Wu Shufen patted Wu Shufang, whose face was flushed with anger. "Sister," she said comfortingly, "distance makes the heart grow fonder. Shi Song and Little Feng are out here now, and they'll rarely be able to go back even once a year. Old Lady Li will eventually figure out who is truly dutiful to her."
Thinking of Mrs. Li's acerbic and harsh expression, Wu Shufang felt she must have been blind in the past. "I'm the one who harmed him."
Wu Shufen didn't know how to comfort her sister. "They're out now," she said. "Try to look on the bright side. Things will get better from here on out."
Wu Shufang sighed. "I suppose that's the only way to think about it." She was a bundle of nerves, having just sent two people who had never left the deep mountains all the way to East Market.
