etiquette-and-surveillance

Hackworth waits in Dr. X's hong contemplating his predicament after a crime involving the Primer, hoping to negotiate a deal to recover it and secure his family's honor. The chapter introduces Zhang Han Hua, a powerful and feared figure whose presence commands absolute respect, illustrating the complex social and political hierarchies in the setting. Dr. X appears sympathetic and generous, suggesting a Faustian bargain that might resolve Hackworth's troubles, though the terms remain ambiguous.