Recaps

After a month in school in Singapore, the narrator struggled to follow English and discovered that the teacher’s punchline had been in Hokkien. He later answered messages from former classmates, warning Li Guang about Singapore’s English requirements while agreeing that earning money there was possible.

• The teacher joked that his computer-scientist brother had lost his hair from worrying about technological change, and the class laughed.
• The narrator and Naja mistook the teacher’s final line for a foreign English phrase until a Singaporean woman told them it was Hokkien.
• The narrator learned that communicating in Singapore could require familiarity with several languages, including Malay, Indian languages, Thai, Cantonese, and Hokkien.
• The narrator logged into QQ and read messages from former coworkers and university classmates asking about life in Singapore.
• The narrator warned Li Guang that office work required English, and Li Guang replied that he only cared about making money.

Mr. Sanhe learned how to make noodles from Sister-in-law Wei before Mr. Cai took him to practice projecting internal qi with Master Wu. After the simple exercises made him dizzy, Master Wu told him to stand on the outside and rest if needed.

• Sister-in-law Wei showed Mr. Sanhe how to cook noodles with an egg, greens, tomatoes, and soy sauce.
• Mr. Cai called Mr. Sanhe and drove him to the neighborhood center to meet Master Wu.
• Master Wu arranged the students in a circle and led them through warm-ups and basic qi exercises.
• Mr. Sanhe became dizzy and nauseated, so Master Wu told him to stand on the outside and rest if he remained dizzy.

After Master Wu explained why the sword-finger practice had made him dizzy, the narrator realized that old frustration had caused stagnant qi and thanked Master Wu for enlightening him. On the drive home, Mr. Cai described his labor shortage, and the narrator thought of Li Guang as a possible worker for a Singapore job.

• The narrator stopped practicing after becoming dizzy, and Mr. Cai brought him to Master Wu for an explanation.
• Master Wu said the stronger qi in the center of the formation could cause dizziness when someone had pent-up emotions, and advised moving to the edge to adjust gradually.
• The narrator connected his symptoms to lingering frustration from his early days in Singapore and bowed to Master Wu for helping him understand.
• Mr. Cai received a call about a worker shortage at the Block 468 site in Tampines and explained that foreign-worker quotas limited his hiring options.
• After hearing that the job paid S$2,000 a month plus overtime and required educational qualifications, the narrator thought Li Guang could be a suitable candidate.

After Mr. Cai asked him to recommend workers, the narrator saw an opportunity to help foreign students find legal work and earn money by recruiting for Singapore employers. He began researching company law and contacting agencies back home, determined to establish a business despite needing a local director.

• The narrator told Mr. Cai about a strong, hardworking classmate who could fill the job, and Mr. Cai asked him to recommend more workers.
• The narrator recalled his own financial hardship and vowed to help others find a way forward.
• He recognized that arranging legal work visas could help students while giving him a source of income.
• The narrator messaged Li Guang with the news, researched Singapore company law, and contacted major agencies back home about cooperation.
• He learned that a foreigner starting a Singapore company needed a Singapore citizen or permanent resident to serve as a director.

Sanhe agreed to walk Li Xuan home after she explained that men in Geylang had mistaken her for a sex worker and one had followed her to her door. After joking with Li Xuan and Du Le about the request, Sanhe told them about his grand business plan.

• Du Le asked Sanhe to help Li Xuan by walking her home after class.
• Li Xuan explained that men had harassed her on the way home, and one had followed her all the way to her front door.
• Sanhe agreed to walk Li Xuan home, whether or not it was on his way.
• Sanhe joked with Li Xuan and Du Le about the request before telling them about his grand business plan.

Sanhe, Li Xuan, and Du Le discussed starting a company in Singapore, but Du Le lacked confidence and preferred finding part-time work. He then suggested visiting Lingyin Temple for a reading, and the group agreed to go on the day volunteers offered guidance.

