Everyday movement, p.22
Everyday Movement, page 22
The words were intended for peacemaking, but they only irritated Panda more. She picked up the bags from her mother and took off.
* * *
—
At four in the morning, Hung Yi stood alone by the roadside, waiting for a bus to come and take her away from this place. Half an hour later, she boarded the first one that appeared.
There were only a few other passengers. She sat down in a window seat. Her head throbbed. Her hair was still wet. A radio station was replaying election news. The bus started moving, passing buildings and telephone poles plastered with red and green campaign posters.
Hung Yi’s phone vibrated. It was Ah Lei. She picked up and heard jumbled noises on the other end. “Hello?” she said. No one responded. She heard people shouting and laughing. She was about to hang up when Ah Lei finally spoke. “Panda? Ah Mak and I were so happy that we went out with a few others to celebrate at a karaoke bar. Would Ah Ming and you like to join us?”
Panda felt her cheeks burning, her hair damp and cold. Ah Lei’s chirpy voice brought tears to Hung Yi’s eyes. She began sobbing.
“What’s wrong, Panda? Where are you? Do you want me to come?”
Where had it all gone wrong? Hung Yi had wanted nothing but justice and love. Were such pursuits meaningless in the end?
They stayed on the line until she finished crying. In a raspy voice, she assured Ah Lei she would be okay. She would fill her in later. Then she hung up the phone and wiped her face dry.
The bus passed through a tunnel and left the city behind. On the highway, it picked up speed, hurtling forward as if there were no tomorrow. Streetlamps emitted faint light, forming a trace of stardust. The roadside trees appeared sparse and barren at first, but they grew denser and taller, until they were about to leap into a run to keep pace with the bus, threatening to swallow the vehicle in the shadow of their groves.
In this strange landscape, Hung Yi no longer knew where she was heading to, or where she belonged.
She found the seedless strawberries Mom had packed for her. She popped one into her mouth. Her jaws shuddered, and she squinted reflexively. The fruit was quite sour.
Hung Yi pushed the window open. A cold blast wrapped around her. The trees seemed to let up. Through the seams of their canopy, twilight was slipping through.
Acknowledgments
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has helped bring this book into the world. My heartfelt thanks to my Taiwanese editor, Kuan-Lung, for his unwavering support and for cheering me on like the best kind of teammate, encouraging me to see this novel through. To my editor, Han, whose sharp and powerful insight polished the work and made it so much stronger—thank you. (The English-language edition of Everyday Movement is a revised version of the original Chinese manuscript.)
I am indebted to my translator, Jennifer, for her kindness and deep understanding, and to my agent, Kangqin, for her steadfast faith and wise guidance throughout this journey. My dear friend Crystal Chan kept me company through countless late nights as I struggled with the writing, and I could not have done this without her.
To my partner, Ting, thank you for giving me the time, space, and encouragement I needed to write. And finally, my deepest gratitude goes to the countless Hong Kongers whose courage and dignity inspired this novel in the first place.
About the Author and Translator
Gigi L. Leung is a writer of fiction and poetry. Her work was a finalist for the Taipei Literary Award and won a Golden Tripod Award in 2024. She grew up in Hong Kong and lives in Taipei.
Jennifer Feeley translates the cult favorite Hong Kong writer Xi Xi, for which she won the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize and a Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Award. She was a National Endowment for the Arts fellow in 2019.
What’s next on
your reading list?
Discover your next
great read!
Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.
Sign up now.
_155004762_
Gigi L. Leung, Everyday Movement
