[ That earns her another wry little smile and the tiniest shrug. ]

You wouldn't be wrong there. Uncle Wen was a man difficult to please and dangerous to displease.

[ But here, with so many people milling around them and the daunting task ahead of them is hardly the time to get emotional, so she lifts her chin and tries to shake off the memories. ]

I suppose there is some irony to it, that the volcano wasn't the most volatile thing about living in Qishan.