Chapter 11: Zashi and the Officials Engage in a Battle of Wits

59

Inside the hotel room, Zashi sat in a chair with his back to the window. Zhangyang and Gesang sat opposite him, while Annie and Meido sat on the edge of the bed.

Zhangyang gave a wry smile. “After going all this way around in circles, I never thought the Public Security Bureau would still end up keeping an eye on us.”

“Under the circumstances, we must proceed with caution. It seems the Cultural Relics Bureau is determined to get its hands on this manuscript.”

“Professor, what do you suggest we do?”

“First, we act as though nothing is wrong, just like ordinary tourists. We’ll split into two groups and attend the horse racing festival. Gesang and Annie will form one group. While visiting the races, look for an opportunity to shake off the plainclothes officers monitoring us and go find Dorje Tenzin. Gesang, you will explain our purpose to Tenzin on my behalf. Zhangyang, Meido, and I will form the other group. We’ll also visit the horse racing festival and deliberately strike up conversations with a few elderly people to distract the officers.”

Unhappy with the professor’s arrangement, Zhangyang asked, “Professor, I know Nagqu better than Gesang does. Why shouldn’t I accompany Annie to meet Tenzin?”

Zashi patiently explained, “I have my reasons for arranging things this way. Gesang joined us later, so he is less likely to attract Li Ming and his people’s attention. Besides, when Gesang meets Tenzin, they can speak as relatives from the same ethnic group, which will help him gain Tenzin’s trust.”

Convinced by the explanation, Zhangyang reluctantly replied, “All right, Professor. I understand.”

Zashi instructed, “Gesang, I want you to leave here tonight rather than stay overnight. Take only a small amount of luggage and leave on your own. Walk around the busy commercial district a few times. After that, Annie, take your personal belongings and go out shopping in the same area. Arrange to meet at a secluded location, and find somewhere to stay as soon as possible.”

“All right, Professor. I have a good friend here.”

“Gesang and Annie, each of you must find a way to shake off the officers following you before arranging a meeting place. Hide yourselves for the time being. Once the horse racing festival officially begins, go together to find Tenzin. After you locate him and learn where the manuscript is, Annie, call me on your cell phone. I’ll find a way to join you.”

Gesang and Annie exchanged glances at the same time.

Zashi continued, “Zhangyang and Meido, the three of us will stay together. For the next few days, we’ll wander around the streets. Once the horse racing festival begins, the three of us will go to the festival grounds and deliberately strike up conversations with a few elderly people to divert the officers’ attention. Then we’ll return to the hotel to rest.”

Zhangyang said, “All right, Professor. We’ll do it that way.”

Zashi asked, “Have all four of you understood your assignments?”

The four answered in unison, “Yes, we have.”

Zashi said, “Let’s split up and get moving!”

60

With his luggage on his back, Gesang had barely stepped out of the hotel when the plainclothes officers keeping watch from several alleyways outside and from rooms in the hotel across the street immediately notified one another by radio. Two officers from one team then split up and began following him.

Sensing that he was being followed, Gesang deliberately maintained a relaxed pace as he walked toward the shopping district. The two plainclothes officers followed him there.

Gesang strolled around the shopping district, entered a restaurant, sat down, and ordered a meal.

One of the two officers followed him into the restaurant and sat down to order food, while the other remained across the street to keep watch.

After finishing his meal, Gesang paid the bill and left the restaurant. The officer inside followed him out.

The two officers continued following him separately.

Gesang walked to the entrance of a movie theater and joined the line to buy a ticket. One officer also joined the line to buy a ticket. The other sat at a snack stall outside the theater, pretending to read a newspaper while keeping the entrance under surveillance.

Gesang entered the theater and took a seat in the front section, beside the restroom. The officer sat three rows behind him, slightly to one side.

After the movie had been playing for a while, Gesang got up to use the restroom. He entered the men's room and saw a man whose build was similar to his own. Gesang spoke to him in Tibetan. The two men each took off their jackets and hats and exchanged them. Gesang handed the man several banknotes. Pulling his hat low over his face, the man left the restroom and took Gesang's seat.

