Time flowed on, as joyful and swift as the Little Qing River. Life was like the pebbles on the riverbed; the days glided over them, leaving not a trace. Or if they did stir a small ripple, it was soon swept away by the current. Ceaselessly washed and polished, they eventually became round and smooth.
A year passed in a flash. Juhua and Zhang Huai were now engaged. So was Li Changyu, along with many other young people. Of those who had been engaged, some were now married. Of those who were married, some were now expecting children. The toddlers had grown taller, and the elders had a few more gray hairs on their heads. Everything was changing, yet it seemed as if nothing had changed at all. Life was just one generation following another.
In the blink of an eye, it was spring again, and Juhua was planning to go to Xiatang Market with Liu Xiaomei.
That's right! They were just going shopping—the country bumpkins were heading into town!
