Inside the Arctic Great Wall.
Squeak—
The glass door was pushed open, letting in a gust of cold wind.
Hua Jing, who was on tiptoe wiping the cup rack behind the bar, looked over at the sound.
A few figures wrapped in thick old cotton jackets entered in a line through the door.
Carrying the cold with them, their boots left wet marks on the warm wooden floor.
"Brother Qian! Old Ma! Come in quickly and warm up!"
A young girl with a round face and a ponytail, Xiaoyun, immediately greeted them with a smile beside the bar.
She deftly twisted open the tap of the thermos.
Scalding coffee liquid with a rich burnt aroma poured into several large earthenware mugs.
The middle-aged man called Brother Qian took off his frozen, stiff leather hat, revealing a closely shaved blue scalp. He laughed heartily, showing teeth stained yellow by poor-quality tobacco: "Xiaoyun is still so considerate! In this damned weather, a hot drink beats everything else!"
