The Five Brothers' Dream

Lide truly met Ma Gaohui in a seaside restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
It had just rained that evening. Victoria Harbour seemed to have been washed clean, its lights broken upon the water into a sheet of golden brightness. Lide had crossed over from Shenzhen, the car driving all the way into Kowloon. Outside the window, neon lights, buses, signboards, and streams of people formed another kind of prosperity under another system—compact, bright, and carrying a somewhat pressing commercial smell.
He had thought that the host tonight would still be Boss Xu from the previous time.
He had met Boss Xu twice. His suit fit well, his gold watch was dazzling, and his laughter rang louder than the cups and bowls in the restaurant. This man knew how to speak. When he met mainland cadres, he always bent halfway at the waist and called out, one sentence after another, “Director Ma is young and promising,” “Shenzhen has limitless opportunities,” “In the future, we must all look after one another.” Lide had seen many people in officialdom who knew how to speak, but Hong Kong merchants like Boss Xu belonged to another road entirely. They did not talk of principles, only opportunities; not ideals, only cooperation; they did not say giving money, but said “everyone will have something to do.”
As soon as Lide entered the outer room of the private dining suite, Boss Xu indeed came forward.
“Aiya, Director Ma, finally we have waited until you arrived!” He held Lide’s hand with both of his, smiling warmly. “Was it tiring coming from Shenzhen? The rain was heavy today, and there were so many people at the checkpoint. I was afraid you might be trapped at Luohu Border.”
Lide smiled slightly. “Boss Xu is too courteous. The road was fairly smooth.”
“Smooth is good, smooth is good. In life and in business, what one fears most is not being smooth.” Boss Xu pointed inward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, “Tonight I am not the only one inviting you. A truly important person wants to meet you.”
Lide’s eyes paused. “Who?”
Boss Xu winked. “You will know once you go in. Director Ma, let me remind you first: when you see him, do not be too surprised.”
A faint alertness rose in Lide’s heart.
In officialdom, the sentence “do not be too surprised” is often the one most likely to surprise a person.
Boss Xu led him into the innermost private room. The room was not large, but it was very quiet, and the window faced Victoria Harbour directly. An old man sat in the seat of honor, wearing a dark suit. His hair was gray-white, yet combed without a strand out of place. Before him stood a cup of tea, and beside it, in the ashtray, lay half a cigar, its smoke curling lightly upward. The old man did not immediately stand, nor did he smile. He only lifted his eyes and looked at Lide.
That gaze was very steady, steady like a blade that had not been drawn for many years.
Lide’s footsteps paused.
This face felt familiar to him. Not because he had seen it in Hong Kong, nor in official circles, but because he had seen it in the old family photo album at home. When he was small, his father would occasionally turn through the album and speak of the Ma family’s old affairs in Shanghai, and of a third uncle, Ma Gaohui, who had gone far away to Hong Kong. In the photograph, Third Uncle was young, wearing a suit, his hair black, his brow bones high, his eyes carrying a force that would not submit to others. Decades had passed. The old man before him now had wrinkles on his face and white hair, yet between his brows and eyes, that hard spirit of the Ma family was still there.
At family gatherings many years earlier, Lide had also seen him. But today, dressed in this manner, Third Uncle was almost unrecognizable to him.
The old man spoke. “Lide, do you recognize me?”
Lide’s heart shook, yet his mouth still held its measure. “Third Uncle!”
Boss Xu immediately laughed beside them. “Aiya, they truly are uncle and nephew! Uncle Gaohui, I told you Director Ma has sharp eyes.”
The old man glanced sideways and said lightly, “Xu, go out.”
The smile on Boss Xu’s face stiffened for a moment, then became even more respectful. “Good, good, Uncle Gaohui. You two chat slowly. I will wait outside.”
When he withdrew, even the motion of closing the door became much lighter.
Watching this scene, Lide’s heart was startled again. Boss Xu, who had summoned wind and rain at the last banquet table, was before this old man like an attendant obeying orders. So it turned out that even so-called important Hong Kong merchants had to be judged by whom they stood before.
Only the uncle and nephew remained in the private room.
Ma Gaohui pointed at a chair. “Sit. Standing is not like discussing matters; it is like being on trial.”
Lide sat down and smiled. “Third Uncle says that as though he knows I once stayed in the court.”
“I not only know that you stayed in the court. I also know that you were a presiding judge in the criminal court, later went to the political-legal office, and are now studying political economy at Renmin University.” Ma Gaohui lifted his tea and slowly blew across it. “You mainland cadres like to supplement your education. Make it look a little better, and the road becomes easier to walk.”
