Book 3. Murga's thugs kidnap me yet again but this time Triple Oh and Kozak plan to trap Murga without telling me I'm the bait. When Murga doesn't show up, the thugs handcuff me inside a helicopter which the pilots abandon over Hong Kong leaving T...
Eventually we arrived at a farm gate where were greeted by Kongming's younger brother.
'Ouch,' Licia said as she climbed down from the cart. 'I think walking would have been easier. I've got bruises on my bruises.'
I grimaced in sympathy. 'We must have hit every pot hole between here and Xiangyang. I guess springs haven't been invented yet.'
'We seriously must get some grease for that axle,' Miguel complained. 'If it squeals all the way back I will become permanently deaf.'
Ming Ruo stared at Miguel in horror as Dr Zhang repeated the remarks in Mandarin.
Dr Zhang laughed. 'He said we don't grease axles. The squealing frightens away evil spirits.'
Kongming's brother took us to a long, single story building and into a room lined with shelves supporting hundreds of what looked like rolled up bundles of wooden slats.
In one corner, a tall thin young man was peering at one of them. He looked like a university professor with a long beard and hair tied up in a bun on top of his head.
As we were announced, he turned toward us and bowed, his hands held in front of his face, left hand over a right fist.
Dr Zhang bowed in similar fashion and spoke to him in Mandarin while Licia translated.
'I am honoured to meet you again, Zhuge Kongming. I beg forgiveness for my unworthy interruption.' He put the family name first in the Chinese manner.
'It is I who is honoured to receive such a distinguished guest, Zhang Lee,' Kongming responded.
Dr Zhang introduced Kongming as the special military advisor to Lui Bei Xuande, the general in charge northern Jingzhou Province.
We bowed politely, trying to imitate the left-hand-over-right-fist bow, as Kongming and Dr Zhang continued the formal greetings. Licia had trouble translating the flowery language as each of them tried to out-do the other in expressions of their unworthiness to disturb the tranquillity of such a busy and important person.
Dr Zhang and Kongming began examining some of the bundles which Licia explained were scrolls. Each of them consisted of dozens of strips of bamboo tied together with string each covered with Chinese characters beautifully painted with tiny brush strokes. They were read from top to bottom down the strip and from right to left. Licia pointed out that each character was a complete word but in some cases two or three characters formed a word. For example the two characters for danger (wei, in Mandarin) and opportunity (ji) when used together meant crisis (wei ji). When spoken, both Mandarin and Cantonese used five or more tones to distinguish the meaning. For example 'mah' had several meanings including mother and horse depending on the tone.
Dr Zhang seemed to have no trouble reading as he and Kongming discussed several of the scrolls. Licia said they were discussing poetry which was impossible to translate.
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