The snow was coming down hard that day. Huge flakes swirled from the sky, and before long, the rooftops, treetops, and cars along the road were all covered in a thick white blanket. The whole world had turned white, and even the air carried a sharp, icy chill. It was on a snowy day like that that I first met him. Jiang Li had just finished eating with her best friend and was walking home, bundled up in her down jacket. Snow crunched beneath her feet. As she neared the entrance to her apartment complex, she caught sight of a figure huddled beside a trash can. When she got closer, she saw that it was a boy who looked about eighteen or nineteen. He was curled up inside a battered cardboard box, wearing only a thin jacket. The collar and cuffs were worn white, snow dusted his hair, and his face was pale with cold, his lips tinged purple. He kept his head bowed, lost in thought, looking terribly frail and pitiful. Jiang Li stopped. Her heart gave a little tug. In weather this cold, he couldn’t possibly last out here. After hesitating for a few seconds, she went over and crouched in front of him. At the sound, he jerked his head up, his eyes wary, with a helpless bewilderment he couldn’t quite hide.
Unable to bear seeing him like that, she reached out and tried to keep her voice gentle. “It’s freezing out here. Would you like to come home with me?” He froze, blinking as if he hadn’t understood what Jiang Li had said. After a long while, he slowly looked up at her, then at the hand she’d held out, and gave a soft nod. From then on, their lives became entwined...
