In the early morning, Kao Mountain Town.
The sun had not yet risen, but a pale light was beginning to dawn on the horizon.
In the courtyard of the mayor's house, Elder Shitou was wearing a thin coat and holding a smoking pipe, sitting on a stone roller and taking intermittent puffs of dry tobacco.
As one gets older, their needs decrease; plus, Mayor Shi had something on his mind, so he had gotten up early.
After getting out of bed in the morning, he first made a solo inspection around Kao Mountain Town. Finding that the red rope talismans he had set up the night before were undisturbed, he finally felt at ease and returned to the courtyard to daydream.
"It's good that the talismans haven't changed; it means the town is safe.
But, I, as an old man, can't afford to be careless. I'll have to make another trip to the county town after the sun comes up to check with Elder Wang and see if there have been any movements in the nearby villages and towns.