For a moment, Lide did not answer.
Ma Gaohui looked at him. “What? You think Third Uncle knows too much?”
Lide said steadily, “Third Uncle has been in Hong Kong for so many years. Naturally, Boss Xu is not your only set of eyes.”
Ma Gaohui suddenly laughed. The laugh was not large, but it carried a measure of appreciation. “Not bad. You were not frightened.”
Lide also smiled. “I have seen murderers in the criminal court and document-criminals in the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. It is not easy to frighten me.”
Ma Gaohui set down the teacup and nodded. “You know how to speak. You have a little of your father’s shadow, but you are more flexible than he is.”
This homely sentence at once drew them nearer. Lide’s heart became somewhat complicated. The name Third Uncle had for many years been like a distant river in the Ma family: one heard the sound of water, but never saw the surface. Now the water had suddenly flowed before his eyes, yet hidden within it were Hong Kong, Shenzhen, the Ye family, and his own official path.
He asked in a low voice, “Third Uncle has had very little contact with the family all these years.”
Ma Gaohui gave a snort. “It was not that I did not want to. In those years, it was not allowed. You were in the mainland, afraid of having Hong Kong relatives; I was in Hong Kong, also afraid that others would make an issue of relatives. Family affection, in peaceful times, is wine; in stormy times, it is rope. If it is not tied properly, it can strangle a man.”
Hearing this, Lide’s heart sank.
When Ma Gaohui was young, he had done family business in Shanghai. Later, when the winds changed, he left earlier than many, and hid more deeply. After arriving in Hong Kong, he did not rush to hang out a signboard. He first did entrepôt trade, then property, then lending and real estate. In Kowloon, he had shopfronts; on Hong Kong Island, buildings; in the New Territories, warehouse land. Others thought he had retreated behind the scenes because he was old. Those who understood knew that he had retreated from the front of the stage to a position with greater force.
After reform and opening, he stretched his hand back into Shenzhen.
At that time, Shenzhen still carried the smell of mud. Everywhere there were construction sites, temporary roads, scaffolding, and people heading south. Hong Kong money, Hong Kong experience, Hong Kong daring crossed the river like a tide. Hong Kong had little land; Shenzhen had much. Hong Kong buildings were expensive; Shenzhen buildings were new. Hong Kong people understood packaging; Shenzhen urgently needed packaging. Across one river, one side was a mature capital market, the other a Special Economic Zone window newly opened. Ma Gaohui saw it clearly: the truly great opportunity did not lie in old Hong Kong buildings, but in that seemingly chaotic dust of Shenzhen.
He did not personally stand at the very front.
People like Boss Xu were the pawns he pushed onto the stage. Boss Xu could drink, could laugh, could accompany mainland cadres in singing, and could also negotiate loans with Hong Kong banks. He could speak of “the national situation,” and also calculate “profit per square meter.” This kind of person was most suitable for running errands, arranging tables, blocking wine, and scouting roads. The real cards remained in Ma Gaohui’s hand.
Hearing this, Lide could finally not help asking, “Third Uncle, that position at the Shenzhen Construction Bureau—were you pushing it from behind?”
Ma Gaohui did not answer immediately, but asked instead, “Do you think that is possible?”
Lide said, “According to common reason, it is impossible. From the Ruizhou court to the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, then to the Shenzhen Construction Bureau—the systems differ, the regions differ, and the rank jumps too quickly. If no one spoke, this matter could not even reach the table.”
Ma Gaohui smiled. “So you do not pretend to be confused.”
“In officialdom, what one fears most is pretending to the wrong kind of confusion,” Lide said. “When one should be muddled, one must be muddled. When one should not be muddled, pretending too much only makes others look down on you.”
A flash of brightness passed through Ma Gaohui’s eyes. “That sentence has flavor.”
He leaned back against the chair, his voice lowering. “I did indeed speak for you. But whether it can happen does not depend only on me. Luo Yongping’s side must nod. The Ye family’s side must feel it suitable. Shenzhen’s side must also be able to accept it. Do you think a deputy bureau director’s position is like buying fish at the market? See one you like and carry it away?”
Lide asked, “Why would the Ye family take notice of me?”
“They are not taking notice of you as a person. They are taking notice of you as a chess piece.” Ma Gaohui spoke very directly. “You are young, your background is clean, you came out of the political-legal system, your mouth is tight, and you know weight and measure. You have also drawn close to the Luo family, and Luo Yongping is a man on the Ye family’s line. If you go over, nominally you will be deputy director of the Construction Bureau; in reality, you will be managing special projects. Building halls, guesthouses, and vacation places for the families of central leaders—does such work require people who understand construction? Of course it does. But it requires even more people who understand confidentiality, coordination, and whom one can and cannot offend.”
