The next day, as dawn was just breaking and the sound of chirping birds outside was beginning to aggravate her, Chen Afu looked over and saw Dabao still sound asleep. She quietly got dressed and slipped out of the room.
Once outside, she noticed that it had rained during the night. The rain, light and silent, had gone unnoticed. The birds were all huddled together under the eaves, a dense, fluttering mass. Unafraid of Chen Afu, they chirped continuously at her presence.
So, Chen Afu went to the kitchen, brought out two handfuls of brown rice, and scattered it under the eaves of the West Wing. The birds, seeing the food, madly fluttered over and squabbled for a bite, behaving exactly like domestic chickens.
Since Dabao didn't have school that day, he got up later. Chen Afu waited for him to get up, and then they ate breakfast together.
