Bianhua Ch. 07

She wondered why her father was being so loyal to the communist party she thought they were all free from because it was something that she would never go back to. Her sexuality which was known by few back home once discovered would mean years of being kept on drugs as they attempted to reprogram her for the betterment of the Communist society. Homosexuality was considered a mental health problem and not an acceptable lifestyle choice. They saw it as partly their fault because their training of her had not taken right. She would be kept under restricted conditions until they believed she'd been cured. It meant that those who had to go through it endured years of abuse until they submitted or were sent to North Korea. The freedoms we had here was something that the everyday normal Chinese citizen prayed for. Thankfully because of obligations neither her father nor her brother would be around when of the four of them got together.

When she had asked her mother what she knew about her father's business she had learned that she had been kept in the dark about most things and had no knowledge outside of the restaurant of what he was into. It reminded her that in the Chinese culture there was no equality and both male and females knew the roles they were expected to play. Follow the rules or accept the reward of being sent to North Korea which all knew was a puppet regime that was allowed to be because it served the Chinese and did nothing without their direct approval.

They had agreed to meet at the restaurant at one and Fen was overanxious because she was hopping that between the four, they could find a way from getting her out from under the conditions she was living with. Fen was living in a fear of being caught by her father because of the vow she had heard her father say. He had said, "wo hui ren he xu yao de shi ging, ji shi ta yao chu sheng ming de daj jia." Which means I will do whatever is required even if it costs a life.

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Suling and Fen were waiting for us outside of Fen's family restaurant because they wanted to suggest that we keep the conversation lite because of listening ears that most likely report what they heard back to Fen's father. I guess I had a questioning looked so as Fen hugged me, she whispered into my ear "Wo fu qin reng ran Zhong yu dang." Once I heard that I suggested we get into Suling's car and leave our vehicles behind. I said, "for all concerned its best we go for lunch somewhere else."

As soon as we were out of the restaurants parking lot Fen turned her body sideways so she could look directly at Alana and I in the backseat and said in English what she had said to me. "My father is the agent working with the Chinese government," Fen said. She then went on to explain how she had learned all that.

Suling had pulled over to pay attention to what her cousin was saying. After listening to Fen, she asked, "Is your brother also an active member of the CCP? Do we need to find a way to give you some distance from them? Does he plan to move back once his handler says his assignment is completed? Either way I guess I will not be helping out at the restaurant any longer."

"I don't have the actual proof, but I do know all the computer work for the restaurant is handled by my older brother because my father can still be considered computer illiterate. If he's not an agent he's definitely cooperating with my father out of family loyalty. As for my father he has always said that he did not fit in with the American society and now I understand why."

After hearing that I pulled out my cellphone and called David. He answered right away. All three of the ladies heard me say, "We need to accelerate the building of the road and the development of the new subdivisions on the surface above the iron ore mine. Consider this an authorization to hire the additional crew needed. Also instruct legal to begin looking into the mass purchase of prefab log homes as soon as possible. Tell them we are looking for deep volume discounts. I will explain why the next time I see you in person. Any savable timber is be sent to the local mill to be used on various projects when we get the finished products back from them. I want the lots set aside for Suling and Fen ready to go as soon as possible." After hanging up I texted him saying. I want all construction going seven days a week.

Suling and Fen looked at us wondering what was going on so I thought I should explain. "I know you two have learned that for years it was the tradition that the consorts lived with the ones they served. Alana and I have agreed to meet the tradition halfway and will be building you each your own home on the other side of the valley. That way the two of you will always be close to us as the custom dictates. Once built title will be transferred into your names. Also because of what we are all facing I have prepared a will. If anything happens to me it's set up so that if the funds left to you are invested the right way, it should set up a nice income that will cover the rest of your needs for life."

"Suling has always said that you looked at all possibilities to prepare yourself for what might come. Using that same insight Suling, I think we should talk to your parents to see if I can live with them until I finish high school. Right now, I believe that if he is forced to my father would have no problem using me as a bargaining chip against Dirk because I heard him swear in an oath that he would do whatever was necessary even if it cost human lives. I have already decided that I will get my university by doing it online," Fen said. "I can't say for sure that my safety is secure in my current position.

"Fen," I said, "I cannot argue with your logic so after our brunch we will head over and talk to Suling's parents to see if they will be favorable. Looking back to the day my identity was revealed it explains why your father remained silent towards me. He had to have known that part of the role he was playing was coming to an end because the control he thought he had over his brother and his family was being changed. He also began to understand how effective a foe I would be."

Alana took my hand into her and said, "God I hate the true cost of politics. I now believe it's the worst evil in the world all because it's based on the need of power and control. Even in our country it is becoming apparent that things are done to fulfill an agenda which has nothing to do with the needs of the people."

