Approaching 4:30 PM, the sky began to flutter with nagging snow.
The snowfall made the already awful urban traffic even more chaotic, adding a few more degrees of irritability to the hearts of passersby eager to get home.
The modest snowflakes that landed on one's face didn't hurt but made it seem as if one had grown a layer of plush mustache, which looked somewhat comical. Many people buried their heads into their winter coats, shivering as they rushed home.
Zhou Ziang held a straight-handled umbrella in his hand, shaking off the water at the stairwell entrance. He fumbled in his wool coat pocket for keys, only to find his wallet and the cold air. This morning, his mother, Xi Lijuan, insisted him to swap out his thin windbreaker for the thick coat, leaving the keys in the pocket of the windbreaker.
Now, he was left with no choice but to ring the doorbell. He lifted his hand and pressed the bell several times.
