It was already 4.30am when the train arrived at Xi'an station with Su Xiaoqi and her daughter Youyou.

The mother and daughter were too sleepy to be woken up by the conductor to change their tickets, so Su Xiaoqi got up from bed with a start and got out of bed to pack her luggage before she could tidy her messy hair. Su Xiaoqi pulled a coffee-coloured striped trolley case with a change of clothes and food, including Shandong pancakes and two packs of Lianyungang rhubarb fish given by her sister; You You pulled a green puppy cartoon suitcase, which was small, flexible and light, and contained You You's pinyin books, maths books, colouring books, colouring pens and Peppa Pig toys. Yes, the two mothers had returned from a few days' stay at Yu Yu's grandmother's house in Shandong, where they had been expelled by the heat.

Soon the train came to a halt and the mothers each pulled their own boxes out of the listed carriage.

One

It was dawn and the temperature was hot, so the two of them, who had been shivering with cold in the carriage, were in the bath at once. The vendor with the cart in his ear, speaking a fluent Shaanxi dialect, was soliciting business - cold skin, meat bun, mutton bun, have one, it's so good! Su Xiaoqi didn't care about this, so he grabbed his daughter You You's arm and hurried towards the exit with the crowd of people leaving the station.

He was about 20 meters away from the exit, Su Xiaoqi saw a group of people watching something, and there were a few policemen standing there in the crowd. The uniformed policeman, his back wet, kept asking the crowd of people leaving the station: is there anyone from Sichuan? Anyone who understands Sichuanese? After shouting for a long time, no one answered. In fact, Su Xiaoqi wanted to say, "Yes, I can. But then he thought that although he had spent three years in Sichuan, he could only understand a limited number of common phrases, and was unable to understand the authentic dialect, so he kept quiet and dragged his daughter on. However, the kind-hearted Su Xiaoqi was worried about the old man: what if there was no answer after a long time? What if the old man has an acute illness and delays the best treatment ......

"Mum, what's wrong with that grandfather?" Yo Yo asked.

"Grandpa is probably sick." Su Xiaoqi replied.

"Then why is grandpa lying there, he's not going to die, is he?"

Little children are always tongue-tied and particularly sensitive to death.

"No, Grandpa is not feeling well, so he will lie down and rest for a while, and then he will go to the hospital later and see the doctor."

Oh! Yu Yu took a long breath of relief like a little adult, as if her hanging heart had been released all of a sudden. And to such inquiries, Su Xiaoqi always liked to make such answers.

Two

Soon, the two mothers left the station. Su Xiaoqi habitually looked at the crowd of people picking up the station - usually, her husband would appear here or by the carriage where the train stopped, but this time, because he had an important job and was working overtime, he could not come to pick up the station. A hint of disappointment crossed Su Xiaoqi's face, but soon she smiled, took her daughter's hand and walked straight to the taxi stand.

The taxi drivers in the old city were still very "frugal" and did not bother to turn on the air conditioning on the way. Su Xiaoqi and Youyu were getting used to the muggy heat, so they didn't say anything.

Outside the window, the street trees stood straight as loyal guards, the occasional breeze blowing by with a few hints of unwelcome warmth, the leaves rustling, the rustling sound drifting into the ears, very pleasing to the ears; the neon lights on the street had long since been turned off, the handsome men and women under the neon lights had long since disappeared, and the lights in the tall buildings were sparsely lit, still asleep. The old city has returned to its original form, quiet and peaceful.

It didn't take long for a figure to appear in Su Xiaoqi's line of sight. It was an open-air barbecue stall, where several bare-chested migrant workers were sitting around a table with grilled lamb skewers, a few bottles of beer, a few plates of peanut rice and a few plates of beans. They had completely forgotten about the sweltering heat of the three hot days and were immersed in this early morning "enjoyment".

"What's the point of having a barbecue at this hour?" Su Xiaoqi's mind wandered endlessly, "Well, maybe they've just finished their work and the boss has paid them, so they're celebrating here all night. Or maybe, after this meal, they'll take advantage of the cooler weather to get back to work." Whatever the answer, Su was convinced that such a "treat" had brightened up their boring working life in the summer heat and made their not-so-easy days away from home much more nourishing.

