A Loyal Character Dancer

decorating his new home.”
     
    “Congratulations, Party Secretary Li! That’s something worth celebrating.”
     
    “Well, his uncle made a down payment on a small apartment and let him move in,” Li said. “Economic reform has brought about a lot of change in our city.”
     
    “I see,” Chen said. So this was the result of housing reform. The government had started to encourage people to buy their own housing to supplement their work units’ assignments, but few could afford the price—except the newly rich. “His uncle must have done well in his business.”
     
    “He has a small bar.”
     
    Chen was reminded of Old Hunter’s story about Li’s untouchable brother-in-law. Those upstarts were successful not because of their business acumen, but because of their guanxi.
     
    “Tea or coffee?” Li asked with a smile.
     
    “Coffee.”
     
    “Well, I only have instant.”
     
    Then Chen started by briefing Li about the food poisoning incident in Fujian.
     
    Li responded, “Don’t be too suspicious. Some of our Fujian colleagues may not be too pleased with Detective Yu’s presence. It’s their domain, I can understand that. But it goes way too far to accuse them of being connected with a gang. You don’t have any evidence, Chief Inspector Chen.”
     
    “I’m not saying all of them are tied to the triad, but one insider can do a lot of damage.”
     
    “Take a break, Comrade. Both Yu and you are overwrought. There’s no need to imagine yourself fighting in the Bagong Mountains, with every tree and weed an enemy soldier.”
     
    Li referred to a battle during the Jin dynasty, when a panic-stricken general’s imagination turned everything into the enemy chasing him into the mountains. But Chen suspected that it was Li who had lost sight of the enemy. This was no time to take a break. Perceiving a slight change in Li’s attitude toward the investigation, he wondered whether he had done something more than his Party boss had expected.
     
    He shifted his focus to Inspector Rohn’s cooperation, one of Li’s main concerns.
     
    “The Americans are pursuing the investigation in their interests,” Li commented. “It is a matter of course for her to cooperate. As long as they know we are doing our best, we don’t have to worry. That’s all we need to do.”
     
    “That’s all we need to do,” Chen echoed.
     
    “We’ll try to find Wen, certainly, but it may not be easy to accomplish this within the time frame—their time frame. We don’t have to go out of our way for them.”
     
    “I’ve not worked on such a sensitive international case before. Please give me more of your specific instructions, Party Secretary Li.”
     
    “You’ve been doing a great job. The Americans must see that we are trying our best. That’s very important.”
     
    “Thank you,” Chen said, familiar with Li’s way of saying something positive to soften what would follow.
     
    “As an old-timer, I would just like to make a few suggestions. Your visit to Old Ma, for example, may not have been an excellent choice. Ma is a good doctor. No question about it. I still remember your effort to help him.”
     
    “Why not, Party Secretary Li?”
     
    “The Mas have their reasons to complain about our system,” Li said, frowning. “Have you told Inspector Rohn the story of Dr. Zhivago in China?”
     
    “Yes, she asked me about it.”
     
    “You see, the Cultural Revolution was a national disaster. A lot of people suffered. Such a story is nothing new here, but may be sensational to an American.”
     
    “But that happened even before the Cultural Revolution.”
     
    “Well, that’s like what happens in an investigation,” Li said. “You are not doing anything now, but it’s still what you have already done.”
     
    Chen was astonished by Li’s reproof, which was not totally irrelevant.
     
    “Also, I’m concerned by the accident in Zhu’s place. Those old houses with dark, rotten staircases. Fortunately, nothing serious has happened, or the American might really get suspicious.”
     
    “Well—” I really am suspicious, Chen did not say.
     
    “That’s why I want to reemphasize that you must provide a safe and satisfactory stay for Inspector Rohn. Think of something else to do. You have served as an escort for Westerners. A cruise on the river is a must for a tourist. And a visit to the Old City.” Li said, “I’m going to invite her to a Beijing Opera. I’ll let you know as soon as I