On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the first light of dawn glimmered.
Chen Shi'an woke at five on the dot as usual and eased himself off his couch, careful not to disturb the girl who was still fast asleep.
He glanced back toward the bed. Lin Meng Qiu had curled almost entirely into the thick cotton quilt, leaving only a small tuft of black hair showing.
Her restless sleeping posture was nothing like her usual cool, aloof image. The pillows lay askew, the quilt was bundled into a ball, and its extra corner even dangled over the edge of the bed-
She seemed to be sleeping soundly. Even Chen Shi'an getting up and walking to her bedside did not wake her in the slightest.
It was still very early, so Chen Shi'an left her asleep.
He stepped softly out of the room and headed for the kitchen.
Shi Mo was curled beside the lingering warmth beneath the stove. At the sound of him, the cat gave a lazy meow in greeting.
Chen Shi'an deftly lit the fire, rinsed the rice, added water, and set a pot of plain congee on the stove to simmer. Wisps of cooking smoke rose with the delicate fragrance of rice, gently merging into the morning mountain mist.
While the congee cooked, Chen Shi'an prepared a few side dishes to go with it and took out the glutinous rice, bamboo leaves, bamboo strips, and other things for today's rice cakes and zongzi, setting them to soak.
Judging that the congee was nearly done, he washed his hands, fetched the cup and toothbrush he had prepared for Lin Meng Qiu, and returned to the room.
The Class Monitor was still sleeping in.
She remained curled up, having unconsciously kicked aside a corner of the