"Don't move! All of you, sit properly! Raise your hands and don't move! Stop what you're doing!" Zou Ming, the police officer in charge, shouted at them.
Everyone raised their hands in unison and waited for the police's next instructions. This was not a grave offense. If they were arrested, they would just need to pay a fine and sit through an education session.
However, the thing was these people could not afford the fine of 100 dollars. It was equivalent to their entire family's food expenses for half a year! If they did not have money to pay the fine, they would be imprisoned for a year before being released.
"Brother… we're just friends having some fun together. We're not gambling! Can't friends play mahjong together?" one of the neighbors asked softly.