My Dearest CHINGU: I’m Not Sorry I Love You
Writer’s note: The chemistry between CR and JDG in AAE was so powerful, undeniable and unforgettable that it inspired me to team this super-duper pair up again in my own Sequel to my favourite JDG movie: CHINGU.
Author: Cynthia Muak
Chapter 1
“Youzhen Ge, please come to my house immediately. Come by way of the back lane…hurry, PLEASE.” Shan Mei was crying and almost screaming down the phone, making sure she was heard above the sound made by the unrelenting rain beating down and the gusty winds roaring around her.
“Are you alright? What happened? Someone broke into your house?”
“Don’t ask any questions. Just come. And bring along your first aid kit, to stop bleeding, lots of blood…..buckets of it …”
“Shan Mei, tell me, are you hurt? What happened?” There was extreme fear in Youzhen’s voice.
“Youzhen Ge, I’m okay. Just shocked. Someone is badly hurt, not me. Hurry, it’s a matter of life and death.”
On hanging up, Youzhen immediately ran around the house, trying to get together a first aid kit and whatever else he could lay his hands on for a crisis, rushed out of his house, hopped into his car and zoomed off to Shan Mei’s place. His mind was frantic. Shan Mei sounded scared, yet there was a real sense of the utmost urgency in the tone of her voice. Her father was currently in England with his new wife of 9 months, who happened to be Youzhen’s mother, helping out their good friend, Dr. Kang, as locum for his country practice for the summer. The couple had decided to treat this time as some kind of belated honeymoon.
As soon as he turned into the quiet back lane along the stretch of houses where Shan Mei lived, Youzhen could see her, standing in the rain, frantically waving her hands at him. His car came to a halt behind Shan Mei’s car. He jumped out. Shan Mei grabbed his hands. Hers were cold. Ahead of her car, lying on the pavement in front of her backyard gate, was a man covered in blood. With his torch light, Youzhen could see several deep cuts on the man’s body but he did not dare move the man. What happened? How did this man managed to get cut up so badly? It looked as if the man had been dumped there, as there was no visible sign of fighting around the area. The flower pots along the side of the Zhen’s garden fence were in their usual order, the leaves of the hedge not bruised; in fact nothing seemed out of place, except the man now lying on the pavement. The man appeared big. It would not be easy to move him by himself, Youzhen realized.
Youzhen and Shan Mei ran into the Zhen’s backyard and sheltered themselves under the garden porch from the pelting rain. He called their other friend, Jun Mao, on his mobile phone. “JM, get off duty right away! We need help desperately. Get some cot-sized towels and bed sheets from the hospital’s linen cupboard, and come to Shan Mei’s place at once. Use the back lane. Thanks pal. This is a real Class 1 Emergency-emergency!”
While they waited for Jun Mao, Youzhen inspected and tried to clean up the wounds as best as he could. His mind was too chaotic to think coherently. The man was just barely alive. What mischief had he been up to that he was butchered up so bad? From his experience at the hospital, he concluded this was most probably the result of some kind of gangland fighting. He had seen the same kind of wounds on shifty-looking patients seeking treatment at the hospital during his night duties. While he was trying to clean up the man as best as he could, the man’s only response was his groans. His clothes were soaked through and through; and he was visibly trembling. Tiny rivulets of rain water, perspiration mixed with blood, ran down his face.
“Is he going to live?” Shan Mei asked shakily and softly as she hovered over Youzhen’s hunched-up back.
“Hell, if I know! And what the hell is taking JM so long?” Youzhen answered, asked and cursed, all in one breath, the frustration and fear evident in his voice.
==
Upon arriving at Youzhen’s house, the 3 of them tried their best to carry the human bundle into the garden shed. Thank goodness this shed was always kept in immaculate condition because Youzhen used part of it as a dark room for his photography hobby. It was entirely air-conditioned throughout, and installed with air filter and air sterilizer system.
At one stage, Youzhen’s vision was blurred by the perspiration running into his eyes down his forehead. “He’s lost a lot of blood, he’s fighting infection, and there’s not a whole lot left on him for me to sew up.” He turned his wizened gaze Shan Mei’s way. He then went back to work on the man as fast as he and Jun Mao could manage; and Shan Mei averted her gaze from the stranger’s savagely ravaged back, as she passed sterilized scissors, needles, thread, whatever that they needed.
==
The fiery flame licked at the man’s back unmercifully. He searched for the peaceful cocoon of oblivion, but it hovered beyond his reach as the pain shot through his back and his whole body.
The man forced his bloodied, swollen eyes open, only then did he realize that he was lying in a bed, his hands fisted and tied to a bedpost. He didn’t seem to have any control over his body as it flinched with Youzhen’s not-so-gentle ministrations.
While the man’s fever raged, Shan Mei constantly rained sterilized cool water over his body.
The stranger felt his body grew warmer with each passing hour. When he shivered, Shan Mei didn’t dare bring the blankets up to cover him. Youzhen had told her the man’s raw back needed air. Even that wasn’t quite so true; she didn’t think that he could have survived anything touching him.
Her touch was gentle, careful as though she thought she might hurt him.
She had taken her vigil beside the wounded man, placing her hand over his.
Finally, Youzhen sighed heavily and tiredly with satisfaction and awe. “He’s just so lucky to be alive. He got hurt really bad inside and out. His injuries were extensive, and there’s going to be a lot of scarring.” After the wounds were dressed, and the man cleaned up, and made comfortable, Jun Mao and Youzhen went back to Shan Mei’s home and cleaned up the pavement and backyard of all traces of blood. The heavy rain had washed away most of the blood very nicely.
Shan Mei, watching over the man, wished she had gone with them. When dressing, the three of them had decided to leave the open wounds unbandaged, hoping to dry them out as soon as possible. The man was a ghastly sight. The harrowing moans from the man were giving her shivers, and she was expecting him to die on her anytime. He opened his bloodshot eyes a little while Shan Mei stood there staring, wondering what to do about him. He looked up at Shan Mei, his face filled with such intolerable pain, and asked Shan Mei with great difficulty of speech in a hoarse whisper, “Are you an angel?”
Shan Mei answered, her mind bewildered, “No, I’m Zhen Shan Mei. We found you lying at the back of my house. Don’t waste your breath, you need to conserve your energy. Go back to sleep.” She didn’t know whether the man understood her, but he closed his tired eyes and drifted off again into unconsciousness. Her mind could not think straight, wondering how the man got to be abandoned at the back of her house in the first place. And it had to be when her father was not in town.
==
KimYouzhen, An Jun Mao and Zhen Shan Mei were having coffee in the kitchen, deep anxious frowns on their foreheads, each trying to come up with an explanation of what happened. They rationalised among themselves whether they had done the right thing. There were more than 30 slashes on the victim’s body, some very deep! On the other hand they knew if they had taken him to hospital, the man would have surely died before care could be administered. It was a matter of seconds between life and death. Even though the man’s pulse was very, very weak, almost petering out, there was still a slim sliver of hope if they could stop the bleeding somehow.
Finally, they all agreed with Youzhen’s theory that it must have been some kind of gangland fight. The fighting must have taken place elsewhere. The body was then dumped at another place, hoping to draw suspicion away from the gang. By logic, the man should have died, he had bled so much. It was a miracle he was still hanging in there with his raspy breathing. With the drip Jun Mao had taken from the hospital, Youzhen hoped they could save the man’s life.
They decided for convenience sake – the man was in too bad a shape to be moved around – the man would continue to stay at Youzhen’s place. They would take turns to look after him. Since Shan Mei was on morning duty at the hospital, she would take over from when Youzhen who was on afternoon duty at the hospital. Jun Mao would take over from Youzhen in the morning after he finished with his overnight duty. Thus it was so arranged. They were lucky too, because Youzhen’s mum had accompanied Shan Mei’s father to England. The couple was supposed to be away for 5 months.
The 3 partners in crime, best of friends since childhood, were actually interns at the Busan General Hospital, serving their final 4 months of internship, after which they would be issued their practising license, and become full fledged doctors. At first, when they discovered the body they were troubled and very worried. As they worked at saving the man’s life, which at that time was their main priority, they began to think very positively about the whole thing. This was a God-sent opportunity to them, trying to save a human life on their own using the skills and knowledge they have learnt all these years through medical college. The 3 looked upon it as their secret ‘Life Project’, the code they used when talking about it. They never once thought of the would-be dire consequences if the man had died while in their care.
==
Two days later, at some gangster’s hideout.
“How come Dong-su’s body was not found? The newspapers reported only 4 bodies found, but not Dong-su’s. What happened?”
“Boss, don’t you worry. He received several slashes on his back. I stabbed him good in the front, twisting the knife the way you taught us to. He was bleeding so bad with so many knife slashes, there is no way he could have remained alive. Our members also hacked at his henchmen who were trying to help.”
The man who had been addressed as ‘Boss’ continued after a short while, “Anyway, I’ll be leaving for USA tomorrow, so even if they find the body, the police cannot pin anything on me. All you guys go somewhere out of Busan and lie low for a couple of months, until the police investigations have cooled down. Meanwhile, try to pay off those witnesses. They are mostly members from Dong-su’s gang, right? That Dong-su deserves such a fate, thinking he is the Boss, trying to humiliate me. If he had towed the line, and crossed over to my side, he would have been No. 2. Leave his territory alone, for the time being. Make a move to take over control, in 6 months’ time. If his men surrender, let things be. OK, no more meeting for the time being. Follow the usual method of communication, to avoid detection.” After the men barked their understanding, they then disbanded and slunk away into the deep of the dark night.
That week the local newspapers were full of reports on the murders. The police had rounded most of the gang members active in that area. From their investigations, the police concluded the man who ordered the killings was Lee Joon-suk. The main target was Han Dong-su. Although the gang members swore they saw Han Dong-su lying dead by the gutter side before they fled the scene of the murder, his body had not been found. Four of Dong-su’s henchmen’s bodies were found at the scene. There were wild speculations about this, that Dong-su’s body was thrown into the sea to be fed to the sharks, or his body became mince meat, fed into the mincing machines at the fishery plant controlled by the rival gang, so no evidence could be pinned on Lee Joon-suk, who had gone into hiding when a police arrest warrant was issued.
The newspapers further reported there was no apparent reason for such brutal slaying, unless it was a power struggle for No. 1 spot. The police special tactical unit understood the territories were distributed evenly into Fishery, Construction and Vice.
==
Shan Mei, Youzhen and Jun Mao followed the stories in the newspapers daily and believed someone had removed the body and dumped it randomly just anywhere. They shivered at the sheer brutality of the murder. The 3 of them agreed that the man, now lying in Youzhen’s shed, had an extremely strong countenance and will to survive.
==
While the patient’s fever raged, Shan Mei constantly rubbed alcohol, sometimes cool water, over his body, and worried for the future. What to do if they managed to get this man through?
One very early morning, just as Shan Mei was standing at the entry to the shed, the patient on the bed was about to turn his face toward the wall. Shan Mei could see his throat muscles straining, working. She gave him time to compose himself before she quietly approached.
On touching his forehead, Shan Mei wept with relief when she discovered his fever had finally broke near dawn. The pain had not gone away with the fever, but they were able to untie him. He was incredibly weak, too weak to sit, but he managed to slurp broth from a spoon that Shan Mei held to his lips ….over and over ….off and on throughout the day whenever he was not sleeping.
When she saw him again the next morning, he was trying to sit on the edge of the bed. Taking short gasps of air, his hands knotted around the mattress, sweat was beading his body.
“You shouldn’t be up.” She scolded him as she hurried into the room and set his breakfast tray at the foot of the bed.
She could see the pain etched in his features, the strain in his muscles.
==
Three weeks later, one afternoon at Youzhen’s house, the patient roused from his sleep. He found himself still all bandaged up in some places and in great pain whenever he tried to move. Shan Mei came to the bedside, trying to soothe his nerves. “Mr. Han, please do not move. You’ll only aggravate the wounds further.”
“Who are you? Where is the other fellow I usually see in the morning? How do you know my name is Han?”
Giving the man a sweet smile, Shan Mei told him, “You mean Jun Mao? Like you said, he’s here only in the mornings. We found your Social Security Card in your wallet in your trouser pocket. Your wallet was a mess when we found it. We’ve cleaned it up and put it here in the top drawer of your bedside table.” When Shan Mei said that, she went to the bedside table and pulled out the top drawer a couple of times so the man could see it, before she continued, “In the drawer you’ll also find a small silk bag containing the jewelry and watch you had on when we found you. Will you be able to sit up properly, while I feed you some porridge?”
While Shan Mei was feeding him, the man known as Mr. Han looked at her suspiciously. Who were she, and the other guy Jun Mao? Why were they so kind to him? Maybe he was in heaven now, and these two were his guardian angels? But how could he be in heaven? Shouldn’t he be rotting in hell, for all the bad things he had done? When all the porridge had been eaten up, Shan Mei gave the man a clean wipe all over his face and his hands. She then gave the man some tablets and a glass of water. Shan Mei was curious about the man too, but she felt it was better not to probe. They had to gain his trust first; after all he had been chased, hacked and chopped by rival gang members – according to the stories in the newspapers.
“Mr. Han, is there some family member we have to inform about your whereabouts? We don’t want them to worry.”
With great difficulty, the man known as Mr. Han managed to squeeze some words out of his mouth, sadly. “Thank you, Little Miss, for your kind intention. I don’t have anyone anymore except my father. My brothers must have left me for dead. I’m sure they’ll take care of matters for me. I don’t want to burden them anymore, especially my father. I’ve disappointed him dreadfully as a son. It’s best if they think I’m dead.”
As he said this, he appeared dazed as if still in disbelief of what had happened. He closed his eyes, wanting to block out his mind. He didn’t want to remember the events of that fateful evening, but the nightmare wouldn’t go away. He was going to the airport to stop Joon-suk from leaving for Hawaii. He wanted to tell Joon-suk they were chingus. There should be no more bad feelings between them and they should start afresh. As he approached his car, he was attacked not only by Joon-suk’s men but by his own two body guards. “That’s the meaning of brotherhood? Loyalty could be bought at the drop of a hat?” He let out a disappointed sigh.
Without thinking, he asked Shan Mei, “Little Miss, can I have a cigarette please?” sounding very tired, sad and hopelessly dejected.
Shan Mei gave him a stern look (although she could never really look stern no matter how hard she tried, with that sweet face of hers). “Mr. Gorgeous, the only things going into your mouth until you heal properly will be good nutritious food and doses of antibiotics to keep the gangrene away.” Both laughed softly at the irony of her statement, seeing the upper part of his body was criss-crossed with ugly open wounds that were beginning to heal.
He had been trying to stand up and suddenly baulked as though she had struck him although all she did was refuse him a cigarette. He took a step back, faltered and reached for the night stand table for support and sent the table and himself crashing to the floor. He cried out in pain, rolling on his stomach. By automatic reflex, Shan Mei yelled out to Youzhen and Jun Mao although the two men were nowhere around but on duty at the hospital.
Chapter 2
Slowly Mr. Han opened his eyes and with a sad look in them he said, “I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
“I realize that,” Shan Mei answered softly, looking somewhat foolish for calling out to Youzhen and Jun Mao.
“Do you?” He released a short laugh. He was still lying on the floor. “You don’t trust me because I’m a gangster. A man makes choices in his life, and he’s got to learn to live with them. But he doesn’t know what those choices are going to cost him. It’d help if we knew the price before we made the decision.” The anguish and pain reflected on his face made her want to draw him within her arms, to comfort him. Instead, Shan Mei extended both her hands, trying to help him up from the floor as best as she could.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” he apologised hoarsely.
He hesitated when he saw she was trying to help, and she knew he was fighting his conscience. Everything for this man was a battle.
With difficulty, she managed to help him back on to the bed and when she saw that some of newly-healed wounds had torn open again, she informed him that she would need to apply some antiseptic balm to him.
When he heard that, he broke out into several groans and his face formed a grimace that showed distastefully what he thought of Shan Mei’s antiseptic balm.
‘I’ll be gentle,’ she promised.
Creating small circles she rubbed the balm over his front.
With eyes closed, as he lay out on the bed, Mr. Han thought to himself, an odd grin on his face. A man could get spoiled having a woman, a good woman, in his life, smiling with the dawn, humming while she cooked breakfast, rubbing healing salve onto his wounds.
Then very carefully and subtly, Shan Mei asked, “Who would want to do something so vicious and brutal like this to you?”
His lips curled into a sardonic smile. “A friend. He thought I should pay with my life so he ordered to have me cut up.”
Her heart constricted when she heard that. Her touch became more gentle, more careful as though she thought she might hurt him too.
==
Several weeks later, Han Dong-su was resting in his room after he had eaten the lunch Shan Mei had brought him earlier. He could vaguely make out what Shan Mei and Youzhen were saying out in the living room.
“Don’t worry Youzhen Ge. I won’t put you in a difficult position when Ma and Pa return home. Since Mr. Han was dumped at my door, I’ll be responsible for him. I’ve been posted to work at Nampo General Hospital. I’ll talk to Pastor Cho of NMP Uniting Church there. We became good friends when I served 3 months there as a trainee to help the visiting doctor. We’ll move Mr. Han there when I go to Nampo.”
“Good idea. And you’re right. He was dumped at your door. Seems to me it’s fated you’ve to be responsible for life for Mr. Han. Another lost sheep saved. He sure landed at the right door. Wonder how he knew such a sweet and compassionate angel lived there?”
“Oh, you, spouting nonsense again! But, don’t you dare breathe a word to Pa and Ma, otherwise you’re going to get it,” Shan Mei warned Youzhen.
She continued in a worried tone, “I only worry when I leave Korea for China. Yesterday I received an acknowledgement from Worldwide Development Program Organisation (WDPO) that my project outline has been approved during their project review, and it would be given top priority. They will soon be contacting the Chinese side. They want me to set up my base in China within 12 months. Can you talk my Pa into taking him when I leave for China?”
Thinking it was one big joke, Youzhen burst out, “No way, if Pa finds out the man used to be gangster, and his precious daughter has been shacking up with him, your Pa will die of a heart attack. I don’t want to have that on my conscience.”
“What kind of a brother are you, talking like that? What do you mean ‘shacking up with him’ when all I did was being nurse?”
“During the first few days, didn’t you take leave from the hospital and spend all your time in that shed?” Youzhen teased, his eyes laughing at Shan Mei.
“Mr. Han was running a very high fever and was delirious. You saw the extent of his wounds? He couldn’t even lie down and had to remain in upright position 24 hours of the day for several days. Of course someone had to look after him. Both you and Jun Mao had to study for some exams, so I did the nursing duty. You ungrateful rat!”
“Hey, who’s ungrateful? I answered your SOS immediately otherwise he would now be 6 feet under, and not 6’ across, lying so comfortably on a cushioned bed in an air-conditioned bedroom, being waited on hand and foot by my sweet sister!
Since all your life you have insisted you won’t have time for a husband or family, wanting only to be a doctor bringing medical wellness and tender loving care to people in need of medical treatment, why don’t you marry him and take him along to China with you? Treat him like your ‘lost sheep’ giving him medical attention and tender loving care! Ha, that’s the best solution. Your Pa will agree, seeing a man’s going with you to be your bodyguard. Of course, Pa doesn’t need to know about Mr. Han’s background.”
When Youzhen saw Shan Mei giving him several dark anxious frowns, he eased his teasing and suggested helpfully, “Better still, help him move to another town where no one knows him. Help to resettle him and find him a job so he can take care of himself.”
Shan Mei became silent. She went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. She took the opportunity to show her temper at Youzhen, complaining this or that was missing from his kitchen, making it impossible for her to prepare a decent meal.
Youzhen looked at Shan Mei in a funny way. What was the matter with her? He was only trying to help. Was the WDPO project giving her too much pressure? He didn’t know why she opted to undertake such a difficult task? Going to Yanbian, at the N.E. corner of China would not be a bed of roses. He had heard the winters there were extremely severe. There were several places in Korea in need of medical services and a dedicated doctor, why did she choose China? No doubt about it, the WDPO project would enhance her profile tremendously, but why choose China of all places?
Han Dong-su, on the other side of the room, was troubled when he heard this. He didn’t want to be a burden to the girl, whose smile he could not forget, whose face he was always dreaming of, whose sweetness and kindness he couldn’t bear to let go.
Every time she checked his wounds or applied healing balm to them, her touch was so gentle. Sometimes he tricked her by wincing when she touched a wounded spot, hoping to hear her tender comforting words and see her special sunshine smile.
He had grown up without a woman’s influence in his life. He had become self insulated and immune to women’s wiles. Women were trouble, thinking of the unhappiness his mother had brought into his life by her early death, and how weak for drugs his good friend Lee Joon-suk became when he became involved with a woman.
But this Dr. Zhen Shan Mei was no ordinary girl. He had never met anyone so sweet, so kind, so gentle and natural. She was an angel who had touched his cold, hard heart and moved his ravaged soul!
Was it really fate that threw them together as that Dr. Youzhen had claimed? For bizarre reasons, their paths crossed, she was meant to save his life? His life now belonged to her – definitely! Unless she told him she would not be responsible for him, he would follow her to the ends of the earth, and guard her with his life against all adversaries and adversities. He laughed mirthlessly – “if I still have the strength or get out of this alive!”
That night in bed Shan Mei thought over what Youzhen Ge had suggested. She would wait until Mr. Han’s strength returned, until his wounds had healed enough that he could wear a shirt, before she would decide what to do with him, but one thing for sure, she would now have to abandon her plans.
==
Dr. Don Harrison, the WDPO Project-Director, together with a secret agent, James Craig, from America & Allies Intelligence (AAI) paid Shan Mei a private visit. This visit was in response to an email Dr. Harrison had received from Shan Mei 2 weeks ago, explaining her situation; how she would be unable to take up the WDPO appointment in Yanbian due to a difficult situation she had accidentally become involved with. She had to be responsible for the safety of a gangster whose life she had saved. He had nowhere safe to go. She couldn’t simply leave in case his attackers came looking for him again. A person simply couldn’t save a life, and then throw that life back to the wolves. Her conscience wouldn’t let her.
WDPO being an UN-sponsored organisation, of course, had to seek AAI assistance whenever the need arose. Dr. Harrison wanted Shan Mei for Yanbian and had asked AAI to vet on this man. Maybe this man could go with Shan Mei to Yanbian as her personal assistant and bodyguard, seeing the man came from that kind of rough background?
During their visit with Shan Mei, the 2 American gentlemen had a meeting with Mr. Han. Shan Mei acted as the interpreter. They asked him a lot of questions. They wanted to know how honest Mr. Han was. In fact, the AAI agent already came with a dossier on Mr. Han. AAI was aware of the Busan gangland fight. The opposition gang leader, Mr. Lee Joon-suk, had tried several times since the killing spree to enter Hawaii, but was refused entry by the US Immigration each time. Also, their investigations, obtained in part from the Busan Police STU, revealed the cause for the killing was unknown. There had been no wrangle for control of territory before the horrific killing spree. It had always been clear cut for the 3 major gangs controlling Busan: Fishery, Construction and Vice.
When the two American gentlemen were satisfied with the outcome of their talk, Dr. Harrison, finally said to Mr. Han, “I have an offer for you which can only be revealed if you accept our suggestion.”
Mistrust plunged into Han Dong-su’s eyes and survival instincts, and he looked like he might bring up his breakfast.
“You will need a new identity, for your safety,” the AAI officer hastily added.
Han Dong-su furrowed his brow. “A new identity?” He didn’t understand what the two gentlemen had in mind. He was very worried that they were going to take him away. He had been feeling very safe, ensconced in the warm cocoon the three young doctors had wrapped around him. He was not ready or prepared to face the outside world on his own. The brutality of his previous world seemed like a past lifetime.
Dr. Harrison arose from his chair and placed a comforting hand on Han’s shoulder, giving it a gentle knead. “Think over what we are offering you.” Then the 2 men left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
Out in Youzhen’s living room, Dr. Harrison sat down with Shan Mei again and he wanted to know of her future plans. If she abandoned her plans to go to Yanbian, what was she going to do?
“In 6 weeks’ time, I’ll be reporting for duty at Nampo General Hospital. Nampo is a quiet, upper-class neighbourhood, about 2 hours drive from Busan city. The pastor at NMP Uniting Church has agreed to take Mr. Han in, giving him a place to stay. In return, Mr. Han will help with odd jobs around the property. In time, I also hope Mr. Han will come to accept the Lord. He has been receiving bible study lessons from my step brother.”
“If we send Mr. Han with you to Yanbian, will you be comfortable with that? We really want you to go into China to bring medical care to the poor in the hill areas. The feasibility report you gave us on bringing aid and helping them to open their province to the outside world really impressed us. If you have a man with you, it will be one less worry for us, not knowing the security situation of the place, although you must realise your personal safety at Yanbian is taken at your own risk. AAI will brief you on all the necessary precautionary measures to take before you leave, if you will reconsider your decision.
Here is the man’s dossier. We dare to make the suggestion because as you can see from the dossier notes, Mr. Han is not your typical gangster. He became a gang member after graduating from senior high school. He worked himself up through the ranks. He was very loyal and honest, never double-crossed his boss. He never had a girlfriend and was not one of those gangsters who must have a girl forever hanging on his arms, or in his bed. In a gangster’s behavourial code, he was considered clean, strong, and reliable. To ensure safe passage, we’ll give him a new identity and he’ll travel under special WDPO papers.”
Shan Mei tried to digest as best as she could with what Dr. Harrison had suggested. “That sounds acceptable, I mean, the new identity, for a start. I’ll need to read over his dossier carefully, before deciding whether I want to go to Yanbian. Even if I don’t go, you can always get someone from your long volunteer list. Anyway, Dr. Harrison, I’m very grateful. On behalf of Han Dong-su, I thank you for your concern.” Shan Mei was cautious, and didn’t want to say or think more of the situation.
Dr. Harrison looked at Shan Mei with deep understanding. “Shan Mei, I understand your position. It is precisely your very compassionate nature that wants to help people that makes you the most suitable candidate for the Yanbian project. You are prepared to give up such an opportunity as Yanbian, to ensure the personal safety of Mr. Han? I’ll let Mr. Craig explain what he has done.” Dr. Harrison then looked toward James Craig, giving him a nod.
“Miss Zhen, before we left New York, we had already planned on giving Mr. Han a new identity if you agreed. We ran through the various naming possibilities through our computer and the feed back was that ‘Yin’ was the most common surname found on two island groups – one being the Mauritius and Reunion Islands and the other being the Polynesian islands scattered around the South Pacific Ocean. Dr. Harrison suggested ‘Yin’ as the surname because I understand you used to do a lot of volunteer work around the Polynesian islands which would fit nicely in with our story. Another run through our computer came up two other of the most common stem names: Xiang and Zhe. Since we have not only to supply Mr. Han with a new identity, we need also to build a new profile for him. So we have decided on the story that you befriended Mr. Han when you first visited the South Pacific and he later became one of your volunteer helpers. This would be easy enough a story to follow and would not arouse suspicion because with almost every Korean and Chinese on those islands being surnamed ‘Yin’ and 7 out of 10 males named Xiang or Zhe, it would be difficult for tracers to be put on him – as a precautionary measure.
If it’s okay with you, we’ll go in to Mr. Han’s room and take his fingerprints. Tomorrow, we’ll return with new identity papers for him. Meanwhile, please reconsider your decision about going to Yanbian.”
With that, they went into Mr. Han’s room, took his fingerprints, then left.
