Just after three in the morning, the alarm clock in Changqing Garden rang. On the kang bed in the West Outer Room, Xu Changqing woke with a start. Eyes still closed, she mentally "silenced" the alarm.
She opened her eyes to a pitch-black room. Grabbing a flashlight and switching it on, Xu Changqing quietly dressed and climbed off the kang bed.
Since they had to be up at the crack of dawn for the winter fishing, Shen Weimin was a light sleeper. The moment he heard what sounded like sweeping in the courtyard, he opened his eyes.
He listened more carefully. Yes, someone was definitely sweeping the front courtyard. He didn't have to guess who it was—it could only be his Changqing. Based on her location, he knew she must have already finished the back courtyard.
She would never sweep the front before the back was clean. And this considerate gesture—starting far from the main house so the family could sleep in peace—was just like her. No one else would be so thoughtful.
