Summer days were long, and by 5 AM, it was already light outside. After leaving Changqing Garden, Xu Changqing didn't dare linger. She hopped on her reverse tricycle and took off.
And as she sped off?
As she pedaled along, Xu Changqing spotted a large truck on the street filled with trash—no, wait. It was a dust-covered truck, its cargo bed filled with scrap.
The truck wasn't moving very fast, and she watched as a large, tightly bound bundle of newspapers fell from the cargo bed with a THUD, landing on the ground behind it.
In that instant, Xu Changqing recalled what the auntie from the North City Waste Station had said yesterday afternoon—that a truck was supposed to have come last night to haul away the contents of the warehouse.
Without a moment's hesitation, she pedaled hard, stopping her tricycle in front of the large bundle. As she did, she waved at the truck, which was already slowing to a stop, its driver having apparently noticed something fall.
