The teacher yelled, “No!” and stepped through the remaining children who had interrupted their exit to see what the commotion was about. The teacher picked Wei Bao up off the floor, holding him in her arms. He was shrieking now and clutching his forehead with both hands. A small amount of blood was dripping through his fingers from a cut above his eyebrow.
Lu Lei was already on all fours, crawling toward Barbie, who had slid across the floor.
The teacher headed for the door with Wei Bao in her arms. Lu Lei picked up Barbie and got up off the floor to go back to her seat, where Barbie’s missing arm lay on the table. She picked up the arm and tried to put it back in, but she couldn’t manage it. She tried again without noticing that a different teacher had appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips, looking around the classroom. She ordered the remaining gawking children to go outside and play. She then came over to Lu Lei and knelt down beside her. “Are you alright, little one? What’s your name?”
“My name is Lu Lei,” she answered, a tear running down her cheek as she struggled to reattach Barbie’s arm.
“Can I try?” the teacher asked.
Lu Lei handed Barbie to the teacher and then the arm.
The teacher grimaced for a second and pushed the arm back into its socket, handing it back to Lu Lei. “All better.”
“Thank you, teacher.” Lu Lei said, looking down at Barbie, relieved that she was again in one piece.
Wu Feng and Sun Yi sat, looking concerned, in front of the school principal in her small office. The phone call from the school had come during the lunch hour. Wei Bao was in the school infirmary, to which–although it was staffed by a nurse–a Doctor had been summoned today to check the boy for injuries. They waited for the principal to speak. Sun Yi tried her best to calm her anxious mind.
“Thank you for coming in. There was an incident involving Lu Lei and Wei Bao. The children are both fine, though the boy is having acupuncture to relieve a swollen cheek and a black eye.”
Sun Yi’s eyes widened.
“There is no concussion or bone fracture. The bleeding stopped quickly, though it did give their teacher a fright. Her report was quite surprising. A girl so small, capable of such strength. I didn’t believe what the teachers said to me, at first, but I am told that you are both martial arts teachers. Is that correct?”
Wu Feng answered first, “We teach tai chi.”
The principal looked perplexed. “My mother-in-law does tai chi in the park every morning. I’ll be sure never to criticize her cooking again.”
Wu Feng laughed politely. “Could you please tell us what happened?”
“Your daughter brought a doll to school.”
Sun Yi groaned. “She loves that silly doll. She talks to it like it is her best friend. Can we assume that Wei Bao took it from her somehow?”
“Yes, he did. Tore off one of her arms and tossed it to Lu Lei during class.”
Wu Feng and Lu Lei had both bowed their heads, eyes closed, lips pressed together.
The principal continued, “Lu Lei is obviously a very clever girl. Very advanced in many areas. Much more so than the other students. She does, however, appear to be quick to anger. In this case, one could say that she was provoked. From all reports, the Police Chief’s son is a bully and has been taught a valuable lesson by a much smaller but more powerful female comrade.”
“Did she hit him?” Wu Feng asked.
“They scuffled at first in a normal way for children of that age, but unfortunately for him, he pushed her into a desk.”
“Oh dear,” said Sun Yi.
“Yes, quite. The teacher claimed that she saw the boy fly through the air into a chair. I had to give the teacher a cup of tea to calm her down. She still had the boy’s blood on her arm.”
“Is Lu Lei back in class?” asked Sun Yi.
“Yes. She returned to class after she spent the morning break sitting with our youngest teacher who comforted her and fixed her doll–which, by the way, she must not bring to school in the future.”
“No, of course not.” Sun Yi replied. “And the Police Chief?”
“Could not come in today. Too busy. The boy will have to spend the rest of the day in the infirmary. I think it is better that the other children do not see his swollen face until tomorrow or the next day. Hopefully, the acupuncture will do its job. The doctor is excellent. I use him myself for my back. As for the Police Chief, I expect I will hear from him tomorrow. I am not looking forward to that phone call. Perhaps you could call him tonight to see how the boy is? I will write his phone number down for you.”
