By then, the temple fair was nearing its end.
The villagers had already laid out the offerings and set up the frames, waiting only for the final lion dance to honor the gods.
"La la la la~"
"(~￣▽￣)~"
A young woman whose dress clearly marked her as someone from outside the Central Plains walked among them, finding everything novel, her face full of excitement.
She was young, with delicate features, and wore a pair of blue-green embroidered shoes.
"How much is this sugar figurine?"
"Eight copper coins for one, twelve for two."
The woman counted on her fingers, then asked in confusion, "...Shouldn't two cost sixteen?"
"I'll give you a discount if you buy two."
"Oh, then give me two."
Holding two hawthorn candy skewers, the woman beamed like a flower in bloom.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted.
"Someone fell in the water! Someone fell in the water!"
Though it was the twelfth lunar month, the river within the small city's inner walls had not frozen over and flowed slowly along.
While crossing the bridge, a woman had accidentally fallen in amid the press of people.
The passersby cried out in alarm or stood pointing, but no one dared enter the water to save her.
In the bitter depths of winter, the icy river chilled to the bone. No one could guarantee they could swim back with the woman.
"Find a bamboo pole!"
"A long stick will do too!"
"..."
People shouted.
Just then, a figure leaped onto the water and caught the woman's outstretched hand.
It was the foreign woman who had bought the candied hawthorns earlier. She had jumped from the end of the bridge, her toes tapping lightly against the water.
She seemed to intend to grab the woman's hand and then float to shore in an