"Huanhuan, where have you been? I thought I was about to die from starvation! I've washed the vegetables for dinner."
Yan Huan wanted to smile at her, but could not. Her forehead was slick with cold sweat. Suddenly, her vision swam. She hastily grabbed the door and tried to steady herself, but it was no use. She collapsed to the floor.
When she opened her eyes again, she did not know how much time had passed. The sky had grown dark, and the streetlights had come on. Light blazed from the windows of every house; it was the time of day when families gathered around the dinner table to have their meal together before watching TV. It was when everyone was finally able to kick back and relax after a hard day's work. For Yi Ling and Yan Huan, however, they could only sit in their tiny room and count their meagre earnings from the day.
