The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, an unusual restlessness and oppressive tension filled the stairwell.
Auntie Wang hadn't slept all night. Her eye sockets were deeply sunken, her complexion was ashen, and she looked ten years older.
After lingering for a long time, prodded by Old Li's cold urging and her son's disappointed gaze, she finally shuffled to the middle of the stairwell like a walking corpse drained of its bones.
Chapter 19