[Memories of Living with My Sister-In-Law]

Raindrops were hitting the window lattice diagonally. I was squatting at the door of the kitchen, chopping firewood, while my sister-in-law was rolling noodles in the back room. The sound of the rolling pin hitting the chopping board mixed with the crackle of firewood echoed around the two old tile-roofed houses. "A Ming, you've got enough firewood, come in and have a rest." Her voice drifted over through the water vapor. When I looked up, I saw her lifting up her hair from her forehead and shaking the silver bracelet on her wrist. A few laughs suddenly came from outside the courtyard door. It was Aunt Wang and a few women passing by next door. Her voice was as loud as a gong: "Look at this courtyard, it's more lively than before..." The words that followed were blown away by the wind, but they were like fine needles piercing the spine. When my sister-in-law came out with the noodles, her eyes were a little red, and she put an extra poached egg into my bowl with her chopsticks: "Eat it quickly, it will cool down."