Neil

Wu Aizhen’s birthday came a week later, and Akikawa Yamaguchi remembered it clearly. He asked how she wanted to spend it. Wu Aizhen said the plainer the better—preferably just the two of them in the room drinking “Happiness Tea.” Weren’t there those two small packets they still hadn’t drunk? Akikawa agreed. But he said this … Read more

When Wu Aizhen returned to City A, it happened to be New Year’s Day. Although holidays no longer stirred much excitement or enthusiasm in modern city-dwellers, a festive air still filled the city. From the sudden surge of cars and crowds on the streets during the long holiday to the red lanterns newly hung along … Read more

After leaving her parents, she went to Mount Wutai, since it was very close to their small city. She did not contact Ren Qingfei. She didn’t know which sacred Buddhist mountain he was on now, and she knew she hadn’t come for him, nor for anyone else. But when she knelt before the Buddha in … Read more

Her parents lived in a small northern city. In winter, everything in that small northern town seemed frozen hard. Carrying bulging bags of gifts she’d bought for them, she breathed on her hands, stamped her feet, and knocked on their door. Her mother, seeing her, was first startled, then so overjoyed she nearly wept, but … Read more

The next day, it was already four in the afternoon by the time they returned to City A. On the road, Akikawa Yamaguchi told her that he had originally gone to her room the previous evening to tell her something. He had received a phone call — something had happened at the Japan headquarters, and … Read more

The next day, after seeing off all his guests, it was already past ten when Akikawa Yamaguchi came straight over to pick up Wu Aizhen. When Wu Aizhen came downstairs, she saw Akikawa standing not far from the car, waiting for her. He was dressed in a black tracksuit with short sleeves. The fabric was … Read more

Akikawa Yamaguchi barely slept that night; only around five in the morning did he drift off into a haze. But he had a strange dream: a golden dragon, gleaming with light, entered his room with an enormous white lotus in its jaws. Instantly, the room filled with fragrance. After the dragon dropped the flower before … Read more

After seeing Keiko off, Wu Aizhen and Akikawa returned to the parking lot. Akikawa drove a black, silver-trimmed Maybach 62, a stretch longer than the cars parked on either side, its freshly polished body gleaming conspicuously. On the way to the airport, Keiko had mentioned that her father had had it custom-built; it bore both … Read more

Following the address Wu Aizhen had given over the phone, Akikawa Yamaguchi’s driver brought them to her residential compound without much trouble. After the driver left, Akikawa Yamaguchi took in the surroundings. The compound was quite pleasant, with pools and a variety of trees planted between the buildings, lending it a quiet, secluded feel. Wu … Read more

That evening, Wu Aizhen wrote a long, vivid and emotional letter to Zheng Meiqin. The next morning, she made a copy of the recording of the Little Shramanera chanting the Great Compassion Mantra and sent it, together with the letter and several issues of Buddhist magazines, to Zheng Meiqin. Then she went to the supermarket … Read more