28
Tongheng
1989
Dawei bought a refrigerator. Everyone in the university’s mechanical engineering faculty room was talking about it, but Tongheng was the first to see it. The two men weren’t the best of friends, but they were as close as two colleagues who occasionally competed for the same promotions could be.
Earlier that morning, Tongheng had biked over to Dawei’s apartment, his baby girl of one year napping in the front basket, his wife Kuan-yin on a separate bike behind him, expertly weaving through the bustling streets of Dalian. He went in for a handshake when Dawei opened the door, but his friend gracefully slipped past it and turned it into a hug. Tongheng stiffened at the embrace, wishing he could look back at Kuan-yin for a signal of how to react, and then finally patted Daw
