As the saying went, "A day's plan began in the morning." Though it was only a little past five and dawn had yet to break, the ancient capital of Nanjing had already awakened. People emptied chamber pots, went to the toilet, and exchanged a few greetings with acquaintances. That was the life of the common folk.
Wang Yan, wearing a sleeveless undershirt and shorts, went out to the public restroom at the intersection and queued up to relieve himself. Only then did he take off running, straight toward Purple Mountain. It couldn't be helped—Black Tortoise Lake cost money, while running up the mountain was free.
Speaking of which, Wang Yan was terribly poor now. Given how much he spent on food and drink, what his parents had left him and the government assistance he received were not enough for him to live comfortably. He still had to find a way to make some money and enjoy himself...
He ran all the way to the mountaintop, practiced two sets of boxing, then ran back down. On the way home, he casually found a shop and had steamed egg siu mai and vermicelli soup for breakfast. After returning home to wash up and do some laundry, it was time for school.
Wang Yan took some pens and notebooks from home, packed them into his small bag, and headed out for school.
Walking to school, Wang Yan's thoughts were more complicated than ever. He walked through Nanjing in the 1980s, but his heart remained in Long City at the start of the century. All he could think about along the way was the time he spent studying during the most insignificant yet most important thirty years of his life.
Back in middle school, he had ridden a Giant mountain bike to school with