• Sanhe explained the visa options and Singapore company law, and Li Xuan asked what kind of partner they needed.
• Li Xuan suggested asking her Singaporean cousin, a permanent resident, to serve as a director in name only.
• Du Le doubted they could start a company and said he would rather work part-time to repay his mother, while Sanhe warned that working illegally could get him sent home.
• Du Le brought up Lingyin Temple and said he had found its guidance effective before.
• Sanhe and Li Xuan agreed to visit the temple with Du Le, who explained that volunteers offered guidance one day a week.

Du Le, Li Xuan, and the narrator visited Lingyin Temple to ask whether their company partnership would succeed, and received the puzzling answer that Heaven would not lend aid. They left without understanding the warning and decided to review their plans before speaking with Li Xuan’s sister.

• The narrator, Du Le, and Li Xuan went to Lingyin Temple and joined the line to ask for guidance.
• The group watched the temple’s fuji practitioners perform a divination ritual.
• The narrator asked whether their company partnership would work out and received the answer, “Great ambitions, but Heaven lends no aid.”
• Master explained that the answer indicated resistance from above, possibly the government, but the narrator doubted this because the paperwork was legal.
• Du Le urged them to pursue part-time work instead, while Li Xuan suggested they review the plan before talking to her sister.
• The narrator compared the answer to an earlier finger-divination result and kept wondering what the warning meant.

Mr. Sanhe joined Master Wu’s practice and discovered he could sense qi projected into water and through sword fingers. Recognizing the warmth from when the Old Taoist opened his heavenly eye, he wondered whether the methods shared a common root.

• Mr. Sanhe went with Mr. Cai to the neighborhood center, where Master Wu was testing students’ sensitivity to qi in glasses of water.
• Mr. Cai and Mr. Sanhe sensed warmth above two glasses, and Master Wu explained that he and a senior female student had infused them with qi.
• During practice, Master Wu asked everyone to project qi toward their left palms using sword fingers.
• Master Wu demonstrated tracing circles above Mr. Sanhe’s palm, and Mr. Sanhe felt a warm sensation like the one from the Old Taoist’s heavenly-eye opening.
• Mr. Sanhe copied Master Wu and sensed the qi more clearly, impressed that he and the other students could project it after only a few hours of practice.

Sanhe arranged for Li Guang to apply for a physically demanding job in Singapore and reflected on his confidence that poverty would no longer hold him back. He argued with Bai Zhigao about whether hard work or luck shaped a person’s future, and hinted that Bai Zhigao would later become a fatalist.

• Sanhe warned Li Guang that the job involved tough physical labor, then collected his résumé, passport, and diploma and sent them to Mr. Cai.
• Sanhe reflected that he could choose a different life but was content with his current circumstances for the time being.
• Bai Zhigao criticized Sanhe for trusting in good fortune, insisting that people shaped their futures through their own efforts.
• Sanhe argued that effort needed favorable conditions and bet that Bai Zhigao would not be as lucky as he was.
• Sanhe recalled that Bai Zhigao later shifted from rejecting metaphysical ideas to becoming a fatalist, and that changing his outlook took considerable effort.

The narrator explained why his physiognomy-based bet about Bai Zhigao had seemed plausible, then heard that Sister Feng’s husband had beaten her for walking the dog late. Back in class, the narrator and Du Le overheard someone ask if another person was being kept, but did not learn who it was.

• The narrator described Bai Zhigao’s sensitive features, restless voice, and unsteady gait as signs that he could not bear good fortune, while noting that his appearance later changed.
• Du Le told the narrator that Sister Feng’s husband had grabbed her by the hair and beaten her for being late to walk the dog.
• Du Le said Sister Feng had cried after the beating, then wiped her tears and gone out to walk the dog.
• The narrator and Du Le returned to class and overheard someone ask, “Does that mean you’re being kept?,” while Bai Zhigao continued talking with Weiwei and the others.

