He added a bit of cool water to his enamel mug. As he tilted his head to drink, his Adam's apple bobbed sharply beneath his loose skin.
Zhao Shuzhuo noticed the frayed edges of his shirt collar and remembered Shen Chunhua mentioning that Director Song's wife had taken their children to live elsewhere last year, leaving him all alone.
In the corner of the office, a metal cabinet stood half-open, revealing neat stacks of account books. Resting on the top shelf was a yellowed family portrait. In the photograph, Director Song wore a crisp Zhongshan suit, cradling a little girl with pigtails, with the poplar trees planted during the commune’s founding year visible in the background. Now, those trees outside the window were lush and canopy-like; the words "Director Song is good," carved by children into the bark years ago, had been worn smooth and illegible by time.
Chapter 705