[The National Meteorological Center forecast that a new wave of relatively strong cold air would arrive tomorrow, the strongest cold air mass of the second half of this year-]
In the warm apartment, the lights illuminated the living room. Black Cat lay on the sofa watching television, which was broadcasting the weather forecast.
Li Wanyin sat at the dining table leafing through her little account book, her pen gliding lightly across the paper. Occasionally, she paused, tapping an entry with her fingertip as she checked the figures under her breath.
Chen Shi'an sat on a small stool, holding a carving knife and a block of wood. The blade worked carefully over the wood's surface, and shavings rustled down onto the old newspaper spread beneath him, gradually forming a little pile.
His eyes were lowered in concentration as he carved, and the rough shape of "a big sister opening the front door" gradually emerged.
Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, December had arrived.
Hearing the television, Chen Shi'an glanced up, but Fat Cat had already pressed the remote, switching the weather forecast to an opera channel filled with lilting singing.
Chen Shi'an turned toward the closed sliding balcony door.
The rain outside seemed to have grown denser, and he could faintly feel the chill even through the doors and windows.
When the streetlights in the residential complex came on, fine strands of rain drifted through their light. Raindrops snaked down along the window edges, leaving scattered traces of water.
Chen Shi'an stopped carving and said softly toward the dining table, "Sister Wanyin, it's going to get colder tomorrow. It's raining outside, too."
Li Wanyin also turned to look and nodded. "Yes, they said it'll drop below five degrees, with lows of only two or three. And with the rain, it'll