Around five o'clock in the morning, before the sky had lightened, Xu Niannian got out of bed.
Xu Duoyu was still asleep while she moved lightly to the kitchen.
Originally, Xu Niannian thought she would have to start the fire herself, but to her surprise, as soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw Xu Zhiqiang busying himself there.
The stove was already fired up, beneath which the matches hissed, the flame vigorous.
"Zhiqiang, when did you get up?" Xu Niannian looked at Xu Zhiqiang in amazement. He was kneeling on the ground, face dirty from tending to the firewood, drenched in sweat.
His head was covered in sweat.
Hearing Xu Niannian's voice, Xu Zhiqiang looked up at her, "Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to sell pastries?"
The county had a morning market, and Xu Niannian wanted to sell there, which would definitely require an early start.
Worried she couldn't manage by herself, Xu Zhiqiang had specially risen early to warm the stove for her.
