A familiar longing swept over me. During my years away from home, I had often felt adrift—a weed, sprouted in strange and hostile soil. I glanced around the hall, taking in the familiar furniture, the worn carpet, the stool I had sat on as a child. Countless memories thronged this place, each precious and irreplaceable. Yet what mattered most were the people within these walls. Family, whether through blood or bond, who gave a place its heart. And that was more important than any tile or brick, whether of gold, silver, or jade.

The lilting strains of a flute drifted into the air. Master Gang was playing, the tassel on his instrument swinging with each breath he took. The chatter in the room quietened as the others turned toward him. He played exceptionally well, his notes soaring pure and true.

When the last note faded, my mother said, “Thank you, Master Gang. Your music is a gift.”

“You are too kind, Goddess of the Moon.”

“Do you play often for your family?” she asked.

“My wife. She was fond of music.” He smiled as he turned to me. “I hear your daughter is a skilled musician. When might we have the pleasure of listening to a song? I would be glad to share some of my compositions with you.”

“Thank you, Master Gang, but I would be hard pressed to follow your performance.” I did not decline out of modesty, but because I preferred to play for the audience of my choosing.

As an awkward silence descended, Shuxiao asked, “Master Gang, have you found much inspiration for your music here?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Ah, Lieutenant, this place is wondrous indeed: the wind rustling the leaves, the rain beating on the roof, even the soft fold of soil beneath my feet. I am inclined to stay a while longer, if my hostess permits.”

“Stay as long as you wish,” my mother replied with faultless courtesy, though I caught the hitch in her tone. Perhaps she, too, missed the solitude of our home.

After the meal, I accompanied Shuxiao outside. The veil of night had cloaked the sky, though the lanterns had yet to be lit.

As she stepped upon her cloud, I touched her arm. “Be on your guard. Don’t do anything you should not.”

“As you so often did?” Her laugh rang hollow as she shook her head. “I’ve reformed my ways. I’m now a paragon of obedience.”

I passed her a silk-wrapped parcel. “Osmanthus flowers for Minyi.” When I had studied with Liwei, she prepared our meals and had become a friend.

Shuxiao tucked it under her arm. “Your trees will be bare soon with every winemaker and cook knocking on your doors. How do they even know of the flowers?”