Wu Feng’s grimace was momentary, but enough to stop the principal from writing.
“Thank you, I already have it. I have known him since we went to school together. Unfortunately, we have always had problems. One of us will call him.”
Sun Yi jumped in, “Actually, since it’s my turn to get her from school, I’ll talk to him if I see him.”
“I am sorry that you had to come in. Any time you wish to talk about Lu Lei, please call and make an appointment. We encourage our children to share, to respect each other and to avoid conflict, but when we begin working with the new students, it is to be expected that there will be some issues that need attention. That is what we are here for. It is our job. We will encourage Wei Bao and Lu Lei to make amends. You can help her by encouraging this as well.”
“Thank you very much for your time. We will do as you say,” replied Wu Feng.
Wu Feng shook Matt’s hand and handed him a bottle of red wine with his left. He was happy to see Matt and Casey. Having seen them drop their cover at his house, sparring hand to hand in the living room, Wu Feng knew that he had their trust.
“Are you certain that it is wise having us over for dinner?”
Matt replied, “Don’t worry. It would be suspicious if we didn’t. They know we are friends. Besides, Casey met with her little buddy from the police force this morning, just to touch base. They are not interested in us at all. There is, however, one thing we need to talk about, but let’s wait until the Master gets here.”
“Lu Lei!” Casey she bent down to receive her hug. Sun Yi was surprised to see Lu Lei throw her arms around Casey like a long-lost friend. They seemed to have developed a connection.
“How are you enjoying school?”
Sun Yi looked at Casey, smiling, and rolled her eyes.
“School is a bit stupid. Barbie also does not like school. The teachers are nice, but some boys are mean. They call me ‘Tai Chi’.”
“Lu Lei and Tai Chi are both very powerful names. You are so lucky.” Casey gazed at Lu Lei, who was listening intently. “Also, I think Barbie doesn’t need to go to school.”
Sun Yi was relieved to hear it coming from someone else.
A knock on the door that was already ajar announced the arrival of the Master, holding a bottle of the lethal rice wine.
“Matt Nelson, Casey Nelson. I am so happy to see you both again.”
The Master grunted when his leg took the full force of Lu Lei’s hurtling body.
“Lu Lei. My youngest protégé.”
He swept her up into his arms and coerced her little body, puppet-like, into a flying kick. He floated her over to Matt, aiming the little extended shoe at his chin. Matt feigned being knocked to the floor, letting the bottle of wine roll across the room. Wu Feng came in close and threw some soft punches at Lu Lei, which she fended off with just one arm, giggling.
Sun Yi said, “Come on. That’s enough,” but Wu Feng sent an elbow in slow motion toward Sun Yi’s face. She smiled and slowly ducked under the elbow, coming up under it, spinning with two fingers extended to tap Wu Feng on the forehead, bringing him to the ground.
The Master saw that Casey was now at Sun Yi’s side in the same defensive Kung Fu stance. Lu Lei, giggling, sailed high through the air at the two women, spinning twice as the Master gracefully swiveled her body around. Both of Lu Lei’s feet extended straight out, supported by the Master’s hands as s
he sat on his shoulder, holding his head for stability. Lu Lei’s feet came crashing toward the terror ridden faces of her mother and Casey. Both women made dramatically painful expressions and then sank to the floor. Lu Lei squealed with delight as she landed back on the ground at the Master’s feet and felt his hands mould her body into four respectful bows to her defeated enemies on the ground. Everyone lay where they had fallen, not moving.
“I’m hungry,” exclaimed Lu Lei, bringing them all back to life, laughing.
Lu Lei ate a simple dinner before being put to bed in the guest room by Matt, who made up a story to tell her in Mandarin. Still remembering the word for mermaid, he strung together a short tale about a fisherman falling in love with the pretty person fish because she was kind to all the fish, no-matter whom they had eaten recently.
“Why was she giggling so much?” Casey asked Matt when he appeared from the guest room looking exhausted.
“She enjoys hearing about mermaids. Maybe it’s my accent.”
