The long white ribbon draped simply over a simple decorative hanger, that was hanging on the wall directly across from the door. Two hanzi characters were vertically embroidered with black silk onto the ribbon. The top character was oriented normally. The bottom character was upside down.

When I heard the sharp intake of breath, I knew she had seen it. From the way she was constantly comparing American culture with her native Chinese culture, I knew she understood the importance of the upside down hanzi. I braced for impact.

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