It was time for Meili to open her gifts. Although she was excited to see what gifts her friends had selected for her, she did not like having everyone's eyes on her watching her reactions, so she was somewhat anxious.
First up was Tan Bowen, who leapt to his feet and brought her a scroll.
She unfurled it. It was a poem, written in Tan Bowen's beautiful calligraphy, Li Bai's 'A Song of Pure Happiness'. There was a small painting of a beautiful woman underneath the poem.
Her robe is a cloud, her face a flower;
Her balcony, glimmering with the bright spring dew,
Is either the tip of earth's Jade Mountain
Or a moon-edged roof of paradise.
Meili smiled with genuine delight.
"Thank you, Tan Bowen! This is truly beautiful; and one of my favourite poems. I will enjoy looking at this on my wall every morning," her eyes crinkled with pleasure.
Tan Bowen smiled and nodded at her, content with his obvious success.
