Flying Lessons & Other Stories: "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin

She snorted with irritation and waved her arm, her voluminous silk sleeve flapping like a flag of surrender.

I hid my smile and tried to walk humbly, as all the browbeaten servants were supposed to do.

I had no memory of my mother, but hearing how she had dared to make demands of the formidable Mrs. Li on my behalf always made me feel a sense of pride.

My birthday and a new tutor's entry should have been of small consequence to the House of Li, except it was also on that day that the incense of the ancestral shrine refused to light.

When it was discovered that it was my sixth birthday, Mrs. Li remembered her promise to my mother, then paled and swayed like a blanched stalk of bamboo.

"I will ride the winds and
Surmount endless waves.
Setting sail on the vast ocean,
I will one day reach
The distant shores."

"Health, a clear conscience, and teaching those who are worthy. Teaching you has been a joy, Lingsi."

"We're not going to the Temple of Longevity," Bisi said with exasperation, but I could see that her frustration was more about the inconvenience than it was for me.

"She's hoping she can get someone else to marry FuDing before you have to."
"Though I'd say that's a pretty bleak hope!" Bisi sniffed.

"It's sheer craziness!" Shuwan grumbled as we paraded past the gawking neighbors, most of them awed by the grandness of our procession. "Going to that ocean temple carrying chests of jade and strings of cash! We'll be prime targets for robbers. I wouldn't be surprised if pirates docked their boats just to raid us."

"The Imperial Navy has tried three times to capture them," Bisi said helpfully, "but failed each time. I heard that the Emperor has even offered amnesty to the captain and the crew if they'd agree to retire."

My turn to ride the donkey came much sooner than I had expected, for my short legs could not keep up with the procession, and Shuwan was ordered to allow me to ride so that I wouldn't slow down the group. She did this begrudgingly, until it was discovered that because I was so small, the donkey could bear the weight of another.

Mrs. Li insisted that her residence be immaculate at all times. Even stray leaves had to be plucked from the paths of the garden.

But the sea was what mesmerized me. It whispered with a quiet thunder, and when I saw the "waves made of dragon scales," just like in one of Li Po's poems, I gasped.

I sat up and saw a splash of red against blue—an unfurled sail against the sky.

A forest of men stood before me, but beneath the raucous laughter, I heard sniffling.

Her black silk hair billowed like the sails behind her, and her eyes sparkled like black coals ready to flame.

It was a room of luxury—lavish silks draped over plush cushions, an intricately carved sandalwood bed, and red lanterns.

"He held the sword as if it were a broomstick, and it was easy to see he was no match for even the smallest of my men. But he fought valiantly to protect his treasure."

Books! Hundreds of books! I put my hands on them reverently.