The bitter winter wind sent pedestrians hurrying through the streets. Those better off carried pork and mutton in their hands; those worse off carried fish, with two cabbages or a pair of greens tucked under their arms, a jug of soy sauce and a packet of sugar in hand. Once their shopping was done, they hurried home.
On this once-a-year great festival, even impoverished households would light firewood and charcoal in their stoves. Once home, they would no longer have to suffer the cold wind.
A corner of the spring flowers welcoming spring had been lifted, and round scraps of spring paper scraped against the stone paving, scattering all over the ground.
"Come, come, serve the dishes! Send this steamer to the Xu Residence, this one to... Don't mix up the slips, and don't sneak a bite on the way! Move those legs, don't let anyone snatch them away."
"Old shopkeeper, are Masters Liu and Chen tending the fires today?"
"Oh, gentlemen, I'm terribly sorry. Masters Liu and Chen are indeed at the stove today, but we're closing early. After noon, Lang Yun Tower won't be taking any more orders."
"In past years, didn't Lang Yun Tower stay open until the hour of the Goat during the New Year Festival?"
The Lang Yun Tower shopkeeper stepped over the threshold and pointed toward the jade-white sea bowl at the horizon. "Gentlemen, do you see that? We never had anything like this in past years. By the officials' orders, after the hour of the Goat, the great masters and kitchen hands from every major restaurant must all go wait there. We truly have no hands left to cook for you. This old man failed to inform you properly. Please forgive me, please forgive me."
"Ah..."
When the New Year Festival arrived, regardless