Tenant farmers' homes were already scarce on entertainment, and most people liked to gather for a bit of excitement. With the autumn harvest still some time away, most were idle, and it didn't take long for the commotion caused by Lian Manman and the others to draw a crowd at the Lian Family's front gate.
After the two strings of firecrackers had been set off, Lian Manman glanced around and felt that enough people had arrived, so she stopped knocking the small iron pot and signaled to Lian Yeye with her eyes.
Lian Yeye then kneeled to the crowd with a thump. Before she could even speak, tears were streaming down her face. This was not some performance; it was the result of long-suppressed grievances and sorrow.
"Hey, with the pot banging and firecrackers going off, I thought it was some good news! What's this? What's happened?"
"Isn't that Yeye? Why is she kneeling down? What's going on?"
"What happened to Yeye's head? Why is it wrapped up?"