==
Han Dong-su looked at Shan Mei, then asked, “What’s going on? They’re going to turn me in to the government, now trying to eradicate gangland activities from Korea?”
Shan Mei laughed softly, “Nothing of that sort. Dr. Harrison wants to help you. He always believes a bad person can change to become good. They want to give you another opportunity. They want to give you new identity papers, so you can start afresh. Han Dong-su will no longer exist, after tomorrow. Your new identity will be Yin Xiang Zhe.”
Chapter 3
Nampo, a small town northeast of Busan was an enclave of prosperous, upwardly mobile community members, most of them worked in the city but preferred to raise their families in a small town environment. Nampo had the best of both worlds. It was close enough to Busan, a 2 hour drive away, to enjoy its urban benefits, but they had all the advantages of living in an immaculately planned-out small township with open parks and neat houses, with its own church and one of the best equipped hospitals in the surrounding area within 100 miles radius. Law enforcement officers made sure the small town carried out no illegal businesses of any sort or harboured hang-outs for any unsavoury characters or become hot beds for criminal activities of any kind.
==
Xiang Zhe had been staying in one of the simple sheds on church property for the past 4 months. When Shan Mei accompanied him to church and introduced him to Pastor Cho that first morning, and he was shown to the shed; he was most grateful. The shed though sparsely furnished, was clean and bright and had all the basic amenities including a small pantry and a private washing and toilet area.
After Shan Mei had checked that everything was alright with the shed, she cleared her throat and enthused, “Everything you need is packed inside this carton.” She pulled back from the small kitchen cabinet after she deposited a tin of dry biscuits in it and her gaze roamed over his face. She asked him to bring in from her car a package at the rear seat.
When he brought the package in, she told him it contained a heavy duvet, a thick jacket and a few woolen sweaters, adequate enough for the winter. “I have to leave now. I’ll be here again on Saturday. Let me know then if you need anything else.” His chest tightened in response. His mouth grew dry, his eyes stinging as he searched for fortitude. Then she spun around, left the shed and hurried to her car.
Looking at the carton packed with dried food that Shan Mei had left him, he felt abandoned. At any moment, he expected himself to cry. He had held on to her hand so tightly, not wanting her to leave, that he was surprised he hadn’t heard a bone crack.
When he unpacked the carton later, he found plenty of snack food, a large tin of ready-to-make oatmeal, vitamin tablets, cans of powdered milk, instant noodles, a jar of instant coffee, washing detergent, some packets of cigarettes, and an envelope containing some cash. The cash in his wallet was not touched. There was also a small bag containing some new casual clothes, underwear and towels, another smaller bag containing daily necessities. In a plastic zip lock bag, were the clothing and his pair of leather shoes he had on the night he was attacked. On his purple silk shirt, Shan Mei had pinned a note “Try not to wear this anymore. It looks too loud.” In the silk jewelry pouch, were his watch, necklace, bracelet and ring. They looked so silly and garish now.
His tears came falling, the tears that he had tried to keep in check at the gate, when he watched Shan Mei’s car drive away. He felt so alone, he wanted to tell her he couldn’t bear to part from her, but he knew this arrangement was the only plausible solution. He had been so starved for love and affection since childhood, and Shan Mei was the first person to ever show him affection, kindness and respect. She still had not asked him about his past.
In spite of his initial worries, since his arrival at the church, Xiang Zhe had settled down quite well. He spent 2 months painting the exterior and interior walls of the church building and other buildings on church grounds, including the guest chalets and sheds. He also did odd repair jobs around the premises and was responsible for garbage disposal and taking care of the grounds. During his free time, he would study the bible.
Whenever Shan Mei visited, she would spend the night in one of the guest chalets on church grounds, although she would spend the entire Saturday afternoon with him, checking on his progress, and his relief supply. When necessary, she would give him a basic hair cut, only clipping away his hair that had grown long around the ears and his nape. Every Sunday afternoon when she left to return to the hospital, he would ask whether she would be visiting the following Saturday. After she left, he would go clean out the chalet she had used and made sure it was back in good order.
==
As was Xiang Zhe’s usual habit for Saturdays after he had settled down properly at the church, he would wake up very early and quickly set about finishing all his chores around Nampo Church compound as quickly and efficiently as possible.
After washing himself thoroughly, he would put on a new shirt given to him by an appreciative church member. Over the shirt he had on one of the woolen pullovers that Shan Mei had given him. This church member had even shown Xiang Zhe how to prepare and tend a covered vegetable plot. He gave Xiang Zhe some cucumber seeds. Two weeks ago, when large juicy cucumbers began hanging from the climbing vines, Xiang Zhe was excited and proud beyond description.
He eagerly awaited Shan Mei’s usual visits on Saturday afternoons. She would bring some seaweed soup for him, claiming the soup was good for internal body cleansing. He had plucked 3 of the juiciest cucumbers, wrapped them in newspapers, so she could take them back home with her. Mrs. Cho, the pastor’s wife, had made kimchi with Xiang Zhe’s cucumbers and praised his efforts no end.
This Saturday, Xiang Zhe had waited and waited – like a pathetic-looking faithful puppy, standing by the gate waiting for its owner’s return. It was already evening; Shan Mei still had not shown up. When his eyes fell on the 3 paper-wrapped cucumbers still sitting on his simple make-shift table since morning, waiting for Shan Mei, his disappointment outweighed anything so far in his life. What had happened? He wanted to go to the hospital to check on her. But if Shan Mei found out he had been out of the church compound, she would get angry with him. She had specifically told him never to leave the church compound unless she was with him.
Before he prepared for bed, he felt some weird premonition that something unpleasant was going to happen to his present peaceful world. He felt unsettled. He tossed and turned in bed all that night.
Had that whatever-it-was project been approved and Shan Mei was ready to leave for China? Was she so busy preparing for her departure she couldn’t make time to visit him? She should at least let him know. She couldn’t simply just leave without a word. Didn’t that Youzhen remind Shan Mei that he was her responsibility for life?
He couldn’t sleep. A glimmer of moonlight filtered through the window. He rolled to his side, and curled into a ball, and watched the shadows dance over the walls. He thought about slipping out of the shed but he did not. He arose from his bed and went to sit by the window.
A million stars twinkled in the black velvety sky. The memories of the past 8 months came rushing back. With a painful knot forming in his chest, he sat there silently, his shoulders slumped, his head bent and before he could stop himself, he began weeping quietly.
At the back of his mind was always the fear that Shan Mei would leave for China without letting him know. After all, who was he to her? He was only a badly-scarred left-for-dead gangster, cast aside by society, by his own sworn brotherhood, and most heartbreaking of all, by the angel who saved him!
==
The next morning, after Sunday service, Xiang Zhe, despondent as he was, stayed behind to tidy up the church pews as was his duty. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of Shan Mei, he did not notice the arrival of 3 people, standing at the church entrance. Pastor Cho was one of them. Shan Mei was the other. She pointed Xiang Zhe out to the 3rd person, an older gentleman. The older man smiled and nodded his head, as if in approval, and remarked very few young men were helpful these days.
“Yin Xiang Zhe.” Xiang Zhe, on hearing Pastor Cho calling out to him, turned around. He immediately noticed Shan Mei and was so happy and relieved. Pastor Cho beckoned him over. Shan Mei introduced the older gentleman to Xiang Zhe. “Pa, this is my dearest chingu, Yin Xiang Zhe.”
Xiang Zhe was delirious with happiness inside his heart. This was the first and only time he had heard her mention any sentiments where he was concerned, and the way she said his name to her father, it sounded as if she was caressing those words. Normally, she was so business-like albeit in a sweet manner. He didn’t understand what Shan Mei had in mind, but it seemed she wanted him to make a good impression on her father. He gave Zhen Senior a respectful bow.
That morning for church Xiang Zhe had put on a suit given to him by another church member who had been impressed by the hard work he was doing around the church. In fact the same church member had given Xiang Zhe several suits, shirts and shoes that her husband had no more use for. With his hair gelled and neatly combed back, he really looked very presentable. Shan Mei was pleasantly surprised. She didn’t realise his hair had grown so much. She only remembered Xiang Zhe with his short hair and dark, angry eyes. Her father eyed the boy up and down, finally asking him whether he had finished tidying up the church pews. If he had, he was invited to share lunch with them. Xiang Zhe gave a nod. Pastor Cho declined the invitation saying he had urgent matters to attend to.
==
“Don’t you eat?” Zhen senior asked as he watched Xiang Zhe picked at his food. “Even Shan Mei is eating more than you.”
“Pa, Xiang Zhe is just a little uncomfortable …..”
Zhen Senior turned toward Shan Mei and raised a dark brow. She lowered her eyes. “You terrify him,” she murmured softly to her father.
Over lunch, in answer to Zhen Senior’s polite probing, Xiang Zhe told him he was almost 30 years old. “I used to live in the old part of Busan and worked as a middle man for contracts ranging from construction to fishery. I was responsible for a group of agents working under me. My mother died giving birth to me. My father was an undertaker. My father hated me, blaming me for my mother’s death. I never liked the work my father did. My friends used to tease me about my rosy lips implying that my father fed me with liver taken out of the dead bodies entrusted to the undertaker. At one time, I hated my friends’ teasing so much, I painted my lips black. I used to help my father after school, although I hated the work. I couldn’t wait to leave school to do something else. When I graduated from school, I was recommended by an uncle to work for a trader. From there, I went on to bigger things.
For some unknown reason, my father and I were attacked one night. My father died instantly. I have no other relatives. Shan Mei was the doctor who attended to my wounds. I have no one or any where I could go to, so Shan Mei suggested I work at the church in exchange for board and lodge, for the time being.”
Shan Mei was sitting silently beside her father, amazed. The man surely was a glib talker; reeling off the story so smoothly in such a way, her father was really sympathising with the boy, nodding his head in understanding and compassion. One look at the boy’s round sorrowful eyes rimmed with tears that were threatening to fall, Zhen Senior patted the boy on the shoulder, telling him not to worry in a kindly, fatherly manner. He could understand why the young man had no one he could turn to. When he related his story to Zhen Senior, the elderly gentleman heard the word ‘hated’ repeated at least 3 times – this was definitely a very angry young man! Was the hatred of his own doing or the result of his environmental circumstances?
Anyway, Shan Mei appreciated Xiang Zhe’s grasp of the situation. Even though Shan Mei could feel he was affected and needed a cigarette when he related his ‘life’ story, he had refrained from smoking in front of her father.
While they were enjoying their lunch with Soju rice wine, Zhen Senior came straight to the point. “Shan Mei has to leave for China in 3 months’ time on a Worldwide Development Programme sponsored-project. She will be based there for several years. Yanbian is considered a ‘hardship’ outpost with its long and severely cold winters. I have heard from some friends that the cold was not confined only to the winter months. Right from the start, I had refused to allow my precious daughter to go.” Zhen Senior paused as he looked at Shan Mei, then he turned and focused his sharp eyes on Xiang Zhe. “Yesterday Shan Mei told me she is going with her new husband who has promised to take good care of her.”
Zhen Senior again gave Xiang Zhe another penetrating, serious look. “You know, my daughter is the one who always tells me not to even entertain the idea of being ‘match maker’ for her otherwise she will walk out of the house and never return. Suddenly, she is sitting in front of me telling me she is ready to marry. I am shocked. I want to see this man – this man who has won her heart and given her the courage to move away from her cosy nest at home.”
Xiang Zhe gave Zhen Senior a soft smile and apologetic acknowledgement.
“As Shan Mei may have told you, I returned to Busan only a few months ago from England. I never heard her mention anything about boyfriend, dating or marriage. When did you propose?”
Without a flinch or change in his facial expression, Xiang Zhe answered, “Last Saturday when she brought me seaweed soup. When she didn’t visit yesterday, I thought she needed more time to consider.” Xiang Zhe then looked at Shan Mei with his big round eyes, love flowing forth. Zhen Senior was taken in.
“May I ask why you want to marry my daughter?”
Xiang Zhe could feel wariness coming from the elderly gentleman, like heat waves on the desert. He didn’t know how best to respond because he didn’t know what kind of answer the senior gentlemen was looking for.
“You have feelings for my daughter?”
Xiang Zhe looked at Shan Mei who was sitting across the table from him and seemed to be enjoying the questioning by her father. Not any feelings that he could tell publicly, Shan Mei thought, and as if Xiang Zhe could read her mind, he smiled at her in such a way that she blushed and had to look away.
‘As I was saying ….’ he murmured, trying to look for the right words.
Zhen senior lifted one eyebrow. Xiang Zhe, hiding his mouth behind his hand took a few sips from his small glass of wine gratefully for want of something to do and hoped it would calm his nerves, trying to remember Soju-drinking customs. As if suddenly remembering some manners, using both his hands, he grabbed hold of the soju wine bottle and filled Zhen Senior’s glass, his head dipped at a respectful bow.
“Sir, I’m asking for the honour of ….”
Feeling nervous, Xiang Zhe reached out his hand and covered Shan Mei’s, he continued, this time his attention concentrated on her. “You .. I … I want to marry you.”
She looked at him for a moment, felt his warm hand on her wrist and gratefully considered the matter.
“I’m sure you fell in love with Shan Mei after only a few months of knowing each other,” Zhen Senior implied sarcastically, acutely aware that the boy still had not answered his questions.
To his surprise, Xiang Zhe simply smiled and said nothing. Shan Mei managed to remain calm throughout the meal.
Zhen Senior again stressed to Xiang Zhe that letting his precious daughter go off to such a far away place working under such hardship conditions for several years, her safety was his uppermost concern. “Xiang Zhe, I want your assurance that you will always be faithful to Shan Mei, always be by her side to love, cherish and protect her. I have heard of many married men, once in Yanbian, become enamoured by the local Chinese Korean women.”
Xiang Zhe laughed softly and shyly, slanting a discreet sideways glance at Shan Mei. Looking Zhen Senior in the eye, he said, “Uncle Zhen, this is one thing you don’t have to worry about. In my 29 years, I have never fallen in love or dated a girl, until I met Shan Mei. I’ll love her wholeheartedly and will guard her with my life.”
“What attracted you to our Shan Mei?” Zhen Senior asked again because he was curious.
Looking at Shan Mei with his tender eyes, Xiang Zhe answered, “Her sweet and gentle nature.”
He sounded so sincere, even Shan Mei was beginning to believe him. Zhen Senior nodded in approval, thankful that some man had finally caught his daughter’s fancy.
He looked at his daughter, and shook his head, not understanding how love could have blossomed out of no where so fast. “Wait till your Ma hears about this,” Zhen Senior complained, as he began to berate why his wife couldn’t come to meet the new man in their daughter’s life.
Chapter 4
“Shan Mei, you’re crazy or what? He’s Han Dong-su, notorious gangster. Yin Xiang Zhe is just a name given to him by AAI, but he’s still the same person!” When Youzhen and Jun Mao heard the news of Shan Mei’s impending marriage to Mr. Yin, they questioned Shan Mei’s sanity.
To which she simply laughed and answered, “I have never felt saner or safer. But you’ve to promise not to divulge the circumstances under which we met Mr. Yin; just simply say we attended to his wounds.”
After almost 2 hours of trying to convince Shan Mei to change her plans and getting nowhere, Youzhen and Jun Mao gave up when they realised they weren’t about to change Shan Mei’s stubborn mind. Youzhen finally threw up his hands and said, “Well, I’m off, Shan Mei. Please promise you won’t do something stupid. I mean ….”
“Yes, you know I won’t but what do you mean by stupid?”
“Oh, it’s no use going on. You know what I mean. Don’t let yourself down. Remember who you are.”
‘Remember who you are?’ Could she ever forget who she was? She wished she could. She really wished she could. She wished she could forget she had been born into a privileged family; she had received an enviable level of education; she was in a highly respected profession. On the surface, it seemed everything was against her and Yin Xiang Zhe, but somehow from within, she felt it was a melding of two minds.
==
Xiang Zhe cringed when he looked into the small mirror hanging on the wall. Squinting, he leaned closer, wondering if he should even out the sides of his sideburns a little more.
He’d bathed and trimmed everything on him that needed to be trimmed – his hair, his nails. And he had scrubbed and washed his entire body with soap and an antiseptic solution until he was sure there wasn’t a germ left on him. He’d never been so nervous in his entire life.
Later, when Youzhen and Jun Mao met Xiang Zhe at NMP Uniting Church for the no-fuss wedding ceremony to be solemnised by Pastor Cho, the two men were surprised. Xiang Zhe looked so handsome. They couldn’t connect him to that bloodied man whose life was hanging on a thread, and which they had worked so hard to save.
Shan Mei wore a simple long-sleeved white woolen sheath dress, her shoulders covered by a white faux fur cape, carrying a bridal bouquet of white roses the petals of which were very faintly tinged with pink. Her hair was caught up into a simple chignon coiled with a simple band of Baby’s breath. She had on the barest of make-up.
She looked so innocently alluring and breathtakingly out-of-this-world beautiful, Xiang Zhe had sucked in his breath, his throat becoming very dry when he saw her as soon as she arrived at the church. After the exchange of vows and rings, Xiang Zhe couldn’t wait but took Shan Mei into his arms and gave her a warm, lingering kiss. Shan Mei was both unprepared and surprised.
Xiang Zhe crooked his arm and tilted his head toward the sun. “Shall we go outside?” He wished he couldn’t feel through the sleeve of his jacket that he was shaking worse than a leaf in the wind.
As they were making their way out of the church, he whispered into Shan Mei’s ear, “I’ll do everything that’s in my power to see that you’ll be happy … you’ll be safe.”
Shan Mei had been unprepared for the perfection of his chiseled features. She tried not to stare at him now, but she seemed unable to stop herself. His lips looked too soft and rosy to belong to a man.
Under the early January sunlight and clear blue skies, against a garden backdrop of brilliant multi coloured flowers, the smiling couple standing with arms hooked, looked so beautiful and perfect together, as they posed for photographs. Youzhen, looking at the two of them through his camera lenses, was surprised by what he saw. They looked like a couple truly in love; the loving looks in their eyes, the tender smiles on their faces, the groom clasping on so protectively onto the bride’s hand. The guests were gushing all over with excitement, saying they never expected Shan Mei to marry. The groom must be quite some guy to make her change her mind.
Pa and Ma were beaming throughout the day. Pa had long given up the hope of Shan Mei ever marrying and giving him grandchildren. Yet, before him, such a handsome son-in-law, and so in love with Shan Mei, who was acting the blushing bride.
After a sumptuous afternoon high-tea buffet service catered by a local nearby restaurant in the church rectory, Shan Mei insisted she didn’t want honeymoon, or spend a few days in honeymoon suite of some fancy hotel. She wanted to start on ‘hardship’ training right away, opting to spend the night in Xiang Zhe’s simple shed.
Pastor Cho wouldn’t hear of it. “How can we let our good doctor stay in a simple shed, with no heating?” Since Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei would be leaving for Yanbian in 2 - 3 months time, Pastor Cho insisted in letting them use one of the guest chalets for the time being.
Though nothing was ever written out in black and white, it was an unspoken understanding between Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe that theirs would be a marriage of convenience, but he prayed fervently, in time, Shan Mei would grow to love him and accept him. Xiang Zhe wouldn’t fool himself. Shan Mei was not only a very dedicated doctor, but a brilliant doctor. Could such a highly educated person be able or willing to accept a notorious ex-gangster with rough ways as her husband? He must keep his faith strong.
Xiang Zhe had gradually changed, no more rough and crude mannerisms like before. He reminded himself to talk softly and mind his language, so as not to embarrass Shan Mei in front of her friends. He observed how they normally behaved. The one habit he found difficult to curtail was slurping up noodles noisily. Taking noodles without slurping noises didn’t seem quite right, according to him. It came to such a state, he was afraid to have soup noodles when he ate with the Chos. Before he set up house with Shan Mei, whenever Mrs. Cho served soup noodles, he would go back to the small pantry in his shed, prepare his packets of soup noodles and slurp them up to his heart’s content. He sometimes laughed at his silliness. He could only behave naturally and comfortably in Shan Mei’s presence.
On their wedding night, the most romantic thing they did was share a small wedding cake that Shan Mei’s Ma had baked for them, reminding them,
“Children, you must eat up the whole cake, do not leave behind any crumbs. Your married life will then be as sweet as the cake, completely fulfilling and blessed.”
Shan Mei had brought along her coffee making machine, and her tin of freshly ground beans. They would have freshly brewed coffee with their cake. Xiang Zhe thought the coffee gave off a heavenly aroma, not the cheap stuff he used to have in their back street coffee bars in Busan. By its tantalizing aroma, he knew his first cup of coffee specially brewed for him by his ‘wife’ would taste simply divine.
He set the plate and cup before her. Furtively, he watched as Shan Mei turned the cake around a couple of times, trying to figure how best to divide the cake equally. There was no knife in the kitchen drawer. Finally, she decided they simply share the cake equally, reminding him not to cheat, by taking turns in scooping their share with their little teaspoons. He would willingly give her the whole cake, except this cake was special. He too wanted his share of blessings with Shan Mei and love from her. He would fight fairly for his half. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smile, honey coating around his heart. He was beginning to believe he was ‘born again’ the way Shan Mei was always reminding him, telling him not to dwell on his past.
“You’re going to join me?” she asked.
“I’d rather just watch until you have finished your half. No cheating, remember?”
“I don’t like being watched. I get enough of that in the hospital.” Using the teaspoon he had set before her, she tried to cut out a piece of cake. She picked up the uneven piece of cake and took a healthy bite. While she chewed, she pressed her finger to the plate, picked up a crumb, and carried it to her mouth. With great difficulty, Xiang Zhe swallowed. He was jealous of that silly crumb because it touched her lips.
To cover his excitement, he cleared his throat. “I …uh, I was concerned when you didn’t come to church last Saturday. I thought …. I don’t know …. I just thought ….”
“What did you think?” she asked softly, holding his gaze.
He was beginning to start on his side of the cake when he returned his piece to his plate before the sweat on his fingers made it any soggier. He licked his fingers clean before he gave an answer. “I thought maybe the wedding was not meant to be.”
“Well. we did get married, so what do you think now?”
Xiang Zhe smiled shyly and answered in a small voice, “I think the cake is delicious. I have never tasted anything quite like it. During my mobster days, eating cake was considered ‘sissy’ and ‘snobbish’. The gang members only took local fares and drank local wine. The only thing western influenced they fancied was imported whisky, brandy and cigarettes.”
He brought the cup of coffee to his lips, drinking deeply, and then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
Briefly she placed her finger tip against the corner of his mouth. “You missed some.”
In awe, he watched the brown drop of liquid on her finger tip disappeared into her mouth, and he wondered if she had any idea what her actions did to his insides.
Then, Shan Mei took a tissue from a tissue box on the table. “Next time, wipe your fingers clean, and not lick them clean. I don’t want you ending up getting sick.”
Looking bashful and foolish, Xiang Zhe bent forward and took the piece of tissue from her.
“In my profession, cleanliness and hygiene are very important, especially when we are in China. Some of the areas we will be visiting are ghettos, maybe without running tap water or cleaning aids. Remember to always carry a few hankies and some rubber surgical gloves with you. For a start, use these when you are working with the garbage bags around the church grounds.” Shan Mei then took out 2 pairs of thick cotton work gloves from her briefcase and handed them to Xiang Zhe.
“After use each day, soak the soiled pair in antiseptic detergent for about an hour. Wash and hang them up to dry. You are a very special case and I have to take very good care of you. I cannot allow you to get sick until our own WPO hospital is ready in Yanji. I don’t want anyone, besides Youzhen and Jun Mao, to see your scars.”
Xiang Zhe didn’t know how to respond when he took the gloves from her. He knew Shan Mei was subtly teaching him something and he would dearly love to know whether it was because she cared for his well being or because she was afraid he would one day, due to his ignorance, bring disease back to their place. He remained quiet and this time, he didn’t use his fingers but his teaspoon when he continued eating his half of the wedding cake.
As they ate, Shan Mei openly discussed with Xiang Zhe what her plans for Yanbian were, and how she expected him to assist her when they were there. Also she wanted to know what truth was there in the story he spun to her father.
“All the whole truth, except substitute gangster ‘Division Big Brother’ for uncle, ‘Big brother’ for trader, and his gangland brothers for agents, and his father was not attacked. The Busan police wasn’t aware of the latest situation. At the time of the gangland fight, I was going to displace my gang leader as the head of our gang. That didn’t sit well with Lee Joon-suk. Maybe his father before he died used to be the No. 1 around Busan. Joon-suk always wanted to be in control, even during our school days. I used to follow him around like a fool. He wanted me out of the way so he could take total control of our Construction as well, and had suggested that I flee to Hawaii to take hiatus until he deemed it was safe for me to return. But I thought Joon-suk was the one who should leave for Hawaii, and I was quite surprised when Joon-suk agreed to leave. I was too naïve that’s why I got hacked.” He looked in earnest at Shan Mei as he confessed.
“I am so sorry for all the things that had happened to you. You’ve been living in your own private corner of hell for so many years.”
“I am not sorry if the hacking finally brought me this new life. I do know I’ve been very much alone for the past few years.”
Shan Mei smiled tremulously. “But not any longer. Now you have me.”
“Yes, now I have you.” Xiang Zhe lifted his hands to touch her hair. “And now I shall take very good care of you, Shan Mei. Please believe me when I say I will lay down my life for you, any time, any where.”
“Thank you, my chingu. I promise to take very good care of you too.”
“Will you indeed?” His dark eyes gleamed with a warm fire. “I’m very glad to hear that.”
She trailed her hands along to his back and pressed her fingers against every scar and every bone he had while he sat like a statue. He’d never in his life had someone touch him with such tenderness. “These scars will soon be gone when I apply more healing balm to them. And I hope you have been taking the vitamins I left with you. They are very important to help you build up your resistance. Remember, we are going to uncharted territory – where health problems and diseases are concerned.”
He didn’t dare utter any reply, afraid she’d stopped pressing her fingers into his back if he talked.
After the honeymoon, before she returned for duty at the hospital, Shan Mei left a book with Xiang Zhe. “Read it whenever you have some time to spare. It’s all about hygiene and there are a few chapters on how germs, bacteria and diseases are spread.”
The morning that Shan Mei returned to the hospital, Xiang Zhe walked her to her car. She reached for the door handle of the car but he detained her with a touch on her sleeve. “Shan Mei, I’m not very good at saying things, but …..” He released her arm and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “It was a very good feeling, sharing the wedding cake with you the other night.”
Shan Mei looked surprised, and then gave a short smile and said, “Well, I must tell Ma how much you enjoyed her cake and get her to bake you another one. I’d better run, otherwise I’ll be late for duty.” That night as she prepared slowly for bed, she questioned herself, perplexed, whether her sentiments for him were changing, because she was not a person prone to romantic fantasies. Was it possible? Since this morning at work, she had worried whether he was getting a proper lunch with the Chos and this evening at the staff canteen having her dinner, she had wondered what he was having for dinner and what he was doing. She was never nagged by these thoughts before their marriage.
==
It seemed Shan Mei wasn’t the only one bereft with these concerns. The same night, over at NMP Uniting Church grounds, Xiang Zhe could not sleep too. Shan Mei had returned to the hospital and would only be back on Saturday morning or Friday late at night, depending on her shift. He stared through the window of the chalet as darkness around him loomed closer ….along with the loneliness. He’d never before experienced loneliness, perhaps because he’d never before understood companionship: the comfort of knowing someone who was willing to listen to his thoughts, the joy of sharing something as simple as watching the stars appear within the velvety sky, the sweetness in having that someone accept him for being himself. Shan Mei never once complained about his rough ways and he was trying his best to change so as not to embarrass her in front of the Chos and her family. He was grateful to his parents-in-law too who never once pointed out his shortcomings or questioned his suitability of being Shan Mei’s husband.
