In the depths of winter, where could you find water? The surface of the pond was completely frozen, and Pei Ye watched the little girl in red running back and forth excitedly in the desolate garden, squatting by small ponds or streams and eagerly having the Palace Attendants crack the ice.
There is indeed an age in childhood when one is extremely curious about other forms of life. Pei Ye's hobby of fishing began from that time, and now, watching the little girl extend her net into the ice hole and wriggle around trying to catch something, he couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship.
Meng'er had already said goodbye to him in front of the garden and headed to the west toward Qingsi Palace. Pei Ye paused by the stream. The sound of winter water seemed clearer and sharper. The little girl bent over, striving to catch something, and the few Palace Attendants just watched her without saying much. Pei Ye chuckled, "The fish will all be scared away with you stirring like that."
