What kind of scene does the first couplet of Zhao Mengfu's poems describe?

The first couplet describes the autumn night in the north, full of cold dew. The poet looked at the fallen leaves of the phoenix tree and listened to the sound of smashing clothes in the distance, which was infinitely sad.

Smell clothes

Under the dew, the blue sky is full of autumn, and the anvil sound is constantly thinking. The customs in the north are still ancient, and the costumes in the south are backward. Alfalfa is full of fat, pipa is used to crying. The world is cold and put into the present, why not wait for him to be disappointed at the beginning of his life.

Mashing clothes is a folk custom of ancient Han costumes. That is, women spread the woven cloth on a smooth chopping board and knock it flat with a wooden stick to make it soft and iron, so as to cut clothes, which is called "smashing clothes". Dressing is more popular in the north than in autumn night. In classical poetry, the sound of cold anvil is also called "cold anvil", which often shows the melancholy mood of inviting people to leave their wives and homes. This poet is descended from the imperial clan of the Song Dynasty. In the cold autumn night in the north, he heard the sound of smashing clothes, associated with this ancient custom and profound cultural and historical tradition, and recalled his old country and sentimental life experience by chanting ancient times.