Opium Warfare Page 4

  Mr.Shaojin left with his men as we all stood and watched them leave, a little stunned. I approached Rafael who seemed shaken and afraid.

  “Rafael, are you alright?”

  “Huh? Oh...yeah...yeah, kid I’m fine. Mr.Shaojin was just telling me to make sure all the crates were accounted for and that his men would be back in a few hours.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m fine. Now, get back to work.”

  I walked toward the ship, but then stopped and took a look back at Rafael. Something was wrong. Clearly, Mr.Shaojin had said something to him that scared him off. Rafael was just as nervous talking to him as Chao only mentioning him. What in the world was it about this guy that made people so nervous? As I stood there seeing him with my own two eyes, I didn’t get the impression of an ego driven businessmen who does what he wants. I didn’t really know what I saw when I looked at him, I didn’t really feel anything, I couldn’t read through him. I walked toward the ship and began unloading the crates.

  After about three and a half hours into working, we finally finished unloading the crates onto the dock. It took an hour and a half more than what Rafael told Mr. Shaojin, but at least it got done. Now that I think about it, I’ve been so busy working that I’ve realized I haven’t seen Rafael since the incident with Mr. Shaojin. That’s odd. Usually he’d be yelling at us and driving us to push forward and get things moving along, but that wasn’t the case this time. No sooner did I mention it, I saw Rafael emerging from his small office shed. He seemed much calmer than he was earlier, but I guess we were about to find out if that was true.

  “Alright, you finished. Good job, guys!” Rafael said. “So, that is everything off the ship, correct?”

  “Yeah, sure is boss.” a worker commented back.

  “Alright, well, you’re lucky we got it done when we did, because Mr. Shaojin is on his way back with his men to collect. You all did good and since there’s nothing left to load, you can leave. I’ll be expecting you back in two days, gentlemen.”

  We all agreed in unison.

  I was concerned for Rafael. “Rafael are you going to be alright here by yourself when Mr. Shaojin comes by with his men?”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah kid, I’ll be fine. I doubt he’ll even be coming, probably just bringing his men by.”

  “Alright, well, I’ll see you Friday then,”

  “Take care, Ryu Sunshine,”

  I stopped for a moment and finally asked him why he has been calling me that.

  “It’s because you’re so calm and collected when you come to work. You always got a smile on your face, you don’t complain, you don’t argue with me, you’re like a big ray of sunshine.”

  I just smiled at him and said okay. As I began walking home, I still wondered about him. Given that intense moment he and Shaojin shared and given everything he told me, I wondered if he was in danger. Oh well, Rafael is a tough guy and I’m sure Mr. Shaojin meant no harm. However, I can’t help but think about why I can’t figure the man out and why he’s such an intriguing mystery. I’m sure it’s nothing, I mean, maybe the guy just comes off the wrong way to people. Maybe because he’s so rich and powerful, he gives off that intimidation factor and people can’t help but think he’s full of himself. Well, I’m sure I’ll meet him at some point and find out for myself, but until then, I shall continue to wonder why he is such a mystery to me.

  Chapter 4 - Enigmatic

  A man jumped to his death from the four story window of his room at the Astor House Hotel. To think I normally didn’t go this way – got to love taking short cuts. I wasn’t like the many people around running up to the new piece of art lying in the middle of the street; instead, I kept my distance. I was walking, but my head was slightly turned to the crowd and it was because of this that I didn’t see where I was going. I ended up on the ground upon bumping into someone. As I looked up, I realized I bumped into a beautiful woman. She had medium length black hair that went down a bit past her neck. Her eyes were a perfect shade of blue and she had a light complexion and a slender figure. She reminded me of one of those aspiring silent film actresses in Hong Kong or Hollywood. I was taken aback by her beauty, but quickly remembered I had just ran into this poor girl.

  I brushed myself off before getting off the ground and offering my sincere apologies.

  “I’m so sorry, I was looking at the crowd and not ahead of me. And oh gosh, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright, I wasn’t watching where I was going either. I hope you’re okay.”

