Ruo Xuan thought Granny's method was a good one; by pretending to ask for directions, she could strike up a conversation with the other party. Thus, without any shyness, she stepped forward and knocked on the weathered courtyard gate, crisply asking, "Excuse me, is anyone there?"
He Xinghua was in the house cooking sweet potato porridge and spreading out dough for pancakes. Her parents had taken her brother up the mountain to chop wood, and she was soon to deliver lunch to them. Suddenly, she heard the sound of knocking and a child's voice, prompting her to walk out of the kitchen in surprise.
Ruo Xuan knocked again: "Excuse me, is anyone there?"
This time, He Xinghua was sure she hadn't misheard, and from over the top of the courtyard wall half a person tall, she saw a strange old woman.
It was daytime, and in the village, she wasn't afraid of an old person with a child so she walked out and opened the courtyard gate. Then the guardedness in her eyes turned into amazement.