He wished that Shan Mei was with him now in their chalet, curled up in her favourite seat, discussing her ideas, her plans. He wondered if she would even come home tonight. She had not phoned. He bent his head until his chin touched his chest wondering whether he had angered her when he spoke about the wedding cake that morning. He wanted to phone her, at least once a day, simply to hear her voice. He was missing her, but he didn’t know how to contact her.
The 3 days that Shan Mei had off, supposedly for their honeymoon, Xiang Zhe spent the time telling her his previous gangland activities and experiences. “I was no angel. I’ve had my moments with girls, but they were the professional types, not my girlfriends. I’m after all a man; I need to seek release sometimes. But I seldom indulged myself that way. I was always wary of being caught with my pants down. This was one of the dirty tricks we used to catch our ‘targets’ with, for blackmail purposes. I didn’t want the same trick backfiring on me.”
While Shan Mei was listening, she was blushing profusely and felt uncomfortable. “Hey, your ‘moments’ are from your past and of your own business. I’m not interested.”
When Xiang Zhe heard that she was not interested, he shut up at once. He was not used to dealing with a girl like her. The girls he used to deal with were usually crude and loud mouthed, and loved listening to anything risqué even though they might look angelic on the outside.
Apart from her plans for Yanbian, Shan Mei said very little during the rest of the ‘honeymoon’ period. He wasn’t aware but she had read his complete dossier from the AAI. What he had told her these few days matched what she had read. “What kind of a person was he?” she began thinking. He didn’t try to hide anything from her. He didn’t try to absolve himself righteously. To him, being a gangster was a job. He tried to do his job as best as he could. All sorts of emotions ran through her mind. Strangely, she was not frightened by him or of him. Instead, she felt a special bonding with him, they had been through ‘death and life’ together; he was dying or maybe just about to pass over to the other side, when an angel pulled him back.
==
After Shan Mei went back to her duties at the hospital, she continued to stay at her quarters during weekdays and spend the weekends in the chalet. Xiang Zhe continued with his chores at the church, even though he no longer ate his dinners with the Chos, preferring to eat on his own. He usually had kimchi noodles. He kept the chalet neat and clean. Knowing Shan Mei would be back on Saturdays, he would have lunch ready for her.
At first Shan Mei was surprised. Xiang Zhe was not a bad cook and wondered how he managed to get the ingredients for his dishes. Xiang Zhe told her when the ladies from the Ladies Bible Study Group found out that he worked at the church for no pay, only for board and lodge, they began bringing him packets of seaweed, dried and canned food, kimchi, and cooked food like grilled beef, chicken and sushi rolls whenever they were at the church on Thursdays. Shan Mei felt so guilty when she heard that, chastising herself for not considering he would need fresh food supplies; also he did everything around the house. He even turned off TV and radio, when she was learning her Chinese through audio tapes. He would sit next to her, paying attention to her lessons, but not disturbing her, so he could learn and keep her company at the same time. He had learned to brew coffee on her special coffee machine and would make coffee for her when she was busy studying.
One Thursday, Shan Mei phoned Xiang Zhe. “Hey, it’s me. There’s no need to prepare any meals for the weekend. I’ll be bringing some food home.” After hanging up, Xiang Zhe was tingling all over recalling Shan Mei calling their little ‘chalet’ home!
Shan Mei had in fact asked Ma to prepare food for that Saturday and Sunday, plus boxes of side dishes so Xiang Zhe could have some food in the fridge for the weekdays when she wasn’t there. When Ma heard that, she immediately scolded her daughter, “You mean to tell me that Xiang Zhe had been eating only noodles when you were at the hospital? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have prepared weekly supply of food for him. That poor boy! You are heartless, treating your husband like that. How do you expect him to be able to give us healthy grandchildren, taking only noodles?”
“Ma, you don’t have to worry so much. It seems the ladies from the Bible Study Group always bring him kimchi and other foods when they are there every Thursday morning.”
“You are treating your husband like a charity case? Why did he stop having his meals with the Chos?”
“Oh Ma, how can you say something like this? I shop at the supermarket early Saturday mornings and then drive back to the church after that. Xiang Zhe simply likes to show me that he can fend for himself. He’s a man, he has his pride too, you know? And he is usually very shy and quiet in front of people. He wouldn’t want to appear like a glutton when eating with others. He only feels comfortable and enjoys eating like a pig when he’s alone or with me.”
==
A month later, special WDPO Travel Passes were issued to Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei to facilitate their travel under WDPO sponsorship. That night, Xiang Zhe was too excited to sleep. Who would have believed he would one day be holding a special WDPO Travel Pass? At the U.S. Liaison Office in Busan earlier that day after he was handed his Travel Pass, he couldn’t help himself but grabbed Shan Mei with his arms, embraced her tightly and gave her a hard kiss on her lips. He was laughing, she was laughing too. Then Shan Mei drove them back to Pa’s house. She made lunch for them. After that, she went up to her bedroom, going through her things to see what she would want to bring with her to Yanbian.
“We need to start packing,” was all she said when she asked Xiang Zhe to follow her up the stairs.
Xiang Zhe was standing around her bedroom, wondering what to do. Shan Mei told him, “Why don’t you look through the blue suitcase since that suitcase is now yours, to see what you will need. Other necessities, we can buy after we are settled down in Yanbian.”
Inside the suitcase, Xiang Zhe was stunned. Big heavy winter coats, one of which was completely sheepskin lined, leather gloves fur lined, woollen undergarments, thick woollen socks, fur lined thick boots. Xiang Zhe suddenly laughed out loud, asking Shan Mei, “Where are we going?”
“Some place near the Russian border. South Korea’s winter is like their late summer. Understand, Mr. Yin?”
Giving Shan Mei a sneaky look, Xiang Zhe answered meekly, “Yes, Mrs. Yin.”
Shan Mei didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing just as sneaky a smile from her.
Chapter 5
Pastor Cho and his family were so sad to see Xiang Zhe go. He had been such a great help to the church. Shan Mei promised, once they were settled down, she would make some contacts for Pastor Cho to enable him to visit Yanbian for missionary outreach work.
Later that morning, Pa, Ma and Youzhen were at the Busan port to see Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe embark the steamer for Yanbian. The steamer sailed along the east coast of the Korean peninsula, then up the Tumen River, disembarking at Yanji, the capital city of Yanbian.
The administrator from Yanbian No. 2 Workers’ Hospital was at the port to meet them. They were driven to their living quarters, a very spacious 3-bedroom apartment situated on the ground floor of a 3-storey low rise block, sited very close to the hospital building.
After the hospital administrator left and they were alone, they inspected their apartment carefully, before unpacking.
Xiang Zhe was all excited. He hugged Shan Mei and happily declared, “My dearest Chingu, thank you for bringing me along. I will take very good care of you and all household matters. You just concentrate on being the best doctor in Yanbian.”
Shan Mei laughing joyfully in reply, wagged a finger at Xiang Zhe and said, “And you concentrate on being a good student!”
His expression sobered slightly, although he continued to smile with faint bemusement while he smoothed a strand of hair away from her temple with his forefinger. It was a very light caress.
“What do you mean? I’m finished with studying!”
“Didn’t you promise to do whatever I tell you to? I don’t want you to ever go back to Korea, especially not to Busan. Why not start afresh in Yanji? It would be great if you can roam freely around and I don’t have to worry about you being recognised. WDPO’s first project here will be a small hospital doubling up as research/training centre. I’ve managed to enroll you for a Certificate course in Institutional (Hospital) Management at a nearby college. It should be easy work for you. Same principle like the way you managed your gang of brotherhood. After Certificate, you can go for Diploma Course. By the time you complete, our first hospital should be up. You’ll be its first administrator. How about that?”
Xiang Zhe couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked doubtful. He heaved a tired sigh, his eyes asking Shan Mei whether he could skip.
Shan Mei reassured him, telling him she was confident he could do it. “Don’t worry, I’ll provide home tuition. Okay?” When Shan Mei put it that way, what else could Xiang Zhe do even if he felt reluctant to touch a book again? All these years, he had been surviving by his wits and brawns.
When it came to sorting out their sleeping arrangements, Shan Mei took the master bedroom, Xiang Zhe the guest bedroom. The study was big, with private sitting room, just right for the two of them studying together.
The fridge in the kitchen was recently cleaned but empty. They were hungry, so they decided to scout around the area for some food. They came across a supermarket where almost everything that was needed daily was sold, even fresh vegetables and fruits. As they browsed around the shelves, Shan Mei explained to Xiang Zhe that it was important to look for certain information before buying: the expiry date of the product. In case the package did not have that, then look for the date of manufacture. In cases where he wasn’t sure, he must always remember to ask. It was still best to buy foodstuff fresh. Finally, they ended up only buying lots of fruits, including the famous local produce 'apple pear’.
Next to the supermarket was a Korean-styled restaurant. When they finished dinner, it was only 7 p.m. but the streets were already dark and deserted. Shan Mei was so thankful for the company of Xiang Zhe. His main duty that evening was to handle cash, and protect her, according to Xiang Zhe. “Whenever you have to work late at the hospital, you must remember to phone me, so I can walk over to the hospital and accompany you home.”
Shan Mei felt so indulged and was starting to appreciate the sweet feeling of having a man around. And this was no ordinary man. She didn’t care about his past. She had accepted readily what she had read in his dossier. He just happened to be born into that kind of environment and under those circumstances, something beyond his control. That time when he told her Pa about his rosy lips and why he wanted to paint them black, she had wanted to put her arms around him to comfort him. It took all her willpower to keep her tears in check, but she was silently sobbing inside. This was a man of honor and good intentions. She didn’t understand herself – she was usually a cautious type of person. But she trusted him right from the beginning. So far, he had not let her down. He had kept his hands to himself.
==
Oh, no! The night was getting to be cold, even wearing their thick coats and socks to bed were not enough to keep them warm. The thin woollen blankets provided with the apartment were too thin for them. They never expected the temperature to be so low for late March. Shan Mei couldn’t sleep. She went to kitchen to get a hot drink.
Xiang Zhe heard her shuffling about. He came out of his bedroom, the top of his underwear visible underneath his sheepskin jacket, asking her whether she had trouble sleeping, realising himself the night was getting even colder. Shan Mei, clutching her cashmere coat over her pyjamas, didn’t say a thing. Xiang Zhe took his own blanket from his bed. With his arm around Shan Mei’s shoulders, he led her back to her bedroom. He eased her back into the bed, threw his blanket over hers, and then got under the blankets with her, pulling her into his arms for his warmth. Before she could protest, he smoothed her hair away from her forehead and her ear, whispering that he simply wanted to keep her warm. Tomorrow he would go buy thickly silk padded quilts for them.
Soon, they were asleep.
==
Early the next morning, stretching out quietly on his side of the bed, Xiang Zhe glanced toward the horizon. Dawn would soon lift away the darkness. He had spent 30 years sleeping alone, and suddenly he desperately wanted something that he couldn’t put a name to – the filling of an emptiness that he’d discovered within himself last night only after it had overflowed with contentment as he laid in bed, holding Shan Mei within his arms, listening to her soft breathing. He looked forward to nights stretched out in her bed, with her nestled against him.
He knew he should get up and find them some breakfast to eat but he’d never watch a woman sleep – not simply any woman but his Shan Mei. He thought of touching his covered feet to hers, rubbing his sole against her delicate ankle. He wanted to feel her satiny skin against his palms. He dug his sweating hands into his jacket pockets to keep them from reaching for her cheeks when she looked so serene. Even while she slept, Shan Mei fascinated him. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled softly. Xiang Zhe ached for all the soft smiles he’d been denied in the passing years, and he waited for the moment when she realized at whom exactly she was smiling.
“Good morning,” she said quietly.
Xiang Zhe’s voice knotted in his throat and threatened to strangle him when he bleated back a morning greeting.
Slowly, she then arched the small of her back as if doing some exercise routine, the presence of Xiang Zhe already forgotten. His throat went as dry as the desert as he watched. Before he allowed himself to entangle his emotions further, he quickly slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen to see what he could rustle up for breakfast.
Shan Mei was all wrapped up nice and warm and ready to leave, when she saw Xiang Zhe coming in through the main door. She was surprised because all along, she thought he was in the kitchen. “Where did you go so early in the morning in this cold?”
“Managed to buy some breakfast from a street vendor outside,” Xiang Zhe said as he laid the food out on the dining table. He then blew out a big gust of air and he rubbed his hands together to get rid of the cold.
She eyed at him disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t go out in this cold without your gloves and a woollie cap.” Then her eyes settled on the food on the table. “Hmm, breakfast looks fresh. And delicious too. Thank you, Xiang Zhe.” She picked up a fried fritter and immersed it in her bowl of hot soy milk. Looking over her back, she noticed Xiang Zhe was still hovering about in the kitchen. “Xiang Zhe, what are you doing in the kitchen? Come and have your breakfast.”
“Yes,” he answered, “As soon as the water boils. You go ahead.” Actually, he was hiding in the kitchen, because his whole being had gone shy when he realized that today was the first day he was starting life with Shan Mei in an unknown land and he remembered his promise to his father-in-law.
After breakfast, she said they had to go to the bank to open a joint account. She brought out a thick wad of cash, asking Xiang Zhe to handle the accounting. After the bank, she had to report to the hospital, while he would try to find his way to the college where he had been enrolled.
Before she turned in the direction of the hospital, she gave Xiang Zhe’s hand an encouraging squeeze and told him to drop by the hospital to see her when he had finished his enrolment procedures. She wanted to show him the things she had been babbling about: antiseptic wash, surgical gloves, surgical masks, antiseptic wipes, and the contents of a basic first aid box.
==
Xiang Zhe spent the afternoon shopping for thick quilts, as well as some other household supplies.
When Shan Mei awoke the next morning, Xiang Zhe had already prepared breakfast of porridge and fried eggs.
“Good morning, Shan Mei. Sorry, there is no coffee. I couldn’t find any coffee available for sale at the supermarket yesterday, only tea. It seems over here, coffee is a luxury item only available in the hotels. The most common beverage is tea; the most common breakfast is soy milk with fried fritters or wheat rolls; the most common ‘luxury’ item in unlimited supply is cigarettes.”
“That should be great news for you! You will have no shortage of luxury cigarettes,” Shan Mei smiled at him. “And thank you for the padded quilt.”
Shan Mei changed the subject. “Have you checked out the local electric heaters? It was still really cold at night, even with the padded quilts.”
“The heaters for sale at the electrical shops looked too dangerous to be left on all night. None carried any safety certification. I cannot risk having one of those heaters on while my precious wife is in the house. I bought some hot water bottles, instead. I’m testing them to make sure they won’t leak. I’ll have one in your bed tonight. I’m more than willing to keep you warm every night.” When he said that, Xiang Zhe looked straight into Shan Mei’s eyes with a teasing smirk.
Although his voice might have sounded teasing, his eyes had looked serious, full of longing.
“How can I take advantage of your goodness? I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep properly, and use that as an excuse to drop out of your classes.” Shan Mei returned with her own brand of smirk.
“How can you claim to be my dearest chingu when you start talking like that? You don’t think I can pass the course?”
“I know you can make it. That’s why I don’t want to tire you out.”
“Tire me out with what?” Xiang Zhe gave her a roguish smile. “We aren’t doing anything tiring ……..………yet!” his voice full of innuendo.
Shan Mei’s face went crimson. In an exasperated tone, she complained, “It’s pointless talking sense into you. You just don’t understand why you should do well in your studies. Aiyo, do what you like, see if I care!”
Xiang Zhe hid a secret smile. “Do whatever he liked?” she had said. Okay, he’d cuddle up to her in bed tonight. She was the one who didn’t truly understand – he slept so much better and deeper knowing she was sleeping next to him.
This little Miss was simply too adorable for her own good. If he didn’t make a pact with himself to guard her with his life, he would have long ago chewed her up. It took all his self control to keep his passions under control every time he cuddled up to her.
On the nights when it became bitterly cold and the heat from the hot water bottles had dissipated, Xiang Zhe would silently creep under Shan Mei’s quilt, to give her his warmth. She had come to expect it from him. Xiang Zhe wondered how Shan Mei could be so trusting. The more she trusted him, the more he had to remind himself to behave.
==
By the end of July, Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei were already in Yanji 4 months, and were settling in very nicely. Shan Mei had brought from Seoul 2 computer systems for their use. There was no internet connection in Yanji yet, so they used the computers as word processors.
Shan Mei realised Xiang Zhe was a very quick learner. She spent one Saturday night teaching him word processing skills. The next afternoon, he could already print out a short letter he had written to her. She was really very impressed.
In their home office, she had trained him thoroughly too. Each morning, he was to check for any incoming faxes, date them and leave them on Shan Mei’s desk for her follow-up. Xiang Zhe was also taught how to use the fax machine.
==
During dinner at home one evening, Xiang Zhe brought out their bankbook to show Shan Mei, wondering aloud to her. “Do you think the bank has made a mistake? This morning when I withdrew some money from the bank, for our weekly spending, I noticed a credit entry of RMB 15,000 in our bankbook.”
A hand hitting her forehead, Shan Mei snorted at her own forgetfulness. “Oh, Xiang Zhe, sorry I forgot to mention to you. This is our living expenses allowance from WDPO. This amount will be credited into our account every quarter.”
Xiang Zhe let off a whistle. “The cost of living in Yanbian is so low, compared to Korea. We would be considered big spenders if we manage to spend RMB 2,000 a month just on food. All our other expenses are taken care of by the local government.”
Shan Mei smiled and continued, “And this is just pocket money. Our monthly salaries are being paid into a bank in Seoul.”
Xiang Zhe’s dark eyes widened in wonder. “You mean I get a salary too. You mean I’m really being paid a salary while I’m here?” Shan Mei thought it was so funny, seeing Xiang Zhe getting excited over such a tiny sum, when during his gangster days, millions of Won used to pass through his hands on a weekly basis.
“Of course. You’re my assistant and bodyguard, right?”
“Mrs. Yin, I have a bone to pick with you.” Xiang Zhe had a smile on his face, at the same time pretending to look angry. “Why didn’t you marry me sooner?”
Shan Mei couldn’t help laughing. “Hey, I thought you told Pa you were the one who proposed to me?”
“Only because I thought you were playing some game with your Pa and needed rescuing.” As he said that, he gave her a brief, thoughtful stare.
Shan Mei gave him a shy smile. He really understood her perfectly. That Saturday morning there was no time to visit Xiang Zhe and warn him of Pa wanting to meet him. All of that day, Pa had kept her in the house, voicing his concern about Yanbian and calling his friends for their opinions and advice. Most had warned Pa Yanbian was no place for a girl travelling on her own. Kidnapping of pretty girls was rampant. By bed time, Shan Mei was so tired out by Pa’s grilling, she simply blurted out she had received a marriage proposal that she was considered seriously and on the verge of accepting. Early the next morning, she was ready to visit Xiang Zhe, to let him in on her plan. However, before she could inform Xiang Zhe, Pa was waiting for her in her car, saying he would like to meet the man.
==
The No. 2 Workers Hospital H.R. Department managed to find them a part-time cleaning maid. This eased Xiang Zhe’s life a lot. He could spend more time at the college library for research work. That summer, Xiang Zhe passed his Basic Chinese Language course. Shan Mei was so thrilled, she treated him to a few days’ holiday at one of the hospital’s holiday chalets in a hot spring spa area about 3 hours drive eastwards out of town, very close to the snow-capped mountains.
==
After the summer holidays, Xiang Zhe was back at college again to begin his Hospital Management Course – Certificate Level. Because he was accepted on the basis of Advanced Age Student, he had to sit through an interview. Surprisingly, he did quite well and was exempted for a few study units. This boosted his confidence and Shan Mei was very happy for him. At college he used whatever time he could spare from his course to spend at the Language Centre to improve his Chinese. Most evenings at home, Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei studied together in their study – he with his HM assignments and notes, she preparing several feasibility reports on further expansion of the WDP hospital plans.
Soon, another summer was upon them. Xiang Zhe had sailed through the Certificate course with very good grades. Shan Mei was very happy and so proud of him. She managed to get him a summer job at the hospital working as 3rd Assistant to the Chief Hospital Administrator, Dr. Bae.
It was around this time that air travel between Yanji and Seoul was introduced making travelling between the two cities easy and less time consuming.
In July of that year, Shan Mei received official notification for her to report to work at WDP Headquarters in New York. For the next 12 months, WDPO wanted her to provide training and lectures to medical personnel who would eventually go to Yanbian, to take up postings in line with their expansion plans for China.
When Xiang Zhe heard of this, his primary worry was for his Diploma course which was supposed to begin at the end of August. He tried to use this as an excuse to prevent Shan Mei from going. “Have you forgotten your promise to give me tuition at home? Without you to help me, how am I going to make it? The assignments are getting to be quite difficult.”
“You think I’ll leave you alone to fight your battles? Youzhen Ge and Jun Mao have been recruited to help. They will visit you, Jun Mao second weekend of the month, Youzhen last weekend of the month.”
When one worry was resolved, he became beset by another. Xiang Zhe was afraid Shan Mei wouldn’t return, intending to leave him behind on his own. He begged Shan Mei, “Please take me with you. I really can’t bear to be apart from you. I feel very uneasy without you around. I am not confident that I can make it on my own.”
Shan Mei was not moved by his pleas. “If I can, I’ll take you, but I can’t. I insist you stay back and concentrate on your studies and help Dr. Bae whenever they need you. When I return within the year, I want to see your Diploma. And don’t feel discouraged. You did very well on your own. I did not help you much with your assignments. I have full confidence in your abilities.” He finally accepted the situation after much coaxing from Shan Mei.
Chapter 6
That night, though not so cold, Xiang Zhe crawled under Shan Mei’s quilt to cuddle up to her. He simply wanted to be near her. Shan Mei couldn’t sleep too.
“Mrs. Yin, that time when you introduced me to your father as ‘my dearest chingu’, did you really mean it?”
“Of course. You were not merely a friend. I wanted Pa to realise you’re a special friend.”
“Now that I’m your husband, does that mean I’m your dearest husband?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I want to know whether I’m truly your dearest.”
“Aiyo, you’re always acting like a woman, wanting me to be specific with this or with that.”
“I always consider you my dearest wife, my most beloved wife.”
“Why?”
“You’re always so sweet to me. No one has ever been that kind to me. Those days in Busan, whenever people were nice to me, they always wanted a favour in return.”
“So you mean, when you do all those nice things for me, you want to ask me for something in return?”
“No, No. You know that’s not what I mean. I do them because I care a lot for you.”
“What makes you think I don’t care a lot for you?” Shan Mei countered impishly.
“Shan Mei, what do you really mean by that?” When Xiang Zhe didn’t get a response, he again called out softly and slowly to her, “Shan..Mei, Sh.a.n M.e.i…, Sh.a.n…M.e.i.?”
“Aiya! I was just about to fall asleep and you woke me up. Go to sleep. I’m tired. Tomorrow I’ve to be at the airport early.”
Xiang Zhe kept quiet. He was frustrated. Every time this little Miss knew how to evade the issue, by claiming to be tired, knowing how much he cared for her well being. He didn’t want to disturb her. He didn’t manage to get answers out of her, yet she would be flying out of his life for one year (according to her) from tomorrow. It would be the most unbearable one year of his life. His sunshine was going to America, leaving him behind, leaving him with 12 months of gloomy weather.
Xiang Zhe woke very early the next morning, to make special breakfast for his beloved Shan Mei.
Before they left together for the new airport, Shan Mei left a whole book of instructions for Xiang Zhe. Like reminding him to take his daily 3 meals, telling him she would be calling him at 9 p.m. Yanji time, every Tuesday and Friday night, giving a list of her contact numbers, her insurance policy naming him as sole beneficiary. If anything should happen to her, he was to use the money to set up some small business so his livelihood would be taken care of. She also gave him a copy of his bank statement in Seoul. If he needed money from the account, Youzhen Ge would handle it for him.
Xiang Zhe was quiet. He didn’t want to hear any of it. He couldn’t digest at all. He only knew if anything should happen to her, he wouldn’t want to live. She was not only his whole world, she was the most important part.
At the airport, he couldn’t bear to let go of her. She insisted he be strong, for both their sakes. She also promised after she returned and when the hospital project was in place, they would go together for a long holiday in Japan. It was one of the countries she would most like to visit. She wiped away his tears.
He hugged her to him, burying his face into her hair. He slowly feathered light kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. He couldn’t tear his mouth away from her sweet lips, until final call came through for passengers for Seoul to board the flight. “Shan Mei, I’m going to miss you so very much.”
That night in bed, he couldn’t sleep and he felt a thousand times worse than that Saturday night in NMP Uniting Church when Shan Mei didn’t come to visit. He went to the window and stood looking out. He knew what was about to happen to him: he was going to cry again though he kept telling himself he mustn’t. His heart was so full of love for her that it had become an unbearable pain – this well of pain couldn’t seem to subside when he realized he would not be able to see her, touch her and feel her warmth for one whole year. He whispered her name, “Shan Mei, Shan Mei, are you thinking of me? Shan Mei, are you?”
Slowly, the sound of her name seemed to lift his spirits. He felt all warm inside. Her name was acting like a healing balm on his troubled thinking and on his aching scarred back.
==
“Hello, Yin Xiang Zhe classmate.”
Xiang Zhe looked up from the notes he was studying to the unfamiliar female voice. He wasn’t aware he was friends with any female classmate.
A girl with shoulder length hair sitting on the garden bench opposite to his waved to him. He gave her a polite nod, then went back to his study notes. The girl walked over to where he was sitting.
“Can I join you?”
“Sorry, please excuse my forgetfulness. I don’t remember you from any of my classes?” Xiang Zhe gave the girl a confounded look.
“Remember the lecture on Safety Measures for Fire Hazards 2 weeks ago? I noticed you. After that I always see you around the Language Centre. You’re always by yourself, buried in your books. You shouldn’t be working so hard. What do you do for relaxation? By the way, I’m Xu Ying Mei, Year 1 student studying for a Business degree.”
“Hi. I’m not as smart as you. I’m only studying for a Diploma. Do you mind? I really have to finish these notes. I’ve an exam tomorrow.”
“Do you need any help? I’m free.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to studying on my own.” With that, Xiang Zhe gathered his things together and walked off towards the cafeteria. He was at the cafeteria earlier, but someone had occupied his favourite quiet corner, so he went out to the garden instead. He hoped his favourite corner was now available. He would prefer to go home, but he had another class at 4. After that class, he would hurry home. Tonight, his Shan Mei would phone.
==
Maybe it was crazy for a lonely man to want to be alone but he didn’t look forward to the company of Youzhen, Jun Mao or any of his classmates if they were to intrude too much into his private thoughts. He liked to wallow in his own grief and misery, away from prying eyes. He didn’t want others to know how much he was missing Shan Mei or how lost he was feeling without her. He gazed over the horizon, his eyes reaching as far as the snow-capped peaks. Nothing disturbed the snow which resembled a mirror which reflected the flight of the sun. During moments like these, Xiang Zhe wished he was a painter and he could translate his feelings on to the canvas and save them for Shan Mei. Maybe she would one day understand how he felt about her.
