At six o’clock the next morning, as the golden sunrise warmed the glazed-tile roofs of the two billion courtyard houses on World 17: The Garden Housing Zone, ten billion citizens woke up well-rested, washed their faces with hot Sweet-Spring tap water, and walked out their front gates to go to work.
In Green-Breeze Valley, Hammer Chen stepped out of House #410 wearing clean blue blacksmith overalls, carrying his favorite hammer over his shoulder. Next door, Widow Lin and Granny Liu walked out of House #409 wearing neat straw sun-hats and carrying baskets for the World 16 potato harvest.
“Good morning, Sister Lin! Good morning, Auntie Liu!” Hammer Chen called out cheerfully as they walked down the flagstone street under the blooming pink Spirit-Peach trees. “Are you heading to the West Plain on World 16 today?”
“Yes! Today is the big harvest day for the five-pound potatoes!” Widow Lin smiled brightly, her three children skipping along behind her toward the new Dry-Well Primary School at the end of the street—where none other than Alchemist Master Dan was teaching morning reading and basic herbal identification to five hundred village kids. “Hold on tight to your hat on the train roof today, Brother Chen! Yesterday the space-wind in the wormhole nearly blew Old Man Zhou’s shoes off!”
