It was a rest room.
Wooden beds stood in a row along the wall, their bedding in disarray. The room smelled musty, as though it had not seen daylight in ages.
A row of wardrobes stood on the other side, with scattered clothes inside.
More lay on the floor.
Clearly, whoever had lived here had left in a hurry.
Perhaps they had received an emergency notice.
Perhaps the extensive collapse nearby had frightened them away.
There was a door at the other end of the rest room.
But this was an ordinary door, with a handle.
It opened with a push.
Beyond it was actually a washroom.
A short concrete trough ran beneath a very basic faucet.
Song Ning turned it on. Water came out.
But it was noticeably murky.
It might have been drawn from a mountain stream, with the collapse affecting the water quality.
There was another door at the far end of the washroom.
A rack stood on the floor beside it. It was empty, but there were marks left by objects that had rested there for a long time.
Three or four circular marks, side by side.
This door had no handle either, much like the earlier one.
Gu Zheng offered, "Let me pick you up and try again!"
This time, Gu Zheng stood at the right distance. Shortly after he lifted Song Ning, the door slid open.
It used a weight-activated switch as well.
The room beyond was large.
Many old desks and chairs stood in rows.
The desktops were a mess, scattered with ink, fountain pens, and other stationery.
A full row of cabinets lined the wall, their doors hanging open. Documents were scattered both inside them and across the floor.
Perhaps the evacuation had been too sudden for them to take everything.
Song