Hooves trampled the autumn waters, onward and onward they went.
Shen Yi and his party had traveled along the official road for several days.
At night, they either stayed at roadside relay stations or camped out in the wilderness.
Early this morning,
a drizzling rain had unexpectedly begun to fall from the sky.
One autumn rain brought one measure of cold.
Even the wind seemed to have turned mournful and desolate.
Wearing a bamboo rain hat, Shen Yi drove the carriage onward through the rain.
Tao Tao had already ducked inside the carriage. She had merely tied the donkey to the carriage shaft and let it trail behind on its own.
After another half day of travel, the curtain of rain showed signs of worsening.
Sharp-eyed, Shen Yi caught sight of a wine banner fluttering beside the road ahead. Looking more closely, he saw that an inn had opened beside this country official road.
As they drew nearer, through the rain curtain,
Shen Yi made out the inn's signboard.
It bore the words: "Xiangye Inn."
The two lanterns at the inn's entrance cast a dim yellow glow, bringing one of the few touches of warmth to this gloomy, bitter weather.
"There's an inn ahead. Let's go take shelter from the rain."
Shen Yi called out.
"Alright."
Tao Tao answered at once.
She knew that Shen Yi had it hard driving through the rain, and it was no solution for the horses and donkey to keep traveling in the downpour.
Shen Yi drove the carriage into the inn's small courtyard.
The sound of the carriage also reached the inn. With a creak, the tightly shut door opened.
A young attendant in blue poked his head out.
The moment he saw Shen Yi and the others, his face split into a broad