The next day, the heavy snow had momentarily ceased, and the ground was blanketed in white.
Zhou Xufang had to shoot at nine, so she left home just after seven, bundled up in a huge down jacket and wearing a cotton hat that covered her ears and chin, leaving only her nose and eyes exposed.
The snow on the ground was thick, crunching underfoot as she walked, her snow boots hopping once, then again on the powdery surface.
"Miss Zhou."
Someone was calling her from behind.
Zhou Xufang stopped her playful hops.
"Miss Zhou."
She turned around and saw an old man with a very round face and belly: "Are you calling me?"
The old man chuckled heartily, and his laughter was quite joyous.
"Yes, yes," he said, his hands stuffed in his sleeves likely due to the cold, his neck shrunken, short and pudgy, very cute and kind, "I'm the new gatekeeper here. If you ever run into any trouble, Miss Zhou, just come and find me, huh."
The last gatekeeper had been scared away by her reddened eyes.