Whispers of Refuge Box Set

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 21

Mr. Lee bit into his bean-filled donut and then brought his napkin to his lips. Thanks to a very rich businessman looking for a young and delectable daughter-in-law, he could gorge himself on donuts every night for a year if he wanted to. He took a large swig of soju and laughed out loud.

That acne-faced broker from over the border had no idea how much his little find was worth. Mr. Lee got nearly tenfold his purchase price from Sun’s introduction alone. He knew by the increase in traffic to the Round Robin news of his humble inn’s little starlet had spread around Jilin Province. A dozen men or more came in every night requesting Sun by name. New customers Mr. Lee had never dreamed of attracting found their way to his establishment, asking for the new girl with bangs. If they had money and she wasn’t too busy, he sent them over to Sun’s room at the end of the hall. Otherwise, he just hustled them over to one of the other workers. He had one of the older girls give several of them the same hair style as Sun’s. Money flowed in, but he had no idea Sun’s fame had reached as far as Dashitou until Inspector Wong stopped by the Round Robin earlier that night.

Until then, he only knew of Inspector Wong by reputation. The government-official turned money-lender was the wealthiest man in the entire province, if rumors were to be trusted. The Round Robin usually catered to a much humbler clientele. Mr. Lee had worked himself into a cold sweat bustling around to make Inspector Wong as comfortable as possible. He ordered soju and fresh red-bean donuts, even though the bakeries were closing. He called two of his girls to massage the inspector’s shoulders and legs as the men negotiated.

“My son’s first wife is with child, which leaves him in search of a little bride. He heard of the girl Sun here and asked me to visit you.” As soon as the inspector mentioned how much he was offering — even before any real bidding got started — the inn proprietor swallowed down his curiosity. The son could be some drooling, immobile imbecile, but why should Mr. Lee care as long as the father was willing to pay such a large sum?

He haggled, enjoying the process immensely, and then the inspector stated his closing cost and stipulation. “I will spend half an hour with her before I go.” Mr. Lee nodded, as if his request was already anticipated. The inspector grunted. “I want to make sure she is appropriate for my son. If I find her satisfactory, you will have your pay.”

It was here that Mr. Lee had wavered. The inspector was welcome to spend half an hour with Sun, of course, but it was customary to pay first. The inspector, however, demonstrated little sympathy for Mr. Lee’s concerns. “The money will be yours, I assure you. If the girl is adequate.”

Mr. Lee hadn’t asked what kind of payment he might receive if the inspector didn’t find the girl “adequate.” Instead, he had begged for Inspector Wong’s patience and then bustled down the hall to tell Sun what was expected of her. Now, Mr. Lee looked at his watch. Their half an hour together was almost up. And Mr. Lee was about to double his fortune.

The door swung open without warning. Surprised, Mr. Lee fixed a smile onto his face, but it vanished as soon as the inspector stormed in with a curse. Mr. Lee jumped up and rushed to his guest. “Is something wrong?” he asked and felt his chest squeeze in on his palpitating heart.

“Wrong? I should make you pay my travel expenses. If I wanted a common w***e, I would have stayed in Dashitou.”

“Common ...?” Mr. Lee began. The blood in his face burned hot enough to boil, the effects of the soju and also of his fear. “I’m telling you, she is my best worker. You must have heard the reports or you wouldn’t have traveled all this way to see her for yourself.” He wiped his brow, but the sweat immediately beaded on it again.

“A complete waste of time, I assure you, and an insult.” The inspector’s nose was only a few centimeters from Mr. Lee’s. Neither man was about to back up. Mr. Lee looked past the angry customer at his two bodyguards who stood in the doorway. One put his hand to his pocket and raised an eyebrow. Mr. Lee gave him a slight shake of his head.

“I just don’t understand how this could have happened,” he whined. “She’s still a little modest, but surely that’s not a detrimental quality in a daughter-in-law. Believe me when I tell you that I have never had a customer complain about Sun.”

“Allow me to be the first.”

Mr. Lee clasped his hands together in supplication. “Tell me what happened. Please. If one of my girls has done something to anger you, I guarantee that I will personally address the problem. That’s my job as the proprietor here.” Mr. Lee lowered his voice. “She didn’t refuse you, did she?”

The inspector snorted. “If she had, I would have paid you double my offer for the sake of her modesty.”

Mr. Lee wiped more sweat off his forehead. “So she didn’t deny you?”

“Quite the opposite.” Inspector Wong’s voice lowered to a quiet growl. “I was told that your girls here were discreet and tasteful. I was certainly misinformed. My son will be most displeased when I return home alone.”

Mr. Lee resisted the urge to drop to his knees, but his legs threatened to buckle under his weight at any moment. “Please, let me talk to her. This must all be some sort of misunderstanding. Perhaps she thought you would like ...”

The inspector snarled from the back of his throat and held up his hand. “Enough. I’ve already wasted two hours traveling. Now I’ve got to go back home without a wife for my son.” The inspector glared at Mr. Lee through narrow slits. “If you’re lucky, Mr. Proprietor, I might forget tonight ever happened. You’d be fortunate if I did.”

The inspector brushed past the two guards unhindered, leaving Mr. Lee alone with a platter of half-eaten pastries. Inspector Wong hadn’t even paid for his thirty minutes.