The grass withered, the eagle's gaze sharpened; the snow melted, the horses' hooves grew light.
Li Ping'an and Old Ox traveled in fits and starts, abandoning the main road.
They walked merrily along a narrow path.
The snow fell harder and harder, gradually covering the shrubs on either side in a boundless white.
After crossing one mountain, they set foot on another.
The path uphill grew narrower, more desolate, and quieter.
One man and one ox, yet they were not lonely.
Li Ping'an hummed a song.
"A laugh rings over the vast sea, tides surge against both shores.
Rising and falling with the waves, remembering only today.
Heaven laughs, the world's tides churn.
Who loses, who wins, heaven knows..."
After an unknown stretch of time, signs of human life finally appeared ahead.
Along the way, they happened upon three men carrying New Year provisions, making their way from one end of the mountain to the other with bundles large and small.
They looked full of festive cheer, and from their conversation, he learned why.
The year's end was approaching, and a bride in the village was about to be married.
Li Ping'an brought Old Ox over, hoping to ask for a cup of wedding wine.
Festive cheer filled the village and its outskirts, though the banquet had yet to begin.
The villagers had built temporary stoves from blue and red bricks, lighting fires and cooking dishes.
At a countryside banquet, nearly every household would attend.
Their own kitchens were clearly too small, so they had to set up an "open-air kitchen" to have room to work.
Everyone cracked melon seeds while chatting about household affairs.
The gathering grew larger, more dishes arrived, and the flavors grew richer.
Everyone sat around the tables, eating and chatting in harmony.
The feeling brought