Chapter 20: Chinese craftsmanship

Sunday 06.10.2019

At this point I would like to reiterate: The story is fictional. The companies mentioned have been operating in Peru since 2019, but the plot and characters are fictitious. Otherwise, the Chinese secret service could make a lot of inquiries.

Sunday was another beautiful day. It had rained a little during the night, but the morning sun dried our valley visibly. The sun’s rays glistened in the rising steam. Although it was well before breakfast, Fahsai came over to me, smiling. She wanted to join me on a tour of our garden. We were feeding the coy carps, which were greedily snapping at the panicles of grass thrown to them. The guinea pigs were agile. Fahsai laughingly showed me how a male was trying to have offspring. The young female fought as hard as she could, but she was no match for the much larger male. She could scream as much as she wanted, but it was no use. The buck had bitten her neck and was taking what he wanted.

As we fed them, we counted the many young animals. It was incredible how quickly the rabbit-sized animals continued to multiply. Once a month, we had barbecued guinea pigs, a treat for all of us, but the numbers did not decrease.

Finally, we sat down on a bench we had made ourselves and enjoyed the warm morning sun. Now Fahsai opened up about why she had sought my company so early in the morning. She wanted to tell me about her observations at the disco. She was appalled at how some of the girls and women had behaved, how they had actually made advances to the young men, but I interrupted her. “Please don’t, my dear. I don’t want any snitching. I know from Amira how well everything went. There were no incidents. Everyone behaved as they should at a youth dance.”

“Three of the young girls even let the boys kiss them. The worst thing was...”

My hand covered her chattering mouth. “Stop, Fahsai. I don’t want to hear anything. Tell me how you’re doing. You still have twelve weeks to go, right?”

“I’m doing great. My Tarik is really sweet. He just kicks a bit during the day. I sleep well at night. Do you want to feel him?”

She pulled my hand onto her already quite full body. “Wait a moment, Micha. Soon you’ll feel it move.”

And really. I could feel slight movements. Fahsai smiled at me happily as I described my feelings. She was so balanced and at the same time so proud of herself and how her child was developing in her tummy. I think this is the most beautiful time in a pregnancy, when a mother feels her embryo every day and gives her love to the growing child in complete harmony with herself and her surroundings.

“Oh, there’s something else I wanted to tell you. I’m playing chess online now on Chess.com, and so is Esther. We’ve won all our games so far. We have even been asked to take part in the South American Correspondence Chess Championship”.

“Oh, Fahsai, that’s good news. I only have one request. Keep quiet. Don’t tell anyone where we live or how we live. No one must know about your son Yusuf or your pregnancy. It will only lead to stupid questions or remarks”.

“Okay! But they want your full name, date of birth, address, and what country we are competing for. I specified Yemen.”

“That’s fine, Fahsai. Maybe even your grandfather will hear about you if you win.”

Finally, we were back at the Palazzo. Everyone was having breakfast. I sat down with Dr Jamah’s family, who were having a lively conversation with our doctor. The Indian psychologist praised the fantastic development of our older students and asked me to interview the Year 6 students before he returned. He showed me a questionnaire that he had already discussed with Mrs Liebknecht.

“Dr Jamah, I agree, but if you want to publish a study, please show it to our doctor and me first. This is not a request. This is my condition.”

He shook my hand. The opinion of an objective scientist about our girls and teenagers would certainly give us inspiration for our future life together.

Shortly afterwards, I received a phone call. The fact that we had finally had a steady phone line for four days was a big step forward. The caller was Zhang, the director of the Chancay port project, whom I had met in the waiting area of the Chinese Embassy in Lima.

He was straightforward and wanted to know if we were still interested in building a tunnel. Mr Zhang wanted to come to us today, a Sunday, with a geologist and the head of the tunnel construction company CREG, China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co, Mr Yang Zhe. The tunnelling work for the new large port could not be continued. Several weeks of blasting and excavation work were needed first. During this time, they could build the tunnel I had planned. Without thinking twice, I agreed to the visit. At least, I would find out if my idea was feasible and how much it would cost. Whether we could afford to build it was another question.

