Therefore, when Lian Jizu said he was going to Chunzhu's house, Lady Zhou did not stop him.
"It's dark out there, come back early," Lady Zhou instructed Lian Jizu.
Lady Zhou had a peculiar habit; she went to bed early and expected the whole family to retire early too. As she explained, she feared hearing the front gate and worrying it might be a thief coming to harm her. The community around Thirty Mile Camp was simple and honest, not quite to the point of not locking doors at night, but close. Nasty incidents were rare; petty theft was infrequent, but internal family disputes were inevitable.
Lady Zhou wasn't afraid of theft; she feared being harmed, which was rare in the countryside. She was an elderly woman who rarely went outside the gate, so who would want to harm her?
The reasons and knots behind Lady Zhou's excessive worry and caution might only be known to Lady Zhou herself.
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