Deep into the night, when all was silent, the only sounds in the mountain cave were the crackling of burning wood and the intermittent snoring.
Occasionally, a hunter who hadn't fallen asleep would whisper secrets.
In Loo Xiaoshan's family cave, the couple lay on the heated kang bed, discussing who in the family should be sent to learn the art of tea-frying.
Loo Xiaoshan's Wife naturally hoped her own man would go since he was not too old yet. By the end of the year, after dividing the silver, they could build a house and still have money to spare every year.
If her man learned this craft, even if they didn't live as well as others for ten years, at least he would be safe. She wouldn't have to be scared every time he went into the mountains, afraid that he wouldn't return or that he would come back maimed, wondering how the whole family would survive then.