"The creator knew that mankind in the end would do things to themselves that most humans would never be able to comprehend because it would be beyond belief," I said. "The biggest problem society has is that those who live their lives as logical as they can are a minority and don't get involved because it would pull their standards and approach to life down to the muck the rest of them are in. Those who get involved in the political part of our society have limited vision led in part by their emotional thoughts which allows them to be directed by the agenda of the mass media because they believe that's what the American society wants. Over the years the mass media has become a master of manipulation proof of that is how the same situation becomes the story of the day for most of the different organizations."

"For example, I don't drink and drive because I lost a good friend to a drunk driver," I said. "What I don't explain was the rest of the story. The female that hit him dead on had been considering committing suicide for a long time but had problems trying to decide on how to do it. That night she literally got herself liquored up to give herself the courage she felt she needed. When she hit him head on, she was accelerating at a high speed. She had deliberately crossed the middle of the road to drive directly into him. The police officers investigating the accident scene found her signed suicide note in her purse. My friend was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he became the instrument, she used to carry out her final acts. As for the fact that they had found her suicide note it was never disclosed to the public. I had to learn that fact from his brother the day of the funeral."

"Why would one deliberately murder someone innocent just to take themselves out," Fern asked?

"Because they have lived their whole life having no understanding or appreciation for any living thing including themselves. Most likely as she was growing up, she needed to be the center of attention," I replied before adding, "my adopted father a Zen master taught me to have respect not only for what we see, but also for what we can't see because it's all interconnected. Everything the creator has created was created for a reason even if we can't see it. To devalue it because we can't understand it just shows how shallow and empty, we are. In her case I believe the only thing she cared about was herself and her needs at that time is why in her mind she could justify what she did. Add to that the fact that she had to know that for her there were no consequences for her conduct. For her death was the ultimate solutions to all the problems she had created thus proving that she saw no value in any type of life."

Fen turned to her cousin and said, "Has he always waked through his life with these insights?"

Suling got a huge smile on her face before explaining, "From the first night I met him I found myself spending hours trying to figure out what he was truly saying. At first, I thought his words were riddles that he wanted me to solve. Throughout the years as we grew up understanding for me came when I experienced something that related to what he was explaining. Situations like that caused me to look at things a completely different way. I didn't understand at that time that everything he said was to expand my horizons and to open my mind to what was beyond my limited view of things. It changed my view on a lot of things as my understandings of how the world works expanded. Now as an adult his words are smoother and more refined but his insights about human behavior have been proved true time and time again. He in his ways has taught me to have a balance towards most things that others do not have with the understanding that there are not answers to what most humans do beyond its their behavior."

"Being raised with both Christian and the teachings of Zen masters it is hard for me to understand a culture that not only hates and fights his brothers but even attacks mother nature and abuses her. All of you need to understand that man must love all of creation for what it has to offer, or he will love none of it because it holds no value. Love is something you and I must have in our lives because the human spirit feeds upon it," I said, "without love our self-esteem weakens, our courage and belief in what we are fails. As a result, we can no longer go through our life confidently. We draw into ourselves and begin feeding on own personalities. As a result, little by little we are slowly destroying ourselves because we are killing ourselves without knowing it. Love also directs us in the things we do and stops us from doing a lot of things we shouldn't. Most criminals don't know or understand what love that is why they can commit a lot of evil things without giving it a serious thought."

Things became quiet for a few as they digested my deepest thoughts. It led to a discussion about human behavior and how a lot of things could not be explained because they really had no answers. We all agreed that humanity spent far too much time looking for answers to explain ones conduct when there was none. It was easier to blame the instrument than to assign responsibility to the one who did the deed. That was one of the major differences between two different types of government. One held their subjects accountable to the extreme while the other tended to be too forgiving which allowed unacceptable things to be done on a regular basis.

After an enjoyable brunch I called La Chey to see if he and his wife were available to talk to the four of us. With his approval we headed over as soon as we returned the girls to their vehicles.

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My Chinese grandparents were glad to see the four of us together but as soon as greetings were over with, we got down to business. Fen asked her uncle and aunt if she could move in with them and explained why. I watched as she explained to them just what she had overheard. I knew what La Chey was hearing had to be hitting him hard, yet he showed very little emotions. La Chey responded with "ta shi shong shi li nin zui jin de na ge" which means it's always the one closest to you.

Meiling gave her approval before her husband La Chey had a chance to the respond, so the three ladies went off to pick which one of the three empty bedrooms Fern would be using leaving La Chey and I alone.

"I had my suspicions," La Chey disclosed in Chinese, "There were little things that I could not explain, but nothing that proved anything beyond a few doubts. Now I can see how tightly they were trying to monitor what I was doing. My younger brother I have to admit was the only one I did not suspect. Thank God after leaving you with the Zen monks I vowed to myself not to reveal anything not even to my wife because I believed that the moment I did my walk on the earth would be over. Suling, Meiling and I talked about the events during that time, and we thought were mostly behind us, but it was not until you came back into our life's that we began to see the whole picture."

