It was deep autumn, and the air was filled with a fine, cold, damp chill. Like an evening mist that had condensed too early and burst forth prematurely, it hovered between the gloomy dark clouds and the vast expanse of the earth—moist and oppressive. As far as the eye could see, there were patches of gray haze, scattered by the cool breeze of late autumn.
Su Li stood by the bus stop, her long black hair fluttering in the crisp autumn wind. She wore a black low-necked wool sweater, with...