The narrator and Du Le overheard Cai Wen offer Jin Ling'er help finding a wealthy boyfriend, then tried to keep Bai Zhigao from learning what she had said. After class, they escaped Bai Zhigao with excuses, leaving him confused.

• The narrator and Du Le overheard Cai Wen explain that she dated men for money and offer Jin Ling'er an introduction to a businessman.
• Cai Wen told Jin Ling'er that her potential boyfriends could be unmarried, separated, or widowed.
• Class began, and the narrator and Du Le relaxed after pretending not to have overheard the conversation.
• After class, Jin Ling'er spoke to Cai Wen about finding a boyfriend, and Bai Zhigao interrupted to warn that dating was expensive.
• The narrator and Du Le distracted Bai Zhigao with an excuse, then separately made excuses to leave him standing in confusion.

Wang Sanhe visited Li Xuan’s cousin and advised her that artificial flowers could contribute to attracting petty schemers, then spoke with Little Bun about her complaints regarding her Singapore coffee-shop job. He arranged to visit her in Wuluo the next day, where Du Le also said he had something important to discuss.

• Li Xuan asked Wang Sanhe to check why her cousin kept attracting petty schemers, and Wang agreed to visit for half a day’s wages.
• Wang Sanhe examined Li Xuan’s cousin’s home, advised her to remove the artificial flowers, and gave her simple suggestions about arranging the space.
• Little Bun called Wang Sanhe crying because her coffee-shop workplace lacked air-conditioning, attractive surroundings, and handsome coworkers, though the agency had not promised those things.
• Wang Sanhe arranged to visit Little Bun’s workplace in Wuluo with a friend after class the next day.
• Du Le told Wang Sanhe he would meet him in Wuluo at noon and had something to discuss, then hurriedly ended the call.

The narrator met Du Le at Wuluo Coffee Shop, where Du Le asked for help because Sun Qirui feared he had a sexually transmitted disease. The narrator reassured him that it was likely a false alarm, and they went to eat with Little Bun while Sun Qirui agreed to visit the hospital.

• The narrator met Little Bun at Wuluo Coffee Shop and waited for Du Le to arrive.
• Du Le pulled the narrator aside and said Sun Qirui feared he had a sexually transmitted disease after being with an American woman.
• The narrator told Du Le that Sun Qirui's problem was probably nothing serious and advised him to go to the hospital.
• Du Le messaged Sun Qirui, who agreed to go to the hospital that afternoon.
• The narrator introduced Du Le to Little Bun, and they tried her Singapore-style dim sum and sweet vegetable and pork buns.

Sanhe tried to persuade Du Le and Little Bun that working for a company was not necessarily safer than starting a business, while the three of them chatted at Little Bun’s shop. The conversation ended when Sun Qirui called Du Le with news that the test results were ready.

• Little Bun burned her hand while handling a steamer basket, and Sanhe advised her to apply soy sauce to it.
• Sanhe and Du Le told Little Bun they had been scammed out of their tuition money, helping her feel better about her own troubles.
• Little Bun doubted that starting a business was worthwhile because most entrepreneurs failed, and Sanhe challenged her belief that working for someone else was safe.
• Du Le and Little Bun agreed that starting a business was still riskier, then blushed when Sanhe teased them about being in sync.
• Sun Qirui called Du Le to say the test results were back, and Du Le anxiously asked how they turned out.

After reuniting with Sun Qirui, Sanhe and Du Le heard how he had recovered from a health scare and asked about his American girlfriend. Sun Qirui hinted that he was a skilled craftsman, but Du Le failed to understand what he meant.

• Sun Qirui reassured Du Le over the phone that his illness had only been a minor infection.
• Sanhe suggested that Little Bun and Du Le exchange contact details before the friends said goodbye to her.
• Sanhe, Du Le, and Sun Qirui reunited, and Sun Qirui said that surviving his scare had put things in perspective.
• Sun Qirui explained that he and his American girlfriend communicated with gestures, guesswork, and translation software.
• Du Le asked how they were compatible, and Sun Qirui hinted that he was a skilled craftsman, but Du Le mistook the remark for a song lyric.

