“Did those people from Blue Mountain want anything from us?” Kay asked.

“They said they wanted to ‘discuss matters of vital importance’ with us, but I think they are letting us consult with each other.”

“You’re right. But don’t we do this all the time?”

“We need to do better. I have to go back now. Kay, what’s happening here is so inspiring. Look, there’s a lone star in the sky. But it is not alone. It’s in the midst of a boundless nebula.”

They hugged each other tightly and parted.

Mrs. Yi walked to the road. She saw a number of women going to Kay’s clinic, probably for treatment of their feet. A cloud of happiness floated above the roof of the clinic. Just then, Mr. Yi appeared. He said he had just attended a meeting on Blue Mountain. Mrs. Yi asked him where Blue Mountain was, and he replied that it was in their own herb garden. “We can have a meeting in the midst of the isatis bushes,” he said. “I’ve come to take you to the meeting.”

The couple walked into the herb garden and sat down on a familiar rock. Mr. Yi asked his wife to listen carefully in the direction he was pointing out. “They’re all here,” he whispered. Mrs. Yi did sense that several people were sneaking into the herb garden, but she couldn’t see them. “Gray!” she cried, “Are you here for the meeting, too?”

Embarrassed, Gray said, “I didn’t expect them to invite me. I haven’t done much work. And I did some damage.”

Mr. Yi hugged Gray to stop him from talking.

Another person arrived and stood outside, hesitating.

“Spoon, come in and join us for the meeting!” Mr. Yi shouted.

The four of them stood there embracing, each saying the same thing: “I can hear, can you?”

Everyone felt an inner warmth. Spoon said, “I always thought I didn’t have a home, and now I’ve found one.”

It was late at night, and the four of them were still in the meeting. They heard everything. They were thinking hard. Their minds were as lively as rabbits leaping around.

“How did you discover this meeting place?” Gray asked Mr. Yi.

“I tried to listen, and one day I heard. The weasel, of course, and the black-and-white chicken have been of great help to me.”

Now they all felt a small animal moving between their legs.

“What an industrious messenger,” said Spoon.

Over there, the Yis’ house had been dark at first, and then suddenly the lights came on. From a window came a baby’s cry, very loud.

“It’s the Zhu family’s daughter-in-law—her baby girl,” Mrs. Yi whispered.

The four people in the herb garden trembled as the baby’s cries rose and fell.

Then they filed out of the garden, came to the door, and opened it.

Inside, all was dark again.

“They left after passing on a message,” Mr. Yi said. “In Yun Village, even the newborns come to our meetings with their mothers.”