"I'm sorry that I had to stir it all up again," I said responding in kind. "To be honest I had no clue that Suling was your daughter. I was just overjoyed to have my secret childhood friend back in my life. My adopted father the Zen master I learned later had known all along about the friendship I had developed with her and had been protecting both of us from being discovered."

"Truth has its own timeline. Always has, always will. I believe that the Chinese Government is surviving on borrowed time. When the dominoes are all aligned it will fall just as fast," Le Chey said. "I just hope that we are still around to see it. Be careful don't get caught in a maze of your own making by over thinking and giving them an advantage, they should not have had in the first place. Remember they do not know what we know and soon will be getting desperate. Your advantage is the fact that they can't afford to kill you until they have read the data and know what's in it."

"The file has been opened and it's information duplicated multiple times and the copies secured in different location," I explained. "Three or four of the names listed in it are now members of the Chinese inner communist upper council. Its information is so damaging that one can see why they took the steps they did. Until these ones die off the party itself could be in danger."

La Chey got a look on his face as his mind digested my last thought. We could hear the voices of the ladies as they neared us. As they approached the living room La Chey said in English so all could hear, "I guess you and I should escort Fen as she gather's her possessions just in case my brother and nephew want to cause problems. Fen for her own protection is going to have to have a complete separation from them until this is all resolved. It might be best if Suling moves back here as well because based on what we now know we have to make sure that their lives are as secure as possible. Things are just as true here as they are in my native country because the enemy working against us could be anyone anywhere."

We took two vehicles over to Fen's parents' place. Thankfully only her mother was at home and after learning why we were doing what we were doing she gladly helped her daughter pack. La Chey introduced me to her and verified that I was the one known as the Wuming. It came to her as a complete shock that Suling and her only daughter were my consorts. Her insights about her husband's conduct helped her understand the situation her daughter was in because of her relationship with me. Like Fen she was surprised to learn that I was real and not a figure of her niece's imagination. When she asked me why the state had been hunting me, I explained that it was because the data my parents had collected was deemed as a threat to the state and to date, they had not found it. Using their faith against them was just the excuse they used to explain in a way that would give a reason to justify something they couldn't. Until they found and destroyed the information no one was safe because of it would reveal. The fear of the unknown was a threat to them because they always had to be in complete control.

Fen and the rest of us where surprised when her mother said, "if I can verify what has been explained to me it will leave me no choice but to file for a divorce. Although I miss some of the things, we had in our homeland I will never go back to living without the freedom we now have, nor can I live with someone who is an active member of the Chinese Communist Party. For too long I have held in my voice its time I started to use mine."

"Ni jiang ru he xiang ni de zhang jie shi," I asked, which means how will you explain it to your husband.

"I will tell him that you informed me that you were the Wuming and that his brother verified it. That Suling and my daughter were named as your consorts and that you felt it was time to draw them both into your inner circle," Fen's mother explained. "That I had to learn the truth from you when you asked for written authorization to assume legal control over her until she reaches legal age. That way he can't be angry with me because I have done nothing but followed our countries traditions since we both know how great an honor has been given them. Let him deal with the issues it now causes for him and please protect my daughter from what might come."

Then she added that she would pick up a burner cell and send her daughter the number so that they could continue to communicate until things were resolved. There were a few tears when the mother and daughter said their goodbyes.

La Chey and I followed the girls as they headed back to his house. During that drive we discussed his lifelong relationship with his younger brother. He summed it up with one fact that put it all in front of us. He said, "The family is his party. Always has been and always will be. They must have been intensively training his mind from a young age towards being a spy for the state. They built his whole life around that fact. He doesn't realize that when they are done with him, he will have nothing but a lifetime of lies to carry him for the rest of his days. Maybe he will be able to live with that maybe he won't. There have been many in the position he will be in who have ended their lives because they could not live with what they saw in the mirror."

By the end of afternoon, we had Fen settled in her new living quarters, with Suling deciding to follow her father's request to move back home until their new homes were built. I explained in detail what I was planning and what kind of security we had in place. It took La Chey agreeing to come look at the valley I was establishing before she would commit to doing it. He thought that with all the security that he himself should look at the environment I was creating for all of us. I suggest that when they set the weekend to do it that it would be best that he got to meet Alana's parents.

I was totally taken by surprise when Suling revealed her official new name even though I had known she was considering it. La Chey pointed out that she had picked them both because of the importance she associated with the names. Alana highlighted that both names represented truth, endurance, and strength. I admitted that it was a great compliment to both what her father and I stood for.