Shadows on Clear Water and Cloud Silk

When I was seven, my father rescued a woman who was nearly frozen to death in a dilapidated temple. Her name was Hongxiao. She had once worked in the pleasure quarters and had only just escaped from a predator. Later, she was forced to hide with me in Rouge Lane, Qixia County. I was born into an official family, yet spent ten years among the women of the pleasure quarters. When my parents were imprisoned, she held me and wept. “Don't be afraid, Xu'er. I'm here.” With her streetwise grit and humble, loving care, she carved out a little corner of safety for me on the edge of the demimonde. Ten years later, the Su family's name was cleared, and my father came looking for me in his official robes. But Hongxiao shrank behind the stove and refused to come out. “My lord, I'm tainted...” I pushed aside the curtain, tears in my eyes. “You raised me for ten years and kept me safe. What are you hiding from now? You're my mother.”