Enigma of China

EIGHTEEN

The next morning, Chen took the new fast train to Shaoxing station.

Once on the train, Chen called Detective Tang, one of his connections in the local police bureau. A few years ago he’d helped Tang break a tough case, one which, if Chen hadn’t intervened, would have taken months longer before it got any official attention from the city of Shanghai.

“What good wind brings you to Shaoxing today, Chief Inspector Chen?”

“Well, somebody told me there was a literature festival here, and I just happened to have something else to do in town.”

“What can I do for the Shanghai Police Bureau?” Tang said, coming directly to the point.

“No, I’m not here in an official capacity, so I didn’t make contact through official channels. However, I do need to ask a favor.”

“I’m glad you thought of me. Of course I’ll do whatever I can to help. I could never forget your assistance back in Shanghai when that pig-headed Party Secretary Li-”

“Let’s not talk about him right now. You might have heard of the Zhou case-the pack of 95 Supreme Majesty and all that. It’s not exactly my case, but it’s a case that’s special to the bureau, and one of my colleagues died in an incident possibly connected to the investigation.”

“One of your colleagues died. I’m sorry to hear that. So now the investigation is on your radar.”

“Yes. I’ve learned that Zhou was born in Shaoxing, but he left for Shanghai when he was six or seven years old. He hadn’t returned to Shaoxing until about a year ago. And he came back more than once. It would be a great help if you could assemble any information about Zhou’s two visits to Shaoxing and about any relatives he might have contacted here-perhaps you could bring the information to the train station? Let me give you my cell phone number,” Chen said, rattling off the number of a cell phone he’d just purchased. “Of course, please, not a single word about my visit to your colleagues.”

Two hours later, as he walked out of the Shaoxing railway station, Chen was surprised to find himself facing a large modern square thronged with people and beyond it, an impressive six-lane thoroughfare filled with noisy traffic. There was also a line of taxis waiting along the curb.

Chen’s assumptions about Shaoxing had come mainly from the writings of Lu Xun, a “revolutionary writer” endorsed by Mao and the Party authorities during the Cultural Revolution. Lu Xun’s books were the only literature he could read during those years without having to disguise them by wrapping them in the red plastic covers of Quotations from Chairman Mao. In his stories, Shaoxing was more a rustic town than a city, with villagers, boats, a market fair, farmers like Ah Q, and country kids like Runtu. But Shaoxing, like anywhere else in China, had changed dramatically.

He caught sight of Tang pushing his way through the crowd, carrying a map in one hand, looking like one of the tourists. A stoutly built man in his late forties, Tang had deeply set eyes and a square jawline, an interesting mixture of supposedly southern and northern characteristics. He was wearing a light gray jacket, a blue shirt, and jeans.

Instead of asking any questions, Tang simply shook hands with Chen and handed over the map of Shaoxing. “Sorry, I can’t park here. It’s just across the street. I’ll be back to pick you up in one minute.”

Chen watched him as he pulled up in a shiny black Buick. It wasn’t a bureau car, as Tang had promised not to tell his colleagues.

After Chen got into the car, Tang handed him a large manila envelope.

“Zhou’s visits here weren’t about official business. He contacted only some of his relatives and friends. I put together a list of them-names, addresses, and numbers. That’s about all I could come up with on such short notice.”

“You’ve done an extraordinary job. So where are we going?”

“His cousin’s place. They saw each other last year.”

The car was already turning into a quiet residential area, with narrower streets and shabbier lanes, where some of the old houses were in disrepair.

“I’ve also included some information about his counterparts in Shaoxing,” Tang said with an apologetic smile. “But I have a meeting I have to attend.”

“Don’t worry about me. You’ve already done so much.”

“When the meeting is over, I’ll see what else I can dig up, and I’ll contact you as soon as I have anything. In the meantime, after going through this list, you might as well do some sightseeing here, or participate in the festival if you prefer. By the way, where is the festival?”

“Lu Xun’s old home.”

“A good choice.”

“A politically correct choice. But I may go to Lanting Park instead.”

“As you like, but let me buy you a Shaoxing dinner at the end of the day. It’s nothing fancy when compared to the food of Shanghai, but I guarantee the flavor is authentic.”

“Thank you, I’d like that. Did you find any property listed under Zhou’s name here?”

“No, but I’ll check into that too.”

The car pulled up near an old apartment complex, which looked pretty much the same as those built in the late seventies in Shanghai. Most of them were four-story concrete buildings that had become discolored with the passage of time. Chen guessed that they weren’t too far from the center of the city.

“Here we are, Zhou’s cousin’s home. Her name is Mingxia.”

“Thanks, Tang. Call me if you learn anything new.”

“I’ll do that,” Tang said, and then pulled away.

Chen walked over to a relatively new building and knocked on a door decorated with a red paper-cut character for happiness that was posted upside down in accordance with the superstition, as “upside down” is pronounced in Chinese exactly the same as “arrival.”

The woman who answered the door was plump, in her midfifties with streaks of gray in her hair, deep lines on her forehead, and a single shining gold tooth. She was dressed in a baggy, dark blue short-sleeve blouse and pants.

