「Meanwhile.」
In Beijing, far away from Shanghai, the temperature plummeted, and a light drizzle fell.
In the courtyard of an old-fashioned, red-brick building, two men sat behind a screen adorned with an upside-down character for "fortune," watching a shadow play under the high eaves of a red and blue veranda. They had been invited over to put on a show for the elderly matriarch of the Beijing Zhou Family.
In a woven basket, freshly fried dough sticks were neatly placed, along with a bowl of clear porridge. The air around them was tranquilly frozen in time.
Zhou Luchen sat across from Zhou Xiangqun.
Zhou Xiangqun held a bowl of porridge in his left hand and a freshly fried dough stick in his right, taking bites. He didn't care for a fancy dinner of rich meats and fish. When he was really hungry, he preferred simple dough sticks—their taste plain, his style understated.