Shen Weimin had seized a moment to visit and tease his wife. But during the coldest days of winter, when the sun began to set after three and it was pitch-black by five, he didn't stay long.
He timed his return to arrive home just as the sun was setting. There was no way to keep his fresh pair of boots dry on this trip; they were already soaked with sweat inside.
Even though his Changqing had stuffed them with Ula grass she had beaten soft with a wooden rod, the boots were caked with snow on the outside from the long walk through it.
Thankfully, perhaps due to the Ula grass insulation, his feet had only gotten sweatier. And while the cold wind made them feel a bit numb, it wasn't bad enough to cause frostbite.
As soon as he got home and took off his greatcoat, Shen Weimin didn't even have time to ask Shen Xiaosi, who had trotted up excitedly, if anyone had come looking for him that afternoon. He immediately started preparing hot water to soak his feet.
