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Li Qing left Yu Lan's house at around one in the morning when the sky was a brilliant tapestry of stars.
The village was silent except for the occasional unknown wild animal sounds echoing across the fields.
Li Qing straightened his back and hurried home.
Once home, he fell straight into bed and slept a sound sleep like no other.
The next morning, he was roused by the alarm clock, still groggy.
Picking up his phone, he saw it was already eight o'clock.
To avoid repeating last time's mistake, Li Qing had set several alarms for himself.
This was the third one.
The earliest one was at six-thirty, but he was so tired that he hadn't heard it at all.
Li Qing swiftly climbed out of bed and brushed his teeth and washed his face.
Just as he had tidied himself up, Han Mei had already arrived.
After a quick breakfast, Li Qing called Gao Li, and they started the daily routine of heading into the mountains.
The rugged mountain path felt surprisingly less difficult to traverse.
