Queimar

Buddha said that the true meaning of "laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha" is to let go of the hatred in your heart. But Buddha also said, lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha—you will not become a Buddha.

— Soda

Part One

Chapter One

I Hope!

The little girl was so kind that even she felt it was excessive. Excessive in what way? She treated everyone equally and was always kind, no matter who they were.

She was a child the family cherished; her father, who was always urging her to study, hoped she could inherit their only battered minibus—Victory. The vehicle carried fewer passengers than a typical minibus, and though it was smaller by a third, with two rows less than the large luxury minibuses like the Peony, it puzzled her why the family never replaced it.

In truth, her father and stepmother had done their best. Look around their home: paper gods of wealth pasted on the walls, the family sleeping in chaotic disarray, only a double-cassette, single-door tape recorder for entertainment. Her two older sisters rarely came home, and when they did, they huddled together out of sight. Her toys were self-made paper minibuses—and they were quite realistic.

Every day, the little girl had to operate on Route 20. Route 20, Route 20—hurry up, get on, we're about to depart! Come, come, get on, then the vehicle moves forward and reverses, all for the sake of filling it to capacity. At midday, she’d have noodles topped with vegetables and an egg—a luxurious day.

The minibus had t