The First Excellence: Fa-Ling's Map (29 page)

The centre of the paper was reserved for Gui-Jing’s image. As the afternoon stretched out he continued without pausing, patiently detailing each traveller’s face.

Meanwhile, Shopei and Randy talked in the kitchen, drinking pots of green tea. They expected the knock at the door, but when it came it still surprised them, first three raps, then two, then three again, the code used by Long to identify his friends.

Shopei hurried to the garden to fetch Master Long.

“
Grandfather,” she said, “he is here.”

“
Very well,” Long said. “Let him in. Offer him some tea while I clean up my work.”

Shopei wanted to look at the scroll, but Long put up a hand and shook his head.

“
It will be finished soon,” he said. “Then we will hang it over the bed.” He meant, of course, the healing bed, the one in the living room shrouded by the red silk curtain.

By the time Long made his way into the kitchen carrying yet another chair, the visitor was well into his second cup of tea and had eaten three biscuits from a plate. He nodded at Long, standing until the older man took his seat.

“
Master Long,” he said, bowing his head slightly before sitting.

“
Sun,” the old man said. “I see you have met my young friends, Shopei and Mr. Chan from America. Shopei is the eldest child of our mutual friend, Tan Lim.”

“
She has told me what happened to her family.” Sun patted Shopei’s hand. “I understand our escapee, Wu Gui-Jing, died this morning. As usual, I have papers for her. Given how dangerous it is at present for the daughter of Tan Lim to remain in the country, perhaps Shopei would like to use these papers. They are most excellent. The destination is New Mexico in the United States. Since Shopei has relatives in Boston, it would be easy enough for her to change her location soon after arriving in America.”

As was customary, Sun did not address Shopei, even though he understood she would make her own decisions, but instead directed his suggestion to the elder male, Master Long, for consideration.

“
This is not a bad idea, my friend,” Long said. “I will discuss it with my granddaughter and we will give you a decision.”

“
Do not delay,” Sun said. “The visa and passport must be used immediately.”

“
I want to stay here,” Shopei said, “with my grandfather.”

“
As I said,” Long insisted, “we will discuss it. There is no need for a hasty decision.”

His voice was firm, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward in approval.

“
Meanwhile,” he continued, “Sun, you must take Mr. Chan to the facility. He will travel as your nephew, wearing this.”

Long reached into the pocket of his painting trousers and proudly pulled out a two-piece device. One of his secret passions was his fascination with modern electronics. He enjoyed gadgets of all kind, the more sophisticated the better. In fact, along with a seemingly endless supply of worn wooden chairs, his garden shed also housed an impressive collection of high-tech devices.

He held out one of the new cell phones that were commonly seen on the streets, the type that could be attached to the user’s ear. It was mat-silver in colour, and was shaped in a raindrop pattern like half of the yin and yang symbol.

Shopei explained to Randy in English he would need to wear the telephone on his right ear.

“
I already have a phone,” Randy said.

“
How does it work?” Sun asked.

“
This little phone holds a secret camera. There is a remote device to go in Randy’s pocket. Young people are always walking with their hands in their pockets. It will not appear strange for him to do so.”

“
What about the language problem?”

“
When you arrive,” Long said, “make a point of arguing with him. He is your nephew. You tell him he is there to assist you and to learn something of the real world. He should keep his eyes open and his mouth shut. Then if anyone speaks to him, he can give an angry look and let you answer for him. I doubt whether anyone will push the point.”

“
Very good,” Sun said. He held a top government position, and as such he was given access to almost any government location. Few people dared to question him. It was an excellent position for someone in his real line of work, as a procurer of false documents and transporter of escaped ‘prisoners of conscience’ for the Underground Railroad.

Shopei translated Long’s instructions into English and explained to Randy how the hidden camera inside the cell phone worked. He turned the tiny remote control over in his hand.

“
Cool,” he said.

“
So,” Master Long said, “Shopei and I are going to prepare for supper. We will talk about my granddaughter’s future, and when you return we will give you our answer.”

“
Remember,” Sun said, “the documents will expire soon.

Randy followed Sun’s instructions, which were given in cheerful but almost incomprehensible English and accompanied by much pointing and waving of the hands. It would have made more sense for Sun to drive, since the older man knew the way and was accustomed to the noodle-crazy maze of traffic in Shanghai, but Randy was playing the role of ‘younger male relative’, and as such he would be relegated to the task of driving.

They finally arrived at an impressive brown brick building, four storeys high with windows stacked in rows along the exterior. It looked like a warehouse, only taller. The grounds were neat and barren, a cracked cement walkway leading to the main door.

Randy parked, then moved to a different space on Sun’s insistence. Before they got out of the car, Sun touched Randy’s elbow. He used one hand to zipper his mouth shut, and the other to point at Randy. The younger man understood.

As they made their way into the building, Randy stayed a full pace behind his ‘uncle’, one hand wrapped carefully around the remote control device in his pocket. Sun was almost eight inches shorter than Randy, and yet keeping up with him was no small endeavour. Sun strode forward with youthful energy, no doubt the same thrust and drive that had carried him to the top levels of government. His cheerful demeanour was replaced by a look of determination. He was a man to be reckoned with.

Randy had been warned the sights he was about to see would shock him. To react would jeopardise an operation Sun had developed and maintained for many years.

Randy was there to fulfil the function of ‘human recorder’, nothing else.

“
Good afternoon,” Sun said in Cantonese.

The young woman at the reception desk stood quickly and straightened her vest over her skirt, flashing a timid smile at the brusque bureaucrat.

“
I am Minister Sun from the Interior. I have an appointment with your Administrator. I may be early. Is he available?”

