Embroidered Shadow Fleeting Time

The early snow of the twelfth lunar month in the Year of the Horse falls on the bluestone slabs of Pingjiang Road in Suzhou, making a rustling sound. Shen Qingci huddled under the carved window of "Yunxiu Pavilion", holding a silver needle between his fingertips. The ball of thread rolled down at his feet. The bright red silk thread embroidered half of the incomplete horse pattern on the plain white satin.