jamesclavell.noblehouse-第73节

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　Now　Four　Finger　Wu　had　6　percent　of　the　Noble　House；　purchased　over　the　years　and　hidden　with　their　help　in　a　maze　of　nominees　but　still　in　his　sole　control；　the　largest　share　of　their　gold　transmittal　business；　along　with　heavy　investments　here；　in　Macao；　Singapore　and　Indonesia　and　in　property；　shipping；　banking。
　Banking；　he　thought　grimly。　I'll　cut　my　nephew's　throat　after　I've　fed　him　his　Secret　Sack　if　I　lose　one　copper　cash！
　He　was　below　now　and　he　went　into　the　seamy；　littered　main　cabin　where　he　and　his　wife　slept。　She　was　in　the　big　straw…filled　bunk　and　she　turned　over　in　half…sleep。　〃Are　you　finished　now？　Are　you　ing　to　bed？〃
　〃No。　Go　to　sleep；〃　he　said　kindly。　〃I've　work　to　do。〃
　Obediently　she　did　as　she　was　told。　She　was　his　tai…tai；　his　chief　wife；　and　they　had　been　married　for　forty…seven　years。
　He　took　off　his　clothes　and　changed。　He　put　on　a　clean　white　shirt　and　clean　socks　and　shoes；　and　the　creases　of　his　gray　trousers　were　sharp。　He　closed　the　cabin　door　quietly　behind　him　and　came　nimbly　on　deck　feeling　very　unfortable　and　tied　in　by　the　clothes。　〃I'll　be　back　before　dawn；　Fourth　Grandson；〃　he　said。
　〃Yes；　Grandfather。〃
　〃You　stay　awake　now！〃
　〃Yes；　Grandfather。〃
　He　cuffed　the　boy　gently　then　went　across　the　gangways　and　stopped　at　the　third　junk。
　〃Goodweather　Poon？〃　he　called　out。
　〃Yes　。。。　yes？〃　the　sleepy　voice　said。　The　old　man　was　curled　up　on　old　sacking；　dozing。
　〃Assemble　all　the　captains。　I'll　be　back　within　two　hours。〃
　Poon　was　immediately　alert。　〃We　sail？〃　he　asked。
　〃No。　I'll　be　back　in　two　hours。　Assemble　the　captains！〃
　Wu　continued　on　his　way　and　was　bowed　into　his　personal　ferry　sampan。　He　peered　at　the　shore。　His　son　was　standing　beside　his　big　black　Rolls　with　the　good　luck　number　plate　…　the　single　number　8　…　that　he　had　purchased　for　150；000　HK　in　the　government　auction；　his　uniformed　chauffeur　and　his　bodyguard；　Two　Hatchet　Tok；　waiting　deferentially　beside　him。　As　always　he　felt　pleasure　seeing　his　great　machine　and　this　overrode　his　growing　concern。　Of　course；　he　was　not　the　only　dweller　in　the　sea　villages　who　owned　a　Rolls。　But；　by　custom；　his　was　always　the　largest　and　the　newest。　8；　baat；　was　the　luckiest　number　because　it　rhymed　with　faat　which　meant　〃expanding　prosperity。〃
　He　felt　the　wind　shift　a　point　and　his　anxiety　increased。　Eeeee；　this　has　been　a　bad　day　but　tomorrow　will　be　worse。
　Has　that　lump　of　dogmeat　John　Chen　escaped　to　the　Golden　Country　or　is　he　truly　kidnapped？　Without　that　piece　of　dung　I'm　still　the　tai…pan's　running　dog。　I'm　tired　of　being　a　running　dog。　The　100；000　reward　for　John　Chen　is　money　well　invested。　I'd　pay　twelve　times　that　for　John　Chen　and　his　fornicating　coin。　Thank　all　gods　I　put　spies　in　Noble　House　Chen's　household。
　He　stabbed　his　hand　shoreward。　〃Be　quick；　old　man；〃　he　ordered　the　boatman；　his　face　grim。　〃I've　a　lot　to　do　before　dawn！〃
　
　19
　
　2：23　P。M。：
