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Another month passed, and the seasons came full circle, bringing with it the deep winter at year's end.
Though the end of the year was fast approaching, there wasn't a trace of festivity over Wuzhe Lake, only an expanse of biting cold.
For reasons unknown, this year's winter was harsher, colder, and more difficult to endure than previous years had been.
However, life had to go on, boats still had to sail, and fish still had to be caught.
At dawn, before the sky had brightened, Qing stepped out of the cabin, just as a gust of northern wind blew, making her body shiver under her straw raincoat.
It was cold, very cold; even though she wore all the clothes she could and was wrapped in a thick wind-breaking raincoat, she still felt her body stiffen, her hands and feet icy, not a single spot of warmth on her person.
"Is it... snowing?"
