Deeper into the village, the new but unpainted iron railings on the roadside appeared to refl ect splendid light. Along the river, a row of half-stone-half-mud houses rose humbly from the terraces. Mei caught sight of a wall or part of a wall being strangely fi xed with red bricks. She guessed it must be a result of the fl ood. Overall, the bone structure of the village hadn’t changed much, but the people had.