“Don’t sweat it. We’ll meet Friday morning and go over everything in detail. Did Lok say how he wanted the money?”
“No, actually he didn’t.”
“He will, if not today, then tomorrow. Knowing him, he’ll ask for cash. Tell him that’s difficult — we’d need about four suitcases — and ask if he’ll go along with a certified cheque.”
“What if he insists on cash?”
“Then we’ll find a way to do it. At least carrying a bunch of suitcases into a hotel lobby won’t look strange.”
“God, this is so complicated.”
“Michael, relax. Friday will be here before you know it and then this will be over.”
May threw her a quizzical glance. “My brother,” Ava said, as she put away her phone.
“He doesn’t know what your plans are?” May asked.
“No. He’s not much of a liar and he has to handle communication with Lok. I decided it would be better if he really believed we were going to pay.”
“Sounds like he needs his hand held.”
“Sometimes.”
“Typical. I mean, typical for a man.”
“This restaurant is very famous for its dim sum,” the captain interrupted as they drove past signs saying they were headed towards the Pearl River.
When they pulled up in front, they saw that the lineup had spilled onto South Lovers’ Lane. Is there a North Lovers’ Lane? Ava wondered. How about a West and an East? The captain led them past the throng and towards an army of hostesses. “The ladies are joining General Feng,” he said to the only woman in a cheongsam. And then he turned to May and said, “I’ll be waiting in the car.”
The restaurant was enormous, with a seating capacity of about two thousand. The hostess guided them through seating area after seating area to a section at the rear that had four private dining rooms. She knocked and waited. “Come in,” a voice said.
General Feng sat at the table with another young officer. They both leapt to their feet to greet the women. “Madam Wong, a pleasure,” he said. “This is Lieutenant Chao, my personal assistant.”
“And this is Ava Lee, my associate,” May said.
There was a brisk round of bowing and then they settled into their chairs, the General pouring the first round of tea. “General Zhao sends his regards,” said May.
“We were classmates and have been good friends and colleagues for thirty years,” Feng said.
There was a knock at the door and two servers came in, followed by a host in a tuxedo. “I hope you don’t mind, I ordered two specialties of the house — a soup made from black chicken and steamed squilla. The squilla is a particular favourite of mine.”
As the host ladled soup and portioned out the shrimp, Feng and May made small talk about Zhao. The host hovered as they tasted the soup. “It’s wonderful,” May said.
“Good, and now we’ll order some dim sum. Any preferences?”
“Order whatever you want, General. I trust your judgement,” May said.
When the staff had left, the room grew quiet as the soup and the squilla were shown due respect. May finished first; she had eaten only half of what she had been served. “General, our friend Zhao tells me you have a son studying in Shanghai,” she said.
“Yes, my only child, a fine young man. He has decided that economics and business are for him.”
“He is an undergraduate?”
“Yes.”
“And how is he doing at school?”
“His marks are outstanding.”
“I don’t know if Zhao has told you or not, but our company is always on the lookout for bright young graduates with an interest in business.”
“Well, that is my son’s interest.”
“And what are his plans after Shanghai?”
“He wants to go to business school in Australia, maybe Canada.”
“Would he consider the United States?”
“Why not?”
“I ask because our company has a relationship with the Stanford School of Business: we put one student a year into their post-graduate program. We pay the tuition fees and all their other expenses for as long as they are there. Of course, they have to commit to working at our company for at least two years after graduating. We naturally put them into a management position right away — the fast track — and then it’s up to them how far they progress. Not many of them ever leave our company.”
“That sounds very interesting,” Feng said.
“I wonder if you could mention this to your son.”
“I’d be pleased to.”
“You would be doing me a favour. Young men like him are our future.”