About five hours later, a huge jeep honked at our entrance. I had never seen a vehicle like it before. Marco and Diego had opened the barrier, let the car in and immediately closed it again. I greeted the guests warmly. Mr Zhang introduced me to Mr Yang Zhe and geologist Li Zhong. In front of the palazzo the children surrounded the jeep. Zhang explained that it was a Yangwang U 8, which he had received from the manufacturer as a prototype for testing. It was incredible. Each wheel had its own electric motor. It also had a petrol engine for longer distances. The interior was a dream, with the finest leather upholstery, soft seats, two large displays and a wonderful amount of space for the occupants, as well as a large storage compartment. Zhang emphasised that it was the latest development with incredible comfort, but it weighed 3.2 tonnes. He estimated that the futuristic car would cost at least 120,000 US dollars, but for them it was a loan for the practical test in the Andes.

Then he came straight to the point, turned down the lunch invitation and demanded to see the plans for the mine. While the geologist and the tunnel specialist studied the drawings, the boss asked about payment. His directness unsettled me, but his request was understandable.

I called Ramona over with her $100,000 package, showed him the other two packages with Luisa’s and Olivia’s names on them, and assured Zhang that there would be more, of course, but our funds were also limited. We might have to pay some of it in euros. We had plenty of them, but of course I didn’t say how much.

Zhang smiled, nodded in relief, and suggested we visit the collapsed mine. He would then give me a quote. Everything happened very quickly. The geologist used a crowbar to ram some rocks into the pit to create an opening for his drones. The Chinese were well equipped with the latest technology. Yang flew a drone to illuminate the long tunnel, while Li piloted the camera drone. We watched the flight on a big screen.

Beyond the area that had collapsed in the earthquake, the mine appeared to be in good condition. The three Chinese nodded at each other in amazement. Then, they measured the length of the tunnel. The main passage ran almost straight into the mountain for about 1.7 kilometres. That would make the job a lot easier, said Yang. Then he flew the drone over the mountain into the neighbouring valley, filmed everything, measured the total width to be overcome and made further calculations. Then the three of them sat in the car and discussed the matter.

Back in my office, Zhang made me a surprisingly good offer. He wanted $38,000 to clear the collapsed area, the most expensive part of which was the helicopter ride in and out of the area. He wanted $700,000 for the additional securing of the long tunnel, which was 1.7 kilometres long. The most complex part would be drilling and lining the remaining 300 metres or so. Zhang asked for the desired height and width. My suggestion that a lorry 2.50 metres wide and 2.60 metres high could easily pass through the tunnel led to further discussion between the three Chinese. In the end, they suggested using a tunnel-boring machine with a 5-metre drill head. Zhang started talking like a carpet salesman, explaining that drilling normally costs $14,000 per metre, but he offered me a special price of $6,000 per metre, which was still $1.8 million in cash.

After some back and forth, he reduced the amount to 1.6 million as a guaranteed fixed price. That was how much money we had. We sealed the deal with a firm handshake.

Finally, we discussed the fourth stage, the construction of the road through the tunnel and its surfacing. Again, he emphasised the special price of 200 dollars per metre, or 400,000 dollars for a total of 2,000 metres of road. This was too much for me, as the tunnel was already largely passable, as the video footage had shown. Finally, he shook my hand and said: “200,000 dollars special price for you. But we have two conditions. If we find any rock containing silver, it is ours and we will take it away. Agreed?”

That was not a problem for me. I didn’t want to be involved in silver production. The second condition was a performance bonus for the three people in charge, $30,000 each for Yang and Li, $50,000 for Zhang. That was what I expected. We haggled briefly and agreed on a total of $100,000 if the tunnel and road were handed over.

“Mr Zhang. I’ll summarise and record my words on the Dictaphone. We have agreed on the following fixed prices for the four phases of construction.

1. Exposing the mine entrance - $38,000

2. Extending and securing the tunnel to 1.7 km - $700,000

3. Drill the tunnel to a diameter of 5 metres, approximately 300 metres - $1.6 million

4. Road construction to 2 kilometres - $200,000

5. Bonus on completion - $100,000

That makes a total price of $2,638,000, payable in instalments as each phase is completed. Is that OK?”

