Metal Goat

Lunar New Year fell on Jan 24. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous year (Horse).

Goats are softly stubborn. They do not argue and they do not push back; they simply continue at their own pace while you hurry around them. Care for texture and atmosphere is close to instinct: how the table is set, how many lamps are on, whether a conversation is flowing. They read as gentle and easy to be around. The quiet part is how they hold a grudge. There is no scorekeeping out loud, just a door nudged a little further closed. They remember which chair you always take and put it back before you arrive.

The earth at this hour is fine as sifted flour, and gold dust disappears into it, no grain looking different from another. Such people work slowly, running a thing through their hands again and again until it settles. Others read that as dawdling; they are sifting. They rarely agree on the spot, take it home, and answer next day in a very quiet sentence. Given a heap of ordinary tasks, they still pick out the one piece worth keeping, and say nothing about it.