  Her voice was as angelic as I thought it would be from the brief moment I glanced up at her.

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. The better question is, are you?”

  She laughed. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m Mia,” she said as she extended her hand for me to shake.

  “I’m Ryu,” I replied as I shook her hand.

  “Do you know what happened?” she asked me with concern.

  “Unfortunately, yes. I was walking up the street and just happened to look up and saw a man fall to his death from the fourth floor of the hotel.”

  “Oh my! How terrible!”

  “Yeah, I was shocked and came over to see what had happened and as I backed up...well...that’s when I ran into you.”

  “Well, I’m just glad we are both alright and it’s totally understandable, I mean, it’s not every day you see something so horrific before your very own eyes.”

  We both slowly walked together near the crowd of people to try to take a look at the body. By now, the authorities had blocked off the area and kept everyone away at a good distance from the scene.

  “What would possess someone to jump out a window like that?” Mia asked.

  “I don’t know, but he could have always been pushed...”

  “You think so?”

  “Just a thought, I can’t imagine someone ending their own lives that way.”

  “Yeah, me neither. I’ll try and see if I can get any information on what happened, I’m a reporter.”

  Wow, beautiful and has an inside profession; this girl is something else.

  Mia was gone for about two minutes, but came back to speak with me some more.

  “It was an old man. They said he jumped, alright. He had a note in his back pocket.”

  “You got all that information just like that?

  “I told you, I’m a reporter, so I have some pull,” she said as she winked at me.

  “Did they tell you why he jumped or what the note said?”

  “No, afraid not, but it really makes you wonder. Maybe he was in debt or had an illness and just couldn’t take it anymore,” she said.

  When she mentioned debt, I immediately thought of my grandfather. He owed a lot of money and that’s what got him killed. I wondered if he ever thought about ending his life before his time, though, I immediately denounced the thought of it as I knew my grandfather was a strong man.

  “Ryu? You okay?”

  “Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something”

  Mia let out a soft snicker before speaking, “It’s alright.”

  “So where are you from?” I asked.

  “I’m from America. Chicago, Illinois to be exact.”

  “Oh, very nice. I’m quite familiar with Chicago; I’m a big geography buff and one day, I wish to go to America to explore, so I’ve made sure I’ve done my research.”

  “Yeah, it is a nice place to live in, though, Shanghai isn’t so bad either. I’m learning quite a lot here.”

  “Is that so? What brings you here to Shanghai anyways?”

  “Well, I was sent here to interview Shin Shaojin, do you know him?”

  There he was again. For the third time in as many days I found someone I know bringing up Shin Shaojin, the great enigma.

  “Oh yeah, I’ve heard a lot about him lately and I just saw him at my work down by the docks. He was giving my boss a hard time about the timing of when he wanted his shipments unloaded.”

  “That sounds like him alright. Try int
erviewing him, he gives me the creeps,” Mia said.

  “Wow, that bad, huh?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, the man was nice enough to allow me to speak with him and he answered all my questions, but just the way he came off as someone very smug, and he sort of hit on me.”

  “I can’t say I blame him-err-I mean, yeah, he does seem a bit forward at times,” I quickly corrected myself, hoping she didn’t catch that.

  “Yeah, the guy is a mystery,” Mia said, slightly blushing.

  “That’s what I’ve been thinking too; it seems everyone I’ve been talking to had little to say about him or don’t like him, especially my boss.”

  “Not a fan of his, I take it?”

  “Not at all; in fact, he rattled him and I’ve never seen anyone rattle him like that.”

  “Yeah, he’s a real saint. I got to do my report on him as a piece on businessmen around the world.”

  “That sounds interesting...well, aside from the fact that you got to talk with Shaojin, I mean.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was actually on my way to meet with him in a little bit.”

  “Oh, that should be fun.”

  “You know it. Say, are you doing anything tonight?”

  “I don’t believe so, why?”

