After supper, Weng went up the escalator

to a mezzanine level for a foot massage.

He asked the masseuse about her life,

and she spoke about her daughter

and the funny things children say.

When the music stopped, the foot masseuse
left her stool to change the CD.

When the massage was over, Weng unfolded a piece of paper

with the address Mr. Yi’s assistant had dug up

for Cherry’s family.

“It’s not very far from here, Mr. Fun,” the masseuse said.

“Do you have a car?”

Weng went back to his room and thought about

what Shirley would look like.

He also thought about calling Uncle Ping, and asking if he
really did have a “long-term plan,” as Mr. Yi had suggested.

He also wanted to know if more lucrative work was the only
reason Cherry lived alone in Beijing—

while her daughter, husband, and parents were in Ningbo.

But when he made up his mind to place the call,

he just opened his phone

and scrolled through old messages.