"The wind was singing in my ears; puffy cotton balls were floating in the heavens."

Yesterday When I Was Young (3)

I did as he was told. To my pleasant surprise, it was cash, lots of cash. "Why is there so much money?" I asked, looking at him with widened eyes.

"Knowing that our client was willing to pay a substantial amount to get rid of Song, I upped the ante another three-fold," he replied. "This is your take-home pay, minus my commission of course.

I smiled looking like a million dollars. That was why he was my business agent; he knew how to get the best deal in town!

When the second package was unfolded, there was a semi-auto Browning pistol inside.

"This is the latest model," the old goat said. "It is lighter, has a quicker reloading mechanism, and it is more reliable than the one you usually use. Keep it with you at all times."

"Are you expecting another job?"

"No, I am expecting trouble," he said. Suddenly he looked grave. "Because of Song's status, the police are now under tremendous pressure to apprehend his killer at the soonest time possible. Furthermore, you can't expect Song's people to take something like that lying down; they will be hunting for you. The gun is for your protection. Along with that, I would suggest you lie low for a while. Leave Shanghai, go for a vacation and come back in a month's time. By then I am sure everything would have cooled off."

Obviously I was knocked for six by his statement. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to encounter a situation as messy as this. Alas, the best deal in town did not look so good after all. As I stuffed the money and the firearm into the leather knapsack provided by him, no further word was spoken between us. The silence was as deafening as a lady's fart. 

With the bag slung on my back, he walked me to my horse. When I was about to mount and ride off, I said at last: "Sifu, I think you should leave too. We are in the same boat, you know. Come join me. I'll take you to Hangzhou. You'll love this place: the city sits on a beautiful lake surrounded by gentle green hills."

"I don't like travelling, Ake," he said, patting my shoulder. "And even if I agree to follow you, who will take care of Keng? He and I are inseparable. Anyway, don't concern yourself about me. I am an old hand at playing cat and mouse with this type of people. I know how to take care of myself. Now go. See you in thirty."

I nodded with great reluctance. As I rode down the dusty path that led to the main road, I looked over my shoulder and saw that he was still standing at the spot where I left him. Keng was at his side. The old goat gave a little wave and smiled, but I could tell his smile was not a cheerful one. Rather, it was a smile sadder than sad ... like the smile of the Sphinx, as if he expected not to see me again.

The wind was singing in my ears; puffy cotton balls were floating in the heavens. In spite of the fine weather with its blue skies and everything nice, there was not even a small ray of sunshine in my heart.

Chapter 3 begins on Tuesday!