Sun Yi was feeling a little emotional after watching her friends with her daughter. “Thank you all for being so kind to Lu Lei. She had a terrible day at school.”
“What happened?” asked Matt.
Wu Feng jumped in, “She taught Wei Bao how to fly.”
Sun Yi looked at him reproachfully, adding with a smile, “But unfortunately he has not yet learned in his kung fu class how to fall.”
They all chuckled.
Matt, half smiling, asked, “Is it wrong that I feel proud?”
Casey wasn’t smiling though. “What was it about this time?”
Matt guessed, “Barbie again?”
“Yes,” replied Wu Feng, “he pulled her arm off this time.”
“A most fatal error,” the Master added, nodding pretending to be deep in thought. “If she was defending herself, I am satisfied with her progress. The class is working on an idea closely connected to self defense and anger.” The Master said, continuing, “I would be most interested to know what the Chief had to say.”
Sun Yi replied, “I saw him when he came to pick up Wei Bao after school. I apologized to him, but he turned his head away and kept walking. He feels shame and anger.”
“A pity,” said the Master.
Matt and Casey glanced at each other, concerned.
After eating the lychee for dessert, the conversation shifted to the demonstration planned for the next evening. Casey clasped her hands together. “Matt and I wish to encourage you both to skip the demonstration. Our man at the police station told us that the Chief has it in for you. He said that it goes back for years.”
Matt stood and walked to the window. “It looks like you have a couple of new friends.”
Wu Feng joined him at the window, looking down at the two men smoking on the street. “We have been letting them follow us, mostly. I had to lose mine twice. Your methods work well.”
Matt didn’t answer and looked uncomfortable.
Casey broke the silence. “My source told me that Li seems to have disappeared and the special branch is searching for him. Regarding the two of you, things could go either way. Keep in mind that the police are being chastised by the government for losing Li. You could both be on the Chief’s personal list. He may feel the need to save face. It might be a good time for you to get out of Beijing.”
The Master spoke. “Li Hongzhi is still in China trying to negotiate, but he is making plans to go to America very soon. He feels that he can do more good for the world if he travels to the West to pass on his knowledge. Perhaps Sun Yi and Wu Feng might be interested in this solution?”
Wu Feng looked at Sun Yi for a moment. They both knew that just one man was causing turmoil for them. His own school bully still loomed above him, forcing him to contemplate uprooting the lives of his wife and daughter.
Matt broke the silence, “I agree on the ‘get out of town’ idea. Can you promise us that you won’t participate in that demonstration tomorrow?”
Wu Feng had already made his mind up to be there. Lu Lei’s incident at school and tonight’s little impromptu slow motion fight had sparked an urge to stand up and do what his heart told him was right.
“I will meditate on the question. Often the heart knows more than the mind.”
Sun Yi looked at the Master. “I had a dream about the demonstration. Thousands of white birds on a beach. Sitting in peace. No confrontation.”
“A good sign,” nodded the Master, though the Barbecue Couple looked at each other dubiously.
7
Mopping up
The next morning during her first class, Lu Lei noticed that Wei Bao was not at school. Her emotions confused her. Why do I wish that Wei Bao was here? she asked herself. She wasn’t afraid of him now, and just wanted to be friends.
Last night she’d overheard her parents talking as she dozed in the taxi on the way home. Her mother had said that “young people forgive and forget quickly,” which sounded strange to Lu Lei because she didn’t think she would ever forget what had happened to Barbie.
After school, her mother was coming to get her. Tonight would be fun because she was being dropped at Casey and Matt’s place where she could rest before tai chi class. She would also sleep there. Both her parents had told her at breakfast that they were busy tonight, and Casey and Matt had invited her for a sleepover.
Back from taking Lu Lei to school, Sun Yi walked through the front door. “Wei Bao was not there today,” she called out.
Wu Feng stopped mopping the floor. “I hope the boy is alright. Should we call?”
Sun Yi replied, “What, the Chief’s house? I suppose we could. The housekeeper will be there with Wei Bao. I’ll call. I talked to her once before in the market. She’s very nice.”
