Lin'an is in early spring, spring rain patters on the bluestone paths, and oil-soaked paper umbrellas bloom like flowers on the street. In the small buildings along the street, girls occasionally peek out to gaze at the gloomy sky and the drizzling rain, lamenting the spring and contemplating the autumn.
The street vendors sit under their sheds, complaining about this damned weather, which has left them without business all day.
Women from small families are busy preparing dinner. Cooking smoke envelops the city's sky, truly reflecting the saying "misty rain in Jiangnan."
It's the year 1200, the final countdown of eighty years for the Song Dynasty begins. Zhao Kuo, Emperor Ningzong of Song, is in power. During his thirty-year reign, the Southern Song's population reached its historical peak, and the economy flourished like never before.
