Wu Feng was happy that there had been no mention of Wei Bao. He had feared that things might escalate between the children.
Lu Lei continued, “Wei Bao has something wrong with his eyes.”
Wu Feng placed her on the handlebars, saying, “Tell me on the way home. Remember that you start your new tai chi classes this evening. You can rest at home and do some calligraphy practice. The Master is teaching your first class. You are a very lucky girl.”
The Master sat cross-legged before his young students, all deep in meditation. His eyes passed over the group of youngsters between the age of ten and sixteen, and Lu Lei, who would soon be six. Each of the students attended five nights a week, and they were all on the way to becoming highly skilled practitioners. The class was known in certain circles in Beijing. It had the reputation of training its students to do the right thing.
Class always began with a short meditation. The Master often used these moments to divine information from the students’ postures, facial expressions, and breathing patterns. He was here to nurture their souls. Lu Lei was seated in the front, and her stiff posture gave away an elevated level of anxiety. She was now entering the world of mankind where people could be cruel, fearful and unwise. Her powerful potential needed guidance and care, especially considering what might be coming her way.
The Master banished the negative train of thought from his mind and returned his attention to his own breathing.
A few blocks away Wu Feng was teaching the adults, all of whom had all noticed the absence of both the wife of the missing student, and Lu Lei. He made an announcement after meditation that Lu Lei had begun her official training with the Master, to which there was a resounding round of applause from the smiling class. They all felt proud of Lu Lei.
Sun Yi was at home in the kitchen when she heard the loud chime of the ship’s bell that served as a doorbell. It was a thoughtful gift from a visiting monk. Her guests were almost on time.
“Sun Yi. Great to see you again.”
“Casey Nelson, Matt Nelson. Welcome. Please come in.”
Matt asked, “How is the young Lu Lei doing? Any more run-ins with the police?”
“She was asking about you too and wanted to know when she would see you again. She loves her doll. We had a battle this morning. She was not allowed to take it to her first day of school. She is in the same year as the Chief’s boy. All seemed to go well. It’s been a big day for her. As we speak, she’s in her first tai chi class with the juniors. She was looking forward to it. She is the youngest the Master has ever taken, but she has great natural talent for martial arts. We all hope that it will help to her learn control. She has strong feelings, but she needs to soften her actions. Have either of you practiced any martial arts?”
Casey replied, “We have been taking occasional private kung fu classes together, just for fun. We’d love to learn some tai chi if one of your students teaches a beginner class.” Casey looked at Matt, who nodded in agreement, his back aching a little from the thought of it.
“I will teach you both myself. I would be happy to.”
The offer surprised Casey. “No, you don’t have time for us, do you?”
“Yes. I insist. Actually, my background is also in kung fu. My father made me go when I was young. Lu Lei will study it too, but later.”
Matt interrupted, “Sun Yi, may I use the bathroom, please?”
“Of course. It’s that door.”
Casey sat down with Sun Yi in the kitchen and filled her in on what she had learned about the student’s disappearance.
Sun Yi made green tea, listening to Casey’s news when the bell clanged.
“It’s the missing student’s wife,” Sun Yi said to Casey. “She will be anxious to hear what you told me. Are you sure you want to be the one to tell her about the police? I can do it.”
“I should be the one. It’s my source. I’ll give her the news,” Casey called after Sun Yi, who was walking to answer the door.
Wu Feng called an end to his class ten minutes earlier than usual. The students sat cross-legged, waiting to hear what he had to say. Everyone was sure it would be about the missing student. There had been all kinds of conflicting rumors about what had happened to him.
“We have had news that the government has begun to arrest Falun Gong organizers and protest leaders. We here are not officially a Falun Gong group, even though we have been incorporating it into our practice, and many of you teach it. The fact that here we do not practice outside or organize demonstrations makes us of less interest to the police, but I feel that this might change, especially when the police realize that almost all of you are Falun Gong teachers. As you may have guessed, our missing student was arrested–”
The class gasped.
“We do not know where he is imprisoned. There is no record of his arrest. All we know is that the government has become alarmed at the Falun Gong’s size and popularity. The number of practitioners across China has been estimated to be over eighty million. That is greater than the number of Chinese Communist Party members. The government is scared, and when they are fearful, they harden their policies, as we have learned in the recent past. With this in mind, I urge you to meditate. Ask the universe what you, yourself should do. I cannot make this decision for any of you. You must each decide for yourselves whether you will walk into the fire or wait for a different point in time. Most of you have families to consider, also your own students who will look to you for counsel.”
Wu Feng was silent for a long moment before continuing.
“If you feel lost and do not know what to do, I say this to you: Always show your enemy respect. Conduct yourselves toward them with dignity. Know that if you lead demonstrations against the actions of the government, you invite their attention by embarrassing them. You now know what might happen to you. Make your decision in the light of this knowledge of what the future may hold for you. Contemplate what ‘freedom’ means to you. Ask yourselves how much are you prepared to sacrifice.
“Here in this studio we will continue to practice our art behind closed doors. Keep in mind that we are under surveillance. I advise you to maintain situational awareness at all times on the street. Try to commute to and from class in pairs or in groups. Organize yourselves so you are not alone out there. Do not resist arrest, but avoid it if you can.
