C22

[2]

July 23

Meng and Shi Li arrived at the thatched cottage where Xiao Qing Lian lived. The courtyard was not very wide, and it was filled with weeds that were about half the height of a person. There were three or four crows perched on the jagged fence.

'Wah-wah! 'The coarse, hoarse voice made people feel desolate and bored