The Republic of Wine

no longer sleepy-eyed. ‘What can I do for you?’ Mo Yan asked decorously, his adrenalin rising.
    ‘General Manager Yu sent me up to pour some Overlapping Green Ants into your bathwater.’ Miss Ma replied.
    ‘Liquor in my bath water?’
    It’s the brainchild of General Manager Yu,’ Miss Ma explained. ‘He claims that bathing in liquor has positive health benefits. Alcohol Mils germs, relaxes the muscles, and stimulates the flow of blood.’
    ‘No wonder the place is called Liquorland.’
    Miss Ma picked up the uncorked bottle of liquor and carried it into the bathroom, with Mo Yan close on her heels. The room was still steamy, tendrils of whiteness lending it an air of romance. Miss Ma emptied the bottle into the bathtub, releasing a heavy, rather stimulating cloud of aroma - alcohol, of course.
    ‘There you go, Mo Yan, Sir. Jump in.’
    She smiled as she walked out, and Mo Yan detected a vague sense of romance in that smile. His emotions stirred, he nearly reached out to put his arm around her and plant a Mss on her ruddy cheek. But he clenched his teeth to keep his emotions in check and saw Miss Ma out.
    After she had left the bathroom, Mo Yan stood for a moment before undressing. The room had a warm, springlike atmosphere. Once he was naked, he rubbed his protruding belly and took a look at himself in the mirror. It was not an encouraging sight. He congratulated himself for not maMng a huge mistake a moment earlier.
    He felt the scalding water and biting alcohol sting as he stepped into the tub and slowly eased his body down until only his head showed, pillowed against the smooth rim. The liquor-enhanced bathwater, with its gentle green cast, prickled his skin, painfully, in a comfortable sort of way. ‘That damned dwarf.’ he cursed contentedly, ‘he sure knows how to live the good life!’ In a matter of minutes, the pain was gone. He could feel blood coursing through his veins faster than at any time in his life; his joints felt oiled and soft. A few minutes later, perspiration coated his forehead. His body was relaxed as only a heavy sweat can make it. It’s been years since I last sweated, he was thinking. My pores are all stopped up … I should let Ding Gou’er soak in a tub with Overlapping Green Ants, then have a young woman walk in on him. That’s the sort of detail a thriller needs …
    His bath finished, Mo Yan stepped out of the tub, threw a robe that smelled of sweet grass over his shoulders, and stretched out lazily on the sofa. Feeling a little thirsty, he took a bottle of white wine from the liquor cabinet and was about to uncork it when Miss Ma walked back into the room, this time without knocking. Tensing at her arrival, Mo Yan hurriedly tied the sash around his waist to cover his legs. Actually, tensing is not the right word; what he felt was much more pleasurable than that.
    Miss Ma took the bottle from him, opened it, and poured a glassful of wine. ‘Mo Yan, Sir,’ she said, ‘General Manager Yu sent me up to give you a massage.’
    Dots of perspiration reappeared on Mo Yan’s face as he stammered, ‘There’s no need for that, the sun’s almost up.’
    ‘Please don’t refuse me, General Manager Yu sent me up to do it’
    So Mo Yan lay down on the bed and let Miss Ma give him a massage, all the while concentrating on the image of a pair of icy handcuffs, in order to keep from doing something he shouldn’t.
    Yu Yichi grinned all through breakfast, causing Mo Yan no end of embarrassment. He knew that anything he said would be superfluous, and that his silence spoke volumes.
    Li Yidou ran breathlessly up to the table. Seeing the bags under his eyes and the drawn look on his face, Mo Yan asked sympathetically, ‘Didn’t you get any sleep?’
    ‘The provincial newspaper was pressing me for a story, so I went back to the office to finish it.’
    Mo Yan filled a glass with liquor and handed it to him.
    ‘Mo Yan, Sir,’ he said after downing the liquor, ‘Party Secretary Hu wants you to tour the city this morning, then join him for lunch.’
    ‘There’s no need for that,’ Mo Yan said. ‘The Party Secretary’s a busy man.’
    ‘But you must,’ Li Yidou insisted. ‘You’re an honored guest. Besides, Liquorland is going to rely on your heroic pen to become famous!’
    ‘My heroic pen?’
    ‘My dear Mo Yan, eat your breakfast,’ Yu Yichi said.
    ‘Yes, Mo Yan, Sir,’ Li Yidou agreed, ‘please eat.’
    So Mo Yan scooted his chair up to the table and laid his