When it was getting dark, the sound of soft footsteps came from the bluestone road.
Lin Xia held the sweaty hand of her adopted daughter Xiaotao and looked up at the pair of stone lions in front of the Hou Mansion.
The lion's eyes are stained with ink stains that cannot be washed away by old rainwater. These are the marks made when she stole her father's inkstone when she was eight years old.
"Aniang, your hands are so cold." Xiao Tao stood on tiptoe to reach for the faded purse at her waist. Inside was a handkerchief soaked in Coptis chinensis juice - if someone checked her body, this handkerchief would make her cough up bloody phlegm.
So beautiful, five stars