Breakfast in their home was usually simple and comfortable. Warm soy milk for Lili, tea for Yan Cijin, coffee for Bai Li, and whatever cooked dish happened to be ready first. That morning the kitchen smelled like sesame buns and steamed eggs. The smart stove hummed quietly. Outside the window, morning light slipped over the sea and turned the water into a field of broken glass.
Lili sat at the table with her legs swinging and watched Bai Li move around the kitchen as if she were supervising a minor miracle. "Mother, you forgot the fruit."
Bai Li turned from the stove. "I did not forget. I was saving it for later."
"You say that for everything."
"It works beautifully."
Yan Cijin took her cup of tea and watched them with the same small smile she had worn for years whenever she was half amused and half helpless. Bai Li noticed her looking and immediately changed course, crossing the room in three easy steps to stop beside her chair.
"What is it?" Yan Cijin asked.
"You."
