“For God’s sake, man, get yourself out of there. Get a woman, get a life! Old Yifu’s a lovely old guy, but you can’t spend the rest of your days living with your uncle.” This was not what Li needed to hear. “I’m surprised he hasn’t got you tucked up in bed by now.”

“I should be,” Li said grimly.

“You see! You see!” Yongli danced round the worktop towards him. “He’s got you thinking like him now. Bed? Shit, man, it’s only ten thirty. The night is young. And you are turning into an old man.”

“I’m up at six tomorrow. I’ve got three murders on the go.” Li drew a deep breath and sighed. “Only I know I wouldn’t sleep.”

“Ah. So you’ve come to consult with Dr. Ma Yongli, that well-known dispenser of sound advice for insomniacs.”

The nearest thing to hand was a pot, so Li threw it at him. Yongli caught it easily and grinned. “That’s more like it. A bit of spirit. A bit of life left in the old dog.” He swung himself up to sit on the worktop beside him. “So what’s he done now?”

“My first day, in my new job, in my new office, and I walk in to find a feng shui man sitting cross-legged on my desk.”

Yongli looked at him in astonishment. “You’re kidding!” But it was clear he wasn’t. “And Uncle Yifu sent him?”

“To balance my Yin and my Yang and get my ch’i flowing freely,” Li said gloomily.

Yongli roared with laughter, slapping his thighs and then drumming his palms on the worktop.

“Yes, yes, thank you, thank you,” Li said sarcastically. “That’s exactly the reaction it got from the rest of the office.”

“Are you surprised?”

“No, I’m not. But when it happens to you, and your boss calls you in and tells you to get rid of him, and your uncle says he’ll fix your boss, believe me, it’s not funny.”

Yongli, still chuckling, dug an elbow into Li’s ribs. “Of course it is. Hey, lighten up, Big Li. You’re taking life far too seriously.”

“When your life is dealing with death, then you take it seriously,” Li said firmly.

Yongli looked at him and shook his head sadly. “What are we going to do with you?”

But Li was lost in his own thoughts. “And then there’s my sister. Pregnant again, and determined to go through with it. And then I’ve got to go in tomorrow morning and lose face to my boss, and to some jumped-up American pathologist who thinks she’s better than us.”

“Woah, woah. You’re going way too fast for me. What’s all this about?”