Shen Yunfang woke from her afternoon nap and went to the west room to check on the vegetable seedlings she had been nurturing, all of which were thriving robustly. The quails in the backyard were keeping to themselves, and their family dog, Taxue, was lying by the door of the east room, guarding mother and son.
Back in bed, she saw her son still blowing bubbles in his sleep. Yunfang prepared to set up the kang table; these past days, whenever free, she busied herself with the small plot in the backyard. Her study plans had fallen behind, and now with a moment to spare, she resolved to read a few more pages and catch up with her progress.
Yet, that day, she still did not pick up her books as anticipated. While tidying up the kang, she noticed another letter by the kang's quilt, the one Li Hongjun had brought at noon—the letter his father had written to him.
