The Song Of Jingdou’s Cicadas

The end of summer in the seventh year of the Qing Calendar was hotter than in previous years. The first autumn rain had yet to arrive. The three months of heat gathered in the streets of the private residences and could not be dispersed by the wind. It made Jingdou feel like it was covered by a cotton blanket near a hot stove.

After the Jingdou residents rose in the morning, they would feel a thick layer of sweaty residue on their skin. After having washed up and left the house, another bucket of sweat would well up. In one day, one would feel that their body was endlessly sticky and be uncomfortable.