Zhang muttered into the recorder: “Yes! The agreement is valid. We’ll take this $100,000 as a deposit, okay?”

I nodded, but I still had an important question. “Gentlemen, one more thing. When do you want to start working?”

“Immediately. Tomorrow morning, the road from the mountain village to here will be repaired and widened in places for trucks. In the evening, some trucks will arrive with our workers and various equipment. Our men will spend the night in containers that will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday. The day after tomorrow, a helicopter will fly in with our special ‘Turtle’-machine to clear the mine entrance. From Friday we will have free access to the tunnel and the real work can begin.

Now I was a bit dismayed. I hadn’t expected construction to start so soon, but what the hell. Time was money and, in a few weeks, they had to be back at work in the harbour. We would never get such a good opportunity again. Still a little hesitant, I agreed, my mind racing with all the things we had to prepare. “OK, let’s do it. Here’s your deposit, 100,000 dollars in cash.”

Outside we discussed the boundaries of the site. No one was allowed to cross the wide road to the canyon. There were still a lot of gold-bearing rocks there. None of the Chinese were to know about it.

The workers would sleep in two containers they had brought with them, Zhang told me. The workers would cook for themselves. Geologist Li was the site manager. He wanted to stay on the site from that night if we had a bed for him. Oh God, they were pushing for speed.

Zhang said he would send me a cost estimate for the proposed dam next week. He estimated the cost at least 5 million dollars and the small hydroelectric power plant at 800,000 dollars. We didn’t have that kind of money, but I wanted to look into it later. Perhaps a Peruvian company could build the dam on account. A first calculation of the expected costs was important. Everything else was a long way off.

Zhang promised me that he would talk to the authorities about buying the neighbouring valley where the dam was to be built. He said he had very good relations with the ministries. I nodded hesitantly. I had to think carefully. At the moment, we didn’t have the money. First, Olivia’s Michi had to be recognised as the heir to the Rus. ‘Don’t put yourself under too much pressure, Micha,’ I warned myself inwardly, without saying it.

Just as I was about to take a rest, after Zhang and Yang had left in their dream car and Li had moved into a room in the Casa, Ramona rushed up to me with Dr Jamah. He had finished his studies and interviews and was on his way back. His report would be emailed to me shortly. The Jamah family gave me a particularly warm farewell. Their children had spent a very nice weekend with us, but to be honest, I barely listened to what the guests were saying. I was worn out. It was the most exhausting Sunday in our valley so far.

After dinner, I asked Ramona, Antonio, Babette, Luisa, and Olivia to come to a meeting. I explained briefly what I had agreed with the Chinese. They all looked at me with big eyes. Our doctor was outraged. “Mr Berthier, you’ve gone mad. This not right. It’s only going to lead us into chaos.

She hadn’t called me ‘Mr Berthier’ for a long time. Her eyes flashed angrily at me. Babette simply asked, “Micha, what’s the point? Why such a hurry?”

Antonio and Olivia were against it, too, but at least they asked valuable questions. I was able to persuade them with two arguments: the reduction in travel time to Trujillo for shopping and the orphanage, and the uniquely good offer if they could start immediately. Soon, we were discussing only the how, not the why. Ramona also took an active part, albeit with a critical undertone, but her resistance to the project crumbled.

At the end of the consultation, we decided:

1. School will be cancelled on Monday.

2. Antonio will coordinate the work with Mr Li because he only speaks some Spanish.

3. All the students will take part in marking out the area where the workers are not allowed.

4. The Alcatraz family will cook a meal for the workers every night.

5. Babette and Sula will enforce the no trespassing policy.

For a long, time I sat at my desk and thought about the situation. I considered many problems and additional measures that needed to be taken. It became clearer and clearer to me that our doctor was right. I had allowed myself to be taken by surprise by the hectic pace of the Chinese, but there was no turning back. It was midnight when I went to bed, but my mind was in turmoil. Eventually, I fell into a restless sleep.

