At four in the afternoon, snowflakes began drifting from the sky.
The villa was warm, but Aunt An still found socks and a blanket and watched him put them on and wrap himself up snugly. Only then did she feel reassured enough to get back to her own work.
He remembered that back in school, what the girls in his class looked forward to most was snow on Christmas Day. Whenever the day came, they discussed whether it would snow, both during and between classes.
Did it mean anything? Not really. They probably just felt that snow on this special holiday would make it lovelier.
Inside, it was as warm as spring; outside the window, snowflakes swirled.
Aunt An put the lamb and radish soup on to simmer, then sliced a plate of fruit to take over to him. To her surprise, Yan Ningke was fully dressed and putting on his shoes in the entryway.
"Where are you going in all this snow?"
Yan Ningke tied his shoelaces, stood up, and gave her a reassuring smile. "To see a friend. I might be back in a little while."
Aunt An relaxed a little. Seeing that he was about to leave, she hurriedly called him back and rushed inside. A moment later, she came out carrying a scarf and gloves.
"Put all of these on. It might not feel cold now, but once the snow stops, the chill will set in."
Aunt An fussed over him as she wrapped the scarf snugly around him. It was nothing like the stylish way young people wore theirs, just a thoroughly old-fashioned approach.
Only Yan Ningke's eyes showed, limpid as autumn waters, as a faint smile curved his lips beneath the scarf.
"All right. Whatever you say."
For him, scenes of someone fussing over