Just as Shan Mei had arranged, over the weekend, Youzhen flew in with his fiancée, Na-Nuel. Xiang Zhe was so pleased. Instead of one, he had two helpers. He had already made out a long list of questions he wanted explanations to. Youzhen and Xiang Zhe worked on his class assignments, while Na-Nuel took care of the meals. Youzhen was very patient with Xiang Zhe. Besides Shan Mei, he was the one who wanted to see Xiang Zhe succeed the most. He couldn’t believe this was the same person they had pulled back from the brink of death. Xiang Zhe was now sitting in front of him, eagerly asking questions and happily completing his work.
Youzhen marveled at Shan Mei’s choice for husband. His thoughts of ‘gangster Han Dong-su’ had long vanished from his mind. Xiang Zhe was not only handsome in looks, but had become well-mannered, cultivated and humble in his ways and talk. He had an irresistible shyness about him that attracted people around him to him. And according to Shan Mei, he was an ace gentleman. He was loyal like a puppy, following Shan Mei around without question. He trusted Shan Mei implicitly. And Shan Mei simply adored him. She loved everything about him, but she kept this to herself. Youzhen and Jun Mao were the only other persons who knew of her secret.
She wanted Xiang Zhe to first concentrate on his studies. She wanted him to have a choice. With a paper qualification under his belt and some money to his name, Shan Mei would let him decide what he wanted to do. If he decided he wanted to stay in the marriage, they would embark on real married life. Whatever he decided to do, she would help him, and wish him happiness and God’s grace.
Youzhen could see Xiang Zhe loved Shan Mei very deeply. Every time he talked about Shan Mei, his eyes lit up. He was telling Youzhen when Shan Mei phoned last night, she said she was sending him a watch from New York by courier. The watch would go to Youzhen so he or Jun Mao could bring it to him on their next visit. He reminded Youzhen not to throw away the envelope from the courier service. He wanted to keep the envelope, most probably it had Shan Mei’s hand writing on it.
Xiang Zhe was counting the days. Shan Mei had already been away 6 months.
==
“Hi Yin Xiang Zhe classmate. You were busy this weekend? I didn’t see you at the language Centre.”
“Oh, hello, Xu Ying Mei classmate. My brother-in-law was visiting me.”
Xu Ying Mei raised an eyebrow, asking, “Brother in law?”
“My wife’s brother.”
“You’re married? How come you’re always around the campus, and not at home.”
Xiang Zhe gave a mirthless laugh. “My wife’s currently in America.”
“Oh, this is interesting. I’ve always wanted to go to America. It’s supposed to be the new Gold Mountain, abound with lots of money-making opportunities. Your wife in America working at some restaurant or something? This is what they usually go to America for, saying they can make lots of money. You be careful Yin Xiang Zhe classmate. After the women land in America, the first thing they usually look for is a rich husband.”
Xiang Zhe didn’t reply, he simply gave her a weak smile.
“Since your wife is away, you may get lonely. Why don’t we go to the movies sometimes? Or simply eat out. You can come to my place, I can cook for you.” Again arching her left eyebrow, thinking Xiang Zhe would jump at the chance.
Xiang Zhe was beginning to find her eyebrow arching gesture irritating. He was not a babe in the woods. He knew where she was coming from and what she expected, and her disparaging remarks about women in general wanting a good life in a foreign country insulting. He didn’t want to appear rude, but told her off honestly, “I don’t think I will have time for such activities. I want to study hard to make sure I graduate in the summer with a diploma. This is my birthday present for my most beloved wife.”
He hoped she would take the hint and leave him alone. During his days in Busan, he had met women like this Xu Ying Mei by the dozens on daily basis, trying to ingratiate themselves into his pants in return for jobs as GROs at the highest-paying clubs or lounges, or soft, cushy jobs at the most-frequented massage parlours. Bah!
Suddenly, he lowered his eyes to hide the guilt in them. He was not supposed to divulge family relationships while working in Yanbian, for security reasons. In past cases of kidnapping, hostages were held as bargaining tools, not necessarily for money. Yanbian was a ‘frontier’ post – many things like border access, etc were far more important than money.
==
On the weekend when Jun Mao visited Xiang Zhe, he brought the watch that Shan Mei had sent from New York. Xiang Zhe couldn’t stop smiling. The only times he took off the watch were while having bath or shower. The nights were very cold, but with the watch strapped to his wrist, he felt so warm. It was a TAG HEUER, a ruggedly looking watch with lots of dials and knobs. The accompanying instruction booklet came in a host of languages but not Korean. There was a section with Chinese text. He spent days at the Language Centre, working out a translation. He had great fun doing this, as if he was talking with Shan Mei.
==
Today was 7 June. Xiang Zhe was at the college first thing in the morning to meet up with his professor to collect his grading transcript. He wanted to fax this to Shan Mei, to show her he had successfully completed his diploma course, the actual diploma would be awarded in a few months’ time.
That night, Shan Mei called, “My dearest Chingu, thank you for your lovely ‘birthday present’. The colleagues in my unit were very impressed with your efforts. Even our Regional Director was impressed with your diligence. Starting from next month, you will receive a salary increase for your efforts and contribution to the Yanbian project.”
Shan Mei also confirmed, “I’ll be leaving New York at the end of this month. I’ll fly into Seoul, then connect to Yanji. Pa is going to arrive in Yanji on the 20th of this month. Please mark this down on your calendar, so you remember to meet his flight from Seoul, okay? You take good care of yourself.”
“Shan Mei, are you missing me?”
“Hey, just imagine you talking like a soppy puppy. Aren’t you supposed to be a tough ‘ex-so and so’ from Busan?” Shan Mei laughed softly at him then rang off, giving him no time or chance to say anything further.
She looked at the handset she had just replaced on the phone. Of course, she was missing him, so dreadfully. But she couldn’t let him know. She didn’t want to sway him in any way by her emotions, when he made his decision whether to stay with her or to walk. This year, away from her, he must have already learnt to live independently without her hovering about.
Pain swept through her, catching her off guard. Had she really fallen in love with him? If she did not love him, why then did the realization that they might soon part ways hurt her so much?
==
This was the first time Pa was visiting them in Yanji. After Shan Mei left Busan for Yanbian, Pa and Ma handed the Zhen General Practice clinic to Youzhen and Jun Mao, then returned to England to help his friend, Dr. Kang at his general practice. During their frequent email exchanges, Shan Mei had asked Pa to please come to Yanbian to help at the new WDP hospital that would be set up soon. Pa agreed when he was told that the Jilin provincial government had allocated land and a team of workers to assist WDP to build the hospital. Work to begin as soon as Shan Mei returned to Yanji from New York. The latest medical equipment had just been shipped from New York to Yanbian. The Chinese construction teams usually worked very fast. The Jilin government agent assured the building would be up within 4 months.
On the drive from the Yanji airport into town, Zhen Senior was very impressed. The airport road was wide and clean, many of the buildings along the way were huge even though some were grey and drab like government buildings and banks. The Yanbian Prefecture lacked up-to-date proper medical facilities; that was why the WDP hospital being set up with the most up-to-date state-of-the-art equipment and facilities would be such a boon to the Chinese.
Xiang Zhe had cleaned up the apartment for Pa’s visit.
“Pa, you must be tired. Why don’t you lie down for a while? I’ll wake you up for dinner later. The people around here take their dinner early, about 5 or 6 o’clock. Before that, we can drop by the supermarket to get whatever you need.”
After shopping at the supermarket, Xiang Zhe took Pa for dinner at the Korean restaurant that Shan Mei and he frequently ate at.
“Welcome, Mr. Yin. You come at good time. Today we have very big fresh Roe fish from the Tumen River.”
“Good evening, lady Boss. This is Prof. Zhen. He will help out at the soon to be built American hospital”
Looking at Pa, Xiang Zhe continued, “Sir, fresh roe fish is considered a local delicacy, another variety of the Russian sturgeon. It is so named because of its roe. Some people say its roe tastes better than the roe from the sturgeon.”
Xiang Zhe ordered fresh roe fish, local fresh vegetables and the restaurant’s special secret recipe soup, BBQ pork and kimchi side dishes. They were eating, drinking and talking until Xiang Zhe suddenly reminded his father-in-law, “Sir, maybe we shouldn’t be drinking so much. If Shan Mei knows, she’ll not like it.”
“Son, why are you worrying? Shan Mei likes to nag. She’s not here anyway, she won’t know. Come, let’s drink up. Cheers!”
“Sir, I don’t want to do anything that will make Shan Mei unhappy, whether she’s here or not.”
Pa put down his empty wine glass and looked at Xiang Zhe for a second. He saw the honesty in the boy’s eyes. He nodded in acceptance.
“Okay, we won’t take any more wine. Let’s order some more of the delicious BBQ pork.” Turning around to look for a waitress, Zhen Senior beckoned to Lady Boss, “Lady Boss, can you please let us have a pot of your best local tea? Thank you.”
On walking back to the apartment, Pa was impressed with Yanji. He had expected something congested and under developed. Instead, the city streets were clean and wide, although they were quite deserted after 7 p.m. He had heard so many negative views of Yanji that he didn’t expect anything like this.
When they were back in the apartment, Xiang Zhe stored away their purchases, then prepared hot water bottle for Pa’s bed for the night.
Next morning, Xiang Zhe took Pa for local morning breakfast of soy milk and fried fritters. They then spent some time at a park watching a group of senior citizens going through their morning taichi exercise routine. After that, they walked through Yanbian No. 2 Workers’ Hospital so Pa could get a feel of the place.
Next, was the college where Xiang Zhe studied for his HM course. Xiang Zhe showed Pa the Language Centre where he was currently learning Chinese. He wanted to surprise Shan Mei when she returned from New York.
Pa nodded his head in agreement and approval. In his mind he acknowledged that Xiang Zhe was a good kid. No wonder Shan Mei agreed to marry him, after having rejected so many other more illustrious marriage proposals.
At home, for lunch, they had delicious kimchi noodles from the Korean restaurant. While enjoying his tea after lunch, Pa looked at Xiang Zhe and asked solemnly, “Xiang Zhe, when are you kids going to start a family?”
Xiang Zhe was caught surprised. He felt so guilty he didn’t know what to say. He tried to grope for the right words at the unexpected question. Getting no answer from Xiang Zhe, Pa continued, “You kids are not getting any younger.”
Xiang Zhe got up from his seat. With head bent, his hands on his thighs, he suddenly knelt before Pa, and began asking for his forgiveness.
Pa was surprised. “What’s the problem, son?”
Chapter 7
“Pa, what I told you at our first meeting in Nam Po was the truth, except the people I was involved with were gangsters controlling the Busan construction trade. That fateful night, I was most probably attacked by rival gang members. They hacked and chopped me up so badly, they left me for dead and dumped me behind your house. When Shan Mei arrived home and found me on the pavement of your backyard, I was already near death. Youzhen, Jun Mao and Shan Mei helped save my life and took care of me for 4 months. That time, I understand you were in England. They didn’t want to worry you, so they sent me to stay and work at NMP Uniting Church.
Due to Shan Mei’s generous and compassionate nature, she feels responsible for me. These years in Yanji, I’ve looked after her and protected her as best as I can. I love Shan Mei very much. But Pa, I give you my word, I haven’t touched her at all.
Shan Mei loves and respects you so much as her father, I simply cannot make this a real marriage unless you know the truth. If you tell me you cannot accept me as your son-in-law, I’ll understand and will go away quietly, not letting Shan Mei know the reason. I used to be a notorious gangster, but I’ve changed completely since accepting the Lord. I won’t ever go back to the old ways. The old Yin Xiang Zhe or Han Dong-su is dead. Kneeling before you is a born again and God-fearing Yin Xiang Zhe.”
After he finished his confession, still too guilty to lift his head up, he quickly unbuttoned and whipped off his shirt so his father-in-law could see for himself the scars on his back and on his front.
“Oh my goodness!” Pa put a hand to cover his wide-opened mouth before he let out an expletive, then roared, “What kind of beast did this hideous crime to you?” He was utterly shocked by what he was shown and somewhat stunned by Xiang Zhe’s confession, but not that shocked that he would close his mind to the good the boy had done.
He quickly got up and extended a hand to Xiang Zhe to help him up. “Son, get up first. It’s a miracle you’re still alive. This is so unexpected! Does Shan Mei know the whole story? I mean about your days being a gangster? And put your shirt back on before you catch a cold.”
Xiang Zhe nodded his head. He slowly rose from the floor, put his shirt back on and buttoned it up, then sat down on the sofa his eyes staring blankly down at the floor, too ashamed to plead his case further.
Pa might be old but he was not blind. The first time he met Xiang Zhe, he knew the boy was completely in love with Shan Mei. This past year whenever Ma phoned home from England, Youzhen and Jun Mao only had good things to say about Xiang Zhe, after they visited him each time, telling the parents when they asked, how well Xiang Zhe was doing in his studies. But what touched his heart most was the sight of those shocking horrendous scars on Xiang Zhe’s back and front. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind, when his experienced eyes scanned over those scars left by the wounds, that those 3 imps had actually saved the boy’s life. No wonder his daughter couldn’t let the boy go. If it was him, he too would want to keep the boy close by him, forever wanting to protect him ….. The other thing bothering Zhen Senior was whether his daughter wanted the boy close because of love or compassion or both?
Pa had always believed his daughter the most. He always claimed his daughter was a very good judge of character. She wouldn’t simply go off to marry just any man for the sake of the Yanbian project, or because she felt sorry for him. She must have felt something different in Xiang Zhe. She trusted him so much, she was not even afraid to have him accompany her to China.
“Any of your old gang members know that you’re still alive?” Zhen Senior was thinking of their safety at that moment.
“I don’t believe so, because Youzhen and Jun Mao told me that from the newspapers, even the police accepted the theory that most probably my body had been thrown into the sea to feed the sharks, or minced up in a mincer.”
“I’m sure whoever those murderers were, they never expected you to survive.”
Zhen Senior’s gaze narrowed on Xiang Zhe’s face as he studied him closely. “You really haven’t touched Shan Mei at all, all this time?”
“No, I haven’t. You have my word. During very cold nights, I sleep next to her under the quilt to keep her warm – only sleep, nothing else. We wanted to get electric heaters. I inspected all the locally available models. They didn’t look safe to me. I couldn’t risk the heaters blowing up the electricity circuit with Shan Mei in the apartment. Shan Mei said she would buy electric blankets while in New York.”
Pa’s mind loosened a bit and kept silent while continuing to sip his tea slowly. What Xiang Zhe said about the electric heaters was true. Last night while browsing through the supermarket’s electrical section, he wasn’t impressed with their electrical products. The products didn’t look sturdy, many didn’t come with any safety accreditation.
Xiang Zhe got up to refill the tea pot with hot water and fresh tea leaves.
“Son, do you truly love Shan Mei?” Pa wanted to be sure (again!).
Xiang Zhe nodded his head emphatically, and answered in the most convincing way he could muster, “With all my heart.”
“What about Shan Mei?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes she talks in riddles I cannot understand. I’m just a simple man, used to simple ways and simple words. But I do know that she trusts me. I realize I am still rough around the edges but I’m trying my best to smooth them out. I know I’m not good enough for her and I never will be.”
“What are your future plans? I understand that you now have some paper qualification. There’s no need to go back to the old ways. I understand from Youzhen that you have quite a bit of money saved too, enough for you to start a small business if you and Shan Mei should part ways.”
Xiang Zhe became worried, hearing Pa talk this way. “I want to stay with Shan Mei, if she’ll let me. I love her. I’ll protect her and help her in her work in whatever way I can. I realise I’m not that qualified to contribute much, seeing how well educated you all are. I just want to be with her. She has become the most important part of my life.” It appeared he was answering Pa’s question, but Xiang Zhe seemed to be talking to himself.
Pa tapped at his forehead, as if trying to reach some kind of conclusion and decision.
“I think my daughter is not that dim-witted to marry someone she doesn’t trust or have no feelings for. Don’t forget your marriage was solemnised in a church. To her, that is a serious matter.
Alright, son, I’m not going to hold your past against you. I don’t know why, but I feel you’re good for Shan Mei. These past 2-1/2 years, Shan Mei has been telling me she is very happy and you’ve been taking very good care of her and the home.
When Shan Mei returns from New York next week, you must make your feelings known to her. She’s a big girl now. She’ll know what to do. It’s true – Shan Mei certainly seems to trust you,” Zhen Senior muttered.
“Thank you, Pa. I am very grateful that you have just given me a very pleasant feeling. It has been a long while since anyone has trusted me.”
“Well, what did you expect when you take into account your past,” Zhen Senior snapped.
“OK, okay, don’t look so nervous and glum. Didn’t you buy some special Yanji rice cakes from a roadside hawker this morning? Bring them out, let’s have afternoon tea! I’m quite hungry now. After all, we only had noodles for lunch.”
“Yes, Pa. I’ll go and heat up those rice cakes.” Xiang Zhe was so happy and relieved. Pa was happy too, admitting the boy was very honorable and responsible, coming out with such a big confession. He would help him. He would show Shan Mei the boy had met with his approval.
==
Xiang Zhe and Pa were at the arrival hall of the Yanji International airport. Xiang Zhe was waiting excitedly. Shan Mei would be emerging soon from customs. In a short while, he saw her approaching. He went to stand behind Pa, so Pa would be the first person to be seen by Shan Mei. As expected, Shan Mei ran forward to throw her arms tightly around Pa’s neck, kissing him and telling him how much she had missed him.
Pa slowly untangled his daughter’s arms from around his neck and looked into her face. Tears were already swimming in her eyes. He gave her a kiss on her cheek. “My precious baby, I’ve missed you too but aren’t you being mushy with the wrong man?” Pa pulled Xiang Zhe from behind him and pushed him forward to stand in front of Shan Mei.
Xiang Zhe felt shy, but he wanted to hold her very badly. He didn’t care if she got mad with him; he hugged her within his tight embrace with a soft “Welcome back”. As he relieved her of her hand luggage, he whispered lovingly into her ear that he had missed her so much, and then he gave her a light kiss on her cheek. Shan Mei gave him a quick dazzling smile. She was blushing and felt so shy and all flustered with this sudden show of intimacy in front of her father.
Father and daughter were deep in conversation, as Xiang Zhe pushed the baggage trolley along and led the way to the 4WD he had borrowed from the hospital and driven to the airport. Shan Mei was surprised. “So, you managed to get a local driving license?” He nodded his head. Shan Mei was very happy. “Now we can buy our own car.”
After they stopped by a local cafeteria for some light refreshments, Shan Mei and Pa went to the hospital for some kind of meeting while Xiang Zhe went home with Shan Mei’s luggage. After that he went to the Language Centre for his Chinese class.
==
That night Xiang Zhe was washing the tea pot when Pa walked into the kitchen to let Xiang Zhe know he preferred his hot water bottle and not the electric blanket, afraid he would get an electric shock. He warned them not to use theirs too, not knowing how reliable the local electricity supply was. Xiang Zhe smiled softly as he boiled water for the water bottle.
When Xiang Zhe entered the guest bedroom wanting to slip the hot water bottle under the quilt, Pa who was sitting at a corner of the bed asked whether he had a chance to talk to Shan Mei. Xiang Zhe could feel his father-in-law’s dark glare boring into him.
In long strides, he dropped into a rattan chair, still holding on to the hot water bottle. “I’m still pondering what and how to say.”
“Maybe tonight you could sweet-talk her, make her feel special.”
“Pa, Shan Mei is tired out with air travel and meetings all of today. I’ll wait for a better time. I’m going to give her a neck massage, seeing she has been flying and living out of airports for 24 hours.”
“Good thinking. Son, you go ahead and do just that.” Zhen Senior stood up, planting his hands against the small of his back, and stretched backward. “I’m going to get sleep.” Pa then took the hot water bottle from Xiang Zhe and began pushing his son-in-law out of his room giving him an eye-wink, as he started walking toward his bed.
“Sweet-talk her and massage maybe?” Xiang Zhe asked shyly.
“Yes, you know, say those words women like to hear, the words that make them shine brighter than a full moon.”
Xiang Zhe nodded. “I’ll do that.” But the thought running through his mind was a different story. Sweet-talking? What did he know about sweet-talking? His in-depth understanding and knowledge of the female species was scanty at the most.
Once back in the master bedroom when he saw his wife getting ready for bed, he suggested, “Shan Mei, you must be tired with all that flying around. Why don’t you let me give you a neck massage? You’ll be able to sleep better.”
“Is that one of the skills you picked up while I was in New York?”
“I picked this up while I was responsible for our massage parlours in Busan. I used to watch some of the girls at work. I’d let the good ones give me the occasional neck massage.”
“And your special ‘moments’ ?” Shan Mei interjected impishly, her big expressive eyes laughing at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you want me to give you all the gory details frame by frame?”
“Hey, you’re supposed to give me neck massage, not contaminate my innocent mind, right Mr. Yin?”
“You! Always with an answer for everything.” He pumped up her pillows, and patted at a space on the bed, wanting her to lie down.
After a while, Xiang Zhe leaned near to Shan Mei’s ear and asked softly, “Did you miss me, Mrs. Yin?”
“Hmm...mm…”
Xiang Zhe became excited and tried to push his luck. “How much?”
Silence. Xiang Zhe stopped massaging. He padded softly round to Shan Mei’s side of the bed, squatted down on his haunches, and looked eye-level into her face. Shan Mei sensing Xiang Zhe’s nearness, opened her eyes slightly, and saw his enquiring look. She stretched her arm out from under the quilt and caressed his cheek tenderly with her hand. Xiang Zhe caught her hand with his, turned her palm side out, and planted several tender kisses on it. Before he could repeat his question, she told him she was tired. They were going to have a very busy day tomorrow. She did sound so tired and sleepy. Giving her hair a gentle ruffle, he placed her arm back under the quilt. He thought, Shan Mei wasn’t going anywhere, he’d ask her again tomorrow after she’d had a good night’s rest. So quietly he settled himself back on his side of the bed, crept under the quilt then cuddled up to Shan Mei.
==
After breakfast the next morning, Xiang Zhe was told he had to accompany Shan Mei and Pa to a very important meeting. They were going to meet the government’s construction agent. With Xiang Zhe’s past experience in construction, she would need his valuable input.
Xiang Zhe laughed. “Are you sure? My method is very direct. If the contractor doesn’t agree to our terms, he’ll get beaten up so bad until he agrees.”
“Did it work?”
“Like a dream, every time!”
When all parties met up, the agent, Mr. Jin Zian Da, took them to the site. The area was massive. Apart from the hospital building, Mr. Jin Zian Da had been instructed to build some buildings to be used as staff quarters. The department in charge of the project had been liaising with WDP New York to agree on the final plans, which should be arriving by the end of the week. Pa was happy. Their hospital would be assured of privacy yet it wasn’t that far from the city centre. The land area was huge enough to take into account future expansion plans. Mr. Jin agreed that was the original intention of the local government.
The contractor had in his hand a blueprint which he had rolled up. He placed it atop his car and gave the scroll a gentle push. It rolled across the flat surface revealing the layout of the new hospital – the main building lots, the garden and open spaces, the living quarters.
“Dr. Zhen, what do you think?”
Shan Mei surveyed the open empty plot surrounding her and looked back at the blueprint. She handed it over to her Pa.
“Professor, why don’t you have a look at this? Any recommendations?”
Shan Mei then introduced Xiang Zhe as her personal assistant to Mr. Jin Zian Da, letting Mr. Jin know that Xiang Zhe would the person representing her in this building project.
“Yes, Dr. Zhen, I understand. I’ll liaise closely with Mr. Yin.”
“Mr. Jin, the 4WD you are driving seems okay. We would like to buy one so Mr. Yin can travel around freely.”
“Dr. Zhen, there’s no need to buy one. For this project, I’ve been issued with the 4WD to do the ground work. If you’re ready to leave, I’ll take you to the main Transport headquarters and put in an application for a vehicle for your exclusive use. The vehicle will also receive a certain quota of free petrol per week. Our government realises the WDPO is bringing in a lot of money, expertise and know-how to assist us in opening up our province. My Department Head has specially requested me to make your stay in Yanbian as stress-free as possible.”
After Shan Mei put in her application for free use of a 4WD with promise from Transport officer-in-charge the vehicle would be ready and delivered to the hospital in 2 days’ time, they treated Mr. Jin to lunch at their favourite Korean restaurant.
“Hello, Lady Boss, haven’t seen you in a year. Here, I’ve brought you a little souvenir from America.”
Lady Boss was so happy to see Dr. Zhen back. “Your personal assistant always comes in here for his meals. We feed him properly all the time you were away. And Dr. Professor too, when Mr. Yin told us Dr. Professor would be helping you out. We give them good food every time they come in.” Lady Boss then brought out her best local wine, and made special dishes, all on the house. When they were ready to leave, she gave them several boxes of her special kimchi, to take home.
Chapter 8
At home that night, Pa suggested Shan Mei go on a short holiday with Xiang Zhe.
“When the approved building plans come in, the construction workers have to prepare the land. There’s nothing much Xiang Zhe can do at this time. When the 4WD is delivered, let Xiang Zhe drive you out to the hot spring area you two went to before, near the mountains. He said the area was quite beautiful and relaxing, although it could get quite cold even in summer.”
Shan Mei was getting quite agitated. “Aiyo Pa, you don’t understand. I’ve lots of things to follow through. I just came back.”
Pa glanced at Xiang Zhe before shifting his gaze to Shan Mei. Xiang Zhe could feel his father-in-law’s dark eyes boring into him again. Apparently he had figured out that Xiang Zhe had not sweet-talked to Shan Mei last night, and it didn’t sit well with him.
“Pa understands perfectly. Xiang Zhe and you have been apart for one whole year. Both of you need some private romantic time together. The paper work can wait. Once you return from holiday, you can start seriously your work. If you don’t go, I’ll move into a hotel, to give you two kids some private time together. Do you want your Pa to move into a hotel?”
Shan Mei looked guilty all over. She also went red in the face. She looked to Xiang Zhe for rescue.
Xiang Zhe felt caught. “Pa, of course we don’t want you to move into a hotel. It’s just that Shan Mei feels her mind will rest easier if she knows all matters are being taken care of first before thinking of holiday.”
Pa looked at Xiang Zhe, pretending to be angry. “And you my Son, I’m beginning to lose patience with you. It seems you don’t know how to keep my precious daughter happy, letting her think of work all the time. It’s been 2-1/2 years since you married Shan Mei, but I’m not getting any news of grandchildren. If you’re not able to, in that department, you better come clean, so I can get Shan Mei married off to a more virile man.”
“Pa, what are you talking about? I’m back only 2 days and you start nagging me about grandchildren. And don’t you start entertaining any silly ideas. Even if we never have babies, I’m not going to marry any other man. Xiang Zhe is the only man I want.”
Pa and Xiang Zhe passed conspiratorial looks. Xiang Zhe was tingling all over with happiness when he heard that outburst from Shan Mei.
“Okay, I promise to stop nagging. Take a few days off with Xiang Zhe. When I get to hold a little baby in my arms, I’ll leave the two of you alone.” Pa then went off very satisfied to his room for a lie-down.
Shan Mei looked at Xiang Zhe in exasperation, wanting to know why he didn’t put in his two cents’ worth. Back in their bedroom, he told her, “Your father has been hounding me since his arrival in Yanji. What can I say or do? When the new vehicle is delivered, we simply go off for a few days, to keep your father quiet and happy.”
