The Soft Caress of a Late Spring Day

The winter jasmine in the courtyard has bloomed, delicate yellow flowers dotting the branches, a lovely sight. Nearby, the flowering plum sways bashfully, petals fluttering down to scatter across the courtyard before blending into the soil, there to remain for all time.

Everyone in the household says the master dotes on Miss Fu Chichi most. But only Fu Chichi knows that if her father didn’t love her, there might be no one else in the world who ever would...