On the winter tundra, morning was exceptionally slow to arrive.
The sun was still struggling below the distant horizon. The sky remained dim and gloomy, with only a faint glimmer of dawn visible on the far edge of the sky.
A bitter wind howled, whipping fine snowflakes across the snow-covered land.
Feng Shan planned to set out early for the almost 500-kilometer journey to Fairbanks, where he was to attend some kind of Indigenous People's conference.
He checked the weather forecast, which looked good for the next few days.
Dressed only in his base layers, he walked out of the bedroom and saw Maria already standing in the living room.
Feng Shan was mortified. He had forgotten there was a woman in the house now. He spun around and scurried back into the bedroom, his flustered retreat making Maria cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.
After getting properly dressed, he emerged from the bedroom again.
