There was a phrase Zhi Shengsi remembered that she took to her heart from her Aunt Li whom she loved her whole life.

‘All is in place. All that's missing is an Eastern wind.’ 

Like the Battle of Red Cliffs, a baker had a battle of their own, the same as the will against the stubborn dough, or the rolling pin against the unyielding mound. And surely, such battle was one where the baker had already won. For they were the Eastern wind.

As the winds that they were, each tool and ingredient performed its own function, just like people. The rolling pin was the general, the flour the army, and the yeast the secret messenger. As poets spoke of stars in their courses, so too did the dough rise in its time, and the fire burn in its place.

Removing the metal tray from the main cooking chamber of the clay oven, with the firebrick floor already extinguished, the former was manageable when she moved it from the kitchen to the main hall. On the tray rested two loaves of bread that weren't yet sliced, emitting a warm, buttery scent. 

She stood with her hands planted firmly on her waist and admired the table she'd spent the entire morning preparing.

The room was tidy.

Her apron was only lightly dusted with flour.

And despite the sweat clinging to her brow, she felt immensely proud.

Today wasn't just any day.

It was Establishment Day.

Three bowls of chicken broth noodle soup sat waiting on the table, topped with shredded chicken, scallions, fried tofu, and hard-boiled eggs. Beside them rested bowls of rice and the freshly baked bread.

It had taken hours.

Hours she hadn't minded in the slightest.

Work felt different when it was done with love.

After slicing one of the loaves, Shengsi arranged several pieces on a tray and carried it toward the adjoining building.

She stopped before a familiar door and knocked three times.

"Brother Xuxu?"

Xuxu was the nickname she was fond of calling her elder brother, but his real name was Zhi Chengxu, which meant 'sincere and vast.' Though her very own name meaning confused her the most, it was another story.

Hearing her brother cough, Shengsi's light expression disappeared. 

A crease of worry had replaced it. 

Not waiting for a response, she opened the door herself.

The moment she saw her brother sitting on the bed, wearing only his white undergarments, her heart sank. With his frail physique and a complexion as pale as a ghost, he looked incredibly weak.

As his gaze landed on her frozen countenance, Chengxu's expression turned grim.

"I'm not dead yet, Shengsi." He smiled, perhaps to reassure her, though his eyes were filled with sorrow.

For Chengxu, Shengsi, with her sparkly button-like eyes scrutinizing him, was a girl with wavy, waist-length hair that she always tied into a braid. She wore her favorite black dress: the top was form-fitting at the sleeves while a belt at the waist tucked into a skirt that flared slightly at the bottom. It complemented her delicate amber complexion. Had she have her apron removed, it'd seem this girl would be the town's main attraction.

At that moment, Chengxu wanted to protect this innocent young lady who was certainly the apple of men's eyes. But in his current state, he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone his sister. His chest quenched.

Shengsi went near him and rested the tray on the small table beside his bed.

"Are you unwell?" She placed her hand on his forehead and sensed how cold it was. "Was your window opened by the wind again last night?"

"I was asleep the entire night, I wouldn't know."

"Brother Chengxu."

Chengxu slightly flinched when he heard his sister call him that. She was used to calling his full name when she was worried, angry, or irritated. Right now, she seemed to be a mix of all three.

Chengxu grimaced.

“You're the only family I have,” Shengsi sucked in a breath, “so please, take care of yourself."

Even she couldn't grasp how she was upset out of the blue.

"What are you worried about? I've been sick since birth, and it's heaven's mercy that I'm still waking up each day." Unmindful on how to lessen her sister's worries, he responded without much thought, but seeing her frown deepen, he eventually felt guilty. "I'm not leaving you..."

Her anxiety only grew. "Brother Chengxu."

"I'm sorry." Chengxu scratched his nape, then looked at the food. "You've prepared a feast, Shengsi. Is there a special occasion?"

Realizing she was standing for some time, Shengsi sat on the foot of his bed. "Have you forgotten what day it is?"

“Well, I didn't forget when Aunt Li took us in her care back when we were infants.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Should I say no?”

“You know they're different, you fool.” Shengsi bowed her head. “While they're both from Aunt Li’s stories, I hope you don't forget how this day matters above all days.”

Her brother only looked at her with a curious gaze.

"It's Great Dan's Establishment Day." Shengsi pointed at the dish. "It's best to eat while it's still warm."

"You're sounding more like Aunt Li every year."

