Several stones had been piled against the eastern wall of the shack, with planks laid across them. In the firelight, she could clearly see two layers of straw mats spread over the planks, topped with a thick layer of wheat straw.
Two human-shaped hollows had been pressed into the straw. Clearly, before Pan Yun and the others knocked on the door, the two men had been sleeping there.
Pan Yun took two steps around the room. Only when she drew close to the wall did she discover that straw had been stuffed into the gaps between the wooden boards, yet threads of icy wind still squeezed through the cracks.
Pan Yun fell silent.
The two old men had already hunched over to clear the western side, dragging over two low stools and inviting them to sit.
There were only two stools, so he pulled over a heap of wheat straw for Miao Zhen and the others to sit on.
Pan Yun went over and sat down, while Miao Zhen and the other two obediently stood behind her without sitting.
The two old men immediately understood that Pan Yun held a higher position than they did.
Neither of them minded. They sat cross-legged on the wheat straw, their cloudy eyes opened wide as they stared at Pan Yun. In hoarse voices, they asked, "You just said... who were you?"
Pan Yun said, "I think I need to introduce myself again. Poor Daoist is Pan Yun, Great Ming National Teacher. Your address was given to me by Yu Qian, Minister of War and Chief Grand Secretary."
"Great Ming National Teacher?"
"Yes. Which of you is Zhao Shizhu?"
The old man who had opened the door for Pan Yun said, "That would be me. This is Hu Ning, Zhao's comrade-in-arms."
Pan Yun said,