A little while later, Gesang emerged from the restroom with his hat pulled low and a scarf wrapped around his face. He walked toward the back rows, found the seat occupied by the other man, and sat down.

When the movie ended, Gesang blended in with the audience as they filed out of the theater. He slipped past the lookout watching from the snack stall and disappeared into the night.

61

Carrying a small handbag, Annie walked out of the hotel. The plainclothes officers keeping watch outside immediately notified one another by radio. Two officers from one team then split up and began following her.

Annie likewise pretended to be relaxed as she strolled toward the shopping district. The two officers followed her there.

Annie wandered around the shopping district and entered a clothing store. She handed the shopkeeper a note asking for help:

I'm being followed by criminals. Please help me get away.

After reading the note, the shopkeeper exchanged a glance with Annie, signaling that she should leave through the back door.

Annie selected two outfits and went into a fitting room. She drew the curtain and changed clothes, leaving a stack of banknotes behind. Taking advantage of the moment when another customer entered the store, she quietly slipped out through the back door.

The two officers across the street waited for a while. Sensing that something was wrong, one of them entered the store, looked around, and walked toward the counter.

“Shopkeeper, where did that young red-haired woman who was just here go?”

The shopkeeper pretended not to know what he was talking about. “Which young red-haired woman?”

The officer showed his identification. “I'm a plainclothes police officer conducting an investigation. You'd better tell me the truth!”

Looking surprised, the shopkeeper said, “I thought you were a criminal. I'm sorry.”

The officer demanded sternly, “Where exactly did that woman go?”

“She left through the back door a few minutes ago,” the shopkeeper replied.

Angrily, the officer said, “I'm going to arrest you for assisting a suspect in escaping!”

The shopkeeper protested anxiously, “I'm innocent, sir! As soon as that woman came in, she handed me a note.”

The shopkeeper quickly found the note and handed it to the officer.

Frustrated, the officer muttered, “She used a trick to slip away. She's gone!”

The plainclothes officer immediately took out his radio and called his colleague across the street.

“Calling Blue Magpie, calling Blue Magpie. The pigeon escaped through the back door. Let's split up and surround the area!”

The officer immediately chased after her through the back door. The shopkeeper watched him leave, still shaken.

Muttering to himself, the shopkeeper complained, “What did I ever do to deserve this?”

62

Zhangyang, Zashi, and Meido walked out of the hotel together. The officers keeping watch outside immediately radioed their headquarters.

“Eagle calling headquarters, Eagle calling headquarters. Three pigeons have just left the hotel. Over.”

“Roger that. Your two teams will monitor the three pigeons. Another team will enter the hotel, search the three guests' luggage, and install transmitters. Over.”

“Eagle acknowledges. Over.”

Two plainclothes officers entered the hotel and walked up to the front desk. They showed their identification and announced, “Public Security Bureau, Criminal Investigation Unit. We suspect that individuals of potential security concern are staying at this hotel. We have orders to search the rooms of the three people who just left.”

The receptionist did not dare delay. He handed them two sets of keys and said, “Sir, these are the keys to their rooms.”

The officers warned him, “Don't alert them. Understood?”

The receptionist nodded, looking frightened.

The two officers took the two sets of keys upstairs and entered Room 301. They carefully searched Zashi and Zhangyang's luggage. One of them compared the buttons on Zashi's shirt with a device in his waist pouch. He took out a transmitter of the same design and replaced one of the shirt buttons with the button-shaped transmitter. The other officer photographed the documents in Zashi's luggage.

Officer A said, “I've replaced the button with the transmitter.”

Officer B said, “I've finished photographing the documents.”

Officer A said, “Let's search the woman's room.”

The two men restored Zashi and Zhangyang's luggage to its original condition, then went to search Room 302, where Meido was staying.