  “Maybe we can meet up and have tea and get to know each other better. You seem like a nice guy, a lot nicer than Shaojin.”

  “Yeah, I’d like that. Where would you like to meet?”

  “Meet me here in front of the Hotel at around eight.”

  “Sounds good. See you later Mia, it was nice meeting you.”

  “Same here Ryu, see you then.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she was walking away. Wow, was she beautiful. Given the latest state of how things have been lately, it was nice to see a fresh new face around here. If only Rafael could see me now, he’d really be calling me Ryu Sunshine, because I was beaming. I never had much luck with the ladies, then again, I never really tried to approach them. It wasn’t that I found them intimidating or was afraid of being turned down, it was just I had been a shy and quiet type of guy most my life and to be honest, Mia was the first girl who I’ve immediately struck up such a conversation with in a long time. My mind was racing and my heart was beating fast, but not so much that it felt like it was about to pop out of my chest. As I walked home, I thought about Mia almost the entire time until I remember whom we were talking about. Back into my thoughts he returned like a menacing serpent ready to strike. It dawned on me that if nobody had anything good to say about him; he’s already implanted inside my mind and I only met him once, only knowing what I knew about him based on what everyone had told me, then clearly he must be poison. Again while I knew not if he was as lethal as everyone was saying, I knew two things were becoming evident: I would be getting some answers soon, hopefully with Mia’s help, and the more people mentioned him to me, the more I started to loathe this Shin Shaojin.

  * * * * * *

  Chao’s deli had been closed all day. It was the first time in a long time that Chao had been closed for an entire day. People who knew him knew that not only was he never closed, but he never took days off. To his friends and loyal customers, Chao was iron-willed and as strong as they come. What they didn’t know was that Chao was not as iron-willed as they thought he was. He was getting older and times had become hard for him. Sure he had quite a crowd for the first time on a Monday in a long time, but it was by no means a reflection of the way things were becoming.

  He had loyal customers and he had solid income for his business, but Shin Shaojin was not a loyal customer. Shin Shaojin was not even a customer. He had a vision of Shanghai’s future and cared not that old man Chao had stood on this very spot for over 40 years. He cared not for tradition or any old fashioned nostalgia or landmark; he only wished to create his own landmark. Even if that meant taking out the current ones and wiping away that history.

  Chao had not opened the store, because he knew Shin Shaojin would be showing up, and it rattled him since he woke up. He didn’t want to be bothered, so he prepared himself for the great businessman to make his appearance. He cleaned up the front of his deli for hours, touching up what he already touched up just an hour earlier. He didn’t dare go in the back room, for he felt nothing but shame when he walked back there. Every time he walked back there, he was reminded of how things had changed, of how he had, in a way, given up. He continued to clean and polish his counter. The counter top shined brighter than it had in a long time, it made him smile for just a moment until he was brought back to reality upon remembering why he was doing it in the first place. He was killing time and not in a good way. He thought that maybe he could open the place for a while; surely, people must have been worried about him and were probably wondering why he wasn’t open today.

  Tired of cleaning, he sat down and looked around his place. He sighed hard and threw his rag down. He thought long and hard and came to a decision. It probably wouldn’t be the best idea, but he had to stick up for himself and he had to do what was right. He nodded in approval to himself and picked up his rag off the spotless counter and gripped it firmly. Chao knew what he was about to do was bold and it scared him, but he also knew that it had to be done. He heard a knock at the back door. He reluctantly got up from his seat and went to the back and opened it. Standing outside was the visitor he was expecting, the man of the hour with his two associates.

  He stepped aside and welcomed them in and closed the door as they entered.

  Chao sat in a chair in the back room of his establishment. To the side of him stood Kazar and Rezel and directly in front of him stood Shin Shaojin.

  Shin started walking back and forth in the room, slowly pacing as his shadow went in and out from visibility to darkness. It was as if it molded within the darkness and every time it came out into view, it appeared even more menacing.

  “So you said you had something to tell me Mr. Chao?” Shaojin asked Chao.

