Morning mist drifted over the Gu residence like gauze, turning the courtyards to pale jade and pearl. Crickets still whispered in the bamboo shadows when Gu Lianhua tip-toed from her chamber, her small embroidered shoes making the faintest tap-tap upon the red-brick path.
Her maid Lian Xian, half asleep, followed with a comb in hand. "Miss, your hair is still loose! Madam said you mustn't run about before breakfast."
Lianhua turned, cheeks puffed. "But I promised the peonies I'd tell them a secret before anyone else wakes!"
The child's hair had been brushed into twin butterfly buns tiny wings of glossy black pinned with a silver thread and two pink jade beads that trembled when she moved. Beneath the early sun, she looked like a little spirit escaped from a painting scroll.
Her brother Gu Tianyi appeared from the veranda, clutching a half-polished wooden sword. "Aha! The runaway fairy again. What mission are you on today, little lotus?"
"To feed my peony friends some of Auntie Liu's honey water," she declared. "They said yesterday they were thirsty!"
"The peonies talk now?" he teased, lifting one brow like their father used to.
"They do when you listen properly." She raised her chin, solemn as a priestess.
The siblings skipped toward the rear garden, where the air smelled of damp earth and magnolia. Old Steward Han had just finished trimming the hedges; he watched them with a helpless smile. "Young Master, Young Miss, please the dew will soil your robes!"
But the two had already darted beyond the pebble path, their laughter rippling through the mist.
Lianhua crouched beside the old peony bush the very one whose roots hid a tiny wooden box she'd found days ago and quietly buried again. She pressed her palms together as though performing a sacred rite.
"Good morning, Grandmother Peony," she whispered. "Your leaves are shining today."
Tianyi knelt beside her. "You really buried something here, didn't you? I saw you sneaking before supper."
Her round eyes widened. "You peeked?"
He grinned. "I'm your brother. Spying is my duty."
Lianhua gasped in mock outrage, then pouted. "Then I'll tell Mother you practiced sword inside the hall again."
They glared at each other for two dramatic heartbeats then both burst into giggles, collapsing into the peony patch.
From the veranda, maid Yu called, "Breakfast is ready! Come wash your hands, little masters!"
The siblings exchanged a conspiratorial glance.
"Race you there," Tianyi said.
"But you have longer legs!"
"So? Heroes never complain!"
He dashed ahead. Lianhua shouted, "Not fair!" and sprinted after him, skirts flying like pale petals. She nearly collided with a passing servant carrying a tray of hot buns; the man jumped, buns tumbled, and both children froze.
The pause lasted one beat… two…
Then Tianyi snatched a fallen bun, blew on it, and stuffed it into his mouth. "Saved! I rescued one from disaster."
The servants burst into laughter. Even Maid Yu couldn't keep her scolding tone. "Heaven preserve me these two will turn the manor upside down before the emperor's rooster crows."
Later, as they sat in the main hall with steaming rice porridge, Lianhua suddenly clapped her hands. "Oh! I forgot I was supposed to practice the Lotus Step dance today!"
Her brother snorted. "The one where you fell last time?"
"That was because Lin Xian ribbon tripped me."
"It was your own feet."
She narrowed her eyes. "Then you show me! If you can do it, I'll give you my sugar plums."
At once, Tianyi leaped onto the rug, lifting his robe like a dancer's skirt and wiggling his shoulders. "Behold, Master Tianyi performs the Floating Lotus!"
Lianhua laughed so hard that porridge nearly came out of her mouth. "You look like Uncle Han goose when it slipped on the pond!"
Even the usually stern Steward Han, entering with scrolls, froze at the sight and let out a rare chuckle. "If Master Gu were home to see this, he'd say his son inherited his boldness and his clumsiness."
The laughter softened into a quiet moment. Both children turned toward the window, where the sun shone on the northern banners hanging still.
"When will Father come back?" Lianhua asked softly.
Steward Han's smile faded. "Soon, little miss. The northern winds have calmed. When the plum trees bloom again, perhaps."
She nodded, pretending to believe him. But she squeezed the jade bead on her hairpin the one Father had given her and whispered so only Tianyi could hear, "Then we'll send him a message ourselves."
That afternoon, armed with brush, ink, and a scrap of silk, the two crouched beneath the veranda table. Tianyi wrote carefully, tongue poking out:
To our hero father,
We misses you.
The fish pond is still full.
I defeated three bandits.
Lianhua dances better now
Please come home soon.
Lianhua added a crooked drawing of a flower. "Now how do we send it?"
Tianyi frowned. "We could tie it to a sparrow."
"The sparrows never listen. Maybe the moon spirits will carry it if we put it near the lotus pond tonight."
They both looked completely serious about the plan.
That night, the garden shimmered silver. Fireflies blinked like scattered stars among the reeds. The siblings sneaked out again barefoot, robes tucked up holding the tiny silk letter.
Lianhua whispered, "Do you think the moon spirits will find him?"
"Of course. Father always said the moon watches all who serve the realm."
She placed the letter on a lotus leaf. The night breeze rippled the pond, and for a heartbeat it seemed the moonlight bent down to read their words.
Behind them, maid Yu approached quietly, not wanting to ruin the magic. She smiled through tears she didn't quite understand.
As they turned to leave, a faint flutter reached their ears. A white messenger pigeon landed upon the stone railing, its leg wrapped with a strip of dark silk. Tianyi gasped. "A bird! Maybe it's from Father!"
He reached out, but the pigeon took off toward the east, leaving the silk ribbon behind. On it, faint characters were embroidered half faded by dust:
"The clouds will break when the lotus blooms."
Lianhua stared, eyes wide. "Did you see that? The moon answered!"
Tianyi hesitated, then smiled. "Then we must take good care of the lotus, so Father can come home soon."
They clasped hands, pinky fingers interlocked, making a solemn vow under the autumn moon.