Homeseeking

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape, illness, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, sexual content, and cursing.

In December 1981, Haiwen, now age 50, is in New York. He is there on a business trip for the company he works for, Yong Yuan Fabrics, to sell fabric to a fashion designer. He meets with two women, one of whom he thinks he recognizes. At the end of his pitch, he introduces himself by his Shanghainese name, Waong Haeven, to the woman, and she recognizes him: It is Sulan. She is immediately angry with him because of how he made Suchi “suffer.” She tells him that Suchi is married with a son and living in Hong Kong. That evening, Sulan meets Haiwen at his hotel. She tells him that Suchi’s husband is “unkind.” She gives him Suchi’s number and encourages him to contact her because “she needs [him]” (273).

Later, Haiwen calls his wife, Linyee, in Los Angeles. She tells him that she found a gold ring in his violin case, and he tells her that it was his mother’s ring. After they hang up, he realizes that “he c[an]not right Suchi’s life without leaving Linyee’s in shambles” (277).