tc.thebearandthedragon-第63部分

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A　news　professional；　Wise　regarded　his　mission　in　life　to　be　this：　to　transmit　the　truth　from　where　it　happened　to　where　people　were　interested　in　it…and　helping　them　to　bee　interested　if　they　were　not。　He　didn't　have　much　of　a　personal　ideology；　though　he　was　a　great　believer　in　justice；　and　one　of　the　ways　to　make　justice　happen　was　to　give　the　correct　information　to　the　jury…in　his　case；　the　television…watching　public。　He　and　people　like　him　had　changed　South　Africa　from　a　racist　state　into　a　functioning　democracy；　and　he'd　also　played　a　role　in　destroying　world　munism。　The　truth；　he　figured；　was　about　the　most　powerful　weapon　in　the　world；　if　you　had　a　way　of　getting　it　to　the　average　Joe。　Unlike　most　members　of　his　business；　Wise　respected　Joe　Citizen；　at　least　the　ones　who　were　smart　enough　to　watch　him。　They　wanted　the　truth；　and　it　was　his　job　to　deliver　it　to　them　to　the　best　of　his　abilities；　which　he　often　doubted；　as　he　constantly　asked　himself　how　well　he　was　doing。
　He　kissed　his　wife　on　the　way　out　the　door；　promising　to　bring　back　things　for　the　kids；　as　he　always　did；　and　lugging　his　travel　bag　out　to　his　one　personal　indulgence；　a　red　Mercedes　two…seater；　which　he　then　drove　south　to　the　D。C。　Beltway　and　south　again　toward　Andrews　Air　Force　Base。　He　had　to　arrive　early；　because　the　Air　Force　had　gotten　overly　security…conscious。　Maybe　it　was　from　that　dumb…ass　movie　that　had　had　terrorists　getting　past　all　the　armed　guards…even　though　they　were　merely　Air　Force；　not　Marines；　they　did　carry　rifles；　and　they　did　at　least　appear　to　be　petent…and　aboard　one　of　the　89th　Military　Airlift　Wing's　aircraft；　which；　Wise　figured；　was　about　as　likely　as　having　a　pickpocket　walk　into　the　Oval　Office　and　lift　the　President's　wallet。　But　the　military　followed　its　own　rules；　senseless　though　they　might　be…that　was　something　he　remembered　well　from　his　time　in　the　Corps。　So；　he'd　drive　down；　pass　through　all　the　checkpoints；　whose　guards　knew　him　better　than　they　knew　their　own　CO；　and　wait　in　the　plush　Distinguished　Visitors'　lounge　at　the　end　of　Andrews'　Runway　Zero…One　Left　for　the　official　party　to　arrive。　Then　they'd　board　the　venerable　VC…　137　for　the　endless　flight　to　Beijing。　The　seats　were　as　fortable　as　they　could　be　on　an　airplane；　and　the　service　was　as　good　as　any　airline's　first　class；　but　flights　this　long　were　never　fun。
　
　〃Never　been　there　before；〃　Mark　Gant　said；　answering　George　Winston's　question。　〃So…what's　the　score　on　this　Rutledge　guy？〃
　The　SecTreas　shrugged。　〃Career　State　Department　puke；　worked　his　way　pretty　far　up　the　ladder。　Used　to　have　good　political　connections…he　was　tight　with　Ed　Kealty　once　upon　a　time。〃
　The　former　stock　TRADER　looked　up。　〃Oh？　Why　hasn't　Ryan　fired　his　ass？〃
　〃Jack　doesn't　play　that　sort　of　game；〃　Winston　replied；　wondering　if　in　this　case　principle　was　getting　in　the　way　of　mon　sense。
　〃George；　he's　still　pretty　naive；　isn't　he？〃
　〃Maybe　so；　but　he's　a　straight　shooter；　and　I　can　live　with　that。　He　sure　as　hell　backed　us　up　on　tax　policy；　and　that's　going　to　pass　through　Congress　in　another　few　weeks。〃
　Cant　wouldn't　believe　that　until　he　saw　it。　〃Assuming　every　lobbyist　in　town　doesn't　jump　in　front　of　the　train。〃
　That　engendered　an　amused　grunt。　〃So；　the　wheels　get　greased　a　little　better。　You　know；　wouldn't　it　be　nice　to　close　all　those　bastards　down。。。
