The weather after a snowfall is even colder than during one. A biting night wind made Xu Changqing wonder if she'd grown soft.
'Back in the day, she could wander around the village in the middle of the night during the dead of winter wearing just a padded jacket and not feel a thing. But tonight? She just wanted to shrink into her collar.'
Xu Changqing glanced worriedly at her father. Seeing his back ramrod straight, she thought, 'Thank goodness. Otherwise, I'd have to slap myself.'
'Her dad was finally staying the night, yet her first thought was selfishly for herself, not for him out here in the freezing cold.'
'How could I!'
'Even if she was anxious to know whether her dad had spoken with Grandpa Cheng in the past two days, or what Grandpa Cheng's attitude was, it wasn't like it absolutely had to be tonight.'
