Huaijin was still buzzing with the excitement of their successful escape and the thrill of having her father's undivided attention for the next two hours, but she immediately adopted a demeanor of respectful quietness, a habit ingrained from both her current and past life.
Seated at a large, intricately carved table near the center of the room was their home tutor, Mr. Shen.
He was a gentleman of perhaps forty, with kind, intelligent eyes framed by reading glasses perched on the end of his nose.
He possessed a neat, scholarly air, his jacket slightly elbow-worn but his posture impeccable.
Mr. Shen looked up from the open textbook with a warm, gentle smile. He was the kind of tutor the Chi family kept precisely because he was both learned and personable, managing the stringent demands of the family with an air of unflappable kindness.
