Chapter 83

Meanwhile, in the Back Courtyard, a dim kerosene lamp flickered inside Deaf Old Lady's room. The yellowish glow barely pushed back the darkness, stretching the shadows of the two women. Thanks to Chen Guihua's careful tending over the past few days, Deaf Old Lady's complexion had indeed improved quite a bit. Her sparse white hair was combed meticulously and tied into a small bun at the nape of her neck, secured by a polished old silver hairpin. The deep blue, high-collared tunic she wore, though washed to a faded white, was starched stiff and looked much more respectable than usual. Sitting cross-legged on the kang with a semi-worn soft pillow propped behind her, her cloudy old eyes flashed with shrewdness in the lamplight. Chen Guihua sat on a small stool at the edge of the kang, holding a rag and absentmindedly wiping the corners of the kang table. Her face carried a trace of imperceptible fatigue, but her eyes were much brighter than when she had first come to wait on the old woman, even holding a hint of cautious anticipation. The old lady's room had indeed been cleaned to a spotless state by her, with even the accumulated dust of years swept from the corners.