"Li Wantun, you and my late husband were blood brothers. You're my son's own uncle. I want a straight answer from you right now. What exactly is the situation with his job?" the old woman asked, staring intently at him.
"S-sister-in-law, why are you asking about this? What other situation could there be? It's being worked on." Li Wantun felt a pang of guilt and didn't dare to meet his sister-in-law's gaze. His eyes darted about, unsure where to look, before he finally decided it was safest to lower his head and stare at nothing. "I'm not too clear on the specifics myself. It's all my mother-in-law; she's been bustling about finding people to help. But her family has lived in the county town for twenty or thirty years, and my father-in-law is a veteran worker. They're bound to have some connections."
He said this not just to explain things to his sister-in-law, but also to reassure himself.