On Monday, after breakfast, we divided up the different groups and their tasks. Zarina and Luca used the forklift to block the paths with three empty containers and secure our container storage area. We completely rearranged everything, placing containers against the back wall and pushing unused pallets to the side. The plumber’s workshop, where Babette was still storing gold ore, and the access to the secret passage into the palazzo were blocked with containers. We placed the remaining containers close together so that the workers could set up their sleeping cabins in the open space. We then moved the weapons and ammunition from the ore processing plant into the palazzo.

After two hours, our area was marked out and access roughly blocked with bushes and pallets. Open areas were fenced in with bushes and trees, and all the other students collected gold-bearing rocks between the cemetery and the main road and stored the precious goods in one of the lockable containers that blocked the main road. Larger gold-bearing stones were covered with branches or smeared with damp earth. It was all done in good humour, with jokes, laughter, and singing.

Suddenly, a huge explosion came from the direction of the mountain village. More blasts followed. Antonio was told by Li that the access road needed to be widened in places to allow the large trucks to pass. In my opinion, even in Peru you need a permission for that, but the gentlemen didn’t seem to care. What had I got myself into?

A little while later, Babette showed me the footage Ronya had taken with the drone. To be honest, I was scared for the first time. There were at least 15 trucks parked on the road above the sunken road. A bulldozer was removing blasted rock from the road. Further in our direction, one explosion followed another.

Shortly after lunch, Babette and Ronya told me that the first convoy was approaching. Sirens blared through the valley. We wanted to prove our defensive capabilities. Luca drove Babette and me, armed with submachine guns of course, to the blocked entrance, whose barrier Marco and Diego had already removed. We wanted to allow free passage until the work was finished.

Li directed the vehicles to their designated locations. A bulldozer, a high-loader, and a powerful excavator were unloaded. Li gave the order, and the three construction vehicles began without a break to clear the area I had designated for the storage of the mine’s rubble.

Finally, two large lorries with thermal troughs rolled up. They were carrying liquid asphalt to repair damage to our access road. Li asked where the remaining six tonnes of asphalt could be used or disposed of. My request to asphalt the road from the entrance to the mine was immediately granted. Within minutes, 60 square metres of the previously unpaved road had been levelled and asphalted.

Our valley suddenly appeared to be a huge construction site. A large cement silo and mixing plant had been erected and a power generator was being tested. Workers were laying water hoses from the service water tank in the former ore processing plant to the construction site.

Antonio told me that the three low loaders, the dump trucks and the tandem tractors were going back to Chancay today. Our construction workers helped Hualpo delimb the large trees that the digger had pulled out of the ground and cut them into pieces about two metres long. Luca used our forklift to load the pieces of wood onto a low loader. The drivers had agreed to take the wood to the mountain village. I could barely keep up with the hustle and bustle.

Almost all the villagers were watching the progress of the unexpected work. Some were picking up firewood for their fire pits. The bulldozer cleared a large area, while the excavator tore more bushes and smaller trees from the ground. The noise was deafening. Suddenly, a machine in the old ore processing plant began to rattle. The sound roared through the valley. A tall, strong worker had started an old, rusty machine that belonged to the mining company. He was shovelling rocks into the machine, which were then crushed. When the man looked at me, I shuddered. A Chinese man, blond with blue eyes, it was unbelievable. Really scary!

He didn’t understand a word of English, so I called Zarina to translate. When she asked him in Chinese to turn off the machine, something happened that I had never seen before. They both stood there, frozen in shock, looking into each other’s eyes, completely amazed, even fascinated by each other. It was then that I understood the meaning of ‘love at first sight’. It was magic, a miracle.

After a few seconds, the worker held out his hand and smiled. He spoke to her in Chinese, apparently introducing himself. Zarina was unable to answer. I had never seen her so stunned.

I put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched as if she had woken up from a dream. “Zarina, everything is fine. - Do you like him?”

She just nodded silently, but eventually she began to smile. It made her beauty stand out even more. The man looked her up and down, clearly impressed by the attractive compatriot standing before him.

Shortly afterwards, Zarina translated his words for me. “His name is Yu Yuan and he will be working here in the valley for 5 or 6 weeks.”

“And you will do everything you can to make sure he stays with you after that, right? I think you two are meant to be together.”