As they talked, the mother and daughter got up to boil water for the dishes, make tea, cook, and feed the pigs and chickens.
Her aunt got up as well and said to Juhua, "Juhua, you didn't sleep well? Those three men snore like thunder. I was woken up several times last night myself."
The men were getting up too. Juhua's second uncle, Yang Dezhi, laughed. "Don't worry. Tonight, we'll just tie up our necks before we sleep. That'll stop the noise."
This drew a round of laughter from everyone, chasing away the early-morning grogginess.
Zheng Changhe said to Juhua, embarrassed, "I can't control my snoring. Tonight, I'll sleep a little farther away with your uncle so we don't disturb you."