“Are you Mingxia?”

After examining the ID he held out, she nodded and let Chen in without saying another word. It was a one-room efficiency apartment packed with old furniture and other mysterious stuff. She pulled over a shaky rattan chair, from which she removed a pile of old magazines, and motioned for him to sit.

Chen wasted no time in explaining the purpose of his visit.

“Zhou left Shaoxing when he was still a kid,” she said. “For years, he didn’t come back to visit. At least, not that I was aware of. But he finally did return last year and treated us to a meal at a hotel restaurant, a five-star one. Then he did it again, a couple of months later, in a new restaurant named after a character in a Lu Xun story.”

“Did he tell you why he came back?”

“No, not exactly. I assumed that, as in the old proverb, it’s important for a successful man to return to his old home wrapped in glory. A generous treat for us folks who live here is naturally a part of that.”

“Do you remember anything unusual that he said or did during his visits?”

“No, I spoke only two or three words to him each time. We were seated at a big banquet table, more than ten of us, each of us thanking and toasting him across the table. I wondered whether he even noticed me.”

“But he must have talked to the others. For instance, about family back in Shanghai or his work?”

“He mentioned that the housing prices were still quite cheap here. I remember because we all took him as someone with reliable inside information. A free-standing villa in the best location here in Shaoxing would cost less than one million yuan, and he told us that it’s a steal.”

“So he encouraged you to buy?”

“A bargain or not, it’s still way beyond me. He mentioned one particular high-end subdivision, I think.”

“Was he going to buy something for himself?”

“No, he didn’t say anything about it.”

“What’s the name of the subdivision?”

“It’s near East Lake, but I can’t recall the name.”

“Was there anything else, Mingxia?”

“Well, I don’t know. He didn’t come back with his family. Instead, there was a secretary sitting with him, waiting on him. She deboned the Dong Lake fish for him during one of the banquets. But then that’s not that unusual for someone in his position, is it?”

“You mean having a little secretary?”

“I couldn’t tell. But she wasn’t that little, and not that young. Much younger than Zhou, of course.”

After talking for another forty-five minutes, Chen took his leave, practically empty-handed. All he’d learned was that Zhou had traveled with Fang, which, given their relationship, probably didn’t mean anything.

He began wondering if it was worthwhile to keep pursuing this angle.

Next, he decided to visit Chang Lihua, the director of the Shaoxing Housing Development.

Chang appeared genuinely surprised by Chen’s unannounced visit.

“You should have told us earlier about your visit, Chief Inspector Chen.”

“I haven’t told anybody about my visit. There’s no point beating around the bush with you, Director Chang. You must have heard what was going on with Zhou. It’s a very complicated and sensitive case. The less people know about it, the better. Your help would be most valuable to us.”

“Thank you for telling me this,” Chang said, producing a pack of cigarettes. He was about to offer one to Chen, when his hand jerked back as if he’d been bitten by a poisonous snake.

They were Panda. Since they had once been made exclusively for Comrade Deng Xiaoping in the Forbidden City, the memories of its imperial uniqueness lingered. That was what made them so expensive.

“Don’t worry about it, Chang. What really got Zhou into trouble wasn’t a pack of 95 Supreme Majesty, as we both know only too well.”

“I know. And the housing prices are much lower in Shaoxing, with no housing market bubble to worry about. It’s not at all comparable to the situation in Shanghai.”

“Shanghai’s bubble economy is not what concerns me,” Chen said. “Since Zhou worked in the same sector as you, Director Chang, I suppose he talked to you about the housing market during his visits to Shaoxing last year.”

“Of course we had met and talked in the past, but last year he wasn’t here on business. He just called me from the station, a few minutes before his train was leaving,” Chang said, trying to recall. “He did touch on some of the changes in the housing market, specifically the new regulation against the construction of independent villas in the city of Shanghai.”

“Why did he bring that up?”

“With the new high-speed train next year, Shaoxing will be only an hour away from Shanghai. A villa here could become a real bargain.”

“So he wanted to buy one?

“That I don’t know. It was only a short conversation before he boarded his train. Perhaps the call was just out of courtesy.”

As he left Chang’s office, Chen couldn’t help feeling that the Shaoxing trip would turn out to be another waste of time. So far, it hadn’t yielded anything helpful to his investigation.

Still, he did not want to give up so quickly. There might be some details he hadn’t examined closely enough.

The proverb cited by Mingxia-that it’s important for a successful man to return to his old home wrapped in glory-came from the story about Xiang Yu, the king of Chu, in the third century BC. Xiang Yu, at the peak of his military power, was swayed by an ancient saying, “If one is rich and successful without going back to his old home in all his glory, it’s like walking in one’s best clothes in the dark.” So he had led his troops back to his old home, a strategically disastrous move that eventually led to the demise of his kingdom. Despite the results, the concept had become rooted in China’s collective unconscious. It was almost unimaginable for a successful Party official not to show off for the people back home. But to do so after many years, to do so twice in one year, and to do it in the company of Fang… it didn’t add up. What if the stories of him traveling to Shaoxing with a younger woman-not his wife-made it back to Shanghai?

