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A tiny old woman dressed in loose black cotton pants and a white cotton shirt perched on the edge of a cot, destringing China peas Her face was as wrinkled as a dried plu Hulan, the old wo! Welcome, welcome! Have you eaten yet?”

“I have, Auntie,” Hulan said, using the polite honorific

“Tea then, you must have tea” The old woman shuffled across the room to prepare the brew Hulan stood quietly while the woood h this little ritual

Once the tea was steeping, the old woether “Inspector, you are as beautiful as randson says”

“Who’s your grandson?”

“You’ve ht”

The old woman poured some tea into a dirty cup, swirled the liquid, and dumped it on the floor Then she poured fresh tea into the cup and handed it to Hulan The cup was still dirty, but Hulan took a politely noisy sip “Xiexie”

The old woman motioned to the cot “Sit”

Hulan did as she was told, and the old wohs touched The top of the woman’s head came to Hulan’s shoulder

“I’ve been waiting for you to co”

“You are related to the owners of the guesthouse?”

“Landlord Wang and my father were third cousins”

Poor third cousins hat the old woman meant Poor third cousins who’d been used as servants ever since

Wang had made his fortune, which probably accounted for why this old wo Liberation, the lives of servants, even if they were related to the worst landlords, were spared, unlike those of wives, children, and concubines

“Do you live here?”