  “I thought long and hard about what you said, about what has happened so far, but no more. I will not have any of it anymore.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, I am sorry Mr. Shaojin, but I cannot continue to be selling out my back room for such debauchery, and I will not sell my joint to you. I am a man, I am a strong man and this place has been around for many year. Many families of different generations come to my place to eat and to enjoy their stay here. People know me and they respect me and if I go, it’s as though a part of their lives will be gone, and I enjoy bringing smiles to their face.”

  Shaojin clapped after hearing Chao protesting.

  “Bravo Mr. Chao, that was quite a speech, but I don’t think you believe it for a second. I just think you’ve come to a sudden epiphany and while it makes sense to you now, I don’t think it will in a day or even in a few hours from now. You should know better than to think I would believe you.”

  “No!” Chao stood up angrily from his seat.

  “You’re just being brave now Mr. Chao, and I am willing to look the other way and let you be for the time being.”

  “No! No more!” Chao exclaimed again as he made fists with both his hands, his face red with rage. “You listen to me Mr. Shaojin, I am not allowing you to use my place anymore! Sure, I could use the extra money, but I am cutting you off, no deal! I will not allow you to use me, and I will not be selling my building to you. I hope you can respect my decision and find another place. Chao does not sell out, Chao is a good man.”

  “How dare you try to back out of our deal?! You think you have a choice? The whole reason I asked to use your back room is because I felt pity for you. I took it out of the kindness of my heart to allow you to continue to keep your establishment and even make additional money, which we split fifty-fifty so that you could retire and ride off into the glorious Shanghai sunset.”

  “But I-”

  “No! Now you listen to me! I already bought the building fair and square, so you cannot back out now. Plus you
were paying the rent for me in the beginning, yes? But I said no and struck up this idea to have you keep your deli for a while longer, so I could use your back room. Now what I hope you can respect Mr. Chao is that I am not to be toyed with, and I sincerely and wholeheartedly hope that you are just amusing me because you are old and senile.”

  “I am not senile and I do not kid you, Mr. Shaojin. I am through with our deal!”

  “NO! YOU ARE NOT THROUGH WITH OUR DEAL!”

  Chao fell back into his seat.

  “You ignorant fool! This is non-negotiable, and understand that I was allowing you to keep this place, but since you feel that it breaks your oath as a man well...well, Mr. Chao, I’m afraid I will have to be changing our little arrangement.”

  Shaojin nodded to his men and Rezel and Kazar grabbed Chao from under his arms and dragged him over to the other side of the room, while Shaojin followed them slowly. Shaojin began placing a white mat horizontally on the floor. He then dragged a large man made device right above the white mat. The apparatus was about 7 feet high and had a barrel of water at the top with a faucet like spigot coming out of it. Rezel and Kazar then laid Chao down and strapped his arms and legs to a spring board that was on top of the mat. After they positioned him on the board and strapped him, they started punching his face and stomach. They continued to beat him up for about a minute until their boss told them to stop. Mr. Shaojin then moved the device right at the edge of the spring board and mat, so that the spigot was lined up above Chao’s forehead.

  He then stepped back and turned the knob on the device just a slight inch, so that the water would be out trickling out slowly drip by drip.

  “You know what Chao? I have decided to give you one last chance to change your mind. So what I’m going to do is leave you here to gather your thoughts. As you can see I have set up this little device here to assist me, to keep an eye on you so to speak, and to hopefully make you see the truth of how our arrangement should be.”

  Chao screamed and pleaded, but to no avail. Rezel then stuffed a piece of cloth into Chao’s mouth to keep him from screaming.

  “I’m sorry it had to come to this, but you tried to defy me and back out of our deal. But as you will soon come to realize...there is no other option but to agree to my terms and accept your fate. So I leave you here and let those cold euphoric drops of water drip and seep into your skull. I will be gone for 48 hours, I trust that when I come back, you’ll have come to your senses. I’m truly sorry it had to come to this.”