It was late spring in the seventeenth year of Emperor Yong'an's reign.
The rain in the south of the Yangtze River lingered for half a month, covering the entire Jinling City in a thin layer of smoky blue. The water in the Qinhuai River has risen by three thirds and has reached the bottom of the stone steps. The awning boat is swaying in the rain and fog. The boat girl's soft words are broken by the sound of rain and float across the water intermittently, like a wisp of smoke that cannot be dispersed.
The Shen family's house is deep in Wuyi Lane in the east of the city. There are three entrances and three exits to the courtyard. The copper ring on the black door has been washed by the rain. The two locust trees at the door were in bloom, and the white flower spikes were knocked to the ground by the rain. They were soft when stepped on, as if stepping on a layer of rotting snow.
Today is the day when Shen Jinse, the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, gets her haircut.
