177, separated by a door

Early in the morning, Chen Ji woke up utterly alone.

The bedroom was desolate without Liang Gou'er's alcoholic fumes, nor She Dengke's snoring; even the warmth had been taken away.

He got dressed and went out, glancing at the ladder propped against the courtyard wall before bending down to lift the yoke and walking into Anxi Street.

The water tank in the courtyard was full, but Chen Ji still went to fetch water as usual, as if this stubborn routine could keep time at a standstill before the onset of war.

There were no pedestrians on Anxi Street, so he stood alone by the well, slowly winding the well crank, lost in thought as he did.

It wasn't until a baozi shop's assistant came to fetch water that he snapped back to reality, handled the water, and carried the yoke toward Zhi Xing Academy.

Thud, thud, thud, Chen Ji knocked on the firmly closed wooden door of Zhi Xing Academy.

After a moment, Wang Daosheng opened the door and asked with puzzlement, "Why have you come?"