Early before dawn, before the sky was bright, the Big Courtyard of the military district was already resonating with the chants of "one-two-three-four, two-two-three-four..." alongside whistle blows, accompanied by the patter of running feet.
As time passed and daybreak came, children from the residential area gradually came out for exercise, and not far away in the small park, some spirited old soldiers could be seen stretching and stomping their feet with vigor, occasionally shouting at each other, teasing and joking around.
Mr. Lin just stepped out and hadn't even reached the small park when he heard the voices of his old friends.
Someone with sharp eyes spotted him approaching and immediately shouted, "Old Lin, you finally came out. How did it go on your visit over there? Settled down well?"
