The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, quietly waking up this ordinary family. In the kitchen, Wang Hui was skillfully preparing breakfast. The meal was simple: two potatoes were sliced into seven or eight pieces and steamed; the millet porridge, though not a lot, was more than enough; and to top it off, some pickled vegetables thinner than toothpicks completed the breakfast for Sun Hao's family.
Compared to the effort it took to make breakfast, the next task Wang Hui had to face was the most difficult. Looking at the two people still snoring away, Wang Hui became furious. She wasn't asking for much—just for them to eat when the food was placed in front of them. Why was that so hard to fulfill? Yet, these two could never meet her basic expectation.
In less than half a minute, Wang Hui had built up a lot of frustration. She shouted, "Yang Fei, Yang Yang, wake up and eat!" As expected, neither of them responded. Wang Hui couldn't understand how two people—no, how could two people—sleep so soundly that they couldn't be woken up? Yang Yang, being just a child, was excused, but Yang Fei—didn't he know that if he didn't get up now, he'd be late? Wang Hui was a high school teacher, and as a responsible educator, she was particularly sensitive to tardiness.
Wang Hui, used to this by now, shouted a few more times before slapping Yang Fei on his back, which was exposed outside the covers. Slap! Both Yang Fei and Yang Yang woke up. Wang Hui still couldn't understand why people would only listen to her when she was angry, whether at home or at school.
After the slap, Yang Fei sat up and said, "Can't you just talk to me properly?" Yang Fei was uncomfortable with the way Wang Hui woke him up. Why did mornings always have to start this way? He preferred waking up naturally, without being forced out of bed.
After closing his eyes to put on his clothes, Yang Fei walked to the window, feeling around for his toothbrush holder. "Ah, there it is," he muttered. Turning around, he brushed his