She turned to look at the chair next to the desk.
The chair was empty. The thin blanket was carefully folded into a neat square and placed on the chair. The military jacket was also neatly folded and placed next to it.
Howard is already up.
Mingzhao was not surprised. She deftly folded the quilt into a perfect square, with sharp edges, as if it had been measured with a ruler.
After folding the quilt, she got out of bed, put on her old cloth shoes that didn't quite fit, walked to the door, and gently opened it.
The air in the early summer morning carries a coolness and the fragrance of grass and trees, filling the lungs.
The courtyard was quiet; the ground, which Howard had swept last night, was still fairly clean. Glistening dewdrops clung to the weeds in the corner.
She walked into the yard and stretched her stiff body slightly.
The movements were small, but each stretch was precise and accurate, like some kind of sophisticated instrument performing a self-check.
Her gaze swept over the low courtyard wall, taking in the small world surrounded by gray bricks and mud.
Just then, the door to the neighboring No. 16 courtyard creaked open.
A young woman wearing blue overalls and with two thick braids came out carrying an enamel spittoon, seemingly going to empty the chamber pot. She immediately spotted Mingzhao standing in courtyard number 17 and paused for a moment.
Mingzhao also saw her and looked back at her calmly.
The young woman immediately put on a slightly awkward smile and tentatively said, "Oh, you...you must be Commander Huo's...new bride, right? You're up so early!"
Her accent was heavily influenced by the local dialect.
Mingzhao looked at her without saying anything, only nodding slightly as a response.
Then, her gaze shifted away and returned to the few weeds in the corner covered with dewdrops, as if she were studying some rare plant.
The young woman's smile froze. This new bride... really doesn't like to talk?
She stood there awkwardly, holding the spittoon, unsure whether to leave or stay.
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