The Heavenly-Favored Chronicles

“Orioles sing for miles, green set against red; in riverside villages and mountain towns, wine flags flutter in the breeze.” These two lines are by the great Tang poet Du Mu, describing the beautiful spring scenery of Jiangnan. In a tavern in Lin’an, a man wearing a bamboo hat sat alone at a table by the window, drinking. Suddenly, a dark cloud drifted by. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a few drops of rain fell. A hoarse voice rose from the man’s lips. “The weather’s turning. A heavy rain is coming.”