“The knot inside me has also loosened,” she said.

“A ball of phosphorescence has been watching us from the mountain for a long time,” her husband said.

“Director, sir, your cause is making great progress in Yun Village!” Mrs. Yi shouted toward the mountain.

They got home at last. At the gate, the black-and-white chicken came staggering out to meet them as if it were drunk.

“This chicken is very romantic,” Mrs. Yi said.

“It makes me feel ashamed. Why can’t I face the fact that it’s also needy?” Her husband was distressed. She comforted him: “It happens all the time. You’re human, and humans are too complicated. People can’t easily see the animals’ motives.”

What a lovely night. Before falling asleep, Mrs. Yi kept thinking, The chicken has seen the weasel. Life goes on and on. Niulan Mountain had given these two small animals a chance.

For a long time they hadn’t heard anything about the death of the old director. Quite the opposite: an acquaintance unexpectedly told them the old director was still alive and was getting better.

When Mrs. Yi heard this, she clapped her hands in delight. She said to her husband, “The director couldn’t bear to leave his cause. For now, all he can do is pray for us. To tell you the truth, sometimes when I recall the past, I wonder how we got through all those years. We always worked independently in the village, but suddenly two fine young people came to join us. It’s like a dream. I never expected that.”

“But I did.” Squinting, Mr. Yi said, “You didn’t expect it because you’re too busy, but I have a lot of free time. I’ve been observing, and so I realized long ago that this was possible.”

“Then tell me, why did they join us?”

“Because they were desperate. They probably had been desperate for a long time.”

“Oh, darling, you’re so perceptive.”

“I’m an ordinary person. You’re the one with talent in our family. You’ve become the light of our Yun Village that illuminates the young generation’s hearts. Ha-ha, am I right?”

“But my heart is often in the dark. How could I illuminate others’?”

“You became a light without being aware of it. It happens all the time.”

“Okay, let’s drop this subject and get down to business.”

There was so much to do. These days, Mrs. Yi had more and more energy. She no longer felt exhausted, and she looked prettier than ever before. She jokingly referred to herself as a “young-old.” When she was free, she looked at Niulan Mountain and recalled the times she had spent on it. She felt that the mountain had made her a certain promise.

In the middle of the night, a white-haired old man often recited a spell for her. She knew the spell was inviting her to go to the mountains. She couldn’t make up her mind whether to do that or not. She had misgivings: What if she met the director in the mountains, wouldn’t she be breaking her promise? Niulan Mountain had great confidence in her, but that didn’t mean she was allowed to burst into the mountains. Communicating from a distance was more beneficial for both body and mind. She heard herself saying to Mia in the darkness, “Your son is a priceless treasure.” Moved by her own voice, she wept. What strong material this beautiful young woman was made of!