Тое ж чытанне, праведзенае праз кожную жывёлу кітайскага задыяка.
鼠
Пацук
You heard the bell before anyone and are already deciding what it means for the market. It means rise. This week, be out of the gate with the street rather than ahead of it with a plan.
牛
Вол
You will finish the row before you answer. This week the bell is the row. Set the tool down at the first strike and let the unfinished thing be unfinished for one morning.
虎
Тыгр
You have been waiting for exactly this and will answer it at a run. Good. The one caution is that the whole street is rising too; do not knock the grandmother's stool over on the way past.
兔
Трус
You would rather the bell had rung more quietly. It did not. This week the summons is public and so is your answer. Open the gate at the same moment as everyone else and it stops being conspicuous.
龍
Дракон
The bell tower is the tallest thing in the picture and you are not in it. This week you are one gate among many, rising to a call you did not give. Answer it as one of the street.
蛇
Змяя
You will answer the bell in your own time and hope nobody notices the delay. They will. This week the timing is the message; be at the gate on the first stroke.
馬
Конь
You are out of the gate before the sound has finished. Fine. Now look back and see who else is coming, because this week the call is collective and running alone misses it.
羊
Каза
You will wait to see whether the neighbours get up. They are getting up. This week, be the second gate to open rather than the last, and the street will carry you.
猴
Малпа
You will hear the bell and wonder who rang it and why. Later. This week the summons is answered by standing up, and the curiosity can walk beside you to the lane.
雞
Певень
The card gives you a literal place on the roof, answering the bell. Answer it and then come down. This week the rising is done at street level with the rest of the hutong.
狗
Сабака
You will make sure everyone else is up before you go. Go with them instead. This week the bell is for you too, and shepherding the street is a way of not answering it yourself.
豬
Свіння
Dawn is not your hour and the bell does not care. This week, when it strikes, be at the gate. The comfort you are protecting is worth less than what the street is rising toward.