The Xia Stories

Twelve-year-old Xu Haiqing hasn't been able to rest her conscience since her laoye died, taking with him her one way of escaping her parents' strangling expectations: Chinese calligraphy. And now, with her best friend, Xia Luolan, all the way across the sea and her parents' standards weighing heavier than ever, Haiqing has no idea how to go on. That is, until she meets Ruan Fei, a shy musician too scared to share her music with the world, and Zhang Dongqiang, a train wreck of a classmate with fierce loyalty to his friends. If they can get each other's help, some unexpected assistants, and the scales tipped severely in their favor, the three unlikely friends may be able to each gain what they've always wanted--or fail, and have all of their dreams come crashing down around them.