　The　day　was　hot　and　very　humid；　the　sky　sultry；　clouds　beginning　a　buildup。　Since　the　opening　this　morning　there　had　been　no　letup　in　the　milling；　noisy；　sweating　crowds　inside　and　outside　the　small　Aberdeen　branch　of　the　Ho…Pak　Bank。
　〃I've　no　more　money　to　pay　out；　Honorable　Sung；〃　the　frightened　teller　whispered；　sweat　marking　her　neat　chong…sam。
　〃How　much　do　you　need？〃
　〃7；457　for　customer　Tok…sing　but　there　must　be　fifty　more　people　waiting。〃
　〃Go　back　to　your　window；〃　the　equally　nervous　manager　replied。　〃Delay。　Pretend　to　check　the　account　further　…　Head　Office　swore　another　consignment　left　their　office　an　hour　ago　。。。　perhaps　the　traffic　。。。　Go　back　to　your　window；　Miss　Pang。〃　Hastily　he　shut　the　door　of　his　office　after　her　and；　sweating；　once　more　got　on　the　phone。　〃The　Honorable　Richard　Kwang　please。　Hurry。　。。。〃
　Since　the　bank　had　opened　promptly　at　ten　o'clock；　four　or　five　hundred　people　had　squirmed　their　way　up　to　one　of　the　three　windows　and　demanded　their　money　in　full　and　their　savings　in　full　and　then；　blessing　their　joss；　had　shoved　and　pushed　their　way　out　into　the　world　again。
　Those　with　safety　deposit　boxes　had　demanded　access。　One　by　one；　acpanied　by　an　official；　they　had　gone　below　to　the　vault；　ecstatic　or　faint　with　relief。　There　the　official　had　used　his　key　and　the　client　his　key　and　then　the　official　had　left。　Alone　in　the　musty　air　the　sweating　client　had　blessed　the　gods　that　his　joss　had　allowed　him　to　be　one　of　the　lucky　ones。　Then　his　shaking　hands　had　scooped　the　securities　or　cash　or　bullion　or　jewels　and　all　the　other　secret　things　into　a　briefcase　or　suitcase　or　paper　bag　…　or　stuffed　them　into　bulging　pockets；　already　full　with　bank　notes。　Then；　suddenly　frightened　to　have　so　much　wealth；　so　open　and　vulnerable；　all　the　wealth　of　their　individual　world；　their　happiness　had　evaporated　and　they　had　slunk　away　to　let　another　take　their　place；　equally　nervous；　and；　initially；　equally　ecstatic。
　The　line　had　started　to　form　long　before　dawn。　Four　Finger　Wu's　people　took　the　first　thirty　places。　This　news　had　rushed　around　the　harbor；　so　others　had　joined　instantly；　then　others；　then　everyone　with　any　account　whatsoever　as　the　news　spread；　swelling　the　throng。　By　ten；　the　nervous；　anxious　gathering　was　of　riot　proportions。　Now　a　few　uniformed　police　were　strolling　among　them；　silent　and　watchful；　their　presence　calming。　More　came　as　the　day　grew；　their　numbers　quietly　and　carefully　orchestrated　by　East　Aberdeen　police　station。　By　noon　a　couple　of　Black　Maria　police　vans　were　in　one　of　the　nearby　alleys　with　a　specially　trained　riot　platoon　in　support。　And　European　officers。
　Most　of　the　crowd　were　simple　fisherfolk　and　locals；　Haklos　and　Cantonese。　Perhaps　one　in　ten　was　born　in　Hong　Kong。　The　rest　were　recent　migrants　from　the　People's　Republic　of　China；　the　Middle　Kingdom；　as　they　called　their　land。　They　had　poured　into　the　Hong　Kong　sanctuary　fleeing　the　munists　or　fleeing　the　Nationalists；　or　famine；　or　just　simple　poverty　as　their　forebears　had　done　for　more　than　a　century。　Ninety…eight　of　every　hundred　of　Hong　Kong's　population　were　Chinese　and　this　proportion　had　been　the　same　ever　since　the　Colony　began。
