Jinhe City.
Afternoon sunshine bathed the great river outside the city, layers of golden light shimmered on the water surface, penetrating throughout, appearing like a golden belt that tightly encircled the vast metropolis.
You could see on the river surface boats of all sizes, some heading south, some north, merging with Lishui and drifting far away.
In the shallow waters by the riverbank, one could also spot drooping men and women, their faces numb, huddled in groups, revealing rib-like black and somber flesh, pulling the towing ropes with one deep step and one shallow step.
From the boats, the distant sound of string and woodwind orchestras could be heard, the aroma of wine and dishes wafted by the breeze, mixing with the earth and grass to form a peculiar scent.
It wafted into Zhou Ping'an's nose.
And also wafted into Lin Huaiyu's brows, furrowed like distant mountains.