"Mum, why do those uncles get up so early?" Yu Yu asked, rubbing his eyes.

"They're not sleepy, they like it." Su Xiaoqi replied.

"The uncles are going to work later, right?"

"Probably."

"Aren't they sleepy or tired?"

"Yes, happy people are full of energy, so they are not tired of doing anything." Su Xiaoqi replied.

Yuu seemed to understand and nodded vigorously.

Three

The car continued on its way and soon drove into East Street. In the early hours of the morning, the clock tower was not as crowded as it had been during the day, and looked more dignified surrounded by flowers of all colours. The gates of the Kaiyuan Shopping Centre opposite the clock tower are closed, without the hustle and bustle of the day, but with a different atmosphere. Looking at the Drum Tower, which is not far away from the Bell Tower, it is also so quiet and peaceful that I can't help but admire the wisdom of the ancients who used to chime the hours in the morning and the evening. Su Xiaoqi looked at all this quietly and couldn't help but feel proud to be living in such a beautiful city.

The car soon drove from East Street into South Street. Not far away, two old men appeared in Su Xiaoqi's line of sight, figures that were unmistakable. The two were about 60 years old, the man was not tall, at most 1.6 metres, with a dark face and a yellowish, black towel around his neck, wiping his sweat with the towel while hunched over and straining to pull the car, which was filled with cardboard boxes, plastic water bottles, empty cans, etc. The scraps were tied tightly with a rope, several times higher than the old man, while the woman was in the She was wearing a dark red T-shirt and a pair of grey five-piece trousers, with a pair of wide-mouthed blue cloth shoes. The two men, one in front of the other, occasionally chatted about something, both looking happy and obviously pleased with the fruits of their labour. He wiped his face and hands again with a towel, straightened his clothes, then went to the stall and bought two deep-fried pies, which he brought back and ate with the woman.

"Mum, the grandparents by that car are so dark." Yuu exclaimed.

"People who spend a long time in the sun and work are like that." Su Xiaoqi said calmly.

"They eat so well, mum!"

"Yes child, they've been working all morning and they sure do smell good when they eat."

"They are hard working little bees!" Mum then added, with a touch of well-intentioned education in her words.

"I'm going to get up early and be a hard-working bee too." Yo Yo said to herself, looking thoughtful.

Four

In the early hours of the morning, there were few pedestrians on the streets of Xi'an and only a few cars, the crowded streets of the day became unobstructed, and it took only 30 minutes for the car to arrive at Su Xiaoqi's house. Su Xiaoqi got out of the car and took out his luggage. After thanking the driver, he took You You's hand and walked home. At the corner, Su Xiaoqi saw her husband, who had just returned from work in a hurry. Su Xiaoqi's husband, with a tired face and a bit of guilt, smiled and took Su Xiaoqi's suitcase with one hand, while Su Xiaoqi lifted Youyou's small suitcase, and the three of them went home side by side.

When they got home, it was still early and the family, lacking sleep, rushed to bed to catch up on their sleep. Su Xiaoqi's eyes were closed and a picture flashed through his mind: vendors hawking, old people moaning in pain, migrant workers eating barbecue and drinking beer, a couple scavenging for scraps, a husband rushing back from an overnight shift ...... Xi'an at 5am, a quiet Xi'an, a Xi'an without fuss, a Xi'an without pretense, a Xi'an as calm as an old man and as vigorous as a teenager. The most realistic Xi'an, calm as an old man and prosperous as a teenager. Su Xiaoqi saw a lot and felt a lot. Su Xiaoqi loves Xi'an at this time of the day - it allows one to see life more clearly, to experience life and to think about life ......

By the time the sun rises, Xi'an will be full of traffic and people again, and one after another hurried figures will appear at the Bell and Drum Tower, the City Wall, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, on Jiefang Road, Science and Technology Road, North Street, and on every street in Xi'an, and Xi'an will look like a different place again. At that time, Su Xiaoqi will also be one of them, running to work. The busy work and high pressure life may make Su tired and bored occasionally, but Xi'an at 5am will eventually calm her down.