The next day arrived.
It was a crisp autumn morning.
Beep, beep, beep, beep. The Alarm Clock at home rang; Dong Xuebin had specifically set it the night before. After turning it off and checking the time, he saw it was only just past five. But Teacher Jiang had asked him to get to the school around six to help her out, so Dong Xuebin naturally could not afford to sleep in. He climbed out of bed, splashed his face with cold water, and immediately woke up considerably. After quickly washing up and taking a shower, he began rummaging through his wardrobe for clothes. In the end, though, he did not wear dress pants and a shirt. Those outfits were all fairly expensive, and if they got scratched up while he was moving things, he would feel bad about it. Even with money, he could not waste it like that. So Dong Xuebin put on a more casual autumn outfit: a long T-shirt and long pants, dressed quite casually. Then he headed out.
Dong Xuebin grabbed his bag and went downstairs.
Early in the morning, hardly anyone in the Dormitory Building of the Eighth Office had gotten up yet; everyone was still asleep. Only a few elderly men and women were walking their dogs around the compound.
The moment he stepped out of the building entrance, someone looked over at Dong Xuebin. It was an old man.
"Up so early?"
"Ah? Yeah. Walking your dog, sir?"
"Yep. My wife went to the Neighborhood Committee, so I had to do it."
"Heh, then carry on, sir. I'll be off first—I've got something to take care of."
Not far away, an elderly woman walking her dog spotted Dong Xuebin as well and smiled, nodding at him.
Dong Xuebin hurriedly greeted her too