Chapter 11: The Hainan Dialogue (Part One)

Outside the window, a violent northwest wind howled incessantly. In the residential courtyard, scattered debris and a chaotic jumble of black, white, red, and green plastic bags swirled aimlessly in the gusty, directionless vortex. The iron shutters covering the garbage chute downstairs rattled with a screeching, grating sound—like a rusted axle, long deprived of lubricant, spinning under duress—the pig-like wailing of the metal echoing through the buildings and carrying far into the distance.

Compared to the biting cold outside, the living room was kept toasty by the central heating, providing Zhang Maolin with a rare sense of comfort.

Zhang Maolin placed a brown kraft paper file folder filled with photographs onto the coffee table and emptied its contents. He put on his reading glasses and carefully selected the photos featuring Wen Lu, laying them out one by one before him.

He began to gaze intently at the scattered images. At this moment, each of Wen Lu’s vibrant, energetic faces seemed to still radiate his passion and talent. Zhang Maolin fell into deep thought, trying to use those frozen, colorful snapshots to recall the specific scenes behind each group photo and every word and action of Wen Lu’s.

***

When the plane landed at Meilan Airport in Haikou, it was nearly ten o’clock at night. The Hainan summer night was like a steamer basket set atop a roaring fire. The humidity and heat, a sensation the Northerner had never before experienced, made him feel as if he were suffocating.

It was a Sunday in August 1995. The air conditioner in the hotel room was blasting with abnormal intensity. The first thing Zhang Maolin felt upon entering the bedroom was as if the sweat on his back were about to freeze. The sharp, irritating sensation against his skin sent him fleeing from the room in a reflex, leaving him to pace the hallway aimlessly and awkwardly.

At that moment, Wen Lu came running straight from the other end of the corridor and said to Zhang Maolin:

“Secretary Zhang, I checked with the front desk clerk. Only one room in this hotel, located next to the laundry room, has a wall-mounted air conditioner. All the other rooms have central air conditioning that cannot be manually adjusted. Although the conditions in that room are a bit more modest, it’s the only one where you can control the temperature yourself. What do you think—should we—”

Wen Lu’s words left Zhang Maolin, who had been at his wit's end, pleasantly surprised.

“Really? That’s wonderful! Oh, it’s freezing in my room, like an ice cellar! If I stayed there for ten minutes, I’d be curled up like a cooked shrimp! Hey, Wen Lu, how did you know—”

Wen Lu replied with a smile:

“Haha, everyone knows about your health condition! As soon as I stepped into my own room, I realized you wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of chill. So, I checked with the front desk right away; it’s quite a coincidence that a room with a wall-mounted unit was available. You know, almost every room in Haikou hotels is on central air. You’re lucky this time!”

“You rascal! It’s rare to find someone as thoughtful as you. Thank you so much!” Zhang Maolin patted Wen Lu lightly on the shoulder.

***

The night in Haikou was stunningly beautiful, but the stifling heat of the day persisted, making it quite uncomfortable. The golden, oversized moon, as if boiled in water, seemed to hang right before their eyes, baking the air, which was heavy and thick with humid heat.

Zhang Maolin sat alone on a stone bench by the outdoor pool, waving a palm-leaf fan vigorously. The water in the pool offered a refreshing temptation; he kicked off his slippers and dipped his legs into the water, feeling an immediate sense of relief.

Seeing Wen Lu walking straight toward him from the hotel restaurant’s revolving door, Zhang Maolin waved his hand to stop him. “Xiao Wen, don't worry about me. Go back and keep the clients company!”

Wen Lu didn't answer right away. Only when he reached him did he say softly:

“Having you sitting here is the best excuse for me to escape the drinking! It’s fine. With Vice President Yin there, he can handle everything single-handedly. Even if those executives stacked their alcohol tolerances together, they wouldn't last a few rounds against him. Besides, they might move on to other activities after dinner, so let’s not get involved in that mess! Hahaha. I already asked for leave from President Yin, saying I was coming out to take care of you, and he agreed immediately. Old man, don't you dare chase me away! Otherwise, if I go back to that table, half a jin of white liquor would be the death of me!”

“The dishes weren't even fully served when you left the table midway earlier. It left me in a muddle, secretly worrying if I’d offended you somehow by not looking after you well enough!”

Wen Lu’s words stirred a warmth in Zhang Maolin’s heart.

“You silly boy! Do you think I, a Disciplinary Secretary, have so little composure? I haven’t even had the chance to thank you for getting me that precious room today! Besides, I’m no good at that social drinking game. First, I can't hold my liquor, so how could I have the qualifications to shout and toast at the table? Second, you all are discussing credit business and corporate management with those executives. As the saying goes, ‘different trades are like mountains between them.’ As an outsider, I can’t get a word in, and it would only make everyone awkward—why bother? The worst part is that I truly couldn't stand the air conditioning in that private room, so staying out here is much more comfortable.”

“Then I have even more reason to stay with you. What a perfectly legitimate excuse to skip the drinking!” Wen Lu said as he peeled a banana for Zhang Maolin. “Before I left, my father-in-law specifically instructed me to take good care of your health. You see, both professionally and personally, this is what I should be doing. Having the chance to have zero-distance contact with the Disciplinary Secretary and listen to your teachings is the greatest gain of my trip to Hainan!”

Zhang Maolin was deeply moved. He said:

“Haha, that old Tao, he really is something! To be honest, I feel like my presence on this trip is entirely superfluous. The business has nothing to do with me, and I don't oversee your credit department, so where is there any room for me to get involved? President Wang spoke so eloquently—about ‘project inspection,’ ‘establishing new models for bank-enterprise relations,’ and ‘exploring new ideas for post-loan management’—it’s all complete nonsense! It’s clearly just those so-called ‘golden clients’ wanting to treat you heads of the credit department to a vacation, yet they insisted on dragging an unwelcome old fossil like me along as a prop! I really don't know what President Weixin was thinking. I explained and declined repeatedly, but it was no use. Isn’t this just forcing a duck onto a perch? Tell me, how awkward must everyone feel?”

“Just now at the table, those opening remarks from Vice President Yin sounded so grating to my ears! ‘Ensuring the transparency of the inspection activity by having the Disciplinary Secretary accompany us,’ ‘the Disciplinary Secretary’s participation will be more conducive to establishing the image of Xingshang Bank’... These are words for the living to trick the dead! It’s obvious he resents me tagging along. Look at how embarrassing this is? I’ve become like Zhu Bajie looking in a mirror—no matter which way I turn, I’m caught in the middle!”

Zhang Maolin grumbled incessantly to Wen Lu.