Chapter 31: Northeast Corner

In the northeast corner of the playground, there is a row of sycamore trees, whose shade just covers a small open space. On a clear morning in early September, the sun has not yet fully risen, the air is cool, and it smells of earthy soil after the lawn has been watered.

I took her to the school gate on my electric scooter at exactly six o’clock. She had set her alarm for 5:30 last night, got up, washed her face, brushed her teeth, changed into her school uniform, and left. Before leaving, she filled her thermos with goji berry…