I’ve been wondering why I haven’t met the other member of Jinhai's household, the young artist Qian Hu.  According to Jinhai, he’s been busy setting up the new studio he’s bought with the Emperor’s reward.  I’m practising moves on the veranda early next morning when a young man comes through the open gate and stops dead at the sight of me.  He’s tallish, sturdy, with a face which shows all his emotions.  I see immediately that he’s not pleased to see me.  But there’s a flurry of movement behind me and Xinyi dashes out of the house dressed only in a flimsy night-robe and throws himself into the newcomer’s arms.  Flustered, Qian Hu detaches the boy’s arms from round his neck and starts fussing with the collars of the loose night-robe.

“You should dress properly outside, Yiyi,” he scolds, tightening Xinyi’s belt.  The look he casts me is suspicious and distrustful.

“But it’s Sir Liao, you know, Ah-Jing’s friend,” Xinyi says, cajoling.

I step forward and bow.  ” Young Master Qian, I want to thank you for the help you’ve given Jinhai over the past months.  I’m most grateful.”  And I bow again.

Qian Hu goes bright red and starts to stammer.  “Oh – well – that’s quite all right. It was nothing.  I’m glad I was able to help.”

“And I’d like to commission you to paint a portrait of Jinhai.”

“Oh – er – um – yes indeed.  I’d be delighted to.  Thank you.”

He looks bewildered as Xinyi drags him inside, chattering.

A chuckle sounds behind me and two arms come round my waist.  “That’s Qian Hu disarmed – he’s been begging to paint me for months.”

“Why’s he so suspicious?”

“Protecting Xinyi.  After what happened…..”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’m going to try and get him some commissions.  I’ve invited Wu Shun to come and look at his paintings.  Ah-Shun’s interested in art and Qian Hu’s so talented.  He’ll make a lot of money.”

I chuckle.  “Bringing everyone good fortune, eh?”

“If I can.  So nobody gets hurt again.”

I turn and hold him close with my good arm.  “You can’t stop people getting hurt.”

“No, but I can do my best to protect the people I care about.  Including you.  Come inside and have breakfast.”

In the following weeks, we both find ourselves struggling to adjust to the new situation.  We’d naïvely imagined that after the victory, life would become smooth, happy and problem-free.  Instead a bundle of cares lands on our heads.  Jinhai has been granted property by the Emperor:  a mansion in the capital and a country estate.  The mansion’s big, old and not very welcoming, but the country estate’s a pleasant one with good farming land, providing a regular income.  But it’s all a huge headache.  Properties have to be visited and managed, accounts have to be kept, servants hired, tenants looked after.  My own country estate has also been restored to me, so between us, Jinhai and I now have more properties than we either need or know what to do with.  Luckily my former estate-manager’s only too pleased to return to his old job, though the estate’s in bad shape after lying unattended all these months.  With little difficulty, we persuade him to take on the management of our other properties as well.

I’m finally able to visit my family’s mansion, rehire former servants and welcome my aunts and uncles back to the capital, very subdued by their experience of exile and a little wary of my new status as General (retired) and friend of the Emperor.  There’s an awkward social event designed to introduce them to Jinhai.  The aunts and uncles are polite, but embarrassed.  As we drive home in the carriage, Jinhai says ruefully, “They don’t know what to think.”  He sounds downcast.

I put my arm round his waist.  “They’ll get used to it.  And at least nobody’ll mention marriage to me again.”

My recovery’s frustratingly slow, my broken wrist preventing me from doing any serious training.  However my strength’s returning, the headaches have almost disappeared and my ears are almost back to normal.  I’m fit enough to get out of the house, so we can go out to dinner with our friends and enjoy the entertainment the city has to offer.  Soon I‘ll be able to get rid of the splint on my wrist. 

But as the days go by, I start to see a worrying expression on Jinhai’s face.  We’re back together, he should be happy, but when he thinks I’m not looking, a distant, depressed look creeps into his eyes.  I say nothing, hoping it may just be a feeling of anti-climax after all the stress of the last year. 

Added to that, my sister’s condition is still worrying both Liang Zhou and me, as nothing we do seems to help.  The move to the Li house has been postponed indefinitely and Sir Li comes every day to try and cheer Ah-Lien up and see his granddaughter. 

Then, for the first time, Qian Hu and Xinyi fall out.  Jinhai and I come back from having dinner in the city to find that Xinyi has shut himself up in his room and Qian Hu’s sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.  He looks at us miserably.  “He told me to leave.  He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“What on earth happened?” Jinhai asks, concerned.

“I want us to move to a place of our own, but Yiyi won’t talk about it.  Every time I bring it up he makes some excuse.  So today I said I wanted him to make a decision and he accused me of bullying him and then….”

“Then you both said things you shouldn’t have?”

He nods unhappily.