Suddenly Shan Mei remembered something. Throughout the meeting and lunch with Mr. Jin, Xiang Zhe had been conversing in Mandarin Chinese. “I didn’t realise you can speak the language so well?”
“That time when we were still in Nampo, I was always with you when you had you lessons. I picked up some phrases here and there. In Yanji, whenever I had free time in between studies, I would be at the language centre. This time when you were away in New York, I took up the language seriously.”
Shan Mei smiled gently at him, praising him, “You are good at it. I’m so impressed.” He puckered up his lips for a reward kiss. She ran a finger gently across his lips, and gave him a light kiss on his cheek instead. For the time being, Xiang Zhe was satisfied with that.
==
After the 4WD vehicle was delivered to Dr. Zhen and when it had been fitted with tires specially threaded for travel over snow, Zhen Senior immediately shooed the young couple out of the apartment, telling them to enjoy themselves at the Hot spring chalet and the spa and not to hurry back.
“Don’t you want to go along with us, Pa? The mountain scenery is really beautiful out there.”
“No, thanks. I understand that place is quite close to the mountains and there’s snow almost all year round. I prefer to stay in Yanji and enjoy the warmer weather. Still, this place is strange – weather wise. At night, it can become rather cold. Remember to take your parkas with you.”
==
After a 3 hour drive, they finally arrived at their destination.
Three days before, a sudden snow storm had held this spa resort area snowbound for a day. Hot on its heels, came the warm summer thaw to chase away the cold and leave only traces of its visit behind in the melting snowdrifts along the fence line surrounding the few holiday chalets and the thin patches of snow cover along the north sides of the buildings.
“I’ll get off to open the gate.” Shan Mei offered, then she opened the door of the 4WD and jumped out. The thick mud splayed under her boots when she landed, then made squishy, sucking noises with each step she took to the gate. On this mild morning she hadn’t bothered to button her parka. The extra warmth wasn’t needed so she had left it open. She looked young and playful, nothing at all like the doctor she was at the hospital.
Pushing a shoulder into the gate, Shan Mei swung it shut and brace it in position with her body until she pushed the latch into place. When it was secure, she turned away from the fence to follow after the 4WD which was coming to a stop by the chalet. The cessation of the jeep’s running engine made the sweep of silence seem loud. Shan Mei slowed her steps for a minute to take it in.
The late morning sun was already warming the air infecting all who breathed it with a dose of holiday fever. Shan Mei wasn’t immune to its heady stirrings, and the vague promise of something wonderful swelling inside her heart put a smile on her lips. Pa was right – she did need a holiday after all this time spent on work and only work.
Just ahead of her, Xiang Zhe had alighted from the jeep and was at the back of the vehicle, pulling out their traveling bags and boxes of food supplies. His heavy parka had been abandoned in the back of the vehicle in the mild weather in favour of a lighter-weight denim jacket, lined with wool flannel. For all the ‘gangster’ toughness about him, Shan Mei felt a quiver of pride each time she looked at him. Did love do that to a person, she wondered?
With his back to her, his wide expanse of shoulders made a broad and inviting target. Along with the burgeoning sense of holiday fever bubbling inside her, there was a spark of mischief. It flared to life as she spied the small drift near the path. From experience, she knew the wet snow would pack into an excellent ball.
She glanced quickly again at Xiang Zhe to make sure he still hadn’t turned around, then scooped up a big handful of crusty wet snow and patted it into a round ball. There were no more than ten feet between them. At that distance she couldn’t miss. She took aim on a point between his wide shoulders and gave it a throw.
The snowball’s trajectory was a little high. She winced as it splattered just above his collar. Xiang Zhe stiffened, then slowly turned, hunching his shoulders forward as he reached a hand behind his neck to brush the snow out from beneath his collar.
“Did you do that?” His accusing gaze gleamed narrowly at her.
“I’m sorry.” But she didn’t look one bit sorry as suppressed laughter gurgled in her voice. “I’m out of practice. I did okay when I was in New York. Actually I was aiming lower.”
“You think it’s funny, don’t you?” Xiang Zhe growled with mocking menace and took a step towards her.
When Shan Mei saw his glance slide to the nearby snowdrift with the telltale depression made by her hands, she knew exactly the retaliation he had in mind. She started backing up, laughter still hugging at the corners of her mouth while she lifted her hands to stave off his threat.
“Xiang Zhe, no,” she protested with a sideways tilt of her head, the gleam in her mischievous eyes.
As he moved purposely toward her, she turned to run, but she turned too sharply. Her foot slid from under her on the muddy ground, and she nearly fell. Before she could regain her footing and escape, Xiang Zhe caught her from behind.
“Don’t! No!” Breathless laughter bubbled through her words.
He had her by her waist and his hand forced its way down the inside of her blouse at her back. All her wiggling and twisting went for naught as cold snow was rubbed across bare skin covering her neck.
She gasped in a shriek at the sudden iciness freezing her warm flesh as she made a beeline for the chalet where they were supposed to spend the next few days.
==
“After that snow you rubbed down my neck, I’m dying for a cup of very hot coffee right now. Do you want one? This coffee I brought back from New York is really great.”
“No thanks. I’m now used to the green tea from Lady Boss’s Korean restaurant. I get our special green tea from her.”
“In that case, why don’t you go for your hot spring soak while I get your tea ready for you? Or do you want lunch first?”
“I think I’ll get some hot food inside of me before I do anything else.”
Xiang Zhe then had stored the travel bags into the cupboards in the room, the food in the kitchen and lay out their furry house slippers by the main door.
After lunch, they decided to walk around the area to see whether any thing new had sprung up since their last visit. They trekked all afternoon and found the cold weather very invigorating. They found some beautiful, wild mountain flowers and couldn’t resist plucking them. Shan Mei thought they would brighten up the plain holiday chalet.
When they returned from their walk, Xiang Zhe decided to have a hot spring water soak. When he had been in the bathroom for more than 30 minutes, Shan Mei became worried when she heard no sound and went in to check.
Seeing he was still in the tub, she tested the water. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to immerse your entire body in such hot water. Are the sensitive scars on your body, especially those in your front, feeling itchy? You’ll forget and start scratching,” Shan Mei said worriedly. “Have you forgotten what I told you about not having the water so hot the last time we were here?”
“I haven’t forgotten. But last time we were here, you didn’t throw snowballs at me. I suppose you want to show off after your practice in New York where winter was fun time for you. I thought having the water at a higher temperature would keep me warmer around the neck area.”
She threw a bath robe at Xiang Zhe and insisted that he got up from the tub while she re-filled it with another tub of fresh hot spring water. She mixed it with some cool water from another tap. When she tested the water and it felt about 60 degrees, she beckoned Xiang Zhe to get back into the tub. After he got in, she washed his back with a warm towel soaked in the spa water.
“Ooh, this feels so good. Yes, that’s it, a little further to the left, near the shoulder blade.” Xiang Zhe kept telling Shan Mei his back felt very good. All of a sudden he remembered his scarred body. He became very self conscious. Xiang Zhe wanted to know whether Shan Mei found his mutilated body repulsive. Did the scars frighten her?
“Have you forgotten I’m a doctor and I was one of the three who gave you body rubs while you were recuperating? I see these things all the time.” In fact on looking back, Shan Mei was quite proud of their nursing skills. Even though his back looked like a map of mountain ranges – uneven all over, the wounds had healed very well. If the cuts had not been so deep, the scars would have been quite faint, and not so prominent, by now. Of course, for someone seeing all those scars for the first time, the sight would be scary.
“Do you ever feel revengeful?” Shan Mei asked softly as she continued rubbing gently. This question had always been nagging her at the back of her mind.
“No, because the old me has died a long time ago. Youzhen keeps reminding me it’s a miracle I’m alive. I think this is my second chance at life. I believe I’m a born again person, the old me does not exist any more. Thank you my dearest Shan Mei for your tender loving care. You bring me new hope. Every day I thank whoever it was for dumping me at your doorstep. You’ve brought me blessings too many to count.”
==
After dinner, Shan Mei decided to have her hot, relaxing soak. Eyes closed, Shan Mei was stretching out and soaking herself in the tub. The hot spring water felt so good, releasing the aches in her knotted muscles. She suddenly sat up when she heard the door opening and saw Xiang Zhe walking in. “Anything the matter?” she asked thinking there might be an emergency call from the hospital.
With an impish grin, Xiang Zhe replied, as he squatted by the tub, “Just want to give my wife a back scrub.” Before she could refuse, he already turned her back towards him. With a wet towel, he slowly washed her back, concentrating on each purposeful stroke. After a while, he simply let out an appreciative sigh commenting her creamy white back felt so smooth, the skin so beautiful and flawless without a mark or blemish, then planted a very tender kiss on her nape. Shan Mei could hear the wobbly hoarseness in his voice. He must again be conscious of his ‘ugly’ body.
As she sat there, it came to her that there were facets to Xiang Zhe she knew nothing of. He was proud, and she had never imagined that gangsters to be proud. But then she had imagined so little – she had never before looked for anything too complicated, inside, or outside, to a person’s character. To her, all people had something good in them.
Without thinking, Shan Mei turned around to face him, her eyes big and round, aiming daggers at him.
“Yin Xiang Zhe, what’s the matter with you? Didn’t I tell you earlier when I was washing your back that your body is the most beautiful body I’ve ever seen? And this is not the first time I’ve said it. You think I’m lying?”
“How can it be beautiful when it’s all scarred and looking so grotesque?” he whined, looking unbelieving at Shan Mei, his eyes with shadows of pain and hopelessness.
“Yin Xiang Zhe, you listen to me good because I’m not going to repeat it again. By the number of stabs you received and the amount of blood you lost that night, you should have died a long time before we found you. Maybe you were guarded by angels – it was a miracle – all the stabs missed your main arteries by a mere tip, who knows? I thought you were dead, until I noticed a very faint throb from your wrist. The first few nights, I could feel you fighting, not wanting to give up. I was caught up too, in feeling your strength, and wanted so desperately to see you pull through. My mind went through everything I’ve been taught from books, from my experiences with other patients in the hospitals, to investigate all possibilities to pull you back every time I felt you slipping away. You were silently helping me too, with whatever last bit of strength you could muster. We finally made it!”
“I remembered when I was fading away, I heard an angel singing and calling out to me, ‘come back, don’t give up, trust me’. I saw the angel stretching out her hand to me, begging me to grab hold of her hand and not to let go. She promised she would pull me back from the dark abyss.” Xiang Zhe was sobbing quietly.
“You heard the singing?” Shan Mei asked in disbelief. Kneeling beside the man in the rain, waiting for Youzhen to arrive, she didn’t know what to do except praying and singing many of her favourite hymns softly and tenderly to him, praying the godly music would soothe his tortured nerves and prevent him from giving in. When she saw a car’s approaching headlights, she quickly jumped up praying it was Youzhen, and it was! Shan Mei did not forget easily and she couldn’t forget the mysterious link they had forged. No one would be able to convince her that miracles did not exist – Han Dong-su alias Yin Xiang Zhe was living proof of one.
He nodded his head as Shan Mei wiped his tears away, and his tear-stained face clean. She brushed his mouth softly and swiftly with her lips. Xiang Zhe, his eyes bright and smarting with whatever tears that were still left, looked at Shan Mei hopefully. Yes – in the blurry, hazy vision when he was slipping away – the angel holding out her hand to him looked like Shan Mei!
“Those scars on your body hold a different meaning for me. They showed me your inner strength, your ability to tolerate pain beyond human endurance, your strong instinct to survive. A lesser man would have given up long before the night was over. Those scars stirred something in my heart. At first I thought it was compassion and admiration for your strength and your self. Later on, when you were living in NMP Uniting Church, I realised the feelings went deeper; much, much deeper.”
Staring hard at Xiang Zhe, though her eyes betrayed her softness, she chided, “Don’t you ever again whine about your body being ugly. Even the most highly-valued award for bravery cannot compare.”
“So my back’s fine, according to you?”
Wordlessly, Shan Mei nodded but, in her heart, she knew it wasn’t, not really. It would forever carry the scars he’d earned. A hundred times Shan Mei had wondered what she might have done differently to prevent his suffering? A hundred times – yet she could think of nothing.
“I hate that they did this to you. You had hovered near death. The scars will serve as a reminder of their triumph.” She braced her palms on either side of his face and held his unwavering gaze. “Xiang Zhe, we brought you here without seeking your prior approval. Are you sure you want to give up your dream in Busan without coming to resent me some time in the future?”
“If you assumed that my dream was to take over as Boss of that pack of gangsters in Busan, you might have been right at that time, before the murder attempt. Now, I know differently – from the first stab of the knife from my most trusted personal bodyguard.” Before Xiang Zhe continued, he pointed to a spot near his left shoulder blade. “What is the meaning of sworn brotherhood when loyalty can be sold to the highest bidder? I don’t want to be Boss anymore. Lying on a bed in Youzhen’s house for 4 months while recuperating, I realize a gangster Boss is actually a desperate coward hungry for power and greed hiding behind the title of ‘Boss,’ using his money to buy loyalty from minions who will fight his battles.” He then became quiet and contemplative, his hand trying to wet the towel still in his hand. Unhurried seconds later, he finally found the courage to blurt out, “You were my dream, Shan Mei. I just didn’t know it – the part of me that I was always searching for.” Then his lips found hers, hot and vibrant, full of life, desire.
Xiang Zhe had thought about this moment – the first time he would truly kiss her – a hundred times; all the things he would tell her; the things he felt; the things he wanted; his dream left unfulfilled. He wanted her to see all that he saw when she was away in New York, the vastness of the sky, the canopy of the stars, the land that stretched out before them. In the far off distance, he could see their future together. He could smell the night. But when he actually kissed Shan Mei in that bathroom the first time, all the things he wanted to tell her, share with her, fled his mind. All the time, he could only smell her sweet fragrance and felt the softness of her lips, nothing else.
When his lips left hers, she said, “Remember, your back is beautiful,” her soft voice laced with reverence, wrapped around him.
He nodded his head, still too awed to say anything. He had never felt so near to anyone as he felt to her right now, high above the earth, with the night surrounding them.
Her large eyes, darkened, her smile tremulous. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Is that why you told me just a minute ago that …..?”
His mouth curved into a secret smile. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He stopped washing her back. He pulled her out of the tub and wrapped her robe around her. With Shan Mei in his arms, he bounded across the room. In his enthusiasm, he tripped on one end of her robe, and fell onto the bed; Shan Mei went with him. They started to laugh and Xiang Zhe rolled over, his arms still around her, pulling her with him, kissing her, tickling her, making Shan Mei squeal with delight.
Chapter 9
Her robe slipped off at the shoulders. He began nibbling at her shoulders and growling like a bear, making her laughed harder. His hands roamed up and down her thighs while she made shy protests.
The phone by the bed began to ring.
“What’s that?” Shan Mei asked, lifting up her head.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Xiang Zhe murmured, his face buried in her neck.
“It’s the phone. I’ve got to answer it. It might be an emergency.”
Shan Mei pushed him away and reached for the phone.
“Why did I have to marry a doctor?” he mumbled, as he rolled away from the bed and giving Shan Mei a look that made her giggle and look away.
It was her father calling to check that they had arrived safely, because he had just seen on the news that there was again going to be another sudden snowstorm seldom seen at that time of the year. “Stay a few days longer in case the roads are still snow-covered. You don’t have to worry a thing over here. The Lady Boss at the Korean Restaurant has been feeding me very well. Your Ma will have no complaints about food when she accompanies me to Yanji the next time.”
==
Once Shan Mei hung up the phone, she complained about her father treating them like children. Actually, Xiang Zhe, when he heard that, knew his father-in-law was making sure ‘things’ were happening in the bedroom.
“Yes,” he thought, “Pa was right. I shouldn’t delay in letting Shan Mei know of my loving feelings for her.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, his dark eyes smoldering with an emotion Shan Mei couldn’t identify when she threw him a sidelong glance to see why he had suddenly become so quiet. He was so quiet because he was at that time only thinking of her lips. She had the most natural reddest lips he had ever seen. Her mouth reminded him of a ripe strawberry, shaped to torment a man.
Xiang Zhe couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore. He caught her to him, and kissed her and kissed her passionately. In between his kisses, he murmured as his lips moved lightly and fleetingly against her ears, at the hollow behind her ears, her cheeks, her mouth, how very much he loved her. Xiang Zhe’s hold on Shan Mei tightened as he drew her closer.
“You were the angel in my dream. I’d seen you terrified when you saw all that blood. You stayed when I’d little doubt that you desperately wanted to leave – but you couldn’t leave a dying man no matter how terrified you were. A woman with that much fortitude isn’t about to let anything deter her. Are you afraid now?” he asked softly.
Shan Mei shook her head. “Nervous, but not frightened.”
She had to think, think of what she must do, what to say. Yet her mind wouldn’t take her along that road. It went back to a mere second ago when for the first time in her life she had really been kissed, held in a man’s arms, and really be told that she was loved. For the first time in her life she knew what it was to want someone’s heart and soul and that someone wanted her too. It had been the most beautiful experience.
He wanted to kiss her again. He thought about making love to her beneath the stars, but even though he wanted everything perfect, it was too cold outdoors. He wanted to give her in one night the courtship he should have given her before he ever married her – he had always wanted to wait for the right moment to taste, tease, and search for that perfect love with her.
After the first crazy moment of passion had passed, he now wanted to enjoy her slowly. He skimmed his tongue over her lips – so soft. He thought her lips tasted of wine that had lingered but they did not drink any wine at dinner and he felt the tiny quivering of her mouth under his, wondering if she could feel the tremors racing through him.
He trailed his mouth along her neck and dipped his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat. She tasted fresh, pure, and unused – unlike any woman he’d ever been near to. “Don’t be nervous,” he gently said.
He despised the doubts that plagued him because he would never know if given the choice, she would have chosen another.
==
Very early the next morning, Xiang Zhe awoke in their warm bed. He looked lovingly at the precious bundle now sleeping so soundly in his arms. He smiled deliciously, his mind still full of last night and her sweetness.
When he had Shan Mei in bed and finally ready for him, he felt so uneasy, so clumsy. All these years, he had stood by her side, guarding her. He was so reluctant to take away her innocence. But when Shan Mei looked at him with her big, beautiful limpid eyes telling him she loved him, he couldn’t hold back. He simply melted. He had to remind himself to be gentle and to take it slowly. He didn’t want to frighten her. He didn’t want to hurt her.
He again dipped his head to take her mouth again. This time, his kisses were deeper and harder than those a minute ago, his tongue working magic around hers, their heat slowly rising. Their movements were now becoming hungrier, more urgent. She held on to his back, her hands pulling him closer – especially that instant when her hands felt the uneven roughness of his scars – as she arched her body instinctively to meet his. The release was long, shuddering, overwhelming. It seemed to last forever. When he finally lay next to her, she tilted her face to his and moaned softly as his lips covered hers again; a deep, warm, gloriously fulfilling kiss that carried the promise of eternity. His arms drew her so tight and close to him, there seemed no chance of escape for her. Shan Mei loved him. After all these years of waiting, finally, she told him she loved him, not once but several times when he was losing himself in loving her!
==
During breakfast, Shan Mei was picking at her food. She was beginning to feel guilty for not coming clean with Pa.
Her husband looked at her, completely mersmerised by her sweet smile and guilty look. Caressing her cheek tenderly, he told her not to worry. He had already confessed to Pa two days after his arrival in Yanji.
Shan Mei covered her mouth with her hand, a frown appearing on her forehead, a worried look in her eyes, a sound of apprehension escaped from her. “You did? Everything?”
“Yes, everything! Darling, don’t worry. Pa understood and accepted me as his real son-in-law. In fact, he was really losing his patience with me, chiding me for being a slow worker. He said if he didn’t come up with a plan fast, he will never get to carry a grandchild in his arms.” And he laughed softly when he remembered Pa advising him how to sweet-talk to his wife.
“You rotter, conspiring with Pa, letting me go through such embarrassment. Okay, from now onwards you fend for yourself. I’m not going to let you cuddle up to me in bed,” she chastised and gave him a pout.
“If you don’t let me cuddle up to you, who will keep you warm in bed?” he retorted with a wicked grin.
==
Another academic year had commenced. Since Xiang Zhe did so well for his diploma course, Shan Mei encouraged him to continue with the Degree course.
One day, while visiting the college campus, Shan Mei decided to go in the Ladies’ Washroom, to wash her hands after a messy lunch with Xiang Zhe in the cafeteria.
“Hey you! What’s your name?” Xu Ying Mei hissed to the girl who was now washing her hands at the wash basin.
“I beg your pardon. Are you talking to me?” Shan Mei asked Xu Ying Mei politely since they were the only two in the room. She didn’t recall knowing or ever having met the other girl.
“Yes! What are you doing with Yin Xiang Zhe classmate? I haven’t seen you before. You’re new here?”
“E.rh..erh….”
“You listen carefully. Yin Xiang Zhe is mine. I saw him first. I tried to date him last year, but he was busy studying to pass his exams. He tried to brush me off by claiming he had no time for dating. He is married and his wife is in America. Now, I see that he’s dating. I won’t let him get away.”
“E.r.h… I’m Zhen Shan Mei. We were talking outside when Xiang Zhe invited me to the movies.”
“Xiang Zhe? Who gave you permission to call him Xiang Zhe? Why would he want to date a plain Jane like you, I don’t understand. His wife must have found herself a rich American husband and has dumped him. Stay away from him!”
“Fine with me. I find him boring anyway. All he ever talks about is his wife. Here’s the movie ticket. Take it, have fun. Good luck.” Shan Mei was smiling secretly to herself, wondering what the outcome of tonight’s little adventure would be.
Shan Mei walked away to where Xiang Zhe was waiting for her, outside the cafeteria. Xu Ying Mei happened to pass by. “Hello Yin Xiang Zhe classmate. I see you’re with a girl. I thought you never date!”
“Oh, hello Xu Ying Mei classmate, please meet my ……..”
Before Xiang Zhe could finish the introduction, Xu Ying Mei cut in. “No need for introductions. We’ve already met.” She then walked away with a seductive swing of her hips, a hoity toity look on her face. Xiang Zhe shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, looking non-plus at his wife.
At the college car park, Shan Mei told Xiang Zhe to drop her at No. 2 Workers Hospital. She had something to discuss with Dr. Bae Qi Tong. When Xiang Zhe walked Shan Mei up to the hospital entrance, Shan Mei gave him his movie ticket, telling him to go ahead to the cinema. As soon as she was through with her meeting, she would get the hospital driver to drop her off at the cinema. “Please don’t forget to get me my favourite pickled plums,” she called after Xiang Zhe as he made his way back to the car. On hearing that, he turned around and gave his wife a loving smile, with a wave in acknowledgement.
The lights in the cinema auditorium had just dimmed. No sign of Shan Mei. “What’s taking her so long? It’s our first movie date since her return from New York and she’s still thinking of work,” Xiang Zhe fumed silently.
Soon, instead of his wife, Xu Ying Mei appeared before Xiang Zhe and sat down in the seat next to him. He gave her a puzzled look. “Oh, that Zhen Shan Mei classmate gave me her ticket since I told her I wanted to date you.”
Xiang Zhe looked at Xu Ying Mei stupefied. “You’re crazy or something?” he hissed, then he hurried out of the cinema hall. He ran his fingers through his hair as he approached his car, trying to figure what game his little wife was up to?
He drove straight to the WD Hospital. In answer to his enquiry, the night duty receptionist told him Dr. Zhen was alone in her office.
Xiang Zhe pushed open the door of her office, without knocking. Shan Mei was just getting up from her chair, when he entered. “Dr. Zhen, trying to foist some crazy woman on me?” he asked, his voice was full of humour but his eyes were glints of steel.
“Yes. Apparently I’m supposed to have found a rich American husband, and have dumped my ignorant husband.” Shan Mei was shaking with laughter as Xiang Zhe gave her a dark look.
As Xiang Zhe plumped down on the chair nearest to him, he placed a plastic bag containing several packets of pickled plums on Shan Mei’s office desk.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the goodies. One bite and she let off a blissful sigh. “Oh, these taste simply heavenly” and greedily counted the number of packets in the bag. “Dearest Chingu, at least you are not stingy,” dangling the dozen and more packets in front of Xiang Zhe. That immediately put him back in good mood, seeing the happy smile on his wife’s face.
Suddenly, something dawned on Xiang Zhe. “Darling, are you pregnant? You seem to have developed a sudden craving for sour vegetables and pickled fruits recently?” Xiang Zhe eyed his wife suspiciously. “If not, we’ll better do something soon. It’s been almost 5 months since your return. If still no news, Pa will surely disown me as his son-in-law, claiming I’m no good in the baby-making department. I’m beginning to wonder at myself too. Do you think I need a check-up?”
He rose from his seat, went round to stand behind his wife, his arms going round her waist and pulling her back to lean against his chest. As he nibbled at her earlobe very tenderly, he wanted to know why she was so ready to give him away.
Shan Mei gave a little laugh, and told him that Xu Ying Mei sounded very serious and looked very determined when she told her to stay away from Yin Xiang Zhe classmate. “You managed to brush her off last year. She told me this time she won’t let you get away. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to tell her to get lost, and that Yin Xiang Zhe is no longer available.”
“She’s after you, not me. Why don’t you tell that to her, yourself?” The situation was so funny.
“I’ve told her, but it seems she’s not taking the hint. It’s all your fault. You always treat me so distantly whenever we’re in public. I’m not demanding for something outrageous. I only want to hold your hand. Is that so impossible? If you were not a well known doctor, we would be holding hands whenever we are out walking. It’s not fair to me, you know?” Xiang Zhe finished off, his mouth pouting in similar fashion as his wife’s. He gave his wife an imploring look.
Shan Mei looked guilty. What her husband just said was true, BUT there were certain precautionary rules to be observed in Yanbian – for their personal safety and security. Their personal relationship must not be revealed except to a selected few.
Even when Pastor Cho was invited by the No. 2 Workers’ Hospital to visit Yanji 3 months ago, Shan Mei couldn’t openly meet him. The best she could do was send Xiang Zhe to meet him at the airport, help him check into a hotel, and hand him a thick packet of local money so he would have an easy time when he met up with a representative from a local underground Christian Church. Xiang Zhe quietly thanked Pastor Cho for taking care of him that time he was with the Church in Busan and confessed that to ensure safety for the Chos, their connection could never be disclosed to anyone. Pastor Cho was also informed that Youzhen would make a monthly offering to NMP Church from an account in Seoul to help him in his missionary work in China.
Back to the situation at hand, Shan Mei asked, “How can we hold hands in public when you’re supposed to be my assistant and body guard?”
The phone rang. Shan Mei picked up the handset. “This is Dr. Zhen Shan Mei….. yes, Dr. Bae? Really? Oh, thank you so much…. Sure, I’ll be at your office tomorrow morning. …Erh …, it’s not necessary. My husband is here in the office. He’s taking me home…. Of course, of course, I’ll let him know. Good night… thank you again.”
“Why is Dr. Bae calling so late? He wants to date you? So you met up with him earlier and brushed me off to that crazy woman? Not a bad exchange for you, eh? You got the angel and I got the devil!”
Shan Mei laughed so hard, it was impossible to keep her eyes open. To calm him, Shan Mei wound her arms around his waist, placing her face on his chest. At slow speed and in her sweetest tone, she filled him in, as she drew heart-shaped circles on his chest with her index finger.
