The sun rose and the moon fell. Silently, a touch of silver frost, carried on the bleak, cold wind, settled upon the small county town at the end of the year.
It was snowing.
Ringing out the old year and welcoming the new, the timely snow promised a bountiful harvest.
Even in harsh times, when survival itself was a struggle, people always yearned for a better future.
Even though the new year was still over half a month away.
Outside Anning County, many villagers from the mountain towns and hunting manors had already begun to arrive. They drove donkey and mule carts laden with goods, bringing their entire families to the county market.
Fine snowflakes drifted from the sky. On street corners adorned with red silk ribbons, children in gray, cotton-padded jackets tossed firecrackers, creating a boisterous scene.
The faint atmosphere of the coming new year washed over the senses.
