December 7. The monthly exam.
Light rain, temperatures of 2-5 degrees Celsius.
Ginkgo leaves blown down by the cold wind and drizzle overnight lay like scattered gold across the residential complex's footpaths.
Chen Shi'an walked slowly past beneath a large umbrella, the leaves rustling underfoot.
He drew a deep breath. The frosty air in the morning mist was so crisp that when he exhaled, a thick cloud of white vapor formed, as though he were smoking.
The fine, steady drizzle had fallen all night and was still falling.
Tiny beads of ice clung to the branches, forming grains of crystalline rime in the damp, bitter wind.
Of the twenty-four solar terms, today was already Major Snow.
There was no snow, though. Instead, a cold snap had arrived, which counted as fitting the season.
Chen Shi'an had heard that northern regions had central heating, but he had never experienced a winter with heating everywhere. Here in the south, anyway, with temperatures barely two or three degrees, rain falling and wind blowing, the damp cold cutting into him really did feel like plunging into an icy river.
It was probably already snowing lightly up in the mountains.
The higher elevation meant temperatures were lower than in the city. In previous years, weather this cold often brought a little snow. Even without snow, a thin sheet of ice would cover the water in the courtyard's large vat by morning, and frost coated the plants' branches and leaves.
Chen Shi'an had put on an extra layer today, bringing his total to four. Naturally, he was wearing thermal underwear too, and he had a scarf around his neck.
He had used this scarf for many years. Its pale gray base had faded to a slightly mottled white.
Once, when his master had helped a client