October 31. Light snow.
Snow still came earlier at this time than it would twenty or thirty years later. The hedgehogs in the Big Courtyard had long since found burrows for hibernation and were now tucked inside, fast asleep.
Although Little Black badly wanted the little creatures that had hurt him so many times to come out and play, even barking loudly at the gaps in their burrow entrances, the hedgehogs remained motionless, long since lost in their dreams.
The little snow pellets stung slightly when they struck a person's face. Coming out of the house, Li Long caught a few in his gloved hand and examined them. They looked much like grains of salt, without any six-sided pattern, though they were not cubic crystals either. They had no definite shape.
"Let's go. Hurry up and get in the car. You won't like having snow all over you," he called to Mingming and Haohao in the house behind him. "Any later and we'll be late."
"Dad, how deep will the snow get? Can we build a snowman when we get back from kindergarten?" Mingming asked as he came out.
"Dad, can we have a snowball fight then?" Haohao asked, close behind.
"I don't know. The forecast didn't say how long it would snow." There were no mobile phones at this time, so there was no way to check real-time forecasts. The Autonomous Region's radio station only reported light snow in Stone City and light snow clearing in Beiting. County-level places like Ma County did not qualify for coverage.
As for Stone City Television Station's forecast the previous evening, it generally was not very accurate and was not worth consulting.
The two children got into the car Li Long had already started and closed the doors themselves. Li Long went to