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Bright red lanterns cast a warm glow over the long cobblestone alley.
Louis Snyder dared to follow only from a distance, until he saw Hannah enter the inn; only then did he find a corner to stand quietly.
*
On the day Hannah left the small town, the crew of the show came out to see her off.
Though she had stayed in the town for only three days, many of the locals also turned up.
Among them was the woman who had offered to buy her a meal on the first day, as well as Granny Liu and her old friends, Granny Amy was standing with Grandpa Wilson, and next to him were his chess friends.
The morning sunlight fell, and rainwater from the night's downpour dripped down from the eaves, landing on the cobblestones.
After Lucy Taylor had finished speaking with Hannah, the landlady stepped forward.
Dressed in a plum-patterned cheongsam for the occasion of saying goodbye, she was as elegant as ever, like a soul crystallized from the small town itself.
