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Time rewound to a moment before a cup of tea could have been brewed.
At the very edge of this bustling dockside market stood a dilapidated little courtyard.
Although drafty inside and out, and with most of the furnishings missing limbs or hacked together in a way that carried the clear marks of hasty repairs, the shoddy craftsmanship was painful to behold.
But the courtyard was swept spotless, not a single weed could be found even within the smallest crevices between stones.
A delicate and pretty girl had already risen early, washed up, cleaned, and cooked.
Even though she wore an old cloth skirt patched in many places and a plain, unpainted thorn hairpin on her head, she kept herself neat and tidy.
She exuded a competence from every pore, along with an open-hearted acceptance of her life's poverty.
Of course, you could also say she was heartless and thoughtless.
"Little One, Little Two... Xiao Wu, good morning to you all!"
