There's a dull ache to it, speaking of Sizhui to someone who doesn't know him. There's a sort of joy in it, too, though. Wei Ying died and it was not for nothing. One Wen lived, and he thrives.

"Sizhui is patient and kind-hearted," he says, watching the still strings of his qin as he speaks. "He is brave and perceptive and an attentive student."