She was not from Luzhen. Early one winter, when my uncle’s family wanted a new maid, Old Mrs. Wei the go-between brought her along. She had a white mourning band round her hair and was wearing a black shirt, blue jacket, and pale green bodice. Her age was about twenty-six, and though her face was sallow her cheeks were red. Old Mrs. Wei introduce her as Xianglin’s Wife, a neighbor of her mother’s family, who wanted to go out to work now that her husband has died.