　George；　Cant　couldn't　say　in　this　office；　if　you　believe　that；　you've　been　hanging　out　with　the　President　too　long。　But　idealism　wasn't　all　that　bad　a　thing；　was　it？
　〃I'll　settle　for　squeezing　those　Chinese　bastards　on　the　trade　balance。　Ryan's　going　to　back　us　up？〃
　〃All　the　way；　he　says。　And　I　believe　him；　Mark。〃
　〃I　guess　we'll　see。　I　hope　this　Rutledge　guy　can　read　numbers。〃
　〃He　went　to　Harvard；〃　Secretary　Winston　observed。
　〃I　know'　Cant　said　back。　He　had　his　own　academic　prejudice；　having　graduated　from　the　University　of　Chicago　twenty　years　earlier。　What　the　hell　was　Harvard　except　a　name　and　an　endowment？
　Winston　chuckled。　〃They're　not　all　dumb。〃
　〃I　suppose　we'll　see；　boss。　Anyway〃…he　lifted　his　suitcase　up　on　its　rollers；　his　puter　bag　went　over　his　shoulder…〃my　car's　waiting　downstairs。〃
　〃Good　trip；　Mark。〃
　
　Her　name　was　Yang　Lien…Hua。　She　was　thirty…four；　nine　months　pregnant；　and　very　frightened。　It　was　her　second　pregnancy。　Her　first　had　been　a　son　whom　they　had　named　Ju…Long；　a　particularly　auspicious　given　name；　which　translated　roughly　as　Large　Dragon。　But　the　youngster　had　died　at　the　age　of　four；　bumped　by　a　bicycle　off　the　sidewalk　into　the　path　of　a　passenger　bus。　His　death　had　devastated　his　parents；　and　even　saddened　the　local　munist　Party　officials　who'd　officiated　at　the　inquest；　which　had　absolved　the　bus　driver　of　guilt　and　never　identified　the　careless　bicyclist。　The　loss　has　been　sufficiently　hard　on　Mrs。　Yang　that　she'd　sought　fort　in　a　way　that　this　country's　government　did　not　especially　approve。
　That　way　was　Christianity；　the　foreign　religion　despised　in　fact　if　not　exactly　in　law。　In　another　age　she　might　have　found　solace　in　the　teachings　of　Buddha　or　Confucius；　but　these；　too；　had　been　largely　erased　from　the　public　consciousness　by　the　Marxist　government；　which　still　regarded　all　religion　as　a　public　narcotic。　A　co…worker　had　quietly　suggested　that　she　meet　a　〃friend〃　of　hers；　a　man　named　Yu　Fa　An。　Mrs。　Yang　had　sought　him　out；　and　so　had　begun　her　first　adventure　in　treason。
　Reverend　Yu；　she　found；　was　a　well…educated　and　…traveled　man；　which　added　to　his　stature　in　her　eyes。　He　was　also　a　fine　listener；　who　attended　to　her　every　word；　occasionally　pouring　her　some　sympathetic　tea；　and　gently　touching　her　hand　when　tears　streamed　down　her　face。　Only　when　she　had　finished　her　tale　of　woe　had　he　begun　his　own　lessons。
　Ju…Long；　he　told　her；　was　with　God；　because　God　was　especially　solicitous　to　the　needs　of　innocent　children。　While　she　could　not　see　her　son　at　this　moment；　her　son　could　see　her；　looking　down　from　Heaven；　and　while　her　sorrow　was　pletely　understandable；　she　should　believe　that　the　God　of　the　Earth　was　a　God　of　Mercy　and　Love　who　had　sent　his　Only　Begotten　Son　to　earth　to　show　mankind　the　right　path；　and　to　give　His　own　life　for　the　sins　of　humanity。　He　handed　her　a　Bible　printed　in　the　Gouyu；　the　national　language　of　the　PRC　（also　called　Mandarin）；　and　helped　her　find　appropriate　passages。