“The decision to provoke, complain and confront should not be taken lightly. Take time to consider. Ask your higher selves for guidance.
“Let us meditate for a while before ending this class.”
The room fell silent.
4
A Demonstration
Casey spent most of the afternoon catching up on the accounting in the messy office that overlooked the factory floor where she could see Matt walking the assembly line, pulling each worker aside, to give his quality control lecture. Matt and Casey were always conscious that their survival in China depended on a seamless cover. Keeping up appearances meant genuine work at real jobs. They had built the whole business from the ground up, taking their time. China’s bureaucracy and red tape presented opportunities to start mapping a network of useful contacts, while establishing legitimacy as entrepreneurs.
They had spent time in a similar factory back home, to get the hang of the process. Matt learned that having a decent product would be key to their longevity in the world of manufacturing. The consultants in America warned him that Chinese factories opted for low-cost materials, to the detriment of the final product. Matt was no expert, but even to his amateur eye, shoddy materials and workmanship were obvious enough.
During the first few months in Beijing, Matt traced the supply line of barbecue parts back to their raw materials, weeding out the junk-merchants who lied about their work. He had help from a consultant who they had flown in from Australia.
They spent most nights out drinking with local suppliers. Matt enjoyed the Australian’s oafish behavior and used him as a buffer; a patsy to throw under the bus whenever he needed to say 'n
o' to someone. By the time the Australian left China, Matt had weeded out the liars and cheats, leaving a short list of people with whom he felt comfortable.
Casey had looked forward to the Australian’s departure. Matt’s late nights had meant difficult mornings. He had a few tricks to avoid the most punishing intake of alcohol. The most effective trick was to spit each of the shots of hard liquor into a half drunken beer while pretending to drink the beer as a chaser. The older glasses of warm beer were invariably cleared away, if ignored for long enough. The clear shots that the Chinese called bai jiu were strong, and Matt found them to be a disgusting, but necessary part of dining with Chinese businessmen.
Casey didn’t mind that she was unwelcome at their business functions, being a woman. She and Matt had been educated about the cultural norms in Beijing. They both knew how things worked here.
Tonight was the dinner at Sun Yi’s. Casey and Matt had taken her up on her offer of an introductory tai chi class at the house. Casey had been modest when talking about their martial arts experience. She didn’t mention that they were both well trained in several forms of hand-to-hand combat. The kung fu, of course, was just a hobby. They would never use it in the field.
Casey and Matt had become fond of the tai chi family, especially the little volcano, Lu Lei. Casey’s friendship with Sun Yi had taken root upon first meeting at the birthday party, and they had already established a good amount of trust.
Matt was forty years old, and Casey thirty-five. They were both athletic, but their age gave them the right look for their covers as entrepreneurs. The CIA had given them what Matt described as an administrative post with a chance of violence. They knew that getting caught spying would mean imprisonment, torture and possibly death. Involving themselves with people of interest such as the Falun Gong’s leader, Li Hongzhi might draw the kind of attention they could scarcely afford. Wu Feng, Sun Yi and the Master may also be destined for government scrutiny, depending on what they did next.
Lu Lei chattered non-stop on the handlebars as Wu Feng pedaled home. She wanted to tell him every detail of the evening’s tai chi class with the Master. She was still talking when they both entered the house. A few minutes later she heard the bell, and ran to the door, still dressed in her navy blue, cotton tai chi suit, hair up in pigtails. She opened the door, revealing her favorite white people. The only ones she knew besides Barbie. Casey handed her an unwrapped gift.
“What is it?”
“It’s a mermaid costume for Barbie.” Casey had looked up the very odd words at home in her dictionary. The literal translation for ‘mermaid’ had been ‘pretty-person-fish’ and since sharing the translation with Matt, he'd been calling her ‘pretty-person’ all afternoon. Casey quite liked it.
“Blue is now my second favorite color,” Lu Lei exclaimed, admiring the gift, abruptly turning and pulling Casey toward the kitchen.
Good one, Matt thought, happy that his wife’s thoughtfulness meant that they were always bearing the right gifts. Casey followed Lu Lei in. Matt closed the door and followed.
Sun Yi appeared from the kitchen dressed for tai chi. “Welcome, Matt and Casey. Would you like tea? We can start in ten minutes and eat in an hour.”
“No, we are both fine. Thanks.”
Matt handed a bottle of red wine to Sun Yi.
Lu Lei sat on the floor and dressed her Barbie doll in the new outfit while the adults talked.
Wu Feng, continuing alone with the cooking, picked up the phone in the kitchen after two rings. He held the receiver between his ear and shoulder while drying his hands on a towel. “Hello?”
The voice belonged to the anxious wife of the student who had gone missing.
She said, “The American lady made enquiries. He is in a prison somewhere. The police refuse to tell us anything. I have decided to take over my husband’s leadership of our small Falun Gong group, and I will continue to hold practices in public places. I’ll also plan a demonstration outside the newspaper building in protest against the article they had published about the Falun Gong.”