The two teams of plainclothes officers, four men in all, continued following and monitoring Zashi and his companions. The three of them were already alert to the surveillance as they walked around the shops in the busy commercial district, but they pretended to be relaxed and entered a restaurant for a meal. The four plainclothes officers took up positions at the street corners around the restaurant and waited.

Zashi and the others came out of the restaurant and continued shopping. In front of a fruit shop, Zashi bought two kinds of fruit, and the three of them then entered a local-products store. The four officers spread out and continued following them throughout.

63

Gesang and Annie arranged to meet at a pavilion in a secluded corner of a park. Annie arrived first and sat in the shadowy part of the pavilion.

Gesang arrived shortly afterward.

“Annie, you weren't followed, were you?”

Annie smiled. “If I had been followed, do you think I could be standing here talking to you? Where are we going now?”

“To a friend's house. We'll stay there for a few days until things cool down.”

“Can your friend be trusted?”

“I think so. He's from Taiwan, just like me. We went to high school together.”

“How are we getting there?”

“I've already called him on his cell phone and asked him to drive over and pick us up.”

A short while later, a sedan arrived at the park entrance, pulled over, and flashed its headlights three times.

Gesang took Annie's hand and walked toward the sedan. A man got out and shook hands with Gesang.

“Brother Tang! I was just thinking you would probably come to watch the horse racing festival. I didn't expect you to arrive a few days early.”

“Jiayang, I'll be imposing on you for the next few days!”

“We're old classmates. No need for formalities. And who is this young lady...?”

“She's Annie, my fiancée.”

“So this is my sister-in-law! You two, get in.”

Annie secretly made a playful face at Gesang. The three of them got into the car, and the sedan drove away from the park.

64

The sedan drove through the suburbs, made several turns, passed some farmland, and finally stopped in front of a factory. Gesang and the others got out.

Sun Jiayang pointed toward the factory building and said, “This is my factory. We process and produce cumin powder for export to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.”

“Looks like business is going very well, Jiayang.”

“Thanks to you! If you hadn't lent me the money to buy the machinery back then, I'd probably still be nothing more than a small-time wholesaler. Let me show you and your wife around the factory.”

“There's no rush. Let's go inside first.”

The three entered the living room. A maid immediately brought in a plate of fruit.

Jiayang said, “Take a break and have some fruit to quench your thirst.”

Each of them picked up a small bamboo fork and began eating the fruit.

“Jiayang, there's something I'd like to ask you to help me with.”

“Don't call it a favor, old classmate. What's yours is mine.”

“Please help me find out about a group of nomadic herders led by a man named Dorje Tenzin.”

“Dorje Tenzin? Why would I need to ask around about the Dorje family? They're my clients. I can take you to see them tomorrow. I know where they'll be.”

“To be honest, Dorje Tenzin is my great-uncle. We've never met, but I have something important to discuss with him.”

“Tonight, you can have dinner here, take a hot shower, and get a good night's sleep without worrying about anything. I'll drive you there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Then I'll be imposing on you, Jiayang!”

Curious, Jiayang asked, “Your sister-in-law doesn't look Tibetan, does she?”

Gesang replied, “She's from California in the United States. Her mother is white.”

Jiayang smiled. “No wonder! Her facial features and overall appearance don't look entirely Tibetan.”

65

Zashi, Zhangyang, and Meido returned to the third floor of the hotel and went into Rooms 301 and 302.

“Professor, this feels just like a movie about cops and criminals outsmarting each other. Tonight was really tense and exciting!”

“I wonder whether Annie and Gesang managed to shake off the Public Security officers monitoring them.”

Just then, Zashi's phone rang.

“Annie, where are you now?”

“I'm with Gesang. We're staying at a friend's house. His friend will take us to meet Dorje Tenzin tomorrow.”

“Good! After you meet Tenzin, call me or send someone to let me know where you are. I'll find a way to join you.”

“All right.”

“Be careful! Don't reveal your whereabouts.”

Zashi ended the call.

“Everything is going very smoothly. Now we just have to wait for Annie to report back. Go take a shower first. Let's get some rest early.”

Zhangyang replied, “All right.”