The Windup Girl(52)

The Chaozhou are smart, where the Malayan Chinese are stupid. They are practically Thai themselves. They speak Thai. They took Thai names. They may have Chinese roots somewhere in their distant past, but they are Thai. And they are loyal. Which, when Jaidee thinks about it, is more than can be said about some of his own race, certainly more than can be said of Akkarat and his brood at the Trade Ministry.

So Jaidee feels a certain sympathy when a Chaozhou businessman in a long white shirt, loose cotton trousers and sandals strides back and forth in front of him on the factory floor, complaining that his factory has been shut down because some coal ration has been exceeded, when he paid every white shirt who came through his door, and that Jaidee has no right-no right-to shut down the entire factory.

Jaidee even has sympathy when the man calls him a turtle's egg-which is certainly an annoying thing to hear, knowing that it is a terrible insult in Chinese. Yet still, he remains tolerant of the emotional explosions on the part of this businessman. It's in the Chinese nature to be a bit hot-hearted. They are given to explosions of emotion that a Thai would never indulge in.

All in all, Jaidee has sympathy for the man.

But he doesn't have sympathy for a man who shoves a finger into his chest repeatedly while he curses, and so Jaidee is sitting atop that man's chest now-with a black baton over his windpipe-explaining the finer points of respect due a white shirt.

"You seem to have mistaken me for another Ministry man," Jaidee observes.

The man gurgles and tries to get free, but the baton crushing his throat prevents him. Jaidee watches him carefully. "You of course understand that we have coal rationing because we are a city underwater. Your carbon allocation was exceeded many months ago."

"Ghghhaha."

Jaidee considers the response. Shakes his head sadly. "No. I think that we cannot allow it to continue. King Rama XII decreed, and Her Royal Majesty the Child Queen now supports that we shall never abandon Krung Thep to the invasions of the rising sea. We will not flee from our City of Divine Beings the way the cowards of Ayutthaya fled from the Burmese. The ocean is not some marching army. Once we accede to the waters, we will never again throw it out." He regards the sweating Chinese man. "And so we must all do our part. We must all fight together, like the villagers of Bang Rajan, to keep this invader from our streets, don't you think?"

"Gghhghghhghhhh…"

"Good." Jaidee smiles. "I'm glad we're making progress."

Someone clears his throat.

Jaidee looks up, stifling his annoyance. "Yes?"

A young private in new whites stands respectfully, waiting. "Khun Jaidee" He wais, lowering his head to his pressed palms. Holds the pose. "I am very sorry for my interruption."

"Yes?"

"Chao Khun General Pracha requests your presence."

"I'm busy," Jaidee says. "Our friend here finally seems willing to communicate with a cool heart and a reasonable demeanor." He smiles kindly down at the businessman.

The boy says, "I was to tell you… I was told to, to…"

"Go ahead."

"To tell you that you should get your, your – so sorry – 'glory-seeking ass' – so sorry – back to the Ministry. Immediately if not before." He winces at the words. "If you have no cycle you were supposed to take mine."

Jaidee grimaces. "Ah. Yes. Well then." He gets up off the businessman. Nods to Kanya. "Lieutenant? Perhaps you can reason with our friend here?"

Kanya makes a face of puzzlement. "Is something wrong?"

"It seems Pracha is finally ready to rant and rave at me."

"Should I come with you?" Kanya glances at the businessman. "This lizard can wait for another day."

Jaidee grins at her concern. "Don't worry about me. Finish here. I'll let you know whether we're being exiled south to guard yellow card internments for the rest of our careers when you get back."

As they head for the door, the businessman musters new bravery. "I'll have your head for this, heeya!"

The sound ofKanya's club connecting and a yelp are the last things Jaidee hears as he exits the factory.

Outside, the sun glares down. He's already sweating from the exertion of working on the businessman, and the sun burns uncomfortably. He stands under the shade of a coconut palm until the messenger can bring the bike around.

The boy eyes Jaidee's sweating face with concern. "You wish to rest?"

Jaidee laughs. "Don't worry about me, I'm just getting old. That heeya was a troublesome one, and I'm not the fighter I used to be. In the cool season I wouldn't be sweating so."

"You won a lot of fights."

"Some." Jaidee grins. "And I trained in weather hotter than this."

"Your lieutenant could do such work," the boy says. "No need for you to work so hard."

Jaidee wipes his brow and shakes his head. "And then what would my men think? That I'm lazy."

The boy gasps. "No one would think such a thing of you. Never!"

"When you're a captain, you'll understand better." Jaidee smiles indulgently. "Men are loyal when you lead from the front. I won't have a man wasting his time winding a crank fan for me, or waving a palm frond just to keep me comfortable like those heeya in the Trade Ministry. I may lead, but we are all brothers. When you're a captain, promise me you'll do the same."