Chapter Sixty Three

Soon it was time for the family to leave for China.  Mira had asked her parents if they wanted to come but they had declined saying they'd prefer to stay home and look after the animals.

So Mira packed her brood into the taxi to the airport.  It had taken a lot of effort to get them all ready and she was rather wishing her parents had chosen to come - the thought of keeping control of five children on the plane was somewhat daunting even with Nia to help.

Luckily the flight passed without incident and soon enough they were knocking on Liang's door in Shang Simla.

Liang was thrilled to see Mira again and to have a chance to get to know his children properly.  He wasted no time in showing Mira his feelings for her hadn't changed and as he did so the children got themselves settled in.

The children were all a little nervous at meeting their father and grandmother, but  as they settled down and ate a family meal together the tension started to ebb.

And pillow fights with their father definitely eased the tension!

Meanwhile, Nia had taken a trip down to the market where she picked up a few souvenirs and a camera as she wanted to expand her artistic fields.  

In preparation for their visit, Liang had ordered several sets of bunkbeds for the upstairs and the children all slept very soundly that night after all their excitement and new experiences. 

Whilst in China, Liang introduced the family to various of his favourite spots.  They all sat round a fire and toasted marshmallows in the Meditation Garden. 

Before the children took it in turns to tell all manner of ghost stories, trying their hardest to see who could scare the others the most. 

They also paid a visit to the local hot springs and while the children played in the pool Liang, Mira and Nia sat in the hot tub and chatted. 

Liang told Mira that there was another family from his Order who would be at the springs today, they had two young children and were planning on moving to Dragon Falls shortly as it was customary in the Order to raise children away from Shang Simla.

When the Yodsuan family arrived at the springs, it didn't take long for the triplets to start making friends with Mei Lin and Zhanzu. 

Dorilys on the other hand had wandered off into the hills having spotted an interesting bird which she was keen to watch more closely. 

After watching the bird for a long time she was eventually able to coax it to come and sit on her arm before she let it fly away again. 

Before they left Liang made sure to take the whole family to the local Lounge, Peony House, where he treated them to some delicious shrimp cocktail, and the children enjoyed themselves playing in the rear courtyard.

During their time in China, Nia had come to respect Abi Yat Sen's wisdom and the day before they left she told her about her mother's offer and her own uncertainty as to whether she should accept.  

Abi paused for a moment, as if listening or seeing something that Nia couldn't and then said "Child, there are many dangers in your mother's proposal and I'm afraid her reasons for the offer are not what you would wish them to be.  You already have the information which will tell you why she made this offer although you may not realise it.