According to the address list provided by the local village chief, their next visit was to Granny Li, a fifty-year-old woman whose mobility was limited. Her home was located at the very end of this small alley.
However, when Li Xuan and his companions came to the end of the alley, all they found were two dilapidated straw huts. As they knocked and entered, even the usually disgruntled Li Dalu went quiet.
Li Xuan thought to himself, the phrases 'bare walls for a home' and 'as poor as a church mouse'; probably referred to situations like this, didn't they?
The room contained nothing more than a stove, a tattered wooden bed and few bowls and dishes. Aside from granny Li, who was already lame, there was also a seven-year-old girl in the house. She had dirt smeared across her face, but her eyes were bright and lively. She hid behind her grandmother, watching them curiously.
