Today we gathered to celebrate the 18th birthday of my Tiger Cub, Cao Sheng Lin. I began the day by paying respects at the graves of my parents and then traveling another half mile to pay respects to his father, Cao Feng. By my side were my maidservants, Yan Xin and her daughter Yan Ehr Wan, who would turn 18 in a few months. The three of us walked in silence to each gravesite. When I needed privacy to speak with husband, they started walking back to the compound without me.

“Our son has grown up to be an honorable young man full of loyalty, righteousness and compassion,” I began. “You would have adored him. He encompasses the best of you, Leopard and Monkey. Please bless him and watch over him. I always have and always will love you!”

I had forgiven Tiger for his evil deeds the moment our son entered the world. I couldn’t let the last few months of his life tarnish the beginning and the love we shared. There was no room for hate and and anger to live in my life. I had a son to raise.

Monkey and Leopard were the best surrogate fathers a woman could want for her son. Not only did they train him well in our clan’s martial arts, but they trained him to be a good leader, a decent man and a loving husband. Cao Deng Lin was the best reflection of not only his two uncles, but also of his father and grandfathers. Whenever I looked at him too long my mind was flooded with memories of the good days that have passed and filled me with a hope for the future.

Luo Xin honored my father’s wishes and never married. He ruled the clan like my father before him, with honor and a moral code superior to most. He began taking in students when Deng Lin was 8. There were now 15 young men studying the martial arts of the Iron Flag Clan.

Three of those 15 students belonged to Yuan Lang. Monkey married the daughter of one of the shopkeepers in our town. She gave birth to 3 boys and 2 girls within their first five years of marriage. The youngest were a set of twins, a boy and a girl who were mischievous just like their father. The peaches did not fall far from that tree!

We all lived together as one big happy family. The sins of years past fading away into a bright future. Broken hearts mending with the passage of time and new relationships built on a strong foundation of trust and love.