Duoduo was an ordinary villager in Zhangjiakou in 1940. His village had been under Japanese occupation for years. On a cold winter night, he went out to gather cabbages and carrots. He needed them to meet the daily food quota the Japanese army demanded. He knew giving up the food meant going hungry, but that was better than being beaten or worse.

As he walked near the Old Hollows, Duoduo saw a strange, glowing archway. It looked like a shimmering portal. Curious, he stepped through and found himself in a magical marketplace. Snow fell softly over the busy stalls where strange creatures and humans sold all kinds of wonderful things.

Duoduo wandered through the market, searching for anything that could help him. He entered a small shop filled with magical items—shoes that let you fly, telescopes that could see anywhere, and more. A shopkeeper greeted him. “What do you need?” she asked.

“I need food,” Duoduo said. “Enough so I’ll never go hungry feeding the Japanese again.”

The shopkeeper nodded and brought out a sack. “This bag will give you endless food,” she explained. Then she looked at him closely. “But you also wish to free your village. For that, I have something else.”

She handed him a golden pocket watch covered in jewels. “This will give you the courage and wisdom to lead your people.”

Duoduo thanked her and returned to his village. With the sack, he fed his people and met the quotas. Using the courage from the watch, he rallied the villagers to stand together. They fought back and drove the Japanese out.

Afterward, Duoduo told the village elder, Lao Guang, about the market. Lao Guang smiled. “The Winter Market saved us long ago when I was young,” he said. “It appears when people truly need help.”

Duoduo and the elder felt grateful, knowing the Winter Market would always be there for their village.