“This Dr. Bae is not THAT Dr. Bae Qi Tong. She is THAT Dr. Bae Qi Tong’s sister. She has been practising 12 years in England, and has recently returned to Yanji to join No. 2 Workers Hospital. After 12 months with No. 2 Workers Hospital, she will join receive a permit from the local Health Ministry to join WD Hospital next year.”
Xiang Zhe murmured an apology and was beginning to look foolish for his jealous outburst. Shan Mei further added, “This Dr. Bae wants me to congratulate you.” At Xiang Zhe’s questioning look, Shan Mei continued, “She just phoned to confirm your wife is 6 weeks pregnant.”
“A baby?” he questioned, dazed.
They were going to have a baby? As the fact slowly seeped in, Xiang Zhe grinned like an idiot. His face broke out into multi-layers of grins and laughs. He lifted his wife up in his arms and was kissing her all over, thanking her. He was going to be a daddy and the person he loved most in the world was going to be a mummy. Wow, from tomorrow, he was going to study extra hard at his degree course. He wanted his son to be proud of his daddy!
“Darling, let’s call Pa straight away with the good news, otherwise he thinks his son-in-law is a good-for-nothing, not capable of performing the one most important duty entrusted to him! This morning at the airport when we saw him off, I got the impression he was really getting fed-up with me. After that, we go home. This is first night we get to be alone in 5 months.”
Chapter 10
Their home was a new single storied bungalow built on hospital grounds, about 200m from the main WD Hospital building. When Xiang Zhe supervised the construction of the buildings, he asked the agent Mr. Jin, to come up with a cost- and energy- efficient construction method that would ensure heat insulation for the houses. The winters were very severe in Yanbian, the nights of the other seasons rather cold as well. It would be difficult to retain good doctors who were not prepared to accept such extreme weather conditions once their contracted terms were up. Mr. Jin’s engineers did a great job. Twelve bungalows were built. There was a very basic club house at one corner of the site. Only two bungalows were occupied at the present time, one by the Yins, the other by Prof. Zhen. Another bungalow, though not actually occupied, was supposed to be Xiang Zhe’s residence, for appearances’ sake. In the evenings, he would park his 4WD in front of this bungalow.
Shan Mei’s Pa had left for Busan for a short break, and to sell off his general practice. Youzhen wanted to move to Seoul for further specialized research before he would join WD Hospital in a year’s time. Pa would return to Yanbian after the New Year with Ma and Jun Mao and his newly married wife, Nancy.
Nancy was a well-qualified nurse having specially trained in Australia. At WD Hospital Yanji, she would be responsible for all aspects of Nursing Training for Yanbian and other hospitals around the country in need of nursing training. It would then not be necessary to send their local nurses out of the country for specialised training, saving a lot in foreign currency for the Chinese government.
==
Xiang Zhe now only spent two days a week at college, he wanted to be available at the hospital in case Shan Mei needed errands done. Other days, he studied on his own. Since Pa returned to Korea, administration of the hospital was left entirely in his hands. Dr. Bae Qi Tong from the No. 2 Workers Hospital had sent over a very experienced assistant to help Xiang Zhe. This Madam Li Qing Xi treated Xiang Zhe as a younger brother, and protected him as such. She didn’t question the instructions that came down from top management. Only Shan Mei could represent WD Hospital in matters of medical services and research, and Prof. Zhen in matters of WD Hospital Administration, even though Xiang Zhe was the one actually doing the work. Li Qing Xi had been in the profession long enough to understand each instruction had its own reason, no matter how impossible or far-fetched it might seem.
==
One day Shan Mei was at Xiang Zhe’s college to have meeting with the Planning coordinator. They wanted Shan Mei to give a talk on “Safety Measures to observe while handling different types of medication” to their students taking the Hospital Management Degree course. Other students studying for their business degree were also invited to attend. Xiang Zhe waited for Shan Mei outside the Planning Coordinator’s office.
The College Dean, passing by saw Xiang Zhe and was about to talk to him, when Shan Mei emerged from the PC’s office. “Dr. Zhen, thank you for helping us out next week. Do you have time for some tea in my office?” Shan Mei politely declined. Both husband and wife then walked along the corridor, Xiang Zhe arm resting casually on Shan Mei’s shoulders.
That Xu Ying Mei was just turning round the corner when she heard the college dean addressing Zhen Shan Mei as Dr. Zhen. She gave a jealous smirk; no wonder that plain Jane so willingly gave up her cinema ticket. She must be eyeing for bigger fish than that Yin Xiang Zhe, but why was Xiang Zhe’s arm on her shoulders; and in public too? She must be dangling with her ‘two birds in the bush’ until she caught her big one in her hand.
Xu Ying Mei strode up to the couple. As she was calling out “Yin Xiang Zhe classmate”, she hooked her arm onto Xiang Zhe’s arm, when she reached his side.
This was so bold and unexpected; Xiang Zhe was too startled to react in time. When he regained his senses, he shrugged off her arm and asked angrily, “Why did you do that for?” Shan Mei felt Xiang Zhe’s discomfort.
Shan Mei wanted to ease the situation somewhat. “Xu Ying Mei classmate, my personal assistant has invited me to lunch, you’re most welcome to join us.” Xu Ying Mei was caught off-guard. Her look of surprise brought a smile to Shan Mei’s face.
“You mean, er.h..er.h, you mean you are his boss?” her finger pointing from Shan Mei to Xiang Zhe.
Xiang Zhe nodded his head, with big grin on his face. He turned round to give Shan Mei an indulgent smile. “Chingu, why do you have to invite someone else? Don’t you know this is an important ‘business’ meeting? I haven’t seen you since morning. I’ve so much to report to you.”
Turning round to face Xu Ying Mei, Xiang Zhe said, “Sorry Xu Ying Mei classmate, another day maybe. Today, I don’t think it’s convenient to share my boss with anybody else.” With that, the Yins made their way to the car park. Xiang Zhe was very happy. All the while, his wife didn’t shrug off his arm.
Xu Ying Mei looked on frustratingly at their receding backs. That Dr. Zhen was a vixen, never once mentioning Yin Xiang Zhe was her personal assistant. She wanted to put her to shame, was that what she was trying to do? Xu Ying Mei convinced herself.
Okay, College Dean did mention something about a lecture from her next week. Yin Xiang Zhe would most probably be attending the lecture. Ying Mei decided to attend the lecture too. “I’ll come dressed in my most figure revealing clothes. That Zhen Shan Mei might have the brains, but I’ll be the one with the womanly figure, and this is what usually attracts the men! Men seldom think with their brains, they are usually led along by something else!”
This Xu Ying Mei would know – that was how she managed to secure herself a place at Yanji University. She came from a village in Shaanxi, and slept her way to a place at Shaanxi Workers’ College. She didn’t make the final grade, and, through one connection leading to another, ended up working as a GRO in one of the poshiest clubs in Beijing. She met a high ranking party cadre who offered her protection. She went with him for a few months. When he grew tired of her and moved on to more gorgeous pastures, he promised to get her a university place and a scholarship in faraway Yanji. He had connections there. In Yanji, she moonlighted as a GRO during peak tourist seasons, in a club her party cadre had connections with. She also dabbled in very lucrative and secretive projects on the side. Other times, she gave the impression that she lived the respectable life of a college student.
==
This morning, Dr. Zhen Shan Mei was preparing herself for the lecture at the college.
Out of her standard white doctor’s ¾ length coat, and dressed in a smart- looking light aqua coloured 2-piece suit, with a pearl brooch pinned at the upper left side of her jacket, she looked the perfect picture of a CEO of a top corporation. She applied her make-up carefully. She didn’t want to appear too pale, or too colorful. Her early stages of pregnancy, though her stomach was not showing, were giving her complexion a radiant bloom, difficult to describe. She looked simply beautiful, period!
Seeing the way his wife looked, Xiang Zhe wanted to dress up in his suit too. Shan Mei reminded him, at the lecture, he was a student, so he should dress as student otherwise his classmates would think he was showing off.
Xiang Zhe didn’t want to do anything that would make his wife unhappy. However, he secretly put on his other watch, the watch that Shan Mei bought back for him from New York. Not the Tag Heuer, but an Omega His and Hers pair. She was wearing her Ladies version. He had on the Men’s version. He felt somehow so connected to her.
When he arrived at the lecture hall, he picked up a flyer giving a brief bio of the day’s lecturer and a gist of the day’s lecture. Xiang Zhe was shocked when he read through Shan Mei’s bio. In the office, of course, he had read up Shan Mei’s academic qualifications, etc., etc.
==
Yeah, Xiang Zhe realized the profile compiled for him by AAI said he met and later became a volunteer helper for Shan Mei while she was on the American Samoan island of Manua one time, but he never realized she was that extensively involved with those islands scattered all across the Polynesian and South Pacific island groups.
This was the first time he read about Shan Mei’s involvement with many poverty programmes around the Pacific Ocean Basin. After her medical studies, she spent six months backpacking and working in many poor Pacific Ocean islands, dispensing medicare on FOC basis. A WDP Project-Director met her while he was on one of the French Polynesian islands with his family for holiday. He was so impressed with her selfless contribution to ‘make this world a better place,’ he urged her to send in a project proposal to WDPO for his attention. He wanted to know her plans on how to alleviate poverty, and the areas most in need of medical assistance. Her one-person crusade missions were well known throughout the Pacific islands, south of Hawaii. During that time, she was sponsored by the top 5 multinational groups of Korea. Since 4 years ago, she had concentrated her efforts on the Chinese county of Yanbian, an ethnic Korean minority group autonomous region of Jilin Province, this project being sponsored by the Worldwide Development Program Organisation.
Xiang Zhe chose a seat in the lecture hall, with several of his classmates following close behind him. He had smiled at Dr. Zhen while he walked past the table where Shan Mei had placed a box and some notes.
She stared after him and thought to herself – a scarred back isn’t important. Eyes! Eyes were important. Xiang Zhe had hypnotic eyes. He also had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Throughout the lecture, his frequent smiles had been distracting. His smiles of pure joy had been devastating. Shan Mei glanced away and reminded herself to pay more attention to her lecture and make certain she gave him no further reason to smile.
This was the first time the students were meeting Dr. Zhen in person. All of them were captivated by her youthful beauty and charming manner. They at once felt very comfortable in her presence. She dispensed with the usual slide shows. She brought along actual specimen samples and interacted very well with the students.
Half an hour into the talk, a college supervisor came in and asked for Xu Ying Mei. The supervisor had received complaints that she was so inappropriately dressed for class, she was not allowed to attend the lecture.
Shan Mei asked the supervisor whether she could lend a spare jacket that Ying Mei could wear over her almost-see-through dress. The supervisor came back with Mrs. Janitor’s standard blue worker’s jacket. Ying Mei hated it. She was not going to wear it. She would rather skip the class. After she was ejected by the college supervisor, many classmates voiced their displeasure with her for disrupting the class. Whispers went round the room that she worked as a GRO, how would she know how to dress properly?
At the end of the lecture, many classmates wanted to visit WD Hospital. It was not possible, at this time, Dr. Zhen regretted, but if the classmates wanted to visit No. 2 Workers’ Hospital, she would try to arrange with their Administrator. Many students also wanted to know how they could help to alleviate poverty in poor villages in their province.
Dr. Zhen was very pleased with this response from the students. She would try to organize a students’ club where they could gather and meet on a regular basis to discuss the various volunteer services badly needed around the countryside.
==
This was one of the evenings when Xiang Zhe was alone with his wife.
Xiang Zhe was lying next to Shan Mei going through his books. Shan Mei had often wondered if Xiang Zhe was born within the right environment, with plenty of opportunities, how would he have turned out, with his keen intelligence, diligence and strong sense of humour? Shan Mei suddenly felt so much love for her husband, she gave him a hug and a sweet kiss.
Xiang Zhe was always overwhelmed by Shan Mei’s sudden displays of affection and always capitalised on these moments. He didn’t let her go, but kissed her deeper and longer, his hands tenderly caressing her round tummy that was growing bigger with each passing day. She looked so beautiful and he loved her so much. His books were forgotten, as he went down and began running his lips over her tummy, whispering to their baby that daddy couldn’t wait for him to appear to wail out a baby’s customary greeting. Shan Mei had told him if he listened carefully, the wail would sound like Pa..a..a..W o w.. P.a.a.a..
Baby arrived one early Sunday morning in mid July. He wailed so loud, the proud father immediately went up to baby to let him know his daddy had heard him, then turned to his wife who was tired out with the pushing and the huffing. “Thank you, my dearest wife for this precious bundle.” Holding baby in his arms, he became so overwhelmed with tears and an inexplicable joy. He now understood why Pa was always babbling on about a baby in the arms…
==
As a gesture of love for his wife, and his gratitude to his father-in-law, Xiang Zhe decided to name the baby Zhen Wylie (dear readers: I’m playing on the Cantonese pun: Yan Wai Li = ‘Because of you’). Ever since baby’s birth, he was put under the care of Mrs. Zhen Senior, while Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe continued with travelling around the region.
They went one time to inspect the medical facilities in Dunhua, the township that had a lot of buried chemical weapons and land-mines spread over a large area. Xiang Zhe’s college mate, Zhao Di, was based in one of the hospitals in Dunhua. She had written to Xiang Zhe asking for assistance.
On the advice of her husband, Shan Mei decided to ask the local medical ministry to release Chen Sui, another of Xiang Zhe’s college mates, from his duties in Longqing Hospital, and go over to assist Zhao Di in Dunhua. WDP would set up an emergency centre there for victims. Just a week ago, it was reported a young boy, playing around some area, was maimed seriously, when he stepped on some buried mines.
When they completed the Dunhua project, Xiang Zhe accompanied Shan Mei to Tumen, the town that was rife with illegal activities since it shared 3 common boundaries: North Korea, Russia and China. The hospitals in Tumen had united together asking Shan Mei for assistance in setting up a medical training centre. Shan Mei stayed there 2 days, and promised to return to them with a workable plan.
==
It was a month since Shan Mei’s visit to Tumen. And she was in her office, talking to her husband over the phone in hushed tones.
Shan Mei had buzzed Xiang Zhe on his extension and told him what Bruce Tennant had told her. BT was a staff member from AAI’s worldwide security surveillance network that carried out security checks on WDO’s projects.
“Xiang Zhe, it seems someone is very interested in the WD hospital senior staff in Yanji and has sent a spy to keep watch over the bungalows. BT told me to do what we normally do, but to keep baby from view. On the surface, we will continue to maintain separate households and we have to be very careful with our movements.”
Shan Mei paused a while, wondering in her mind whether the ‘people’ were after the Americans, or after Xiang Zhe. She tried to sound calm, when she continued, “This man has been spying on us for 2 days already. BT will be able to give us more information tomorrow.”
=
Shan Mei was sitting down across Prof. Zhen when she repeated what she had been told by BT. Then, without even being aware of her action, she planted her hands on the desk and slowly came to her feet. She began pacing around the Professor’s office aimlessly and staggered to a halt and slowly turned as her father’s voice reverberated around the room.
He smiled at her. “This is not something to be sniffed at. You will do anything to protect the man you love, right?”
Still maintaining her silence, she simply nodded her head.
“In that case, I’ll insist that your Ma take all the necessary precautions too. That secret ‘someone’ may be watching us too.”
Zhen Senior didn’t voice it but in his mind, he had worried that something like this was bound to happen one day. He couldn’t blame Xiang Zhe exactly, for they didn’t know precisely why they were being spied on. It could be anything.
Chapter 11
The next morning, Xiang Zhe received an unexpected call from Xu Ying Mei. A Mr. Jin En Qi wanted Xu Ying Mei to pass a message on to him. “Yin Xiang Zhe classmate, this Mr. Jin wants to see you. He wants to propose to you some big money-making plans.”
When Xiang Zhe completed his college studies and began work at WD Hospital full-time, Xu Ying Mei had tried calling him several times. She stopped calling when she realized he was not interested in pursuing a relationship outside of his marriage. She had derided him for being a fool.
The call today made Xiang Zhe realized that something was afoot otherwise this Xu Ying Mei would not have given him a simple social call from out of the blue, so he promised to meet her the next day at the Yanji Hotel’s well-patronised Coffee Shop.
When Xiang Zhe arrived at the hotel, he went straight to the coffee shop. When he saw Xu Ying Mei already there, he pulled out a chair from across her at her table and ordered a coffee after he sat down. As expected, this Xu Ying Mei, although seated across from Xiang Zhe, behaved in her customary overly familiar manner.
Xiang Zhe suspected something was very wrong when she suddenly became hell bent on seducing him and kept going on about how this big shot Mr. Jin was anxious to meet him to talk about big plans he had in his mind after she told him all about how smart her handsome college mate was.
“Why’s that? I don’t even know him. How can I trust him or know he’s rich?”
“Yin Xiang Zhe, how can you say that without knowing the background of this Mr. Jin? He’s in control of half of the world’s fishing trade, in control of the smuggling of flesh trade into Japan, Korea, China and rest of Asia, and other various lucrative smuggling activities.”
“If he’s this active with such huge illegal activities spanning so many countries, surely Interpol would have been hounding him by now?”
“The police can’t touch him. He holds 5 different names and passports from Russia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. If he has something to discuss with you personally, it can only mean big, big money. I’ve been responsible for getting his Russian girls across the border into China. He pays very well.”
“He does sound interesting.” Xiang Zhe stalled for time by taking a few sips of his coffee, waiting to hear more.
“I don’t know what he means, but he asked me to tell you he has information on Mr. Han of Busan. If you don’t go, he can get you into real big trouble.”
“I can’t promise anything. I have to drive Dr. Zhen to Dunhua again. Those hospitals are making noise about wanting WDPO to give them special assistance. Everybody wants special assistance. I don’t know how they ever managed before WDPO arrived?”
“Isn’t that Dunhua place dangerous to visit? Can’t you get someone else to go in your place? After you see Mr. Jin, you can forget driving Dr. Zhen around. These people will never tire of asking for more. Give them a hospital, they’ll want 3; give them 3 they’ll want 9.
“Driving Dr. Zhen around is what I’ve been paid to do.”
“A pittance, I am sure, compared to what Jin En Qi pays the mama-san who procures him a virgin every time he visits Yanji.”
“Sorry, I can’t talk any more. Dr. Zhen is paging for me.” He quickly finished the remaining coffee in his cup, then rose and apologized for having to make a quick exit.
“When you start work for Jin En Qi, I’ll be the one paging for you for you-know-what.” Before Xu Ying Mei waved him off, she gave a wicked laugh with sensual overtones.
==
Today, Xiang Zhe dressed as non-descript as possible. He was to meet up with this Mr. Jin En Qi at their college cafeteria, this venue proposed by Mr. Jin himself.
Xiang Zhe walked through the door of the college cafeteria. He hadn’t dropped by this place since he graduated. This Jin En Qi was quite cunning. He suggested this place knowing Xiang Zhe would probably refuse to meet him anywhere else.
This Jin En Qi was dressed exactly the way Xu Ying Mei had described. Whenever he visited Yanji town, he would have on his gold leather shoes, his gold silk tie and a big chunky gold diamond-encrusted Rolex watch on his right wrist.
When he sailed into port with his fishing trawlers, he wore yellow coloured rubber fishermen’s boots, yellow shirt under his denim overalls. Again, with his big flashy Rolex watch on his right wrist.
Mr. Jin rose from his seat when he saw Xiang Zhe approached him. “Hello Mr. Han.” He stretched out his hand, “I’m Jin En Qi.”
Mr. Jin looked a trifle intimidating. Xiang Zhe found him irritating.
Xiang Zhe gave him a polite nod. “My name is Yin Xiang Zhe. I don’t know why you keep thinking I’m Mr. Han. Is he someone you’re missing very much?”
“My apologies. He’s someone I knew from Busan in South Korea.” When he heard that, Xiang Zhe knew the man was lying because he didn’t recall ever meeting him. “I thought you looked very much like him the first time I happened to lay eyes on you. I suppose Xu Ying Mei has told you something about my background. I saw you and Dr. Zhen in Tumen a month ago. You need to know that Tumen is my territory. Nothing goes on there without my approval. I know you guys want to set up a medical training centre there. Whatever Dr. Zhen wants to do, it’s okay with me.” Laughing roguishly and glancing at Xiang Zhe from under his brows, he asked in a sort of blasé manner while he inspected the finger nails of his right hand to make sure Xiang Zhe noticed his Rolex, “This doctor and you, some secret affair going on?”
“Don’t make outrageous assumptions. I’m her personal assistant and driver, which means I’m her bodyguard in a way. The WDPO wouldn’t be so foolish letting someone as beautiful and capable as her walk around all over China without a bodyguard. I’m a married man. My wife lives with her family in America currently.”
“Okay, Mr. Yin, we’ll forget you were that Han from Busan. I don’t know how you got here, but it’s working out fine for me. This lady doctor from WDPO, I like her too. In fact, I’m beginning to love her. She’s spunky and all class, just the very type of lady I want for a wife. If she likes, I can make everything go smooth for her in Tumen. I can even build a few hospitals for her, all with my own money. You stay as before, as her driver, personal assistant and bodyguard. And you take care of my business in this area. My business is expanding rapidly, I need someone I can trust. I’ve observed the two of you for sometime. You go about your work very seriously. I like that. And I’ll give you better housing than that dump you are presently living in.”
Xiang Zhe raised his brows. “It’s always nice to know one gets to be appreciated in some quarters.” Then he snorted a short, derisive laugh.
“I need a loyal right hand man in Yanbian, to handle all my fishing shipments coming in. Here’s the deal – you’ll take 5% of everything. You handle the real goods coming in, packed in the fishes bellies. Send the fish onwards to the wholesale market after retrieving the goods. The current guys have been double-crossing me, stealing diamonds, drugs and ammunitions, posing as customs officials to take everything for themselves, taking me for a fool – as if I don’t know what they are up to. That’s why I need a credible hospital under my control to bump these jerks or whoever double-crosses me off, leaving no circumstantial evidence.
I’ve heard of your reliability from the guys in Busan when I made enquiries 3 week ago. You stay with me; you will have power and make big money. You can get your wife back here and give her a life of unsurpassable luxury. You were supposed to have died. How you ended up here is a poser, which I don’t care to unravel. I simply want you to be my man. What do you say, Han …erh … I am sorry, I mean Yin?”
“I don’t know where you get the idea I’m from Busan. I’ve lived all my life on one of those tiny Polynesian islands. One time when Dr. Zhen was visiting the islands to dispense free medical care and medicines, my wife and I became her guide and guard and accompanied her throughout her 6 months stay. She offered us the job in Yanbian. My wife couldn’t take the severe cold in Yanbian, so Dr. Zhen sent her to warmer weather in America, after getting her a good job there. I’m telling you all this so if I agree to be your partner, you don’t keep thinking I’m this Mr. Han whoever he is. Mr. Jin, I will only seriously consider the partnership if you promise to stop this Xu Ying Mei harassing me. I really can’t stomach her cloying ways, and if my wife returns from America, I want you to guarantee her safety.”
Jin En Qi was laughing confidently. He knew no one could resist money. Before he came for this meeting, he was 99% sure this Yin Xiang Zhe, if this was the name the man wanted to be known as even though deep in his heart he was convinced the man was Han Dong-su from Busan, he wasn’t so sure now. This Yin didn’t have a heavy Busan accent like he had expected – in fact his Korean didn’t sound as if it came from any Korean provinces; he was well educated and soft-spoken and his manners were rather classy – nothing like how those barely educated rough-necks around the Busan fishing wharf behaved; and he looked very presentable. None of those guys he had met down in Busan when his trawlers sailed into harbour, ever looked anything like this man, not even remotely close. In fact, during their conversation this Yin would occasionally throw in a few English words and he was very fluent in Chinese. Yeah, maybe what he said was true – he was from one of those tiny islands dotted around the Pacific Ocean, so tiny it could disappear under the sea any day. Jin had never been there so how was he to know how those Koreans or mixed Koreans talk? More important for Jin was this Yin was going to accept his proposition. Jin En Qi was not worried even if he was not Han Dong-su, this Yin guy sounded very reliable. A man who frequently had his wife in his heart was a good man, he told himself.
Jin En Qi told Yin Xiang Zhe he was returning to Russia the next day. He would be back in Yanbian in a fortnight’s time, and hoped Xiang Zhe could arrange to be in Tumen at that time, so he could show him how well organised his crime activities were carried out.
“By the way, for your information, I have covers for the different trades. One for the flesh market, one for drugs, one for diamonds, one for money laundering and one for my legal businesses. Your share will be 5% of whatever passes through your territory. When I’m in Tumen in 2 weeks’ time, I expect to see you there with Dr. Zhen. Here’s my number. Call me, so I can show Dr. Zhen a really good time.”
“Dr. Zhen is a very dedicated doctor. She’s only interested in bringing good medical service to the underprivileged and poor in China by helping to eradicate as many types of diseases as possible. You can ask me to do anything for you, but leave her out of your plans. She detests people like you, out to make a fast buck at the expense of the poor. Drug smugglers are on the top of her list of people she would like to get rid of.”
“Okay, no need to get all worked up. That’s what I like about you, so very loyal.” When Xiang Zhe glared at him in silent anger, Jin En Qi smiled wryly, “I know, I know. I just want to get to know her. I’ll behave myself.”
When he got Xiang Zhe relaxed again in his seat, he continued, “Every lst day of the lunar month, we have girls crossing the border. That Xu Ying Mei used to go meet the girls and get them into town. Lately she has been giving me all sorts of excuses about tight border controls. I know she is getting a better deal bringing the Sichuan hill tribe girls up to Yanbian and elsewhere. We’re running a very lucrative trade there. Once my girls cross over, we’ll send them onward to Korea, Japan and elsewhere. I’ll get that Xu Ying Mei to give you a dry run of where we meet the girls and how we resettle them in our hideaway before we arrange for their travel papers. These girls are gorgeous. You remember to keep your hands away from them.”
Xiang Zhe gave a non-committal laugh and a wry smirk.
Jin En Qi ignored Xiang Zhe’s laugh and continued, “You watch out for that Xu Ying Mei. She tells me she wants you. I don’t want trouble there. She can be really persistent. Lately, she has been acting very arrogant too. Just tell her off if you don’t fancy her otherwise you’ll never see the end of day.”
Xiang Zhe didn’t fancy talking more, so he made an excuse about having an errand to do. “Do you mind? I’ve to run now. I need to drop Dr. Zhen off at the Health Ministry office in 30 minutes time.”
“Okay, you go, don’t keep her waiting. Think over what I’ve just told you. To give you some idea of the scope of my business, you can be raking in about 2-5 million US$ or more a month. Once in a while, I could be having goods valued at US$500 million passing through here. 5% of that amount could be quite something. So, Yin, remember to call me. I’ll be expecting your call.”
When Xiang Zhe was back at the WD Hospital, Bruce Tennant from AAI was already in the Surveillance Room, going through the conversation that Xiang Zhe just had with Jin En Qi. From the smooth, even waves that were read by the lie detector connected to the listening-in device that Jin dude seemed to be on the level. He must have done a thorough check on Xiang Zhe’s past in Busan to be so sure of him that on the very first meeting, he divulged his plans.
They were surprised at his open declaration of his interest in Shan Mei. He must also have found out the close relationship between Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei. To bait Xiang Zhe, he must use Shan Mei. Or, maybe he was really interested in Shan Mei.
Xiang Zhe would need to find out the different names used by this Jin. AAI was positively sure the 4 different persons Interpol was tracking were the same Jin En Qi.
