"Why are children asking so many questions! Just listen to what your mother says."
"Oh!"
Madam Xie was rarely serious, her face devoid of any smile, making Chuner feel somewhat intimidated and she fell silent.
After dinner, Madam Xie hurried to clean up the dishes. Xuexue, curious about who in the village had died, pulled Big Bull out of the house. They sat under a large tree nearby, a place Chuner and doggy often played. Village women also liked to sit here when they had nothing else to do, chattering about this and that.
By chance, there were a few women under the tree, bowls in hand, eating and chatting...
"Hey! Did you hear that? The sound of the Copper Gong just now."
"I heard it, it was eerily chilling. Do you know who died?"
"Wow! You don't know? It was Old Master Mo, the richest man in our village. His servant came over just now to invite us to their house tomorrow for the hundred-family feast."
