Now it's already the beginning of spring, but the weather remains cold, with occasional sporadic snowfall, and a thick layer of frost often visible on the ground.
In Qingshui Village, it's already noon, and every household has smoke rising from their chimneys, cooking meals over the fire.
Near a river, there's a courtyard with four sides, where a woman has just finished her lunch and is hanging clothes to dry. Behind her, an old man is holding a dry tobacco pipe, taking puffs.
"Old man, say something, will you? That Li Laosan promised to come in the spring to take us to get herbal seeds and plant them, but it's already been more than half a month, and we haven't seen them. Do you think they might be planning to back out?"
