Free The King of Shanghai by Ian Hamilton Page B

town and four happy villages. And in Shanghai they do not have to worry about an influx of more unemployed people from the outlying districts putting extra stress on the social and economic structure.”
    “A very nice arrangement for everyone but Apple,” Ava said.
    “They will find out eventually,” Xu said.
    “And then?”
    “The government will deny it knew anything about it and shut us down. If Apple is not diligent in monitoring the factory, we might be able to reopen in a few weeks or months. But if they keep a close watch, then we will be out of that business.”
    “And move on to the next.”
    “And repeat the cycle, unless we can break the cycle.”
    “Break it? How is that possible?”
    “I mentioned history before. Can I bore you with some?”
    “So far, boring is not a word I would use to describe this conversation,” May said.
    Xu smiled. “Thank you for that. I’ll try to keep this short.”
    “Please. I know you’re going to get to the point, and I’m curious as to what it is.”
    “Okay, some history in short form. The societies came into being hundreds of years ago to help overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming. After that finally happened, they lost their initial sense of purpose. Some disbanded; others found new reasons to exist and aligned themselves with martial arts associations, labour unions, or trading groups; and some — but not nearly as many as one would think — turned to criminal activity. A few, such as the Shanghai gang my father eventually took over, were some combination of those things. The overwhelming assumption when people hear the word triad is that it is synonymous with criminal . That is not the case — not historically and not now,” he said.
    “Xu, in Hong Kong —”
    “Yes, Ava, in Hong Kong it is likely true, but here it is not. My father’s cousin began Yan Yee Tong as a way to provide protection and assistance for relatives and friends from Wuhan, from Hubei province. He had many relatives, and maybe even more friends. It became a large organization because every relative and every friend saw the benefit of the assistance and protection they would receive, so they brought in their own relatives and friends. I told you earlier that I have more than four thousand members. What I did not tell you is that attached to them are more than forty thousand dependants.”
    “Workers?”
    “Some are, but it is not an inclusive arrangement,” he said.
    Ava watched Xu take a gulp of wine. A memory of the way Uncle used to consume his food jumped into her mind. She had often thought that the rushed way in which he ate belied the calm exterior he presented to the world. It seemed to her now that Xu was stressed, despite the fact that his face was composed and his words were measured. “What does that mean?” she asked.
    “You have heard of the thirty-six oaths?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you know them?”
    “Not well.”
    “My father’s cousin, and then my father, took them to heart. Not every oath had the same weight, but every one that had an impact on their concept of family had special meaning. The first oath says, ‘After having entered the Hung gates, I must treat the parents and relatives of my sworn brothers as my own kin.’ And another that I have pledged to uphold is ‘I will take care of the wives or children of sworn brothers entrusted to my keep.’”
    “So that is how you get from four thousand members to forty thousand dependants.”
    “Exactly. They are obviously not all dependent, but where it is necessary, we educate the children, employ the adults, and take care of the elderly. And those who do not need our help are still part of Yan Yee Tong and loyal to Yan Yee Tong.”
    “Including some government officials?” May said.
    Xu’s head flicked sideways and a smile broke out on his face. “Yes.”
    “That’s clever.”
    “It is practical. We cannot offer the right kind of work to all those we have educated, and it is