“What,” Nie Mingjue sputters. “You stayed with Wens?!”

Jiang Yanli nods. “The office is run by, or at least was run by, Wen Ning’s older sister Wen Qing. You may have heard of her. She was quite well known before the war for her prodigal medical skills,” she explains. “Though Wen Qing was initially very angry at her brother for bringing us there, she still spent a day and night healing a-Cheng without rest.” She doesn’t mention the lost core or all of a-Xian’s and Wen Qing’s fevered efforts to find a cure. The fewer who know that a-Xian can find Baoshan-sanren, the better. Her voice drops to softer level. “I don’t know if we would have made it without her help.” Jiang Yanli still remembers pulling Wen Qing away to eat, reminding the doctor that she still needed sleep too. She had watched Wen Qing often, in their time there. The woman was strong, principled, and beautiful. Yet she had also been extremely kind, even if more in deed than word. After a lifetime with a-Cheng, Jiang Yanli is used to seeing the heart beneath sharp words.