“Chauffeuring to the Moon” is a heartwarming novel that blends urban realism with science fiction. Set on a winter night in Beijing, it tells the story of Lin Duoduo, a chauffeur who works hard to make ends meet. One freezing night, she receives a mysterious, high-paying job: drive a ninety-year-old man with a young-sounding voice, Shen Qingyun.
Shen Qingyun suffers from progeria and has only a few months left to live. He has drawn up a “final wishes list,” which includes scattering his ashes on the near side of the moon. In return, he promises Lin Duoduo a suborbital spaceflight ticket worth $380,000.
As they fulfill the wishes one by one, Lin Duoduo gradually discovers that Shen Qingyun is not only an aerospace engineer, but also deeply connected to the truth behind her father’s death in a rocket accident involving the Starship ten years earlier. As they work through the list together, they uncover a past filled with dreams, betrayal, redemption, and promises. Lin Duoduo, who was initially motivated by money, comes to sincerely accompany this lonely old man to the end of his life, and perhaps even to a new beginning.