Sun Yi tiptoed comically across Wu Feng’s wet floor, feigning a guilty face as Wu Feng placed his hands on his hips and made a face. He enjoyed the monumental task of mopping the whole “factory” floor. He believed that the discipline of movement found in all martial arts could be found in the tasks of everyday life. When he mopped the floor, he used his forms, especially when Sun Yi wasn’t home.
Sun Yi loved catching her husband practicing tai chi in the house when he was supposed to be cleaning. For her it was a beautiful thing to see, especially if she could remain unnoticed–a fly on the wall witnessing unbridled art. Wu Feng was obsessive in everything he did, most of all in martial arts, which is why he had become, in all probability, invincible, though nobody would ever know.
Sun Yi turned the page in their phone book and dialed the Chief’s number. It rang six...seven times before the sweet voice of the Chief’s long suffering housekeeper answered. Wu Feng stopped mopping to listen to Sun Yi’s side of the conversation.
“Yes, that’s right, we met in the market.”
“Oh, you are too polite. I really don’t think I am pretty.”
“Yes, how do you remember so much? Her name is Lu Lei. She’s about to turn six,”
“I know, they grow up so fast.”
“That’s right, same class as Wei Bao. Which is–”
“Right. Yes, they did have an argument... I just wanted to...”
“Oh, he is? That’s wonderful. I’m so relieved.”
“Yes, I have been trying to talk to his father, but...”
“Oh, yes, I know how he can get. Is he still angry with us?”
Wu Feng sighed and started mopping again, now with just a touch more speed in his movements, progressing into a series of long-staff weapon exercises using the mop to battle the air.
Li Hongzhi sat on a Chesterfield couch in the Premier’s office, looking at his adversary who sat on the couch opposite, legs and arms crossed.
“Mister Premier, thank you for seeing me. Let us put our minds together for the greater good.”
“Li Hongzhi, I am pleased to meet you. It is impressive that you have managed to navigate your way past the Party’s red tape. Unexpected. I should not have taken this meeting with you. It could be very dangerous f
or me. Whatever we talk about here must remain a secret. Do you understand?”
Li noted that the Premier’s fingernails were bitten down to the quick, and that he blinked frequently, rocking back and forth. Vulnerable, uncertain, easily swayed, Li mused.
Sun Yi waited at the school gate while Lu Lei said goodbye to her friends. The plump blue canvas bag over Sun Yi’s shoulder contained Lu lei’s tai chi uniform and her things for the sleepover. Lu Lei chattered away as Sun Yi hoisted her to the handlebars. She felt relieved that her daughter had had a better day at school, but her thoughts whirled around what the Chief’s housekeeper had told her on the phone. Wei Bao was fine on the inside, but “somewhat black-and-blue in the face,” in the housekeeper’s own words.
The housekeeper had glossed over the Chief’s attitude toward them, but the way she had made light of it had given away the truth that the Chief had it in for them.
Lu Lei’s twittering subsided as she took note of the bicycle route to the Nelsons’. The buildings were taller, and there were more trees. People were even walking dogs. Lu Lei was fascinated with all animals, but particularly dogs. By the age of two, she pointed to any dog she saw. It was also one of the first words she had learned.
Sun Yi had avoided explaining the fact that owning big dogs in Beijing was illegal and the people who owned them were flouting the law. At night there were many more large dogs on the street because the owners felt that they were less likely to be caught by the police. Most people chose retrievers, huskies or labradors. Lu Lei had no idea that people ate dog meat, and hopefully she would not find out for a very long time. It was a strange contradiction, Sun Yi mused, that even people she knew who owned dogs were also happy to go to a restaurant and eat dog meat.
They neared the building where Casey and Matt lived. Sun Yi turned on her motherly voice, “Remember, Lu Lei, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Help them with their Mandarin if they need it and be the nicest Lu Lei you can be. Do you understand?”
Surviving Spies (Irving Waters, Spy Fiction Series) Page 7