"Weak father, weak son, accomplishing little with their soft hands -limp wicks, fluffy cotton, always careless and given to cutting corners."
Chapter 1, p. 10

"'Women are worthless,' Shangguan Lu said, 'so you have to beat them. You beat a woman into submission the way you knead dough into noodles.'"
Chapter 2, p. 68

"'One trains soldiers for a thousand days, all for a single battle.'"
Chapter 2, p. 87

"'Mother,' she said through her tears, 'I'm his woman while I'm alive, and I'll be his ghost after I die. Please save this child, and I'll never forget your kindness as long as I live!'"
Chapter 3, p. 139

"The gunshot that killed Ma Tong told us that in time of war, human lives were worth no more than that of ants."
Chapter 3, p. 176

"'Elder aunt,' he said, 'she's dead, and it's the living who count.'"
Chapter 4, p. 226

"'I...