Rain Before the Eaves

Da Nang, 764 kilometers from Hanoi and 964 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. Ming Lan couldn't understand why Jiang Huai insisted on bringing her to this port city in central Vietnam. Years later, whenever she remembered the rain by the Thu Bon River that night, she always felt that everything had been destined to happen. If she hadn't come to Da Nang, she would never have met Nan Qing again. In her memories, he was a lively little boy. The man before her was tall and handsome, but now he held a slender white cane. If she hadn't gone to Hoi An, she would never have been drawn to the distinctive sound of the dan bau beneath an eave where raindrops fell like a curtain. The piece, titled "Rain Before the Eaves," was Jiang Huai's final work. He never had the chance to play it himself, and never would. Jiang Huai's legs and Nan Qing's eyes: a father's debts are paid by his daughter. It was only right. But she didn't know how, with just one body and one lifetime, she could make up for the happiness and well-being of two men. The print edition of "Rain Before the Eaves" is now available from Dangdang and the Angel Age flagship store on Tmall. A new story in the Southeast Asia series: "If You Were a Rose." Hope you'll add it to your collection! New story for 2023: "Tonight, You Are About to Leave," about a disabled painter's "toxic childhood sweetheart." Theme: Forgiving others and making peace with oneself.