Du Heng accepted the mask Wang Shizhen tossed him and, on his way out, grabbed his bag as well.
The aunt Wang Shizhen mentioned didn't live in their village but in Sishe, which was about a ten-minute walk away.
When they arrived at the door of the woman's house Wang Shizhen had mentioned, Wang Shizhen called out, "Auntie, are you home?" Then he pushed open the half-ajar door and walked in.
A girl's voice came from a small room to the left of the main house. She waved to them from the window, saying, "Brother Zhen, we're in here."
Wang Shizhen led Du Heng into the room and said to the girl, "Linger, you're home too. How's your mom?"
The girl, Linger, replied, "She woke up this morning with a fever that hasn't gone down, and she keeps throwing up. She said she felt too weak to even stand, so she lay down again." Looking at the two of them wearing masks, she asked, a bit puzzled, "Brother Zhen, who is this?"