==
On the first day of the following lunar month, Ying Mei met up with Xiang Zhe on a boat moored along side the pier of Yanji port. The boat set sail down stream towards Tumen, and continued further until they reached the small town of Hunchun, very close to Russia, along the Tumen River.
They waited till nightfall, when 20 Russian girls were smuggled on board. The boat did not immediately make the trip back to Yanji but waited till early morning. Just before they sailed into Yanji port, the girls were transferred to a tarpaulin-covered truck that made its way to a large apple pear farm on the outskirts of Yanji. The five sheds that were housing for the girls looked like sorting sheds for the pears, except their interiors were very well furnished. As soon as the girls arrived, they were photographed and the photographs were sent via fax to the interested parties on their data bank.
Ying Mei explained to Xiang Zhe each girl would cost their sponsor US$ 1 million. Ying Mei would get US$5,000 per head for her efforts. Two, three years back, the trade was very lucrative for her. Each time, the girls would come in packs of 50 or 60. At the moment, it was more profitable for her to handle the girls from the hill tribes. She was paid RMB50,000 a head, and the risks involved were less.
“Who gets paid and where? How do you get paid?” Xiang Zhe was busy with questions.
“All money transactions are handled in Hong Kong and Macau. I too hold several accounts with different banks in Hong Kong. I suggest you do the same. I can arrange the accounts for you.”
“Doesn’t Mr. Jin have bank accounts anywhere?”
“Apart from Hong Kong, Mr. Jin has accounts in Harbin.”
“Ying Mei, you have done a very good job. Keep it up. Next time, there’s no need for you to travel with the boat down to Hunchun. I’ll send my wife to meet the girls and get them onto the boat, you then only meet them at the Yanji end.”
“Isn’t your wife in America? Why do you want to bring her back? Let her stay there. I can handle everything for you. Xiang Zhe, let me warn you, I get jealous easily. Is your wife so beautiful that you can never stop thinking of her?”
“Why you worry? You’re more beautiful than any woman I’ve seen. It’s just that she is a very good worker and very loyal. I need her to handle many things at Tumen side; you take care of things in the Yanji side. While she will be based in Tumen, I will keep you happy in Yanji. By the way, what names does this Jin use? I want to know to make sure I don’t end up being cheated.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. If he’s not on the level with you, I’ll blow his cover. I know too many things about him. The gang that he used to work with won’t let him off so easily too. I’ve heard they are going to get him one of these days. His accounts in Hong Kong are under Kam Yuan Kay. For dealings with Japan, he uses his Japanese name Endoshi Kimura. For South Korea, he uses Kim Eun Hee. In Vladivostok, he is known as Yenogi Khanbulai.”
Giving Xiang Zhe an alluring look, Ying Mei asked seductively, “Do you want to come up to my apartment for a meal?”
Xiang Zhe caressed her cheek gently. “I don’t like to see you slaving over a hot stove, and soil your delicate little fingers. Let’s have dinner over at Yanji Hotel. Next month while Dr. Zhen is in Seoul to attend a Medical Conference, I will take 3 days off to spend with you, okay?” With that they left the apple pear farm for the drive into the city, Ying Mei clinging onto Xiang Zhe’s arms tightly. [“Oh Gad”, Xiang Zhe was thinking to himself, “the things I’ve to endure to help fight the evils of this world.”]
Chapter 12
Xiang Zhe gently brushed his wife’s hand aside as she tried to make him see reason.
“The business with Jin En Qi was my affair. You can’t go, and that’s final,” he stubbornly reiterated.
Shan Mei then wrapped her arms around Xiang Zhe’s waist and quietly reminded him, “It also involved me. You’re going to meet him, in the first place because of me and the medical training centre.”
“But, darling, I’m concerned about this meeting. I don’t know what to expect and how upfront he has been. We can’t take the risk. Be a good girl and listen to me.”
Aiming a dark look at her husband, Shan Mei flounced off to the kitchen, mumbling something about fruit platter and apple pears, trying to hide from him the fear in her eyes.
About 6 days later, Yin Xiang Zhe turned up at Tumen and called Jin En Qi on the number he was given.
“Ah, it’s you Yin. I heard from Xu Ying Mei that everything at the pick up point went smoothly and you were a great help to her. You see, that woman needs supervision. Is Dr. Zhen with you?”
“I’m afraid not. I told her someone was interested in donating a hospital building in Tumen to be part of the WD umbrella group. She said WDP would only be responsible for its own hospitals, but she was very interested to hear that a philanthropist was willing to donate a hospital building. She did promise that as soon as your hospital building was ready, she would be more than happy to train the nurses. This was the best commitment I could get from her. She couldn’t come today because she is preparing her materials for a medical conference she will be attending in Seoul. So, tell me, Mr. Jin, are we going to meet today?”
“Of course. Get yourself to Liberation Lane at the Paramount Amusement Park. Someone over there has been told to be on the lookout for you. He will direct you to my office. Don’t tarry. We have lots to do today.”
Xiang Zhe scratched his head and wondered where the Paramount Amusement Park was. He walked to his 4WD and asked a shop keeper nearby. “Excuse me Sir, do you happen to know where Liberation Lane at Paramount Amusement Park is?”
“You must be a visitor around here. It’s way off at the end of the grounds by the fringe of the woods yonder, Mister. Once you get somewhere near there, the passersby along the way will be happy to volunteer more information.”
When Xiang Zhe finally found his way to the abandoned amusement park, he felt very uncomfortable. The place was very dark and narrow, surrounded by trees and bushes. He walked further along. Eventually, Xiang Zhe reached the narrow, tree-bordered lane. A sudden movement on the path ahead startled him. A small young urchin dashed out of the woods and came to a halt in front of him.
“You the man come to see Big Boss Jin?” the lad croaked hoarsely.
“Yes,” Xiang Zhe answered cautiously and slowly, trying to remember the landmarks of this location.
“You have to walk straight ahead into those woods. Beyond there’s a shack, red in colour. The Boss is waiting for you in there.”
Xiang Zhe lifted an eyebrow as if questioning.
“Follow the foot path.” Then the urchin whirled and dashed off. In a few seconds he had vanished back into the woods.
It took courage to step off the lane and into the shadowy woods. The surrounding stillness thickened immediately as drooping branches closed in around him. Xiang Zhe followed a narrow footpath and soon approached a clearing. A very small red brick building stood in the middle of the clearing. Two tough looking men stood guard at the entrance.
The interior of this small building looked dinghy. If this was the flamboyant Mr. Jin’s hideaway office, Xiang Zhe was surprised at the shabbiness, having expected thick carpets and plush furniture. He was told to sit on a plastic vinyl covered chair, the packing of which had been done some long, long time ago, for the springs were now forcing their way through it. Mr. Jin sat behind a desk in a black chair, his blue serge suit competing somewhat with the sheen on the imitation leather chair. Xiang Zhe was surprised; apart from him and Mr. Jin there was no one else in the room.
“I see, you’re not stupid, able to find this place.” Jin beckoned Xiang Zhe to move closer. He took out from a drawer of his desk a small, rather damp velvet bag. He loosened the drawstrings and emptied the contents onto the desk – a stash of about 100 brilliantly-cut diamonds without imperfections in the highest grade of flawless colour, the weight of each stone about 4 carats, flashed about.
“See these, Yin? Just a sample shipment from one of my fishes that came in yesterday. After I retrieved this bag, I sent the sturgeon over to a friend’s restaurant. We will have part of it for dinner tonight – BBQ style, very tasty. Now, I’ll take you to inspect my fishing boat at the harbour, so next time you’ll know where to look.”
Without waiting for an answer from Xiang Zhe, Mr. Jin carefully collected the diamonds and gathered them back into the bag. He picked out two and tossed them to Xiang Zhe, as an afterthought. “Yin, give these to Dr. Zhen, as a present from me.”
Xiang Zhe dropped the diamonds back on the table. “Mr. Jin, I’m afraid I can’t accept something so valuable on behalf of Dr. Zhen. Why don’t you hand these to her personally the next time she’s in Tumen?”
Jin chuckled devilishly. “You think I’ll have the gall to hand her such small stones when I see her personally? I’ll be too ashamed. When I see her personally, the stones will have to be at least 2 or 3 times the size of these. Giving these to her through you would be okay. Come on, take these and give them to her. Otherwise, how is she going to believe I have the money to build a hospital?”
Taking out another stone from the bag, he simply dropped the 3 diamonds into Xiang Zhe’s breast pocket of his jacket. When Xiang Zhe looked at him, Jin simply smiled and said, “Enough for a ring and a pair of earrings.”
When they made their way along Liberation Lane, the two burly bodyguards followed close behind. At a hidden garage, a huge car, black in colour, moved out and stopped in front of Mr. Jin. The bodyguards ran to open the doors – one side for Mr. Jin and the other side for Mr. Yin. One of the body guards got into the front passenger seat, while the other, after dismissing the chauffeur, got behind the driving wheel.
Not even 15 minutes in the car, when Mr. Jin turned to Xiang Zhe and said with a lusty look in his eyes, “If Dr. Zhen doesn’t like the diamonds, save them for your wife.” To which, Xiang Zhe very quietly gave a ‘Thank you.’
Mr. Jin gently patted Xiang Zhe on his thigh and said approvingly, “That’s my man.”
==
Xiang Zhe was impressed as the man, who had claimed that Tumen was his territory, took him from one place to the next. Everywhere they went, they were treated like royalty.
And Jin was relishing showing off his new lieutenant. His business empire was vast and every one of his business was a money-making vehicle. Glitzy clubs with Russian girls; drugs and all kinds of drinks easily available; all kinds of money accepted as long as it was currency. The VIP clients who frequented his joints came in all kinds of colours and from all corners of the world and multi-million dollar deals were made on a mere handshake.
One time, Xiang Zhe remembered Pa telling him that caviar was considered a delicacy and very expensive. Here, at the restaurant that Mr. Jin took him to for BBQ sturgeon, caviar was being offered by the bucket-loads and the way the patrons were spooning the caviar into their mouths, one would think these little round dirty looking roe were going for free.
When a plateful of BBQ fish steaks was placed in front of Mr. Jin, Xiang Zhe asked whether that bag of diamonds came in that fish.
Jin laughed and said not one but 4 bags, the total worth of which was US$12 million. “The end-market value for all those diamonds brought in yesterday would be US$120 million. Don’t talk of business now, let’s eat.” He pushed the plate of fish steaks and an array of sauces toward Xiang Zhe.
As soon as Xiang Zhe heard that, his appetite immediately went off. But when he saw the other patrons enjoying their wine and fish steaks with such gusto, he was willing to give it a try. Although Xiang Zhe had at first felt queasy thinking of the bags of diamonds being stored in the sturgeon’s stomach, he soon enjoyed the BBQ fish after a few sample bites. But he refused to take even a tiny spoonful of the caviar. He had wondered whether the roe had been washed properly. His smooth, well-honed table manners and observance of hygiene and cleanliness further proved to Jin Enqi that Yin Xiang Zhe couldn’t be Han Dong-su of Busan. This wasn’t the first case of 2 or more people looking almost alike, he told himself.
Xiang Zhe also discovered that Jin loved flashing his US Dollars liberally about when several Russian girls came to sit by his side. When he asked Xiang Zhe to take a girl off for the night, Xiang Zhe politely refused. Jin laughingly told the girl not to feel insulted; his new lieutenant was a married man, very faithful to his wife; and just for that, he slipped a wad of notes down the girl’s low cleavage.
Later on, when they dropped in at a gambling joint and went straight into a dinghy room at the back, several Chinese men were already there waiting for Jin En Qi. Jin went up to the huge leather chair behind the desk and sat down. He opened a ledger, which seemed to record the day’s or the month’s takings. He looked over the figures, slammed the ledger shut and looked at the men behind hooded eyes, his mouth in a grim line.
“Well, guys, from the accounting, it seems the Customs people are not easing up on their raids. I wonder how they could suddenly be so efficient that they know precisely when and where to intercept our cargo?”
“Well Big Brother Jin, the old gang has been transferred to another province. The new batch has not only refused to accept our bribes but was adamant they wouldn’t negotiate any deals with us. They want to shut us down, they claimed. This is what we want to discuss with you tonight. How do you suggest we tackle this problem?”
“Well…… I am paying you good money for your connections and work. Shouldn’t you be the ones to give me recommendations? In case the task is too difficult for you, just say the word, I’ll put my new lieutenant immediately on to them. Right now, I only want him to be aware what’s going on in Tumen when I’m not around. I don’t intend to have him tackle such problems hands-on, unless you guys can’t handle them. You realize that the less you do, the less you’ll earn. I can’t continue to give you 5% if my own lieutenant has to take care of everything for you.”
The Chinese gangsters who had ignored Xiang Zhe when he walked in with Jin, suddenly scrutinized him carefully, then they gave a snort. “This man is a Korean. How is he able to handle the Chinese customs people?”
With anger in his voice, Jin told the Chinese guys his lieutenant was not Korean. He turned to Xiang Zhe and asked him to tell these guys off, in Chinese. He was finding their immature ways of thinking tedious. “Tell them where you came from.”
Trapped in such a situation, Xiang Zhe couldn’t refuse. He simply gave some advice to the Chinese guys, hoping there would be a change in their attitude. If they had received money from Mr. Jin, then of course their loyalty should be with the one who was considered their pay-master. Mr. Jin expected results. “And for your information, I am part Chinese, part Korean and part Spanish and I come from one of the American Samoan islands in the South Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants well known for their toughness, men and women alike. For anyone stepping out of line, there’s only one end.” His face took on a stern look, his eyes staring hard and unblinking at the Chinese gangsters, he then made a guttural ‘guuk’, at the same time his hand making a slitting gesture in front of his neck.
Mr. Jin was impressed, so were those Chinese guys. They began to look at Mr. Jin with anxious frowns, worrying of course that their pay packets would be greatly reduced if this new guy hung around, creating problems.
After dinner, when Jin suggested taking one of the boats out for a cruise around the harbour, Xiang Zhe deferred. He claimed he was tired, since he had started out very early from Yanji and he still had not gone to visit the Tumen hospital to talk about the medical training centre. If Dr. Zhen knew he had been running around Tumen taking care of his own errands, she might give him the sack. He wanted to go back to Liberation Lane to pick up his 4WD so he could check in to his hotel.
As soon as Jin heard Dr. Zhen’s name mentioned, he immediately agreed that Yin should take care of the hospital business first. He accompanied Yin back to collect his 4WD and before he dropped Xiang Zhe at his hotel, they made arrangement to meet again in Tumen in a fortnight’s time.
==
Xiang Zhe came out of the large, brightly lit-up modern house that belonged to the Mayor of Yanji as Shan Mei started up the walk. They were there to attend a farewell dinner that the Mayor had very kindly hosted in honour of Professor Zhen’s imminent departure from Yanji on the completion of his contract.
An eyebrow shot up at the sight of her walking with one shoe off and one shoe on. “Where have you been, Shan Mei?” he asked, his voice harsh with concern. “We expected you almost an hour ago.”
“What does it look like?” Shan Mei wagged her muddy shoe at him. “I had to hunt for my glass slipper.” Before she continued to walk past him, she paused at the front steps and explained to him. As she recounted the details of her funny escapade, his smile kept getting wider and wider. “So there I was prancing around like some comic ballerina, trying to get my shoe out of the deep muddy puddle.”
His low chuckle evolved into deep hearty laughter at the picture of absurdity she painted. Shan Mei laughed with him, taking secret delight in the rich full sound of his laughter. It finally subsided into a broad smile. “And I thought you had been called away to attend an emergency. That’s punishment for refusing to let me drive you here, telling me I should be driving the Professor since he is tonight’s guest of honour.”
Shan Mei ignored his chastisement and exclaimed something instead. “Do you know that’s the first time I’ve seen you laugh? I mean really laugh – not one of your smug chuckles,” she told him. “Anyway, I thought I would have no trouble getting here, seeing the Mayor’s Mansion is just a few blocks from the hospital. I needed the walk and solitude to think over what’s going to happen to us; thinking – that’s how I stepped on the puddle.”
His expression sobered slightly, although he continued to smile with faint bemusement while he smoothed a strand of hair away from her temple with his forefinger. It was a very light caress. “Maybe before I met you, there was nothing worth laughing or funny to laugh about,” Xiang Zhe suggested, as he met Shan Mei’s gaze.
Her heart seemed to do a skipping turn and whirled away while her throat went tight.
“The buffet dinner has already started. Leave all the thinking to BT and AAI; everything is going to turn out fine.” He turned around, bent down a bit and told her to get onto his back. He would carry her around to the back entrance to have her hands, her feet and her shoe washed. “After that, we’d better go inside before the Mayor makes the farewell toast to your father.”
==
The next day Professor’s Zhen’s household was a chaotic hive of activities as personal effects were being packed away. Preparations were made for Professor Zhen, his wife and baby son to leave Yanji as soon as possible, yet their departure must not appear hurried. It had to appear like the end of contract term for him. Youzhen and his wife had arrived Yanji 2 days ago to take over Shan Mei’s duties. An Jun Mao and his wife were to remain in Yanji to assist Youzhen. Four other specialist doctors from the U.S. had arrived to help out at the hospital 4 weeks ago, one of whom had already began to take over Professor Zhen’s administrative work.
Many of Shan Mei’s personal effects were packed with Professor Zhen’s baggage. Xiang Zhe didn’t have much to pack. The most valuable personal item in his possession was his wife, and he made sure she was never far from his sight. And the diamonds from Jin En Qi – Shan Mei didn’t want them, so BT from AAI advised Xiang Zhe to hold on to them. AAI would not take them because from the secret recording, Jin En Qi stated very clearly the diamonds were a present to Shan Mei or Xiang Zhe’s wife.
Xiang Zhe believed that Jin wouldn’t harm Shan Mei for now. But he wouldn’t dare imagine what would happen after he was caught by Interpol. And the extent to avenge by Jin’s henchmen for their leader’s capture if they knew he had been set up was still a question mark.
Xiang Zhe didn’t want to arouse suspicion. He didn’t touch their money in their RMB Chinese bank account. The only money they moved was their US$ in Seoul. This money they remitted to an AAI numbered account being held on their behalf. Zhen Senior added some more dollars, in case Shan Mei might need extra funds for emergency use.
Pa and Ma couldn’t bear the situation; that they could not maintain contact, for the sake of the entire family’s safety. “Don’t worry baby. We’ll take good care of Wylie and bring him up properly. Having him with us will mean we have you with us. Xiang Zhe, my good son-in-law, you must promise to take good care of Shan Mei. Right now, everything is too confusing to comprehend and work out a solution. We’ll think of a way to communicate later, that won’t put anyone’s safety in jeopardy.”
Article about NE China
just in case the readers want to know about Northeastern
China and South & North Korea plus Russia border here's news about the
surrounding area...
from The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition) :
Economic Revival Comes to the Tumen River
Construction work on a 63-km freeway linking Tumen and Hunchun in Northeastern
China began in 2003 and has got as far as the village of Mijiang. It is one
segment of the 482-km expressway linking Hunchun with Changchun, the capital of
Jilin Province. When it is completed early next year, it will open a logistics
corridor connecting the center of northeastern China to the East Sea across the
Tumen River.
Next to the freeway is a railroad that heads to Russia. Built in the early
1990s, it connects with the Trans-Siberian Railway after crossing the border
into Russia's Kameishovaya.
The Tumen River border area. An iron bridge connects Russia on the left and
North Korea on the right. The land in the lower part of the photo belongs to
China, while the ocean in the distance is the East Sea. The Tumen River border
area. An iron bridge connects Russia on the left and North Korea on the right.
The land in the lower part of the photo belongs to China, while the ocean in
the distance is the East Sea.
The Tumen River Area Development Program is showing signs of coming back to
life 17 years after it was conceived. In 1992, the UN Development Program
proposed developing the area into an international free trade zone, but the
plan faltered due to the lack of enthusiasm among the countries involved and
tensions in Northeast Asia.
But now China is keen to develop this backward area as part of economic
stimulus measures, and Russia is doing the same, with Vladivostok set to host
the APEC meet in 2012. China is the most aggressive in terms of developing the
region, forming a Tumen River development task force composed of the National
Development and Reform Commission of China and the ministries of commerce,
finance and science and technology and producing a blueprint in November.
At the crux of the 200-page report is securing a route to the East Sea by using
North Korean and Russian ports as launch pads to attract businesses in South
Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and other countries. Hunchun is just 20 km from the
East Sea, but China is landlocked in this region due to its borders with North
Korea and Russia. Also included in its plan is to spend 286 billion yuan
(around W54 trillion) to improve infrastructure.
Yoon Seung-hyun from Yanbian University's College of Economics and Management
said Russia desperately needs to develop Siberia, whose vast inhospitable
landmass is home to only 7 million people. He said if China provides the
capital and Russia the ports, that type of cooperative relationship would
provide new momentum to efforts to develop the Tumen River area.
But not all is rosy. As China and Russia compete to gain the leading role in
developing the region, their cooperative relationship could break down. Major
business conglomerates shun investment in Northeast Asia region due to North
Korea's unpredictability. One senior Samsung executive in China said political
stability is key to attracting investment and added that the company would take
a wait-and-see attitude for now.
englishnews@chosun.com / May 04, 2009 10:28 KST
Chapter 13
After Professor Zhen and his family were seen off at the airport, Shan Mei still had not yet grasped the gravity of the separation.
It was 2 evenings later when Xiang Zhe stopped her from making a call to Seoul to her Pa that the reality of the situation finally hit Shan Mei, and the tears surfaced and she tried to force them back. She was tired of crying, tired of the ache in her chest that she knew would never leave, tired of longing for the son who would never be by her side.
Standing by the window in the bedroom that used to be Wylie’s in the bungalow that her parents used to live in, Shan Mei gazed out of the window at the land that looked as cold as her heart, as empty as the place inside her where her son had once grown.
Xiang Zhe had come quietly into the room and stood behind his wife. He felt the small tremor along her back. He tightened his hold on her. “Shan Mei?” he called softly his voice sounding apologetic and fearful, and his lips began nipping gently at her nape.
Her trembling increased in intensity. Then she cried loud mournful sobs from the deep well of her heart. She sniffed inelegantly. He handed her a handkerchief. She blew her nose before wiping the tears from her cheeks. She looked to the heavens. “The moon’s pretty tonight.” She tried to sound cheerful to lighten the gloomy mood but her voice cracked.
“Shan Mei, I’m so sorry. I wish things didn’t work out this way.”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “It’s not the end of the world. Ma is the one usually taking care of him anyway. You said you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. I thought about it as well.” She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and threaded her fingers up into his hair. “I know this is the best way out.”
In spite of the weather, they had felt the cold and a need to stand there and grieve, huddled together. They had wept, held each close and hoped for the best.
Then they looked around the room. Everywhere seemed so bare – no more baby’s toys lying around, no more baby stroller, no more baby’s cot, no more baby’s happy gurgling sounds.
Before Shan Mei would start crying again, Xiang Zhe pushed her head down against his chest and held her tight against him to muffle her sobs, as he buried his tear-stained face in her hair. He did not want to worry Youzhen and his wife who were staying in the bungalow next door.
Once again, Xiang Zhe berated himself silently. Because of him, the once very loving and close-knit Zhen family would now be separated and each branch living their own lives, pretending none of the others ever existed. He began praying, asking the Lord why this was happening to him? To them? Were they never to see their son ever again?
==
The AAI had, using their special secret connections, organized a 4-day Medical Conference in Seoul. At least 20 of the top medical specialists around the world were invited to this conference.
That morning, after breakfast, Xiang Zhe had, for at least a dozen times, tried to convince his wife the importance of him showing up in Tumen; and the significance of her showing up in Seoul.
“Why in the world would you want to go meet this Jin when you know how ruthless this man can be?’ she asked quietly but she doubted he heard her question; his face was relaxed, his dark lashes touching his cheeks. His long dark hair had fallen across his brow. He hadn’t shaved recently, and his bearded stubble seemed to cast a shadow over his face.
These past few weeks, Xiang Zhe had aged somewhat. Like an ancient map, Xiang Zhe’s face was well worn with paths traversed by sorrow and pain. And perhaps regret.
Though she had kept her fear within her heart, she knew this trip that Xiang Zhe was going to make to Tumen was extremely risky, yet it could be their eventual ticket to freedom from his past if the plan according to AAI worked successfully. Tentatively, Shan Mei brushed the hair from his eyes. She wondered about the circumstances that shaped those deep furrows.
“The problem is out of our hands. We’ve gone over the plans several times. Simply follow exactly the instructions that were given to you. Be a good girl, do not create further problems. Otherwise you will cause me more worry. I’ll meet with you in 4 days’ time, as per BT’s plans.”
Shan Mei ignored him and plunged into a detailed explanation of why she simply had to accompany him on his dangerous mission with that international mastermind gangland Boss.
Xiang Zhe blew out a wearisome strong gust of air. He became deaf, mute and unmoved by her reasoning.
Several minutes later, Shan Mei found herself bundled into a waiting car. Before Xiang Zhe closed the door, he placed her briefcase on the seat next to her, and gave the driver strict instructions to drive Dr. Zhen to the airport and to make sure she got on the plane. Then he swung around and walked back into the hospital lobby without looking back.
Shan Mei flounced in her seat, quite perturbed knowing her husband could possibly be walking into a trap. Then with a small sigh, she surrendered to the inevitable. After a moment, she smiled in relief. Everything would be alright. Her very capable husband was in charge. For all his rare explosions of gruffness, he had a big and trusting heart – a heart with a faith as big and fine as the country. Nothing was going to happen to him. Nothing would!
==
Shan Mei was already in Seoul, attending a very high profile International Conference for Medical Professionals meeting to discuss the necessity of providing enhanced medical services and supplies to the underprivileged worldwide. She was one of the main guest speakers, ensuring she was featured every day in the newspapers, so people were aware of her presence in Seoul.
On the third day of the conference, which also meant the same day that Xiang Zhe was to be spirited out of Yanji, Shan Mei appeared at the morning conference to present a special paper. After she completed the morning session, she was immediately whisked away to the American Air Force Base south of Seoul, to await the arrival of Xiang Zhe.
Sitting at the Air Force Base and waiting for her husband, Shan Mei began thinking, since saving Xiang Zhe from the brink of death, life for her had been a series of changes depending on circumstances and she knew that after tonight their lives would forever be different. But she was prepared to accept the inevitable joy and sorrow.
==
The very day that Xiang Zhe was to meet up with Jin En Qi in Tumen, Xiang Zhe drove out of the hospital grounds very early in the morning, making it known to the employees at the hospital that he was visiting Tumen and would only return the next day.
Somewhere outside of Yanji, AAI met up with him, and put him and an escort on a helicopter that dropped them off at Yanji airport without going through immigration formalities. They boarded a private plane that was supposed to take them to an undisclosed destination. In actual fact, he and his escort were being flown to the American Air Force base in South Korea.
Xiang Zhe’s 4WD was then driven toward Tumen. It was later found abandoned on the outskirts of Tumen, thoroughly burnt through beyond recognition. The driver, presumed to be Yin, trapped inside was burnt to bare bones. The WD Hospital and press were immediately alerted. WDPO officials lodged a strong complaint with the Jilin provincial government, wanting an immediate investigation on how one of their most valued staff members could be so brutally murdered or attacked by arsonists. If such basic personal safety was not assured, how could WDPO continue their sponsorship of hospitals and medical services in Yanbian?
