Chapter 144 Year-end (Part 2)

Since the onset of winter, trees within Shenjing City withered, eaves and walls were coated in light frost, casting the entire city in an austere hue of coldness. Finally, a few days ago, a heavy snow blanketed the neighborhoods and alleys in white. And today, the festive red had begun to adorn the city, with brand-new couplets hung on the aged wooden doors, red lanterns dangling from the eaves, and the sounds of laughter mixed with the sporadic crackle of firecrackers, stirring the city into a lively hubbub.

The clamor of summer could be annoying, but the sounds of people in the dead of winter felt warm and intimate. Pei Ye asked Xu Chuo about the number and height of the doors in prime minister Xu's mansion and then merrily strolled around Le You Garden, eventually returning to the carriage with a small basket of spring couplets and many toys whose purposes were unclear.