The Firemaker Read Online Free PDF Page A

made that clear in Chicago. It’s all booked.’
    The colour rose high on Lily’s face. ‘People’s University of Public Security cannot afford hotel. We provide apartment for lecturer.’
    Almost twenty-four hours without sleep was taking its toll on Margaret’s patience. ‘Look, the hotel is booked, I’m paying for it myself. It was all part of the deal. Okay?’
    There was consternation on Professor’s Jiang’s face as he struggled to make sense of this friction between the two women. Bob stepped in quickly, smiling and speaking rapidly in Chinese in an attempt to smooth Lily’s ruffled feathers. Then he turned to Margaret, still smiling. ‘Just a little misunderstanding. We’ll sort it all out.’
    Lily looked far from mollified. She glared at Margaret, turned abruptly and marched out of the room. Bob smiled and nodded some more, uttering further soothing words in Chinese to Professor Jiang, and steering Margaret hastily out into the corridor.
    ‘Jesus, Margaret, what the hell do you think you’re playing at?’
    Margaret was beside herself with indignation. ‘What have I done now? The hotel is booked. It was all agreed. I didn’t want to go home at night and have to start making my own bed and cooking my own meals.’
    He drew her away from the reception room. ‘Yeah, but Lily didn’t know that. You don’t just go contradicting people here, Margaret.’
    ‘Don’t tell me. I made her lose “ mianzi ”.’
    ‘Oh, so you have read your briefing notes.’ Margaret resisted the temptation to put him straight. ‘The thing is, Margaret, the Chinese have got a thousand ways of saying “no” without ever saying “no”. And you’re going to have to start learning some of them, or your six weeks here are going to seem like six years.’
    Margaret sighed theatrically. ‘So what should I have said?’
    ‘You should have said how grateful you were for the university’s offer of accommodation, but that unfortunately you had already booked a room at the Friendship Hotel.’ Bob stopped her at the top of the stairs. ‘I told you, they do things differently here. And if you want to get anything done, you’re going to have to start getting yourself a little guanxi in the bank.’
    ‘What the hell’s “gwanshee”?’
    ‘It’s what makes this whole society work. A kind of old boys’ network – you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. I do you a favour, you do me one in return. And you’re not doing anyone any favours by making them lose face.’
    Margaret’s head dropped, and to Bob she suddenly looked very small and very frail. He immediately regretted his impatience with her.
    ‘Hey, listen … I’m sorry. You’ve had a long day …’
    ‘ Two days,’ she corrected him, a hint of petulance in her tone.
    ‘And I guess this is all pretty bizarre stuff.’
    ‘Yeah.’ Now she was fighting an unaccountable urge to burst into tears, and became aware of her foot tapping manically on the top step. Bob was aware of it, too. His voice became soothing.
    ‘Look, Lily’ll take you to the Friendship. Have a shower, get changed, maybe even grab an hour’s shut-eye, and just let the banquet tonight wash over you. Enjoy it. The food’s great. And as for the other stuff … I’ll keep you right, okay?’
    She flicked him a look that verged on the grateful, and a wry smile turned up the corners of her mouth. ‘Sure. Thanks.’
    But her reassurance lasted only as long as it took to reach the car and the scowling face of Lily Ping, and Margaret’s heart sank again.
    IV
    The young security guard nodded to Li as he passed through the staff gate at the rear of the Jingtan joint venture hotel on Jianguomennei Avenue. Li slipped in the back door to the ground-floor kitchen and looked around for Yongli. But there was no sign of him. Sous-chefs were chopping vegetables and preparing marinades, jointing chickens and basting duck for roasting.
    Li stopped one of the waitresses. ‘Where’s Ma