An elderly woman was in charge of the oven, and toddled about on her deformed feet as if she were walking on her heels.

Her husband, the innkeeper, brought us hot water every few minutes to keep our tea basins full.

"_Na kaishui lai_" (bring hot water), you heard on all sides.

A heap of bedding was in one corner of the room, in another were a number of rolls of straw mattresses; a hollow joint of bamboo was filled with chopsticks for the common use, into another bamboo the innkeeper slipped his takings of copper cash.

Hanging from the rafters were strings of straw sandals for the poor, and hemp sandals for moneyed wayfarers like the writer.