A huge dragnet involving crack shots from Interpol and its Asian counterparts were waiting on stand-by, ready to pounce, at a given signal from AAI. At exactly the time that Xiang Zhe flew out of Yanji, one group of Interpol agents with the cooperation of Tokyo’s highly elite tactical task force was in Yokohama caught the entire Jin En Qi gang, while another Interpol group with the Chinese PLA top guns was in Tumen to round up Jin En Qi and his gang. All his fishing trawlers were confiscated and his vice dens and known hide-outs, including the abandoned Paramount Amusement Park in Tumen were raided, shut down and guarded by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army).
That afternoon, BT confirmed to all parties concerned that the operations were highly successful. Interpol agents, standing by at the various countries, immediately entered the banks and had all of Jin’s accounts frozen. If any gang members were still running around trying to hide to buy their escape route, it would be useless because these fugitives would find it difficult to lay their hands on cash. Everywhere, they were being watched.
==
The morning after, which happened to be first day of the lunar month, Xu Ying Mei, still unaware of what had happened, was caught when the boat she traveled on with her smuggled illegals was intercepted by the Chinese Marine police.
The next day’s daily news also carried several reports on the death of Dr. Zhen’s assistant and driver. Reasons for the arson or murder were not known but it seemed to be the handiwork of gangsters from around the Tumen area. Although police investigations had so far uncovered nothing, the press fueled rumours that the Chinese faction was most probably the ones behind the arson, the main reason being jealousy for the man, because before he died, he had been seen in the company of Big Boss Jin who had spoken very highly of him.
The press further reported that Dr. Zhen had been a recent frequent visitor to Tumen because she was in the process of setting up a medical training facility to provide support services to the hospitals around Tumen. Luckily Dr. Zhen was not travelling with her driver at that time, because she was away in Seoul attending a week-long Medical Conference. Because the WDPO were worried about security and personal safety, they had prevented Dr. Zhen from returning to Yanji.
In spite of much pressure from the WPO, the crime was never solved.
But Jin En Qi, his gang in Tumen and Xu Ying Mei were sentenced to death. The Russian girls were released and sent back across the Russian border.
Over in Yokohama, even though the laws were not as strict as in China where almost every crime that involved monetary motive meant death, the Japanese Jin En Qi gang that was caught was sentenced to life imprisonment because they were not guilty of only illegal fishing trade; they were also found guilty of smuggling of various commodities, most serious of all, drugs; and money laundering and tax evasion.
==
To ensure no one could pick up their scent, Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei had to travel by routes with several break-off sectors, mostly using US Air Force planes. Before their departure, AAI had issued them with special travel papers that instructed all airlines that these two special passengers whenever they traveled; would be identified only by a series of code numbers. When they flew out of Korea, they stopped over at the American air base in Guam for re-fuelling. From Guam, they were flown to Hawaii where they joined an aircraft carrier that was about to leave for a sea exercise around the Mediterranean Sea.
Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei used this time on the sea as a brief respite from the stifling tension of the past one month. The aircraft carrier passed through the Panama Canal and it later stopped by one of the Caribbean islands before continuing full speed ahead out on the Atlantic Ocean. At the mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar, an aircraft with Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei on board took off from the carrier and flew the couple to a RAF landing base near Norwich in Norfolk, a county of East Anglia in England.
==
The Research Institute of University of East Anglia (UEA) had invited Shan Mei to join their research team, which was a combined effort involving various units from the universities in the East Anglia area in an away-from campus highly modern building carrying out the latest scientific research. Shan Mei’s unit, for Medical and Hygiene Science, was to start on research on the most common problem afflicting women past age 50: Osteoporosis and how to increase or maintain bone density.
The university also provided a small cottage away from university grounds for Dr. Zhen and her husband. Both Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe loved Norfolk very much because as the aircraft which carried them to this new place was flying low in the air, they saw acres and acres of flat, lush green pastoral lands with rivers criss-crossing the entire county; dairy herds grazing contentedly about; stately homes and castles standing in the midst of beautiful gardens and well-manicured lawns and rolling grounds; large educational institutions; quaint villages with picture-postcard cottages and a never-ending coastline on the eastern shore.
The Dean’s office, under instructions from AAI that the couple’s identities could never be revealed, used the university’s name in applying everything for the Yins, including ownership of two used cars and bank accounts where Xiang Zhe could draw cash because he only used cash to pay for their daily needs. The university also arranged for a retired Language professor to visit Yin 4 mornings a week to give him English language lessons. The locals, not knowing how to pronounce the newcomers’ surnames, found it easier to address the Asian couple by their simple English names: Ken and May.
Six months after they were re-settled in England, Bruce Tennant from AAI contacted Dr. Zhen Shan Mei, advising her that Interpol had banked into a secret numbered account in her name with WDPO the sum of US$2 million. That was the reward for leading Interpol to the arrest of Jin En Qi. Reward for each wanted criminal was US$500,000. With Jin En Qi and his cohorts in China all dead, all assets under Jin En Qi’s name confiscated by Interpol, and his Japanese criminal gang now locked up in the highest security prisons, there was no way any one of these gang members would be able to walk out alive after their 100-year jail terms.
A year later, Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe moved to a small, beautiful, sleepy village 3 miles away from the university’s research centre, to be closer to the waterways. Xiang Zhe had decided to buy a cottage, spend some money on it to make it a comfortable place. The owner of this cottage before migrating to America to join her son, had decided to sell her cottage off cheap to the kind-hearted doctor and her husband who always dropped in to see and help the lady owner when the local vicar told Shan Mei one time that one of his church members suffered from joint pains frequently and had difficulty in keeping her gardens and chickens in order.
Walking around the living room of the cottage, Xiang Zhe tapped here and there at the walls. “Darling, the wallpapers on these walls need replacing. I’ll make the alterations personally. I’ll strip down the walls and panel them just the way you will like it. And it’ll be for you, just you. I’ll also design a garden plot, grow vegetables and prepare a place for you to store your kimchi urns. Flower beds to plant some beautiful English roses. When I’m finished with it, it will rival your former house in Busan. And whenever you feel like it, we can always drive or take a cruise to the Norfolk coast.”
Shan Mei took hold of her husband’s hands and stared at them for a long time – such capable hands, such a loving heart. “Xiang Zhe, thank you for always wanting to do things for me. Sometimes I believe I don’t deserve all the love you are lavishing on me.”
“Shan Mei, you’ve held my heart for so long that I can’t remember when you didn’t. I just didn’t know how to tell you, except by doing things for you that would make you happy. Sometimes I am the one who wondered what I ever did to deserve your love.”
His mouth swooped down to cover hers, kissing her deeply, warmly. He had kissed her before, so many times before, but never like this … as though her mouth was the only thing he had ever known; as though her lips were the ones he’d ever teased; as though her kisses were the only ones that would ever satisfy him.
Yes, he loved her, truly loved her – totally, to the exclusion of all else.
“Darling, if I could spend my life loving you, I’d die a contented man. I love you so much.” And he squeezed her tight to prove his point.
Xiang Zhe and Shan Mei loved this little cottage because it was situated on quite extensive grounds, and reminded them so much of NMP Uniting Church in Nampo, Busan. Xiang Zhe reared egg-laying chickens in a beautiful chicken coop at one corner of the property left behind by the previous owner and he was always busy working out on several vegetable plots.
While Shan Mei drove her little Mini to work on the weekdays, Xiang Zhe was home studying English and tending his roses, vegetables and chickens. Weekends, they would drive their other little car around the country side so Xiang Zhe could check out other growers’ vegetables and sales stock; sometimes spending a weekend at a B&B along the way. The shed in the garden became his office where he kept seeds and track records of his plants.
Everything in the house was run so smoothly that one evening when they were having dinner, Shan Mei complained that her husband was now such big shot, he didn’t care about much else.
“Big shot? What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“Besides being Prime Minister of our household, you’re also the Finance Minister, the Home Affairs Minister, the Agriculture Minister, the Tourism Minister and Family Planning Chairman, while I am only the Health Minister, and will be the Education Minister only after the children arrive.”
Xiang Zhe put down his knife and fork and his face lit up with a sudden crooked smile. “I see, so all this complaining is about babies. I thought you needed time to settle down to your new work environment before we start a family. If you are sure you’re ready, why didn’t you tell me so? We’ll start work as soon as we finish dinner. Remember, it took us almost 4 months of hard work before Wylie was conceived.” Then his expression softened miraculously as he shook his head. “Okay, don’t look so unhappy; I’ve one more post for you. You are also now the Entertainment Minister. Let me tell you I won’t be satisfied with the 2 or 3 times a week entertainment we’re currently enjoying. I want entertainment 2 or 3 times a night.”
“Waa, you are beginning to sound so terrible and naughty. How can my colleagues claim that my husband is a very nice, quiet man?” She then hit her husband on his arm with a fisted hand.
Xiang Zhe grinned devilishly some more as he caught her hand. “Of course I’m quiet – quietly doing my own research at home on how you can entertain me. Let’s stop squabbling and hurry up with our meal. I’ll show you some new moves I’ve been researching lately from a book I loaned from the UEA library – it gives some advice, with the help of drawings, on how married couples keep the fire burning in their marriage.”
The air between them was suddenly charged with sensual awareness, something that hadn’t happened since the night they consummated their marriage. Shan Mei became acutely conscious of the scent of the roses in the vase standing in one corner of the dining table, and the softness of her husband’s voice as his hot eyes gazed intently on her.
==
On this particular July day, the sun was hot on his neck as he turned over a new patch of earth and he paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from around the collar of his open shirt with his handkerchief, then looked to the side where his wife’s strawberry patch was. He smiled when he recalled the sight of Shan Mei clearing the old straw away from between the strawberry plants, the past two weekends. There was nothing like fresh air and working in his garden to ease the mind. He found that out for himself.
The steady rain suddenly began about 3 in the afternoon. The thick summer branches from their apple trees laden with their thick foliage shielded Xiang Zhe from the falling rain. All he felt was an occasional raindrop as it traveled along a leaf and fell to the earth. Then he saw Shan Mei’s car driving slowly up the driveway. He quickly ran forwarded and opened the car door for her. His arms shielded her as she pressed her back against his chest.
“Darling, didn’t you take an umbrella with you? I remembered I specifically reminded you to, this morning?”
Shan Mei didn’t answer, and simply laughed, enjoying the sudden rain, as she huddled close to her husband. Then very gently, she said, “What about you, did you remember to pick the ripe strawberries I reminded you to this morning before I left for work? And to buy some fresh cream from the Ferguson’s farm?”
When she saw the quiet, guilty look on Xiang Zhe’s face, she gave him an affection pinch on his nose and simply said, “We are even.”
Chapter 14 (Conclusion)
It was Christmas Eve. The Yins had just returned home from the church evening service. Shan Mei was preparing the stuffed turkey the University Dean’s wife had gifted them for Christmas.
Husband and wife sat at their dining table, toasting each other, and enjoying their dinner.
After the dinner, Xiang Zhe with his wife on his lap lying by the fireplace, gave her a hot Christmas kiss and asked her with immense regret in his deep voice, “Darling, do you have any regrets? It’s because of me we have to leave China, give up the work you love doing with WDPO. Now, we’ve to lie low, like disappearing from the face of this earth. We’ve to keep away from your parents and leave Wylie in their care. For the safety of everyone, we’ve to forget our family and our friends. And, even though we have been trying for months, there’s still no news of a baby coming. Shan Mei, I’m so worried and so very sorry. You’ve sacrificed everything, because of me.”
“My dearest Chingu, I don’t let my past decisions ruin what I presently have. And I presently have the most wonderful husband – a little gruff and rough at times but whose love and gentle heart is all I want. I am not sorry I love you. Because of you, I finally understand the purpose of my existence. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor because my Pa was a doctor. When we tried to save you, it opened my eyes and my mind and made me realize that being a doctor was not something glamorous wearing a white gown, with stethoscope hanging from the neck and walking the hospital corridors. It meant we had to pull out all stops to save a life. It was not at all glamourous; in fact it was a very messy business. It made me understand being compassionate was not just sitting down to dainty tea parties raising money for some charitable causes. It meant reaching down into a patient’s soul, and reaching out to help him stand up again. I am not sorry to give up all the trappings of fame, if I can help a person regain his trust in the human society.
Darling, I am not sorry at all because you’ve taught me how to love unconditionally. I had decided that time while still in Busan, not to take up the WDPO offer to go to Yanbian. I couldn’t leave you behind. We would have made alternative plans. Nam Po was a nice neighbourhood. I would have continued working at Nam Po Hospital. Later on, when you were strong enough, may be I would have planned some other kind of work for you, like growing organic vegetables. You really were good doing that. Pa could never stop praising your juicy, fleshy cucumbers. My dearest Chingu, you’ve reaffirmed my faith in God. He truly works in mysterious ways.”
That night, Xiang Zhe cuddling up to Shan Mei in bed, finally put to rest his guilty past and blaming himself that he had spoilt things for his wife. “Darling, I want to know why God loves me so much, sending you into my life and giving me so many blessings? I only pray that He gives us one more blessing this Christmas – a baby.”
“What God does is not for us to question, but to accept His grace in good faith and give praise and thanks with a grateful heart.”
“Darling, you’re the most beautiful woman and wife and I love you so much. I’m going to spend this Christmas holiday just loving you.” He put a hand under her chin, tilting her face up to hold her eyes with his, slowly his open mouth came down on hers. Her lips parted under his, and as his tongue filled the inside of her mouth the taste of him, the feel of him set every nerve in her body tingling and filling her naked desire.
The next hour would live in Xiang Zhe’s mind forever as an example of the most perfect love making. Yet there was no wild passion, no torrid mating, no erotic foreplay. It was as though they were making love for the first time and it was enough to just hold her and to stroke her softly, his fingers trembling slightly as they traced the glorious shape of her body, reveling in the knowledge that she loved him just the way he was and she would be always his and his alone.
The splendour of her love kept slowly washing through him in ripples of bittersweet emotion, and eventually he had to bury his face between her breasts to hide his eyes lest she think him a fool. But she gave more of that, cupping his face and lifting it to hers so that she could kiss his damp cheeks and his suddenly tremulous mouth.
“I adore you, Husband,” Shan Mei whispered and kissed her husband again. “Now, give me that baby, my darling. But give it to me slowly……..”
==
At the end of September the following year, Shan Mei gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, followed by a baby boy two years later. Looking at the baby, tears came to the parents’ eyes. The boy looked so much like their first born, Wylie. Drawing Shan Mei more closely against him, falling into her dark gaze, he allowed himself to be lulled into a sense of contentment, self-worth, love, gratitude, and humility.
Xiang Zhe felt so grateful. He could never thank his wife enough. He was supposed to be dead, how come he ended with up all these blessings? He took Shan Mei away from her parents, but gave them a son in return. For the time being, they could only keep their happiness to themselves. When the opportunity presented itself, they would share the news with the grandparents. Again, he decided to use the family name of his wife when naming his children. In their minds, their daughter would be walking by the time Wylie was ready to start school.
Shan Mei soon became busy with another research project. Xiang Zhe politely declined an offer from the university to manage their stationery stores. He wanted to stay home and look after their children and their home. He didn’t want Shan Mei to worry in any way about the babies or their household. The present arrangement was perfect – Shan Mei was usually home by 3 p.m. After tea, she would help the children with their school work, while he began preparing dinner. Maybe in another few years, when the younger child started secondary school, he would be ready to help out at the university.
Every summer, Xiang Zhe would drive his family to the nearest pick-up point on the Yare river, about 3 miles from their cottage, board a hired houseboat to cruise down the Yare to the Norfolk’s Broadlands and spend 2 weeks cruising around the waterways, spending some nights on the boat and some nights in B&Bs by the waterways and making at least two nights stop-over at Great Yarmouth port for its delicious seafood and sightseeing. Happy times, indeed!
==
Epilogue:
The fireworks that lit up the sky above the Waldorf-Astoria were a beautiful sight, not only for the wedding party, but for guests staying at the hotel. Shan Mei and Xiang Zhe had never seen such a display, having been cloistered in a quiet English hamlet for so many years, that each colourful flash brought new excitement. Cascades of light showered down the heavens, the loud hissing explosions partially drowning out the crescendos of the energetic orchestra and the cheers of the crowds.
It was a thrilling spectacle and Shan Mei would have been thoroughly captivated if her husband had not disturbed her from time to time.
“Good heavens, we never saw anything like this back in our little hamlet.” Shan Mei gazed in awe as another display of fire lit the night sky with the names of the wedded couple, followed by a quick spurt of twinkling heart shaped stars that broke in the sky.
The Harrison-Zhen wedding celebration was going on in the fabulously and lavishly laid out grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
The bride, a recent top medical graduate from Harvard, was Esther Zhen, the beautiful daughter of Yin Xiang Zhe and Zhen Shan Mei. The groom was Dr. Daniel Harrison, the youngest son of Dr. and Mrs. Don Harrison. He was also recently appointed the Director-General of Worldwide Refugee Resettlement Planning. They met at an outreach programme that was training volunteers for WDPO projects. Esther’s beautiful smile and gentle nature at this outreach programme immediately caught the eye of Dr. Daniel Harrison who made it his business to participate in her proposed project regarding redevelopment of the Marshlands in Miami. Esther thought the marshlands could be cleaned up and become as beautiful and eco-friendly as Norfolk’s popular Broadlands.
In a quiet corner of the Ballroom, Xiang Zhe was nursing a glass of Perrier in his hand, occasionally taking small sips from it, his eyes appreciatively admiring the elaborately laid out hall. Dr. Don Harrison approached him with two glasses of champagne in his hands. Taking the glass of mineral water away and putting it aside, he handed the champagne flute to Xiang Zhe, clinking the two glasses as they toasted to the happiness of the beautiful bride and the handsome groom now surrounded by their friends.
With one arm on Xiang Zhe’s shoulders, Dr. Harrison smiled warmly at him, asking him whether he had ever dreamed that they would one day be in-laws. Xiang Zhe gave Dr. Harrison an unfathomable look, laughing softly, shaking his head in disbelief. “Y-Zee, my dear friend, you have my word, we’ll love Esther like our very own daughter. All these years, Margaret and I have wondered what was wrong with our youngest son? His brothers and sisters have long ago married and moved on, but not Daniel, telling us he preferred to remain a bachelor. Imagine my surprise one evening when he came to me telling me he thought he had fallen for Esther, but was worried he might be a little bit too old for her.” Dr. Harrison then snorted a short laugh. “It was just a small matter of only 10 years. I pushed him to go for it. Look at them now, so blissful. Don’t they look simply beautiful and so in love? And I hope you didn’t mind that I was the one who walked your daughter down the aisle. You refused so your wife finally handed the honour to me. Daniel understands when we explained why you wanted to take a back seat because you didn’t want any of your photos to appear in public. We have closed today’s event to the press.”
Xiang Zhe nodded his head; the flash of happiness in his eyes was unmistakable. “Thank you, Dr. Don. You’ve been such a real and dear friend. Shan Mei and I are so grateful. That time in Busan, I didn’t dare to think Shan Mei would want to be my friend, let alone marry me.”
“Shan Mei’s a gem. When we first met her, she was about 22 and running all over those south pacific islands with only a knapsack on her back, making friends wherever she was needed. You’re a good person plunged into the wrong environment. She’s someone so very, very special. We knew Shan Mei was going to marry you long before she realised it herself – that was why we went all out to help you, to help her. Ever since that time, I’ve thanked the Lord every day for giving me such an open mind.” Don Harrison looked into his glass, ruminating, it wasn’t just him. Professor Zhen was one heck of a special man too. Most men would have thrown Y-Zee out, being notorious gangster and married to his most precious daughter, yet he helped them consummate their marriage. This Zhen family was really special. His attention went back to Xiang Zhe standing there being proud father of the bride, and understanding husband, knowing Shan Mei was busy with her former colleagues. “Where’s David? Isn’t he coming for his sister’s wedding celebration?”
“He just called to let Shan Mei know he would be delayed slightly. He has to help his professor take care of a little problem.”
“That’s David, always so helpful, and Prof. Wilkinson tells me the boy’s brilliant. Daniel tells me that WDPO Legal Department has already signed him on. They already have an office waiting for him in their head office as soon as he graduates. By the way, our house up in Boston is empty. We wondered whether you and Shan Mei would like to stay there, to be closer to David. He only has one more year to go before he graduates? During this time, maybe Shan Mei can do some research work for us? After all these years, her reports are still the most comprehensive and meticulous. In China, we are still working according to her original blueprint for expansion.”
Xiang Zhe simply smiled softly at Don Harrison but didn’t comment. Looking across the room, he saw his wife talking with one of her ex-colleagues from WDPO, New York office.
Taking a sip of champagne, Xiang Zhe thanked Don for his kind offer. Of course he would have to discuss something so important with Shan Mei. They were currently very happy with their life in their quiet, little English countryside village. David was a grown man and should learn to take care of himself. “I’m the one needing tender loving care from my wife. Sometimes, my stomach hurts so much, I wonder whether it’s going to burst. I’ve gone for scans, but the results have shown nothing. Shan Mei doesn’t want me to do any more gardening work, or heavy lifting. We have a young college student living nearby come by to help. She thinks I’m straining myself with over-exertion.”
“Your wife loves you too much. Is Prof. Zhen getting on well? We haven’t been in touch, since he moved to Zurich.”
“Shan Mei and I will be visiting them after the wedding. Pa wants to see the photos of Esther’s wedding. Wylie can’t make time to come. With so many disasters going on around the world at the same time, he’s having his hands full with his distribution team overseeing management of relief supplies and funds to the affected areas.”
“Yes, I hear Dr. Wylie is going to be promoted again. He’s doing very well at International Humanitarian Relief Services.”
“Shan Mei is worried he’s getting so overwhelmed with work, he still hasn’t managed to find himself a wife. She wants to spend some time in Zurich to care for her father.”
The two men then moved around the room to look for their wives. As Xiang Zhe came to stand behind Shan Mei, he bent his head to whisper softly into her ear, that she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and he loved her so much, he wanted so badly to hold her in his arms. “So how about we pretend to dance around in one quiet corner of the room, so I can kiss and hold my wife in my arms?”
Shan Mei giggled softly, moving into her husband’s arms. “Hmm, this feels good.” Tilting her face up towards her husband, giving him her most dazzling smile, she pretended to rebuke him, “Why didn’t you come around sooner? I was missing you.”
Holding his wife closer in his embrace, his adoring eyes never once leaving her face, he laughed softly at her, “I had to entertain your favourite person, Dr. Don Harrison.”
The Yins felt so blessed, seeing their daughter and son-in-law twirling around the dance floor lost in each other’s love. Don Harrison and his wife were dancing, and looking at the newly wedded couple with open affection. After a while, Xiang Zhe suddenly decided he wanted to get a small little cake from the hotel’s patisserie, for the newly married couple.
When he managed to get Esther and Daniel to one side, he gave them the cake, with the advice her grandmother gave him on her parents’ own wedding night. “Share the cake equally, crumbs and all, to ensure the marriage will be sweet, fulfilling and blessed. On our wedding night I fought with your mother for my exact half of the cake, and sneakily finished off most of the crumbs. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect marriage partner than your mother, or a more blessed marriage.”
Esther fell into her daddy’s arms, tears threatening to fall. Xiang Zhe gave his baby princess a tight hug and lingering kiss on her cheek, reminding her honesty, love and understanding were three very important ingredients to a blissful marriage.
He couldn’t bear to let her go. She was so young, only 24, such a baby although she had lived by herself since 18 years old in Boston when she was given a full scholarship by WDPO to study medicine at Harvard. His throat tightened somewhat when he recalled his wife’s parting words to their daughter when they first saw her off at Luton airport, on the outskirts of London, near Cambridge – “Enjoy your new life in Boston but know how much your Daddy and I will miss you; write whenever you can; never mix your coloureds and whites in the same wash load; don’t forget to eat for heaven’s sake ….. the usual things that most mothers say to their teenagers upon parting. A brief laugh shortly escaped Xiang Zhe’s still-tightened throat – didn’t Shan Mei say the very same words to David when it was his turn to leave for Harvard two years later?
During her college years, Esther never accepted any of her college mates’ invitations to stay with them for the summer; but would prefer to spend her summer holidays with her parents and younger brother back in Norfolk, enjoying their annual river cruise. His children were very close to him. He was the one who took care of them and the house while Shan Mei was away at the medical research centre most of the day for her work. If it was not the Harrison family proposing marriage, he would have preferred his daughter to wait till she was a few years older.
Ever since the engagement, he had been teasing his daughter that she was trading in the old rust bucket for a younger and newer model! “No daddy, you know it’s not like that at all. Ever since Mummy stopped working, she is not willing to share her old rust bucket any more and wants him all to herself. She’s the one kicking David and me out of the back seat.” Tonight when their daughter again reminded him that mummy wanted daddy all to herself, Xiang Zhe chuckled delightedly on hearing that, his eyes following Shan Mei’s back as she was making her way out of the banquet hall.
Xiang Zhe then turned to Daniel, his new son-in-law. “Dan, thank you for everything. The hotel suite you arranged for us is very comfortable. I know marrying our Esther has not been an easy decision for you because of her complicated background.” He dipped his hand into his inside breast pocket of his dinner jacket and brought out two packets. He handed one of the packets to Daniel. “Here, my wife and I want you to have this. Make it into a tie or lapel pin. It’s for you; not for you to give to Esther later. There’s a story behind this diamond. Your father will be able to relate it to you.”
Xiang Zhe then handed the second packet to Daniel. “Dan, take this and keep it for David. When he’s found someone he thinks he wants to marry or whatever, please pass this diamond to him – either for his own use or to set into an engagement ring for his betrothed.”
Daniel noticed his father-in-law had difficulty in continuing; he wanted to put his mind at peace. “Dad, you don’t have to worry about David. I’ll keep on eye on him. When I feel the time is right, I’ll hand this gift to him, telling him it is from his parents.”
Xiang Zhe smiled at Dan’s understanding. He gave his shoulder a gentle knead, and then hurried the kids off to their honeymoon suite to start on their cake before the cream melted. After Esther and Daniel sneaked off, Xiang Zhe sighed with relief – now he only needed to see Wylie in Zurich to hand him the 3rd diamond. His eyes again searched for Shan Mei. She was at that moment just walking in with their younger son David towards him. David greeted his dad with a warm hug. Father and son exchanged a few words, they then laughed at something funny, eventually the son went off to socialise with the guests, many of them common friends of the sister and brother.
Xiang Zhe pulled his wife back into his arms, and waltzed a bit around the floor. As he nuzzled tenderly against the hollow behind her ear, he asked, “Darling, have you had enough of this partying?”
Shan Mei looked up into his face lovingly and smiled sweetly. Over the years, the wind and the sun had carved lines into his face that reflected pride, endurance, confidence and possession. In a moment of deep affection, she placed the hand that was holding hers against her cheek and rubbed slightly against it, her heart filled with such love for this man who became her husband – simply by a pure chance of fate. As usual whenever she was in such kind of loving mood, the same thought of her husband came rushing into her mind – such strong hands, with such a gentle touch; such a strong man, with such a gentle heart.
Xiang Zhe squeezed her hand slightly as if reminding her that she still had not answered his question. Her eyes then looked up to him and held a quizzical look. He brushed his lips lightly against her cheek, and murmured huskily into her ear, “I want to return to our room; I am in the mood for love…….”
****And They Lived Happily Ever After****
JDG and CR 4ever