On New Year's Eve, a bitter north wind howled outside, cold enough to make one want to curl into a ball, but there was no snow.
As the clock struck midnight, Hao Hao immediately pulled Xiao Man to her feet. The siblings ran out into the courtyard to the sound of the chimes, ready to set off fireworks. The weather was clear. Looking up, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. The brilliant stars twinkled, and the Milky Way was clearly visible, seeming to hang right overhead. Xiao Man couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. 'To think of the Beijing of the future,' she thought, 'plagued by sandstorms and smog, with such severe air pollution. How could you ever see such a magnificent, star-filled sky there?'
Suddenly, a streak of white light shot across the Milky Way. Xiao Man quickly shouted to Hao Hao, "It's a shooting star! Quick, make a wish!"
