"Why are you called Tian Banmu?" At a late-night beer stand, my half-drunk friend asked with a boozy breath and a teasing tone. "That pen name is so corny and awful. There's nothing distinctive about it. There are thousands of great pen names out there, so how did you come up with this one by banging your head against a wall?"
"You really want to know?"
"Of course." With a decisive thunk, my friend set the half-empty beer bottle in front of me. "Come on, tell me over a drink. I want to hear the story you made up."
"Actually, these aren't my stories. They're fragmented memories from long ago..."