“You know, don’t you,” I say, “That behind the little chirping cricket, there’s a frightened child who’s afraid it’s all going to be taken away from him?  He’s like someone who’s been let out of prison but can’t believe he isn’t going to be locked up again.  This house is his refuge.  He’s scared to leave it.”

They both look at me.

“You want to stay together, don’t you?”

Qian Hu nods again.

“Then you’re going to have to be very patient.  He needs time and reassurance.”

“I hadn’t thought….” says Qian Hu.  “He seemed so cheerful.  I thought everything was all right.”  He looks at us pathetically.  “I just want us to live together.”

“Then why don’t you move in here?” Jinhai says suddenly.  “There’s plenty of room.  Yao Lin’s going to be away till the autumn.”

“Could I?  Could I really?”

“Of course.  You practically live here anyway.  Just move in.”

“That would be…..  Thanks Ah-Jing.  And thank you too, sir.  I hadn’t realized – I was being too impatient.”

“Go and talk to Yiyi,” Jinhai says smiling.

Qian  Hu goes off down the corridor.  We hear his voice talking outside Xinyi’s door.  There follows a long silence.   Jinhai and I look at one another.  Then we hear the sound of a door sliding open.  A moment later it slides shut.  Then silence again.

“Phew,” says Jinhai, “Sounds like that’s the right solution.”  He stares at me.  “What?  You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

“I just had a thought.  Suppose Ah-Lien’s not really sick?  Maybe she just doesn’t want to leave the Liang house.”

“Like Xinyi?  Well, I can understand that.  If it were me, I’d be dreading going back to the Li mansion.  That’s where she and Zichen were arrested.  That was the last time she saw him.  It must be full of terrible memories.”

I slap myself on the forehead.  “I’m an idiot.  I should have thought of it.  I’ll go round first thing tomorrow and talk to Ah-Zhou.”

“Sounds like a good idea."  He yawns, both hands to his mouth.  "Ah, perhaps we should get some sleep.  I’m really tired.”

This isn’t the first time lately that Jinhai's made the excuse of being tired at night.  It’s something else that’s been preoccupying my thoughts.  I’m not expecting that we’ll go on forever being as passionate as we have been since we were reunited.  But all the same, it’s scarcely been a month.  Is he bored already?  Or is it just the weight of the past?  Even in his sleep, he murmurs and frowns.  Perhaps none of us can shake off the thought that things could change again suddenly.

At the Liang house next morning, I outline my theory about my sister to Liang Zhou, who frowns and strokes his chin, pondering.  Unexpectedly it’s Madam Liang who speaks first.  “Ah-Zhou, I think Sir Liao’s right.  I’ve been thinking this for a little while now.  She’s worried herself into this state because she doesn’t want to leave.”

“It’s possible,” says Liang Zhou, still frowning.  “The mind’s a strange thing.  Well, there’s no problem about her staying here.  But what are we going to tell Sir Li?”

“Leave that to me,” I say.  “I’ll go and talk to Ah-Lien now.”

My sister looks at me dully when I go in.  She’s lost weight.  My heart aches.  I should have seen this sooner.  I sit by the bed, Little Lan on my lap, and start to tell Ah-Lien about Xinyi.  At first she doesn’t seem interested, but then I see that her attention’s caught.  When I finish, she says quietly, “He doesn’t want to leave Ah-Jing’s house because he feels safe there.”

“It’s the same with you, Little Sister, isn’t it?”

Alarmingly, she bursts instantly into floods of hysterical tears.  I hastily shove the baby into the maid's arms and grab my sister’s shaking body.  It all comes pouring out:  the sudden arrest, her husband beaten up and dragged away, her mother-in-law collapsing and dying, the months in prison, the difficult pregnancy, Zichen’s death, her horror of going back to the Li mansion.  Finally she lies exhausted in my arms, gasping for breath, her face swollen, while I murmur soothing words and stroke her hair.  “You don’t have to go back, sweetie.  You can stay here as long as you like.  I’ll make it all right with Sir Li.”

“I - I don’t have to go back?”

“No, baby, you can stay here.  Ah-Zhou and Madam Liang are happy to have you.”

“I’m such a nuisance….”

“No you aren’t.  I’m an idiot not to have seen what was troubling you.”

“You’re not an idiot.  You’re my kind brother.”

“Feeling better?”

She nods, sniffling.

When Liang Zhou and I tackle him, Li Wei reacts exactly as I did.  He slaps himself on the forehead and exclaims, “How could I not have seen it?  What a fool I am.  Of course she must stay here.  My most humble thanks for your kindness, Doctor Liang.  But I insist on contributing to the household.  No, no, I can’t take no for an answer.”

Madam Liang looks at me smiling as Li Wei and Liang Zhou bicker politely about expenses.  As I take my leave, she says, “I’m very happy too.  Ah-Lien’s as dear as a daughter to me.”

“Then I’ll leave her in your care,” I say, smiling too, “With my very grateful thanks.”

I walk home, conscious that one weight at least is off my mind.