Wang Sanhe and Du Le teased Jin Ling'er after her disastrous date with an older man who drove a Mercedes-Benz. They talked her out of her anger, and she ended the call considering giving someone who drove a BMW a chance.

• Jin Ling'er called Wang Sanhe to ask about a date Cai Wen had arranged, and Wang Sanhe advised her to go without getting her hopes up.
• Jin Ling'er called again soon afterward, furious that her date had been an older man who arrived in a car she described as having three little sticks inside a circle.
• Wang Sanhe realized the car was a Mercedes-Benz and joked that Jin Ling'er had been warned not to expect much.
• Du Le and Sun Qirui tried to calm Jin Ling'er, and Sun Qirui pointed out that she had at least learned the car brand.
• Jin Ling'er was persuaded to consider dating someone who drove a BMW next time.

Li Guang arrived in Singapore and began work for Mr. Cai, who thanked Sanhe for his help and gave him a red envelope. Sanhe realized the 2008 global financial crisis made starting a company the wrong move for now, but he received two job offers that could help him secure a work visa and eventually permanent residency.

• Li Guang received his visa, arrived in Singapore, and Sanhe helped him settle near his company.
• Mr. Cai praised Li Guang, arranged his work permit card, and thanked Sanhe with a red envelope for his help.
• Sanhe realized that the subprime mortgage crisis and ensuing global economic downturn explained why the timing was wrong for starting a company.
• Sanhe submitted résumés through JOBDB and JOBSTREET and received offers for a purchasing executive job and an agency consultant position.
• Sanhe considered that changing to a work visa could help him apply for permanent residency before starting a company in the future.

After finding a purchasing job, the narrator celebrated with Naja by teaching him to swim at an outdoor pool in Farrer Park. Naja confessed his love, but the narrator rejected him, leaving their friendship in doubt.

• The narrator told Naja he had found a purchasing job, and Naja invited him to swim and barbecue at his brother’s apartment in Farrer Park.
• The narrator taught Naja to float by having him hold his breath and lie facedown in the water.
• Naja learned to float and stand upright, then practiced swimming on his own.
• Naja told the narrator he loved him and praised his intelligence and confidence.
• The narrator said he was an ordinary man who liked girls, then discouraged Naja from hoping for a relationship.
• Naja asked whether they could still be friends, and the narrator’s response ended their friendship.

Sanhe met landlord Chen Wenjie, who asked him to investigate why Chen’s sixteen-year-old daughter became sick whenever she left home. They arranged to meet the next morning, and Chen took Sanhe to try a Singaporean breakfast before visiting his daughter.

• Chen Wenjie introduced himself to Sanhe and asked for his help with his daughter’s unexplained vomiting whenever she left the house.
• Sanhe agreed to visit the next morning, after Chen mentioned that a psychologist would be giving his daughter tests.
• Chen met Sanhe early the next day and took him to Ya Kun for breakfast.
• Chen showed Sanhe how to eat soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce, and Sanhe enjoyed them with the toast.
• Sanhe admitted he could barely distinguish coffee beyond its sweetness, and Chen laughed at his bluntness.

The narrator visited President Chen’s home to investigate why Gula had become withdrawn and irritable. After finding no obvious problem in the house, the narrator spoke with Gula alone and tried to gain her trust, but she remained guarded.

• The narrator and President Chen arrived while a counselor questioned Gula, who snapped at him and left the living room.
• The narrator looked around the house with President Chen and found no major problems.
• President Chen introduced the narrator to Mrs. Chen and led the narrator upstairs to inspect the bedrooms.
• The narrator asked to speak with Gula alone and told her they could see things other people could not.
• Gula questioned the narrator about seeing ghosts, then turned away to read when the narrator asked to stay a little longer.