　Each　person　who　came　out　of　the　bank　told　anyone　who　asked　that　they　had　been　paid　in　full。　Even　so；　the　others　who　waited　were　sick　with　apprehension。　All　were　remembering　the　crash　of　last　year；　and　a　lifetime　in　their　home　villages　of　other　crashes　and　failures；　frauds；　rapacious　money　lenders；　embezzlements　and　corruptions　and　how　easy　it　was　for　a　life's　savings　to　evaporate　through　no　fault　of　your　own；　whatever　the　government；　munist；　Nationalist　or　warlord。　For　four　thousand　years　it　had　always　been　the　same。
　And　all　loathed　their　dependence　on　banks　…　but　they　had　to　put　their　cash　somewhere　safe；　life　being　what　it　was　and　robbers　as　plentiful　as　fleas。　Dew　neh　loh　moh　on　all　banks；　most　were　thinking；　they're　inventions　of　the　devil　…　of　the　foreign　devils！　Yes。　Before　foreign　devils　came　to　the　Middle　Kingdom　there　was　no　paper　money；　just　real　money；　silver　or　gold　or　copper　…　mostly　silver　and　copper　…　that　they　could　feel　and　hide；　that　would　never　evaporate。　Not　like　filthy　paper。　Rats　can　eat　paper；　and　men。　Paper　money's　another　invention　of　the　foreign　devil。　Before　they　came　to　the　Middle　Kingdom　life　was　good。　Now？　Dew　neh　loh　moh　on　all　foreign　devils！
　At　eight　o'clock　this　morning；　the　anxious　bank　manager　had　called　Richard　Kwang。　〃But　Honored　Lord；　there　must　be　five　hundred　people　already　and　the　queue　goes　from　here　all　along　the　waterfront。〃
　〃Never　mind；　Honorable　Sung！　Pay　those　who　want　their　cash。　Don't　worry！　Just　talk　to　them；　they're　mostly　just　superstitious　fisherfolk。　Talk　them　out　of　withdrawing。　But　those　who　insist　…　pay！　The　Ho…Pak's　as　strong　as　Blacs　or　the　Victoria！　It's　a　malicious　lie　that　we're　overstretched！　Pay！　Check　their　savings　books　carefully　and　don't　hurry　with　each　client。　Be　methodical。〃
　So　the　bank　manager　and　the　tellers　had　tried　to　persuade　their　clients　that　there　was　really　no　need　for　any　anxiety；　that　false　rumors　were　being　spread　by　malicious　people。
　〃Of　course　you　can　have　your　money；　but　don't　you　think　。。。〃
　〃Ayeeyah；　give　her　the　money；〃　the　next　in　line　said　irritably；　〃she　wants　her　money；　I　want　mine；　and　there's　my　wife's　brother　behind　me　who　wants　his　and　my　auntie's　somewhere　outside。　Ayeeyah；　I　haven't　got　all　day！　I've　got　to　put　to　sea。　With　this　wind　there'll　be　a　storm　in　a　few　days　and　I　have　to　make　a　catch。　。。。〃
　And　the　bank　had　begun　to　pay　out。　In　full。
　Like　all　banks；　the　Ho…Pak　used　its　deposits　to　service　loans　to　others　…　all　sorts　of　loans。　In　Hong　Kong　there　were　few　regulations　and　few　laws。　Some　banks　lent　as　much　as　80　percent　of　their　cash　assets　because　they　were　sure　their　clients　would　never　require　back　all　their　money　at　the　same　time。
　Except　today　at　Aberdeen。　But；　fortunately；　this　was　only　one　of　eighteen　branches　throughout　the　Colony。　The　Ho…Pak　was　not　yet　threatened。
　Three　times　during　the　day　the　manager　had　had　to　call　for　extra　cash　from　Head　Office　in　Central。　And　twice　for　advice。
　At　one　minute　past　ten　this　morning　Four　Finger　Wu　was　grimly　sitting　beside　the　manager's　desk　with　Paul　Choy；　and　Two　Hatchet　Tok　standing　behind　him。