September

There he is again—bald head, big nose, that same wistful photo she thought she’d seen the last of. She’s only checking the website for updates, but somehow he sneaks in like a pop-up ad with feelings. His profile still insists he misses his late wife dearly… but also claims she’d want him to find “the right woman to live with.”

While lightly walking in Lake Crabtree County Park one morning in August, I gathered with my friends. Four of us, dressed in summer clothes, strolled along the vast lake, with many people passing by. They lined up at a pavilion to register for a free two-hour boating session. We came upon a quiet nook where…

I stand beneath the osmanthus tree in your humble, old yard, in the seventeenth century, watching you. You lean against the wooden door, eyes fixed on the narrow mud path outside, which still holds the fading footprints of your best friend, Xi Han. A gust of wind sweeps through, stirring a small pile of leaves…