“It doesn’t matter,” Mr. Yi said.

Mrs. Yi was surprised by her husband’s resolve. She could see that he was very excited.

There were grass and trees on the mountain, and many wildflowers, but she noticed no familiar herbs. If there were any herbs, they weren’t ones that she recognized.

The couple walked in silence until they heard the noise again. This time it was closer, but the dense grove blocked their vision. It was as if men and women were viciously cursing each other. Mr. Yi listened attentively, mesmerized.

“What are you thinking about?” Mrs. Yi whispered to him.

“I think they’re longing to reach the destination.”

“Well, so are we. We just aren’t making any noise.”

In such a noisy crowd, they felt their own footsteps becoming lighter and quicker.

“Maybe I’m mistaken, but I think I heard Kay’s husband among them,” Mr. Yi said.

“Quite possibly. We will ‘discuss matters of vital importance’ with him.” Mrs. Yi thought for a while and said, “If Kay knew this, how happy she would be!”

“Someone is crying.” Mr. Yi lowered his voice.

Mrs. Yi had given up on choosing a road. It was as if she and her husband were always on the same road no matter which direction they took. As they neared the summit, she noticed that her husband’s eyes were glistening and asked him what he saw. He said he saw the destination, but it wasn’t the mountaintop: it was inside the mountain.

“Do you see people holding a meeting inside the mountain?” Mrs. Yi asked.

“Yes, I do. But I know we can’t get in there, and we don’t have to. All we have to do is sit on this tree stump and wait.”

“Are you sure they need us, dear?”

“Absolutely. They need you. It’s written on their faces. I heard someone ask, ‘Why are we having this meeting?’ Another person immediately replied, ‘Because Mrs. Yi has revived the traditions of this part of the world.’ You can see how important you are . . .”

Before he finished talking, they felt something moving in the soil under their feet. A yellow halo vanished in a flash. Oh, it was the weasel! “What an auspicious little animal,” Mrs. Yi said.

While they were sitting there, Mr. Yi said he saw many scenes, and he said that all the people in the meeting looked familiar. They were expecting a lot of Mrs. Yi. Mrs. Yi asked curiously why she couldn’t see these people and these scenes.

“Because you are a doer,” Mr. Yi said. “The first thing the doers see is their own undertaking, while their families sometimes first see the secret meeting inside the mountain.”