Lide listened quietly.
Ma Gaohui continued, “There will be people to do the engineering, people to draw the plans, people to provide the money, people to approve the land. You sitting in that position does not mean you are going there to be a contractor. You are going there to be a piece of ballast. Those above must feel at ease, Hong Kong capital must feel at ease, and the local Shenzhen side must also feel at ease. Do you understand?”
Lide slowly nodded. “I understand a little.”
Ma Gaohui stared at him. “Not a little. You must understand it through and through. That position is glorious, but it burns the hand. At banquets, when others toast you, behind it they are trying to sound out your tone. On projects, when others give you gifts, behind it they want to obtain your signature. Hong Kong merchants call you brother because they want to borrow your door. Mainland cadres speak of principles with you because behind that they want to know which tree you rely upon.”
After a moment of silence, Lide asked, “Third Uncle, why are you helping me?”
The smile faded from Ma Gaohui’s face, and there appeared a little of the cold sternness of an old-fashioned merchant.
“Because your surname is Ma.”
Lide’s heart shook.
Ma Gaohui picked up the cigar, but did not light it; he only turned it lightly between his fingers. “The Ma family has been scattered too far these years. Your second brother Yide has ambition in the marketplace; he wants to establish himself in Hong Kong, then use the internet to return to the mainland. Your fifth brother Xinde is in the Foreign Trade Administration; his nature is quiet, but he too has entered government service. Your eldest brother Rende is in the hospital, guarding a professional rice bowl. You are in the political-legal system, and you have risen the fastest. If a family wants to stand firm, it cannot rely only on one person making money, nor only on one person becoming an official. In commerce there must be someone; in government there must be someone; in the mainland there must be someone; in Hong Kong there must also be someone. Only then, when the wind blows, will one fallen tree not leave the whole family exposed to death in the sun.”
The words were naked, yet extremely forceful.
Lide suddenly felt that Third Uncle’s gaze upon him was not like an elder looking at a younger man, but more like an old chess player looking at a piece that could be promoted. His heart felt somewhat uncomfortable, yet he also had to admit that this feeling of being valued made him warm.
“Then what am I?” Lide asked. “A chess piece in Third Uncle’s hand?”
Ma Gaohui looked at him and suddenly smiled. “If that is all you can think, then you only deserve to be a piece.”
Lide lifted his eyes.
Ma Gaohui said, word by word, “A clever person must know that when others use you, you also use the situation. The Ye family uses you to stabilize the arrangement. I use you to plant a stake for the Ma family. Luo Yongping uses you to pave the road for his daughter and himself. Shenzhen uses you to coordinate special projects. And you? You use this position to leap past full section level and stand at deputy division. You use Shenzhen to broaden your vision. You use Hong Kong to come to know capital. You use these relationships to turn yourself from a small local cadre into a person of weight. When everyone is using everyone, that is called a game. When only one side uses the other, that is called being sold.”
Lide’s heart felt as though it had been struck heavily.
This was Ma Gaohui. Not the affectionate Third Uncle, not the old Hong Kong merchant at the banquet table, but an old rivers-and-lakes man who had crossed Shanghai and Hong Kong for decades. When he did not speak of warmth, his words could strip matters to the bone; even when he did speak of warmth, it still seemed as though he were keeping accounts.
Lide asked, “If I go, what does Third Uncle want me to do?”
Ma Gaohui raised four fingers.
“First, keep your mouth tight. Matters involving the families of central leaders cannot become stories at a wine table. Say it once, and you lose one measure of life.”
“Second, keep your hand steady. There is much money in projects, and Hong Kong money is even more slippery. What you can take is not what others give you, but what will not bite you after you have taken it. If you cannot distinguish, then do not take.”
“Third, keep your eyes alive. Hong Kong people are not saints, and mainland cadres are not fools. You must make them all feel they have gained an advantage, without truly letting them take the advantage to the end.”
“Fourth, do not hang your backing from your mouth. People who talk every day about having backing usually do not have steady backing. Those who truly have shade beneath a tree cast a shadow simply by standing there.”
After listening, Lide gently exhaled. “These few sentences from Third Uncle are more useful than an organizational talk.”
Ma Gaohui smiled. “Organizational talks are spoken for the files to hear. I am speaking for your life to hear.”
Just then, Boss Xu’s voice came from outside the door. “Uncle Gaohui, the dishes are all here. Several bosses are waiting for you.”
Ma Gaohui stood, straightened the cuffs of his suit, and said to Lide, “Go out. Tonight, say little and listen more. Let them see you and remember you. That is enough.”
