Calming her emotions, Old Lady Zhou took a sip of the tea Zhou Xueli handed her, then set it down and knelt on the kang. She took out a box from the cabinet, and from her neck removed a string with a small key attached.
Using the small key, she opened the box, rummaged through it, and took out a yellowed cloth bag, emptying its contents.
"What is this?" Zhou Xueli curiously took the item she handed to him.
It was a jade token about the size of a copper coin, intricately carved with a plum blossom design, and a small character "Mei" on the back.
