Also settling down in a cross-legged position, Deng Jiaru absently prepared a pot of tea with the Zisha teapot.
As she waited for the tea water to boil, she pondered on how to relay to her father the news of Yun Qing's return to the mainland.
The old Yun master observed her heavily occupied countenance and the finely set tea utensils, a telltale sign of her preoccupied thoughts.
However, it wasn't in his nature to probe, preferring to patiently wait for her to share.
For many years as her father-in-law, the elder Yun had been extremely content with Deng Jiaru as a daughter-in-law, and thus, wouldn't press her on anything.
What she was willing to share, he would listen to attentively, offering guidance as an elder, advising her.
And what she didn't want to discuss, he understood but never forced her hand.
"Father," Deng Jiaru, bracing herself against the sound of boiling water echoing from the Zisha teapot, stammered in turmoil, "If Yun Qing comes back, would you forgive him?"
