Songbai Town, at night.
Inside an old residential complex, lights shone from every home, a clear sign of its high occupancy rate.
A lively crowd meant a festive New Year's atmosphere, and especially in this bitter, cold land of the north, no day was more important than New Year's Eve.
Amidst the CRACKLING of firecrackers, Rong Taotao and his three companions walked into the complex, carrying a pile of gift bags. They saw the ubiquitous red lanterns and children setting off firecrackers all around.
Just as they passed through the complex gates and rounded the corner of a building, Gao Lingwei's gaze fell upon a first-floor balcony on a distant apartment block.
Sure enough, through the thin layer of frost patterns on the glass, she could see that the apartment was brightly lit.
In her parents' apartment, the kitchen opened onto the balcony, so even from outside, Gao Lingwei could see a figure moving about in the kitchen...
'That's Mom. She must be cooking, right?'
