6 months later:

It was the big day. A-Yuan was going to make his official entry into our clan. I knew that no one would dare to ask me about him. My eyes fell on him. He was wearing a white dress with blue protective patterns on the lapels. Nurse had pulled up some of his long hair into an elegant, simple bun. He looked perfect. I had been rehearsing the protocol of the introduction ceremony for a week. He was ready.

We quietly slipped into the back of the orchid room and waited. The ceremony was always attended by the entire clan. This year, 8 children would receive their headbands. A Yuan would be among them. The headband ceremony began. I had arranged for him to be called last.

Lan Yuan's name was finally called by my brother. The murmurings were heard in the great hall. All the children of the Lan clan were known to everyone. No one had ever heard this name before.

A-Yuan's hand slipped into mine. I looked at him and smiled slightly. We came out from behind the other parents and walked up the alley to my brother and uncle. The whole time we walked up, we felt the eyes of the audience on us. At a respectful distance, we stopped and then performed our prostration of greeting to my brother and then to my uncle. I could not help but notice the amazement on their faces.

The tradition, in the integration of the new members of the Clan, is that they are introduced by their father. In the eyes of everyone, I was presenting my child. My brother pulled himself together on the first.

"What is his courtesy name? " he asked.

"Lan SiZhui" I replied. My brother was slightly startled. It was the first time since I had left the cold cave that he had heard my voice. I knew it had changed. It was deeper, more profound, but above all colder, as was my heart toward the Clan.

He turned around and picked up the last headband from the cushion. Then he looked me straight in the eyes and handed me the thin piece of cloth with the silver cloud on it. I took a few steps and picked it up gently before returning to SiZhui.

"The cloud symbolizes the rules that direct and guide the lives of the Lan clan members: Be guided by reason, have doubts, speak your mind and be quick-witted. This headband allows you to keep control of what you feel in all circumstances. Only your family members are allowed to touch it. Only the person you have chosen as your culture partner will be allowed to take it off, because he or she will be the only person to whom you can relinquish your control. Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes," his small childish voice greeted me, then he turned and I girded his forehead with the silver cloud.

Finally, together, we bowed to my brother, the leader of our clan. We took two steps back and bowed again to the hall of our ancestors. Two more steps and then we turned around to go back to our place at the back of the hall. The ceremony was over.

The crowd began to disperse. I pushed SiZhui towards the other children. He now had to learn to live with people his own age. One of them came to him right away! His name was Lan Jingyi. He looked very open and frank. I liked him. SiZhui could become his friend.

In a few days I will leave Yunshen Buzhi, I will travel all the territories in the hope of seeing your shadow.

A-Yuan started a new life.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)