bad to say about you. I am consulting you so that you both can quickly resolve the matter. It is not unusual for him to consult me, my friend, since he knows that I am experienced and knowledgeable."

Then U Suan Pho, feeling angry with his people, changed his expression as if he had remembered his mistake.

Suan . . “Let it be like this. I met him this morning and told him that I had filed a complaint with you, so I came after him. I don’t really like the police and detectives getting involved. However, if U San Sya helps me find him, that would be great.”

" Sir , tell me what happened so that my friend here can hear it too. He doesn't know anything yet."

U Suan Pho looked at my face and then gave me an expression of displeasure...

Suan .. “Does he still need to know, U San Sya?”

"Sir .. "We usually work together."

Meal .. “Then there is no need to keep it a secret. Here, sir, in the southern part of Shwebo, everyone knows that the land is owned by the chieftain’s nephew, U Suan Po. The whole area is full of people. He has no sons or daughters and is a widower. He is not a close relative. Although he is a great relative, he is a great relative, but he does not recognize him as a close relative because he is a descendant of the chieftain’s concubine. Some people, when they find out that this man has no heirs or heirs, they flatter him, flatter him, and flatter him. But he does not accept any friends or relatives. There is one thing that is special about this man: he likes his name very much. He even used his name to say that there are people like me in Zambu. One day, I went to the scene of a murder. "When I investigated, I went to the village where he lived and met this old man."

“ When the old man met me and found out that I had the same name as him, he immediately started to love me like a brother, sister, and cousin. That time, he not only sent me to his house to feed and care for him, but he also came to Shwebo where I lived and often stayed at my house to eat and drink. He often said that my nephew would be rich and my son would be rich, but I didn’t understand him very well. I just remembered that he was just a friend. One day, he sent someone to me and told me to follow him immediately, but when I followed him, I found that the old man was sick. As soon as I arrived, he called his village headman and five elders and had them draw up a contract. What happened was that if I could find two other brothers with the same name as me, we would share the land he had with him, more than 600 acres, and three big houses, in front of all the elders, and we would sign the contract in the hands of the headman. One, one was handed over to me. Not long after. I heard that the old man had passed away. Even though I heard that it was not an easy task to find two people with my name, I was not happy about the contract he gave me. So I was surprised. His property was not small. Leave the houses alone, if the (600) acres of land are calculated at the rate of (100) per acre, it is worth (600,000) per person, and (20,000) per month, it is not a small amount, sir.

“ So the other day, when I happened to see the name of the Land Registry Inspector U Suan Phot on Bo Lane Road, I came down to Yangon. I thought that this was very close, and that I only needed to meet one more person, and I felt very encouraged. So I went to Bo Lane Road myself and told the retired Inspector about the matter. He was also happy. But the matter still needs to be met, my dear... That's it. U San Sya and I are very familiar with each other, so I can't say whether we have met these names. If you can, please help us. We are ready to give you our full value.”

Shay .. (Smiling) “Hey... what’s up, Ko Thein Maung? Didn’t I say it was so strange? Try it instead. Didn’t you try advertising in the newspapers?”

"Have you tried, sir ? Ninety-one hundred rupees have been spent. I haven't received a reply from anyone."

Shay . . “ Yes , sir, your case is funny,

Then U Suan Phot went down from the building.

U San Shar leaned back in his chair, smoking a cigarette, and looked at the smoke with a smile on his face...

My servant .. “What’s the matter, U San Sya?”

"I'm still thinking about it."

Servant .. “What are you thinking about?”

Sha . . “I’m wondering what kind of plan this guy has to come and shoot us. I’ve been thinking about telling him directly, asking him questions, but I’m just pretending to believe what he says, and he’s probably a Shwe Bo-sat. But since I’ve been in Yangon for a long time, I’m going to dress up in a shirt collar, a pair of jeans, and a pair of socks, and pretend to be a lawyer who just arrived from the capital. I asked him if he would put in an advertisement, and he already put in ninety-one hundred. If I look at the newspaper, he’s the kind of guy who looks for such strange things. I’ve never seen his advertisement in any newspaper. I also asked about the timber merchant U Theeddi for free. I don’t know who U Theeddi is. Even so, he’s acting like a son of a bitch. We already know that his property is not Chinese.”

“ But I can’t imagine how he came up with such a clever plan. I don’t think he would go to the Inspector General’s office for nothing. There must be a purpose. He’s a fool, after all. But he seems like a very strange fool. I often imagine him being a fool who is always on the go. Well... Anyway, let’s call him and see if he’s the one who’s right, or if the Inspector General on Boleyn Street is right, Ko Thein Maung.”

I remembered that a friend who lived at number (136) Boleyn Street had a telephone, so I called him and asked him to call U Suan Poh at number (134).

When U Suan Phot arrived at the telephone, I called U San Sha and asked him to speak. Although I could not hear what the other party said, I heard what U San Sha said as follows.

" Sh .. "U Suan, did you send me food? Thaw..yes sir, he came... How long have you known him? Only two days, ah... Thaw..yes. Strange. Very strange. We will come in the evening."

“ I don’t want to see him, I want to see you. Okay, I’ll come. U Thein Maung will be there. (6) hours. Don’t tell him. Yes...that’s it.”

(2)

That evening, U San Sha and I went to the house of Inspector U Suan Poh on Bo Lane Road.

U Suan Po's house was on the ground floor of an old two-story building, and in front of it hung a small wooden sign that read, "Inspector U Suan Po." U San Sha looked at the very old wooden sign and said,

" The sign was written a long time ago. Even the paint has faded. So it must be said that this name is clearly his real name. In this case, we can safely assume that this is the case," he said.

When we entered the basement of U Suan Poh's two-story building, we met U Suan Poh's retired inspector, who was standing in front of the house.