The deceased's mother and a few younger women were sitting on the ground in front of the village committee building, crying their hearts out, especially the deceased's mother, who kept saying "Hai Min, my son, your death is so tragic!" The women's crying sounded trembling and drawn-out, more like they were singing opera than mourning.
Tian Xinhua noticed among the seated women a young lady who was very good-looking, with fair skin and a beautiful appearance, not like a countryside person at all. According to Ma Junshan, this young wife was the deceased Ma HaiMin's wife, brought over from Mizhi.
There is a saying in S province: "Mizhi ladies and Suide men," which means that girls from Mizhi are all beautiful, capable, and virtuous, while men from Suide are all handsome and burly. One of the four ancient beauties, Diao Chan, was from Mizhi, and Lu Bu was from Suide, which is probably where this saying comes from.