Lide nodded and followed him out.
Around the round table in the outer room, several Hong Kong merchants had already risen. Boss Xu immediately piled his face full of smiles. “Uncle Gaohui, Director Ma, come, come, sit in the seats of honor. This leopard coral grouper just arrived today—so fresh it could not be fresher.”
Ma Gaohui glanced at him lightly. “Whether the fish is fresh must be known by eating. Whether a person can be trusted is the same.”
Boss Xu froze for a moment, then laughed even louder. “Uncle Gaohui speaks correctly! So tonight everyone first eats fish, then talks cooperation.”
The atmosphere at the table became lively.
Some spoke of Shenzhen land prices, saying that if one did not take land now, in the future one would not even be able to touch the edge of the land. Some spoke of Hong Kong capital, saying that banks were willing to lend, but it depended on whether mainland approvals were steady. Some spoke of projects, saying that the Special Economic Zone moved quickly: today it was still mud, next year it might be a hotel. Boss Xu lifted his glass and smiled at Lide. “Director Ma, in the future on the Shenzhen side, we will all have to rely on your guidance.”
Lide raised his glass, his tone neither warm nor cold. “For now, I am only here to learn. Shenzhen’s rules are new, and Hong Kong has much experience. Boss Xu is the true old hand.”
Boss Xu burst into laughter. “Director Ma is too modest! Mainland cadres’ modesty is the most formidable kind of modesty.”
Hearing this, Ma Gaohui’s mouth moved slightly, but he did not speak.
Lide suddenly understood that tonight’s wine was not simply for getting to know Hong Kong merchants, but for making an appearance before these people. Ma Gaohui was letting them know that Ma Lide was not an outsider; he was also letting Lide know who, on the Hong Kong side, was the true helmsman and who was only the one rowing.
After three rounds of wine, Boss Xu raised his glass again. “Uncle Gaohui, Director Ma, I toast you both. This chess game in Shenzhen, with Uncle Gaohui holding the field and a young cadre like Director Ma taking over, has limitless prospects!”
Only then did Ma Gaohui lift his cup and say slowly, “The game has not even begun; do not shout victory first. In Shenzhen, many people make fortunes, and many also capsize. Remember this: the other side of the river is not a vault of gold. It is a battlefield.”
Boss Xu nodded again and again. “Yes, yes, Uncle Gaohui’s reminder is correct.”
Lide looked at the men before him—their smiles, toasts, flattery, and probing—and suddenly felt that the river between Hong Kong and Shenzhen had become very deep. Across its surface passed cars, people, goods, Hong Kong dollars, and documents. Beneath it flowed relationships, desire, family, and power. Standing beside this river, he had thought he was only being supported by the Luo family. He had not expected that behind them there was also the old hand of Ma Gaohui.
As the banquet was nearing its end, Ma Gaohui had someone draw open the curtains.
The lights of Victoria Harbour spread complete before their eyes. High-rises on the opposite shore were bright, and boat lights moved slowly. Holding his wineglass, Ma Gaohui walked to the window and suddenly said to Lide, “Look at Hong Kong. On the surface, it is light; inside, it is money. Look at Shenzhen. On the surface, it is mud; inside, it is also money. The difference is that Hong Kong’s money has grown old, while Shenzhen’s money is still young. Young money grows best, and bites hardest.”
Lide walked to his side. “Third Uncle, if I truly go to Shenzhen, how should this game be opened?”
Ma Gaohui looked out the window, his voice very low. “First stand firm, then see clearly. Do not be eager to win, and do not be eager to be greedy. To make others think you are useful is more important than letting them know you are clever.”
Lide nodded. “I will remember.”
Ma Gaohui turned to look at him. “One more sentence.”
“Please speak.”
“Do not forget that you are a member of the Ma family.” Ma Gaohui paused. “But do not think the Ma family can always save you. A family can push you once; it cannot fall in your place.”
This sentence was colder than all those before it, and also more true.
Lide raised his cup. “Third Uncle, I toast you.”
Looking at him, Ma Gaohui finally showed a little of an elder’s smile. “This cup can be drunk. Those people just now were toasting the future Director Ma. This cup of yours is toasting your Third Uncle.”
The two glasses touched lightly.
The sound was very crisp, like some kind of secret signal. Outside the window, Victoria Harbour shone brilliantly; inside, the warmth of wine filled the room. Lide raised his head and drank. The wine burned from his throat all the way to his chest. He knew that from this night onward, he had seen a deeper layer of the world.
This chess game in Shenzhen had indeed only just begun.