It was a Wednesday afternoon, around two o'clock, and as the students swarm out, the preparatory building slowly quietened down.
Alexander had a cup of hot water and took a rest, preparing to finish for the day.
He strained to lift a big backpack that was hidden under his office desk, crammed full of all sorts of rubber and cotton slippers, all sourced from the wholesale market.
Later, he had to rush to the subway station to sell the shoes, hoping to sell a few more pairs today...
Just like his name, he was under "great stress"!
In middle age, with elderly parents and young children, although he didn't need to take care of the elders at home and their health was reasonably good with pensions, he still had his wife and children to care for...
The only income they had was his monthly pay of a bit over three hundred US dollars. His wife was a housewife, and they had two children, one in junior high and the other in primary school.
