Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

“That’s easier said than done. I’d go hungry if we had to live on what his articles bring in. If he were as talented as Zhuang Laoshi, I’d stay home and wait on him, not go out to work like you.”

“Then let’s do this,” Niu Yueqing said. “When Hong Jiang publishes more books, I’ll ask him to get Zhou Min to help out.”

“Don’t make that kind of offer yet. What would you say to Zhou Min if Hong refused?” Zhuang said. “You said you were looking all over for me. What’s it about?”

“An urgent matter.”

“I’m sorry I’ve delayed you. I’ll leave now,” Tang said and walked off.

“Gong Xiaoyi came to see me at work this morning,” Niu Yueqing said. “He started crying the moment he came in. I was stunned. What has happened to him? He looks more dead than alive. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he wanted to see you about his father. He was arrested for the same old problem and told Xiaoyi to find someone to smooth things over so he would only have to pay a fine. But Xiaoyi’s mother went to Tianjin to see her parents. Xiaoyi didn’t know who to see, and he had no money to pay a fine. So he came to see you.”

“Could he have made up the story to get opium money from us? I saw him a few days ago, and I heard nothing about his father.”

“That’s what I thought, too, and I told him to tell the truth. So he showed me a note from Gong Jingyuan. I know Old Gong’s handwriting. It was from him.”

“Old Gong has been arrested many times because of this problem. And each time he gets out by giving away calligraphy. He’ll be fine unless they chop off his hand.”

“That’s what I figured. But Xiaoyi said it was different this time. When someone from the Ministry of Public Security came to review job performances here, he received several letters of complaint about Old Gong’s gambling habit, and the fact that he’s been released after each arrest. That angered the man, who criticized the local police. Who could have guessed that the very next day, Old Gong and his friends would be gambling at the same hotel where the man was staying? So he was arrested and threatened with severe punishment.”

Finally sensing the gravity of the situation, Zhuang cursed Gong Jingyuan for being so careless.

“Old Gong does have his problems,” Niu Yueqing said, “but he’s an old friend. And now that his son has come to us, we can’t wash our hands of him. Think about who you know, and see if you can find someone to help him out. Even if it doesn’t work, our consciences will be clear knowing that we’ve done our best. No one could accuse us of being disloyal or unkind.”

Zhuang frowned and remained silent for a while before saying, “I haven’t eaten yet. Let’s go get some lunch first.”

They went to a diner for some hand-cut noodles, after which he told his wife to go home, while he went to see Zhao Jingwu about the problem.

“I do know a few people at the Public Security Bureau, but I’m afraid they won’t be much help,” Zhao said, looking uncomfortable. “Ai! Maybe it’s good for him to suffer a bit.”

“I thought it over and decided we have to help him this time no matter what,” said Zhuang. “Go see Xiaoyi and find out more about the situation. Tell him how bad it is this time, and that his father could get at least three years. Scare him a bit.”

“I’m sure he’s already scared witless. Why scare him more?”

“I have a plan. I’ll tell you after I see Meng Laoshi.”

Zhao hurried off when he heard Zhuang’s explanation.

Zhuang went to see Meng Yunfang and told him what he knew.

“Who should we see?” Meng asked. “You know the mayor, why don’t you go see him?”

“I can’t. The repercussions would be too much for him to deal with. Did you say you’ve met Knave Number Two several times at Huiming’s place?”

“Are you asking me to get Huiming to talk to him? I can’t do that.”

“But you have to. As a favor to me. We need the man’s help, not to get Gong released, but to reduce the punishment to a fine. I’m pretty sure he can get it done.”

Meng went with great reluctance, and returned to say that Huiming had agreed to talk to the man on their behalf. They were to wait for her call. After lunch at Meng’s place, Huiming phoned that afternoon to say that the Public Security Bureau had agreed to fine Gong. But it would be a heavy fine, sixty thousand yuan. Zhuang sighed before going to Zhao Jingwu’s place with Meng. Zhao had just returned from Xiaoyi’s house, so they sat down to discuss the situation. Zhuang told Zhao to have the money ready within three days.

“Are you going to lend Xiaoyi the money? That would be like hitting a dog with meat buns, with no hope of getting it back. He’d buy opium instead of paying the fine.”

“You’re usually very smart, Jingwu, so why are you so dense all of sudden? Xiaoyi squanders everything, so I can’t possibly lend him that much money. We’ve worked hard to get Gong off the hook by having the punishment reduced. We’ve done right by Gong Jingyuan. Xiaoyi is a hopeless addict who would steal all his father’s calligraphy and sell it to buy opium. We might as well buy Gong’s works now.”

Zhao and Meng both applauded Zhuang’s idea.

“That’s it! We’ll save Gong Jingyuan and keep his works with us. Maybe Xiaoyi will quit opium when there’s nothing more for him to sell,” Meng said.

“Why don’t you and Jingwu work on this?”

Zhao went to see Xiaoyi and spent the whole evening talking to him. Xiaoyi, who was moved to tears by what he heard, asked to borrow money from Zhao when he was told about the fine. Zhao said he would have gotten married long ago if he had that kind of money. Then he told Xiaoyi that he knew of an art dealer who he hoped would buy Gong Jingyuan’s calligraphy. The art dealer had agreed to buy only two, but Zhao told him to buy enough for them to bring in sixty thousand yuan. As a favor to save Gong, Zhao stressed.

“The art dealer reluctantly agreed, but he said he wanted a discount, since he was asked to buy so many pieces at one time,” Zhao said.

“How much is he offering?” Xiaoyi asked.

Zhao signaled with his fingers.

“But that’s half of what my father’s works usually fetch,” Xiaoyi cried out. “That’s like robbery. I won’t sell to him. I’ll sell the pieces on my own.”

“We only have four days. How many do you think you can sell off in that time, even if you manage to find buyers? Your father will have been sentenced by then.”

Xiaoyi had to agree with Zhao. So he led Zhao to his father’s house, where he ferreted out nearly four-fifths of the finished works. Zhao also discovered some antique scrolls in Gong Jingyuan’s possession.

“You need to give those away, too, Xiaoyi. I don’t want them, and neither does your Uncle Zhuang. We’ve run our legs off doing what’s right. But when we talked to the people at the Public Security Bureau, Number Two, and Abbess Huiming, they all said they could help, but they’d want some works from the famous calligrapher. I don’t see how we can refuse them. We have to make sure they don’t go back on their word and hurt your father’s chances, but at the same time we can’t let them make exorbitant demands. Why not give one to each of them?”

Xiaoyi scratched his head and fell silent for a moment before giving Zhao seven pieces, adding one for Zhuang and one for Zhao.

“We can’t take these. If this were anyone else, even ten antiques would not get me to do such a thing, let alone your Uncle Zhuang. But we are friends with you and your father, two generations of the Gong family. Tomorrow, Uncle Zhuang and I have to treat some people to a meal at the Xijing Restaurant, and you don’t have to worry about how much we spend.”