“Most honorable, but in this case, you must prepare yourself for arrest.”
“I am prepared to share my husband's fate. If the police have him, then they can have me too. I do not accept that my government can dictate the terms of my spiritual path. I must stand up. I must not remain silent.”
Wu Feng waited for a moment before answering her. She obviously was aware of the consequences. Wu Feng felt that he, too, should stand up and be willing to go to jail for his beliefs.
“Are you acting out of anger, or are you paying attention to your intuition?” he asked.
“My heart tells me to honor my husband by following his lead. I will not swerve from this path. I wish to bear the burden of our country’s misfortunes, just as my husband is doing.”
In the next room, Sun Yi watched Matt, who was struggling to copy her movements. Casey was doing a little better, but they were looked a little embarrassed. Lu Lei was also watching them. It was obvious to Sun Yi that she already liked the two white people. They were very good with her and clearly had fallen for her as well.
Sun Yi came to the end of an exercise and told them to relax. “You are both afraid to be imperfect. Also, I see some other training in your movements. Could you show me something of what you have learned previously? It might be good for your confidence to first demonstrate for me something that you know.”
Matt and Casey looked at each other, eyebrows raised. “Okay,” Matt said, “we could show you a little of what we know. It’s a bit of a mixture.”
The couple took their positions opposite each other and Matt winked at Casey, who smiled mischievously and responded with a lightning fast kick that he blocked, inches from his left temple. “But I brought you coffee in bed this morning,” he quipped as Casey moved into arm’s length and threw a combination of punches at his torso and face, all of which he skillfully blocked, until she caught him off balance. Matt’s adrenaline spiked when Casey made light contact with his jaw. His Krav Maga training clicked into automatic.
Sun Yi looked on with surprise as Matt pulled his wife’s head in toward him and threw his knee up into her stomach and then dragged her chin back and stepped forward, putting her on the ground. Casey tapped twice on his forearm and hopped to her feet. Seeing him so distracted by his own success, she spun around, flinging her bare foot to head height. It whizzed past Matt’s nose as he tipped his head backwards out of the way of Casey’s foot. She kept the spin going and swept one of his feet out from under him, putting him on his back after a short, horizontal flight. He was in a firm hold on the floor, and tapped twice to submit.
Wu Feng entered the room to announce dinner. His surprise matched that of Sun Yi as he watched the Barbecue Couple enter their third bout, this one longer and more frenzied as the two escalated their light attacks at close quarters. The sound of skin against skin and fist against chest cavity echoed around the large, almost empty space, the blows and blocks coming faster and a firmer. Lu Lei’s mouth had dropped open as she looked up at the physical spectacle, the likes of which she had never seen.
The couple went at each other with complete focus. This was how their relationship had begun; on the mat, battling it out during training. Equally matched at Camp Peary, where the CIA trained their recruits, Matt and Casey had developed a powerful chemistry that was obvious to their instructors and colleagues. Anyone who came up against either of them during training found out that beneath the relaxed, affable exterior of each of them lay an intensity that was not to be underestimated. Together as a team, they were even more formidable.
Lu Lei moved over to stand next to her mother, and put an arm around her leg. The couple continued their battle, now oblivious to their family audience. Each had almost completely forgotten that they were in their new friends’ home for a nice quiet dinner and an introductory tai chi class. The stress of being undercover in a foreign land was finding its own outlet now.
They both hit th
e floor together, Casey’s open palm paused over Matt’s windpipe.
Wu Feng broke the silence, “Ah... dinner is ready, if your introductory tai chi class is over, Sun Yi.”
Sun Yi was the last to sit at the table. Wu Feng poured some modestly sized glasses of wine. “Krav Maga?” he asked, looking from Matt to Casey and back again.
Matt answered, “I trust that you will keep this to yourselves?”
Wu Feng’s mouth turned up at the corners. “Even barbecue manufacturers are allowed to take self-defense classes.”
“Mama, I want to learn how to do that.”
Everyone’s heads tilted down. Wu Feng looked her in the face. “I think you can look forward to learning how to do that... in the future, if you do well in your tai chi classes.”
Sun Yi nodded a congratulatory affirmation to her husband, who had managed to postpone this meltdown to another day.
“Lu Lei?” asked Casey, cocking her head cutely to one side. “How does Barbie look in her blue mermaid costume?”
“She looks beautiful like you.” Lu Lei smiled up at Casey.
After granting Lu Lei’s request to be tucked into bed by Casey, the adults turned their attention to serious matters. Wu Feng gazed down at the wooden tabletop. “The wife of the missing student has chosen to demonstrate. They will arrest her; I am sure of it, and I believe that many of our other students will follow her example.”
Casey asked, “What about you two?”
“I do not yet know. For now, we will wait for Li Hongzhi to finish his Beijing meetings and see if he can convince the leaders to soften their stance. Sun Yi and I are, of course, very upset that our belief system and our practices are coming under government suppression. We teach our students to look for middle ground in all conflict, but we fear that any compromises that we try to make might not be enough to convince the Party that we pose no threat.”
Surviving Spies (Irving Waters, Spy Fiction Series) Page 4