Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
Han City, Shangqian Village.
It's 6:30 in the morning, and the sky is still dark.
The small village on the Jinan Plain is silent, with only the occasional scattered barking of dogs from afar, making the winter dawn feel even colder.
In the cold, Qian Lele wakes up from her sleep on time.
Without a hint of laziness, she deftly puts on the thick clothes covering her quilt and walks out of her small bedroom.
First, she stretches her limbs in the frost-covered yard, doing a few exercises to fully dispel the last traces of sleepiness.
In the main room, the briquette stove is huffing and puffing with heat, but because the old house lacks insulation, the walls are drafty, and the actual temperature inside remains low.
Her father, Qian Yong, is already awake, leaning on that smooth cane, slowly and stubbornly working on his rehabilitation walking.
"Dad, you're up."
"Lele... why, why so early again, not sleeping some more?"