Chen’s cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. It was Detective Tang.

“Anything new, Tang?”

“Sorry, I haven’t found any property listed under his name.”

“Could you check another name?”

“Another name?”

“Fang Fang-possibly a villa near the East Lake. It’s a long shot. If it helps at all, the transaction was probably done last year.”

“That narrows it down. I’ll check into it right now.”

It would take a while, however, before Chen would hear back. In the meantime, he had some time to kill.

Cutting across the side street, he noticed an arrow-shaped sign pointing the way to Lu Xun’s residence. It looked like it was only a ten-minute walk away. The festival was being held there, but he should be able to maneuver around without being seen by the participants. He found himself heading in that direction.

Among modern Chinese writers, Chen admired no one more than Lu Xun, who fought against the injustices of society in the early decades of the twentieth century. For years after 1949, Lu Xun was endorsed by the Party government as the one and only proletarian writer because of his criticism of the Nationalist government.

Beyond a stone bridge, Chen saw a group of tourists getting off a bus near the entrance to an old street, most of them holding maps and brochures in their hands. An elderly man wearing a fake pigtail over a gray cotton gown shuffled up to the tourists, as if he had just emerged out of an illustration of a story by Lu Xun, selling souvenirs from his bamboo basket.

The original Lu residence must have been large, presumably housing the whole clan. Apart from a considerable number of halls and rooms, Chen saw the Hundred-Flower Garden at one side of the street and the Three-Flavor Study on the other, both of them mentioned in Lu Xun’s writings. Chen managed to curb the temptation to walk over to them.

About half a block away, in front of a quadrangle house, was a vertical wooden sign reading Young Writers’ Base of Lu Xun Academy. The door stood ajar, through which could be seen a corner of the tranquil flagstone courtyard. It was probably something like a writers’ colony. If so, he might try to come and stay here for a week, basking in the feng shui of Lu Xun’s old home, though he was no longer a young writer. Hearing voices coming from within, he hurried away.

“Buy a scroll of Shaoxing brush pen calligraphy-Lu Xun’s poem.” A scholarlike peddler with a flowing silver beard intercepted him on the street. “The calligrapher is an undiscovered master: in a few years, the scroll could be worth a fortune.”

The scroll showed a quatrain in bold Wei style.

How can I afford to be passionate as of yore? / Let flower bloom or fall, I care no more. / Who could have thought that in the southern rain, / I’m weeping for a son of the country again?

It was a poem Lu Xun composed for Yang Xingfu, an intellectual who was killed in the fight for democracy. Unexpectedly, memories of Detective Wei came back, overwhelming Chen in the guilty realization that he was not a poet like Lu Xun, not having written a single line for the dead.

“Two hundred yuan,” the peddler declared. “You are a man of letters, and you know the true value.”

“One hundred,” he bargained without thinking.

“Deal.”

Back in Shanghai, the scroll could hang in his office, he mused, as a souvenir of the trip, and in memory of Detective Wei.

Like everywhere else in China, Shaoxing was inundated by wave upon wave of consumerism. Along the street, except for the houses marked as part of Lu Xun’s residence, all the houses had been turned into shops or restaurants named in connection to the great writer. One salesman held a brown urn of Shaoxing rice wine on top of his head while jumping in and out a ring of wine bottles like an acrobat. Chen couldn’t recall any such scene in the stories.

He wished he could find a small tea room, but at least he was relieved not to see a Starbucks. He stepped into a small tavern instead, where he ordered a bowl of yellow wine. At this time of the day, he was the only customer, so a waiter also brought him a tiny dish of peas flavored with aniseed. Picking up a pea, he debated with himself whether he should go to the festival, perhaps make only a quick appearance. But once he was there, it might not be easy to get away quickly.

He couldn’t see any real point in going, just to join in the chorus singing the praises of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Lu Xun, for one, would never have done that.

Chen thought about an article he’d read recently. It was about a surprising comment Chairman Mao had made regarding Lu Xun in the fifties, during the heat of the antirightist movement. When asked what Lu Xun would have been doing if he was still around, Mao said simply that Lu would be locked up and rotting in prison.

As he sat there lost in thought, Chen got another call from Tang.

“Yes, there is a property registered in the name of Fang, Chief Inspector Chen. It’s a villa near Lu Xun’s old home.”

“What’s the address?”

“I’ll text it to you in a minute. There used to be a phone line under her name, but it was canceled about half a year ago. Which isn’t too surprising, since more and more people use only mobile phones. Also, the property seems to be unoccupied most of the time. According to the subdivision security, a woman moved in just a couple of days ago. Possibly she’s none other than Fang. The security guard is pretty sure she’s there now.”

“Good, I’m on my way.”

There was nothing surprising about the property being registered under her name. Either Zhou was cautious, having purchased it for himself but put it under her name, or he was really smitten and bought it for her.

The subdivision was about two blocks behind Lu Xun’s home. From a distance, he glimpsed a stretch of new roofs shining in the sunlight.

There was no ruling out the possibility that she was kept under surveillance in that subdivision. If he was able to track her down there, so could others. Still, he had to approach her. He turned a corner on the street, looking over his shoulder one more time.