Ling Chengyan sighed quietly, returned to bed, but already lost any desire to sleep. She glanced at her watch; it was only four o'clock, at least two more hours until dawn.
Lying in bed until six, Ling Chengyan got up and stepped outside to check on the vehicles.
The snow had eased a bit, but hadn't stopped.
Ling Chengyan circled the three cars once, came back, had some hot soup and rice, and then called a few people for breakfast.
"Eat quickly. Once we've eaten our fill, we need to set off early."
No snow fell the day before, and they had run the whole day. Now, with snow making the roads slippery and difficult to navigate, getting back in one day was even harder.
After breakfast, the group divided tasks, installing tire chains for traction while someone else went to the kitchen to fetch hot water for starting the car.
In the cold, old diesel vehicles are hard to start and need a kettle of hot water to warm the engine so the car can start.
