He suddenly opened his eyes out of habit, then sat bolt upright and looked outside. It was still dark. He heard neither a second whistle nor a bugle call outside. Only then did Li Qiang remember that he was home on leave.
He listened carefully, but there was no movement in the other rooms either. Li Qiang knew he had woken too early, probably because of his body clock. It was still running on Yanjing time, whereas it was actually early in Northern Xinjiang. Mom probably had not even got up to cook yet.
With that thought, he stretched contentedly, lay back down, and closed his eyes. Before long, he drifted off again. The next time he opened his eyes, there was already movement outside, and he could hear his parents talking over by the kitchen. His mother wanted him to sleep a little longer.
After that extra sleep, Li Qiang felt wonderfully refreshed. Once he had dressed, he habitually turned to fold his quilt. But the quilt at home was stuffed with cotton mattress filling made from last year's new cotton. It was so fluffy and soft that he could not press it into shape.
After working at it for ages, Li Qiang finally looked in dismay at the bloated block and gave up trying to straighten it any further. That would have to do.
He opened the door and went out. Liang Yuemei was reheating steamed buns. Hearing him and seeing him emerge, she smiled. "Awake? Well, sleeping at home is comfortable, isn't it?"
"Too comfortable," Li Qiang said with a smile. "I never get to sleep in like this at school. Even on weekends, when we can get up half an hour later, it still feels like it isn't enough."
"Then get some proper rest during this