Tonight, we step quietly back into the small mountain villa at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountains — the forested ridge south of Chang'an — nearly 1,300 years ago, in the height of the Tang Dynasty.

Here live two sisters who have withdrawn from the capital Chang'an after long years of service within the refined households of Chang'an. The elder sister was once an imperial court artisan, known for her painted silk and delicate embroidery work. The younger sister, whose story we follow tonight, once served as head cook within the aristocratic Pei family household, where she spent decades preparing seasonal meals for one of the great noble families of the Tang court.

In this sleep story, a younger sister prepares a slow winter porridge in the kitchen of a small mountain villa at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountains, while snow falls steadil ...