Chapter 280 - Calling On Huang Lis Father (1/2)
“Like a robot.” Our heads turned and saw it was Lin Feng who said that, with the edges of his eyes twitching uncomfortably. I flashed him an approving nod, attesting to what he said, something which Chongxi agreed too. “True enough,” he said, “All of them behaved like mindless drones without any shred of humanity or compassion, only programmed to do as he’s told.”
Zheng Shuang looked positively aghast by that epiphany, looking absolutely shocked that he could not even speak. Big Sister placed her empty can on the table and propped one leg over one knee and called, “Toss me another, Na San.” The Shaman hastily placed his can on the floor and knelt down to extract another Coke from the box. Carefully, he popped the Coke open and presented it humbly to her, saying, “Your drink, My Lady.” “Gods, Big Sister. Can you be any more imperious!?” I frowned from across the coffee table. She shrugged nonchalantly as she took her Coke from Na San’s hands, ignoring my jibe, and gestured at Na San, saying, “So, they’d be just like him?”
We stared at her in silence as her statement drove right to the point. “Huang Li and Cao Xuedong behaved just like tamed and domesticated slaves who will perform any duties hurled at them with utmost devotion and zero care for their own emotions and wishes. You can try asking Na San. Did he ever ask himself if he was willing to perform the task when I asked him for a new can of Coke?” “Urm… Serving you is a privilege to me, My Lady…” Na San squeaked, furthering substantiating Big Sister’s premise. “See?” Big Sister said to all of us, brandishing her arms like a magician who had just awed his audience, “Fully tamed and domesticated. They’re nothing more than slaves. Zero wishes, zero wants and needs. Only the will to serve hand and foot.”
Yet despite the impeccable accuracy of her figuration, I could not help but scowl at her treatment of Na San. “Big Sister,” I muttered apprehensively, “You’ve been seeing things you shouldn’t have seen, have you?” “Nothing much,” She shrugged casually again and said, “Just watching the TV. I’ve been bored, you see.” “Just keep off from strange and odd TV programs. They’d do you no good. Strange things to your mind, mind you.”
She ignored me and I let it go. I had neither the wish nor intent to bicker with her now. “All right,” I said to everyone, “Just like what Big Sister said, to some extent, Huang Li and the rest is similar to Na San. But Na San is a willing servant, while Huang Li and the rest are not. It would not be far off to describe them as being coerced. I could feel it during the interrogation. The difference in her temperament before and after she’d lost control of her temper. She looked as if she had been brainwashed or hypnotized.”
Chongxi, who had been silently thinking on his own, spoke up suddenly, “I really can’t see how and what could have turned them into the poor things they were…” “I don’t know either…” I remarked, looking at my watch. It was almost midnight by now. “All right, let’s call it a day. We shall visit Huang Li’s parents tomorrow. Go to bed, all of you.” “What about me?” Zheng Shuang asked with a finger pointing at himself. I glared at him and said, “Just pick any room. We’ve so many rooms upstairs.”
Na San clutched his blankets and chose to sleep on the couch instead. I could see that there was no way to strip him of the pathetic slave in him, so all I could do was only leave him be. After all, I mused, He is not my servant and I shouldn’t need to feel too bad about it.
The next morning, we asked the District Police Headquarters for the address of Huang Li’s parents. Apparently, her father was living in the building of his own electronics company while her mother was now residing in an old housing estate. Through the phone, the chief of the Criminal Investigations Division told me that they had looked for Huang Li’s parents and they found only her father. “Did you not find out where her mother is now?” I asked and a heavy sigh came from the line. “Of course we did,” the chief replied, “Huang Li’s mother operated a little roadside stall selling fried pancakes. But word on the street was that she’s been vanished since months ago. She’s not really close to anyone nearby and well, nobody cares. So nobody knows where she is now.” “Is there anyone whom you’d think would know where she is now?”
I heard the sharp whistle of the chief’s breath through his cigarette and he finally answered, “We’ve checked, and to no avail, I’m afraid. She was last seen appearing near a train station. But that’s all.” I sighed. “So what else can you give me about Huang Li’s parents? She’s a former classmate of mine and I believe circumstances have encouraged me to pay her father a visit.” A dull “Hmmm” came from his end of the line before he went on, “I see. Well, they are both born in 1970. Mr. Huang is local but Mrs. Huang came here from Sichuan. Strangely so, her father seems abnormally calm even after hearing about his daughter. So you can just go ahead and call on him.” I responded with a wordless hum and conveyed my thanks before I ended the call.
“So?” Lin Feng glanced at me as soon as I put away my phone. “Huang Li’s mother has been missing for months. The last time she’s been seen was at a train station. She’s from Sichuan. So she could have gone back there already. Anyway, let’s go meet her father. I’m interested to meet him. The person whose name could even strike fear into Huang Li whenever he’s been mentioned.”
The site of Huang Li’s father’s company was somewhere north of Tangshan city. It was a remote part of the province near Fengrun, but the vicinity was populated by many plants and factories of large corporations, each of them taking up huge areas in the wilderness that the imposing chimney spires and concrete buildings surrounded by the lush and wild jungles painted a bizarre and outlandish picture. Just by looking at them, one could feel a strange dread tying a knot in his stomach.
Big Sister looked out of the window, taking in the view of the concrete and mortar grotesqueries that was part of Huang Li’s father’s factory looming in the midst of the forest with apparent disgust, saying, “Idiots. Wildernesses like these abound with spirits and ghosts… What could have possessed these idiots to think of building factories here…” “Well,” I regarded her through narrowed eyes, saying, “Creepy and quiet… Perfect combination for vulgar and prurient things like you innit!”
Crack! A painful slap came right at the back at my head. “Nonsense!” Big Sister scowled at me. And as I reeled with pain, I glimpsed Lin Feng, Chongxi, and Zheng Shuang sniggering amongst themselves. But their glee lingered just as brief and quick as a camera flash or a firework. Three successive cracks resounded barely a split-second later; showing that even they failed to escape Big Sister’s wrath too. “Laughing, eh?” Big Sister glowered at them, saying, “Some fun you have here!” “Gods, I thought she wouldn’t understand what “vulgar” and “prurient” mean,” I whispered to my friends. “Come on! What do you expect her to believe? That you’re actually complimenting her?!” Zheng Shuang scowled hushedly back at me. I pursed my lips, preferring not to answer as another crack rang as Zheng Shuang got another blow from Big Sister.