"And you're coughing more every year."

"That's rude."

"Then stop doing it."

Chengxu didn't want to make his sister anxious, so he picked up the bowl of noodles. After all, she wouldn't even dare leave his room until he'd started eating. 

"Alright," he whispered.

When the Zhi twins were little, they were always told the story of the Establishment Day, as this was a way to preserve the events that happened a thousand years ago. 

Dan Lì zhi Rì, or the Day of Dan's Establishment, was an important day for the Zhonghua citizens. It was said that during this day, their ancestors survived an apocalypse. Instead of creating rifts and fighting, they united to secure land and build from whatever resources they had so their race wouldn't go extinct during the cataclysm. While it seemed unbelievable to some, it was a legend common even to the free people. 

Today marked the one thousand two hundred and fiftieth year since the Great Reset, and the Zhonghua Empire, once a vassal kingdom of the Dan Dynasty for two hundred years, still stood currently under the long-standing Jiang Dynasty.

"You are wearing your necklace, right?" Chengxu thought it might be under her garments. He didn't want to ask about it, but knowing she's gonna travel, he asked her anyway. "It's best you wear them in case something happens." 

His sister snorted, "It's not as if I'm not traveling every year during this day."

Chengxu drank the soup. "Just in case."

When Chengxu finished eating, Shengsi left the room carrying the tray and the dirty dishes. Just as she arrived in front of the main hall, an elderly man entered. His skin was wrinkled, he was slightly hunched, and his hair was graying. 

This was her grandfather, Li Rui.

Shengsi quickly placed the dirty dishes in the washbasin.

"Grandfather, I was about to call for you," she said, watching Grandfather Li yawn. "You've just woken up, haven't you?"

Grandfather Li commented sternly: "During the eleventh day of the fourth lunar month, you're always this busy, dear child." 

“Back then, it was Aunt Li.”

“I know that you took her mantle.” The old man squinted before taking a seat. “Her teachings aren't in vain.” 

Mindful that the food was getting lukewarm, he began to eat. 

"Are you still having nightmares?" he suddenly probed.

Shengsi was caught off guard by the question, but knowing Grandfather Li, it was likely just another one of his recent troubles.

Before answering, she followed his lead and began eating at her own pace.

"Last night," she replied shortly, avoiding the old man's intrigued scrutiny.

"And you still want to..." Grandfather Li didn't finish his sentence, falling silent as he ate.

It seemed that even a moment of pleasure in baking couldn't evade reality.

The nightmares she'd been having were always about bells and a graveyard, and she'd had the same dream for a week. While it might not be wise to travel, she felt she had no choice. This day, unlike any other, had been a routine for eight years.

“I want to.” Shengsi didn't have to hide it. “The nightmares are just nightmares I had for a week...” It seemed that she could taste iron with her every bite. “After all, even a human has their own Red Cliffs.”

Grandfather Li stopped chewing his food for some time, and when he looked at his grandchild, did he finally understand it.

When they'd finished breakfast, Shengsi obediently washed the dirty dishes and waited outside the residence's gate for the ox cart she'd rented for fifty wen. She clasped a fabric wrap containing everything she needed for her journey.

Grandfather Li appeared beside her, clearing his throat.

"Take care on your journey, Shengsi." He glanced at her. "When you return, you must rest. Don't be busy all night preparing products to sell at your bakery, all right?"

Shengsi gave a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, Grandfather Li. After I return from the Ziyou Graveyard, I'll surely rest."

The old man gazed at the blue sky as the wind blew against his face. "Spring has ended... and though it comes and goes, it's unlike my daughter." His expression softened. "While you're not my blood, nor my daughter's own, you and Chengxu are those I dear most in this world. Your Aunt Li loved you both just the same."

Shengsi fell silent, her grasp on the fabric wrap tightening.

"It's an irony that this day is both for freedom and death..." Grandfather Li turned his back, but even as he was hiding his face, his tone couldn't lie. "It's okay to be sorrowful, Shengsi, but know that today isn't the end. Even your Aunt Li wouldn't want you to despair. Especially as this day is significant."

Before he walked away, he added:

"Live your life, just as your Aunt Li would've wanted you to live it."

As soon as Grandfather Li disappeared, the ox cart halted before her. She climbed aboard and began her journey to the Ziyou Graveyard.

Surely, it wasn't an auspicious day to travel.

But then, why would she even believe in such a fate?