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Hong Liangyu made his way into the mountains to the charcoal kiln and saw a stout and fierce woman standing under the shed, her face lined with horizontal fleshy creases, and behind her stood a half-grown girl in a tattered floral jacket, her chin pointed and cheeks gaunt, probably from hunger.
The charcoal collector, Li San, took a sip of his cool tea and glanced sidelong at the incessantly chattering woman before he waved his hand impatiently after a while, "Mrs. Hua, you're wasting your breath. Master Dong has already taken a fourth wife this year, and added over ten maids to his household. Her? I can't recommend her."
He stood up and hitched his trousers, giving the girl the once-over and said with a snicker, "But if it's with me, it wouldn't be too bad."