The narrator learned that Gula avoided going outside because she was repulsed by the thought of breathing air that had passed through other people. After making her nauseous with an even worse possibility, the narrator explained that everyone had some degree of mental illness, leaving Gula reassured that she was not alone.

• The narrator asked Gula why she refused to go outside, and she said she found it disgusting to imagine breathing air that had come from strangers' mouths.
• The narrator suggested the air could have come from a stranger's rear end, and Gula ran to the bathroom to vomit.
• The narrator laughed as Gula continued vomiting, while President Chen hesitated at the stairs with a plate of fruit and then went back downstairs.
• Gula returned to her chair, and the narrator told her she was thinking too much and explained that everyone had some mental issues because they could not fully control their thoughts.
• Gula laughed and said the explanation made sense, glad she was not the odd one out.

The narrator tried to help Gula overcome her aversion to the outside world by taking her for a short walk and guiding her to focus on colors or shapes. The chapter ended with the narrator practicing the Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and reflecting on how attention was tied to vitality and money.

• Gula asked whether the narrator could cure her, then agreed to try a ten-minute stroll.
• Gula explained that she could not eat with others because their saliva contaminated shared food.
• The narrator and Gula went outside while President Chen and Mrs. Chen watched hopefully.
• Gula challenged the narrator to explain his treatment, and he told her to focus on colors or shapes as she walked.
• The narrator practiced the Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and considered how attention shaped vitality and spending.

Sanhe helped Gula feel better by taking her outside and guiding her to focus on the real world around her. Gula grudgingly accepted his help and demanded that he keep visiting, while Mrs. Chen asked what had caused her condition.

• Sanhe followed Gula on a slow walk, and she became calmer as she took in the sunshine and scenery.
• Back at the house, Gula admitted that the walk had helped, though she praised Sanhe reluctantly.
• Sanhe told Gula to practice connecting with her surroundings and offered to guide her for a few more days.
• Gula insisted that Sanhe keep coming until she was completely better, then retreated to her bedroom.
• Sanhe advised Gula to open her curtains and air out her room, and Mrs. Chen asked whether the house's feng shui had caused Gula's condition.

The narrator explained to President Chen and Mrs. Chen that Gula’s clever, overactive mind and withdrawn habits had diminished her yang, but that she wanted to recover and needed encouragement rather than charms or feng shui objects. He advised helping her find peace through positive emotions and curiosity, leaving President Chen impressed by the explanation.

• The narrator reassured Mrs. Chen that the home’s feng shui was not seriously wrong and said Gula’s cleverness contributed to her overthinking.
• President Chen described Gula as mischievous when young, withdrawn in recent years, and able to remember things after seeing them once.
• The narrator explained that Gula’s thoughts and habit of staying in her darkened room had upset her yin-yang balance, but said she needed only a small nudge because she wanted to get better.
• The narrator argued that trying not to think used the brain to control itself, while using the heart and spirit could reduce reliance on the brain.
• The narrator pointed to babies’ happy, curious learning as an example and said positive emotions and a love of learning were important to mental health.
• President Chen praised the narrator’s explanation, and the narrator complimented President Chen’s fluent Chinese before President Chen joked that Gula had inherited her brains from him.

The narrator taught Gula how balancing yin and yang through action and engaging with the outside world could lift her spirits. After seeing her cheerful recovery, Gula asked to learn the complete Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and proposed becoming the narrator’s disciple—or even marrying him, leaving him scrambling for an excuse.

• The narrator explained yin and yang to Gula, and she recognized that she had been thinking too much and acting too little.
• Gula began initiating conversations and practicing the narrator’s advice.
• On their third day together, Gula led a walk while happily chatting with flowers and greeting the trees, delighting President Chen and bringing Mrs. Chen to tears.
• Gula asked about the complete Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art, and the narrator explained its six senses and inner cultivation method.
• Gula insisted on learning the full art and offered to become the narrator’s disciple or marry him, so the narrator claimed they were different species.