Xiaoyan had surgery yesterday, and at first we both treated it lightly, thinking it was no different from a previous endoscopy. Even so, it was still surgery, with anesthesia, risks, and recovery. The seriousness only really settled in when she entered the operating room and I waited outside. She stayed calm the whole time, which helped. After weeks of intense work, this felt like an unexpected pause—a chance, at year’s end, for her to rest in a different way.