　It　had　not　been　easy　for　Mrs。　Yang；　but　so　deep　was　her　grief　that　she　kept　returning　for　private　counseling；　finally　bringing　along　her　husband；　Quon。　Mr。　Yang　proved　a　harder　sell　on　any　religion。　He'd　served　his　time　in　the　People's　Liberation　Army；　where　he'd　been　thoroughly　indoctrinated　in　the　politics　of　his　nation；　and　done　sufficiently　well　in　his　test　answers　to　be　sent　off　to　sergeant　school；　for　which　political　reliability　was　required。　But　Quon　had　been　a　good　father　to　his　little　Large　Dragon；　and　he；　too；　found　the　void　in　his　belief　system　too　large　to　bridge　easily。　This　bridge　the　Reverend　Yu　provided；　and　soon　both　of　the　Yangs　came　to　his　discreet　church　services；　and　gradually　they'd　e　to　accept　their　loss　with　confidence　in　the　continued　life　of　Ju…Long；　and　the　belief　that　they　would　someday　see　him　again　in　the　presence　of　an　Almighty　God；　whose　existence　became　increasingly　real　to　both　of　them。
　Until　then；　life　had　to　go　on。　Both　worked　at　their　jobs；　as　factory　workers　in　the　same　factory；　with　a　working…class　apartment　in　the　Di'Anmen　district　of　Beijing　near　Jingshan…Coal　Hill…Park。　They　labored　at　their　factory　during　the　day；　watched　state…run　television　at　night；　and　in　due　course；　Lien…Hua　became　pregnant　again。
　And　ran　afoul　of　the　government's　population…control　policy　that　was　well　to　the　left　of　draconian。　It　had　long　since　been　decreed　that　any　married　couple　could　have　but　one　child。　A　second　pregnancy　required　official　government　permission。　Though　this　was　not　generally　denied　to　those　whose　first　child　had　died；　pro　forma　permission　had　to　be　obtained；　and　in　the　case　of　politically　unacceptable　parents；　this　permission　was　generally　withheld　as　a　method　of　controlling　the　living　population；　as　well。　That　meant　that　an　unauthorized　pregnancy　had　to　be　terminated。　Safely；　and　at　state　expense　in　a　state　hospital…but　terminated。
　Christianity　translated　exactly　into　political　unreliability　for　the　munist　government；　and　unsurprisingly　the　Ministry　of　State　Security　had　inserted　intelligence　officers　into　Reverend　Yu's　congregation。　This　individual…actually　there　were　three；　lest　one　be　corrupted　by　religion　and　bee　unreliable　himself…had　entered　the　names　of　the　Yangs　on　a　master　list　of　political　unreliables。　For　that　reason；　when　Mrs。　Yang　Lien…Hua　had　duly　registered　her　pregnancy；　an　official　letter　had　appeared　in　her　box；　instructing　her　to　go　to　the　Longfu　Hospital　located　on　Meishuguan　Street　for　a　therapeutic　abortion。
　This　Lien…Hua　was　unwilling　to　do。　Her　given　name　translated　as　〃Lotus　Flower；〃　but　inside　she　was　made　of　much　sterner　stuff。　She　wrote　a　week　later　to　the　appropriate　government　agency；　telling　them　that　her　pregnancy　had　miscarried。　Given　the　nature　of　bureaucracies；　her　lie　was　never　checked　out。
　That　lie　had　merely　won　Lotus　Flower　six　months　of　ever…increasing　stress。　She　never　saw　a　physician；　not　even　one　of　the　〃barefoot　medics〃　that　the　PRC　had　invented　a　generation　earlier；　much　to　the　admiration　of　political　leftists　all　over　the　world。　Lien…Hua　was　healthy　and　strong；　and　the　human　body　had　been　designed　by　Nature　to　produce　healthy　offspring　long　before　the　advent　of　obstetricians。　Her　swelling　belly　she　was　able　to　hide；　mostly；　in　her　ill…fitting　clothing。　What　she　could　not　hide…at　least　from　herself…was　her　inward　fear。　She　carried　a　new　baby　in　her　belly。　She　wanted　it。　She　wanted　to　have　another　chance　at　motherhood。　She　wanted　to　feel　her　child　suckling　at　her　breast。　She　wanted　to　love　it　and　pamper　it；　watch　it　learn　to　crawl　and　stand　and　walk　and　talk；　to　see　it　grow　beyond　four　years；　enter　school；　learn　and　grow　into　a　good　adult　of　whom　she　could　be　proud。
　The　problem　was　politics。　The　state　enforced　its　will　with　ruthlessness。　She　knew　what　could　happen；　the　syringe　filled　with　formaldehyde　stabbed　into　the　baby's　head　at　the　very