“
Yes, Sir,” she replied, daring to shoot a glance toward the handsome, angry young man at Sun’s side. “I will call Administrator Dong right away.”

“
Thank you.”

The young woman asked them to have a seat, but sitting was not Sun’s way. He wandered around the lobby, studying photos of previous Administrators that lined the walls.

Randy leaned against the front desk, his face the picture of youthful arrogance.

“
Minister Sun,” Dong said, extending his hand in the Western manner. Sun took his hand, shaking it lightly to indicate his disapproval. In truth, he didn’t mind in the least, but in his role as Minister of the Interior, it was important he maintain the appropriate attitude of superiority to his subordinates. Dong got the message. He withdrew his hand as if it had been scorched, offering a slight bow in its place.

Sun smiled.

“
As you know,” he said, “my report is due at the end of this week, so I would like to see your operation today, rather than having to come back. I have other sites to visit while I am in town.”

“
Very good, Minister. I am at your service.”

Dong led the way down an ornate hallway, painted soft yellow and adorned with red and gold banners. Between the banners were framed photographs of other government officials who had visited the site. They were pictured shaking hands with generations of Administrators, ending finally with a single shot of the new man, Dong, posing beside a minor Shanghai official whose name Sun could not remember.

He would reward Dong after the tour by offering to pose with him in the great room. Such a photograph would be a valued prize for the ambitious Administrator.

First things first. Sun followed Dong down the hallway and into the great room, which had been freshly scrubbed and decorated in honour of his pending visit. He nodded in approval, inspecting the velvet drapes, the polished window looking out over the parking lot, the podium where speeches of great consequence no doubt were regularly delivered.

“
Very nice,” he said, nodding his approval.

“
May I offer you something to drink?” Dong said.

“
No, thank you,” Sun replied. “My nephew and I had a large lunch. Besides, he is out of sorts, I’m afraid. His mother insisted he make this trip with me. He would have preferred to engage in his usual activities, but she would not have it.” Turning to Randy, he said, “Get your hands out of your pockets, Boy. Show some respect,” which command Randy ignored, turning away from the older man with contempt.

“
Young people!” Sun said cheerfully. “They will have their turn in the real world, won’t they?”

“
Oh, yes,” Dong said knowingly, grateful for the chance to develop a friendly bond with the Minister.

“
In any event,” Sun continued, “my nephew’s education will begin today. Perhaps a taste of the work done by men like yourself will help his feet to find the ground, eh? Come on, then. I did not come here to drink tea or to make conversation. I need to see the holding rooms, to make sure all are up to code. Are your people ready for inspection?”

“
They are, Minister. I hope you will find everything up to standard.”

“
Let us at all times, Administrator, strive to surpass the standard, shall we?”

“
Yes, Sir. This way, Sir.”

As Sun had expected, all prison cells had been scrubbed in anticipation of his visit. He chose three cells to enter for closer inspection, and saw no signs of vermin or lice. The bedclothes were clean, the slop buckets had been disinfected, and the prisoners themselves were freshly shaved and dressed in new jump-suits.

However, there was no way to hide their emaciated bodies from view, the pallor that proved these unfortunate souls seldom if ever saw the sunlight, and the evidence of chronic malnutrition.

“
Excellent,” Sun said, nodding his head joyfully. “You have done a top job, Administrator. Well beyond standard, let me assure you.”

Dong beamed, bowing his head in a show of false humility.

After all, Sun reasoned, Dong had done a good job of preparing for the inspection. There were seldom any ‘snap’ inspections in China, as they would not produce the desired official reports. The government did not want to publish information that would reflect badly on itself, so it rarely put its minor officials in the hot seat, which might cause them to lose face. The only exceptions to that unwritten rule were those situations where the government wished to get rid of an errant official. In that case, an unexpected inspection would be ordered, and would naturally find the official to be grossly failing in his duties.

Anyway, it was better these poor prisoners should have their cells cleaned occasionally for an inspection, than never at all.

“
Yes, indeed,” Sun continued, “most excellent. Thank you, Administrator. I will be sure to send you a copy of my final report. I believe you will be most pleased. And now, please, we have a flight to catch. I would like to have a quick look at your medical set-up.”

Dong’s smile froze on his face and his eyes widened. He quickly recovered, meeting Sun’s cheerful gaze.

“
That is most unusual, Minister,” he said softly.

“
Nevertheless,” Sun said. “There have been complaints. An American organ recipient developed a case of Staphylococcus bacteria recently after returning home from Shanghai. He had to be hospitalised in Miami for four months while his body was flushed with antibiotics. This drew Western media coverage. It is attention we do not desire.”

“
I understand, Minister. You will not be disappointed with our medical unit. We have enlisted the top local students, under the supervision of a surgeon from Guangdong. I make an inspection myself on a weekly basis.”

“
I am pleased to hear that. It fits with my impression of your management. Please, let us get on with it.”

“
But Sir, we normally perform our surgeries in the afternoon. We will be interrupting procedures.”

“
Nonsense! We will not be intrusive. We will wear masks and gowns, of course. I must see this facility in order to complete my report. Besides,” he added slyly, winking at Dong, “it might improve my nephew’s disposition to see what happens to dissidents.”

Dong laughed despite himself, charmed by the older man’s humour.

“
Very well,” he said. “Come along, then. We will have a look at the operating room.”

He led the pair past the rows of sanitised cells, toward the far end of the building. As they passed one private cell, Randy’s attention was drawn to a young man squatting on his slop bucket. He appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen. Randy’s first instinct was to look away, to give the boy his privacy, but something desperate in the child’s eyes held his gaze.