At 4:47 a.m. on a September morning, the village of Liphu was not yet awake. But Lizi was.

The roosters started — three voices. The first from Po Li's house. Another from behind Uncle Zhen's. The third she wasn't sure about; perhaps the same as the first, walking closer to her window.

Under an old cotton blanket Lizi lay listening for three seconds — then opened her eyes.

Her bedroom window stayed open through the night because September wasn't yet cold. She could see the old wooden desk, with a single book on it — *English Grade 9 Textbook* she had used two years ago. A desk lamp. A glass of water. Her old phone, with a cracked corner.

She got out of bed.

5:00.

In the kitchen adjoining her room (the house had only three rooms — bedroom, kitchen, bathroom), Lizi boiled water in the old kettle for morning tea.

She used the loose leaves her mother had brought from Guangzhou a week before — pale leaves, not as fragrant as fresh, but they were enough.

While the water boiled she opened the back door and sat on the step.

The smell of the rice paddies, watered the night before, drifted on the breeze. The Li River — a tributary running behind the village — made small sounds of water against stone. The karst mountains stood black against a deep blue sky that was beginning to turn paler.

Lizi wrote in her journal — the small notebook she had kept every morning since she was fourteen.

Today she wrote: *Spring comes in six months. I'll be eighteen.*

That was all. She closed the book.

5:30.

She walked to Po Li's — three minutes from her house. Po Li's house was a noodle shop that served breakfast. Lizi had been helping there for six years, since her mother left for the Guangzhou factory.

Po Li sat in front of the stove. Hair white and clean. A face that had not changed.

"You're here, little one."

"Good morning, Po."

"Up early today."

"Same as always."

Po Li didn't ask further — because waking early was Lizi's normal since she was small.

6:00. The first customer — Uncle Chen, the vegetable cart pusher, ordered duck-leg rice.

7:00. The crowd built. Lizi worked fast. She knew every customer's name — who liked thin noodles, who liked wide, who didn't want bean sprouts, who needed extra chili.

8:30. The crowd thinned. Lizi washed the bowls.

9:15. Po Li served Lizi her own breakfast — as she did every morning.

"Po, the rice noodle is a bit short today," Lizi said as she ate.

"Yes — the supplier was late. Sold me less than usual."

Lizi nodded. Said nothing. But she was thinking.

10:00.

She walked home. Three minutes. On the way she ran into Mei — her best friend since first grade.

Mei was already at Lizi's doorstep, holding her one-year-old twin in one arm.

"Hey, Lizi. My aunt's wedding tomorrow — see you at the tent?"

"Probably."

"You're really going to keep studying?"

"…I haven't decided."

"You know, what's the point? Girls like us — eventually we get married. Stay home."

Lizi gave a small smile. She didn't answer — there was no use.

Mei walked off. Got on her old bicycle and rode away.

Lizi stood at the door for thirty seconds.

In her head, there was a question that wasn't a question. It was the feeling: *I don't know where I want to go either.*

11:00.

Lizi sat at the old wooden desk and opened her Grade 9 English book — the one she had been reviewing alone for a year. She drilled vocabulary. *Trajectory. Appreciate. However.* Words she had never had occasion to use.

Her phone vibrated.

A new message from her cousin — Jiawei, in Beijing.

Lizi had only one cousin she stayed in touch with. Jiawei, twenty-eight, working at ByteDance in Beijing. Eight years older. Close.

"Lizi, package arrives tomorrow. Yto delivery. Sending something for you to play with."

She typed back: "What is it, ge?"

"Surprise. Just try it. If you don't like it, send it back."

Lizi smiled. Jiawei liked to send small things two or three times a year — sometimes books, sometimes pens, sometimes snacks from Beijing.

12:00.

She returned to Po Li's, helped with lunch. Fewer customers than morning. Some.

14:00.

Po Li gave her the afternoon off, as always.

Lizi walked to the Li River and sat on a large stone she liked. Bamboo near the water. The wind moved the bamboo leaves against each other. Small waves of water.

She opened her phone. Watched YouTube — last time she had watched, it was a clip of an English teacher she liked because she spoke slowly.

But Lizi could only follow about thirty percent.

Today she picked something else — *How AI Assistants Are Changing Work* — in English.

She tapped play. Twenty percent. But she fixed on the images in the video — foreign people, foreign cities, screens that showed text and graphics.

Lizi closed the video after four minutes. In her head she thought: *This is a world that isn't mine.*

Then she thought: *Why isn't it.*

Why wasn't it hers.

17:00.

Back to Po Li's. Dinner shift. Fewer customers on weekdays. She washed bowls first.

19:30. Po Li closed up. Lizi got her commission for the day — thirty yuan. She slid it into the envelope in her bag.

She walked home. Sky already dark. The stars were starting.

She opened the door of the house, where there was always only her.

Her mother sent home three thousand yuan a month. Lizi saved it for her mother's future — she didn't spend any of it.

Her own commission, twenty-five to forty yuan a day — she used.

20:00. She bathed. Cold water — the water heater pump was broken. Still not repaired.

20:30 — the phone buzzed.

*Mom.*

Lizi answered. "Mom."

"Have you eaten dinner, daughter?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Mom can't come home this week — they added a new line. Night shift, four days."

"…Okay, Ma."

"Mom is sorry, daughter."

"You don't have to be."

Mom was silent for two seconds.

"Daughter… don't be too lonely, okay?"

Lizi gave a small smile, because her mother had never said anything like that. Her mother usually talked about the house, food, money.

"Ma, I'm not lonely."

Mom laughed softly. "Who do you talk to?"

"Po Li. Mei. I'm not lonely. Really."

"…All right."

Mom went quiet for four seconds, then said her slow goodbye and hung up.

Lizi sat on the front step. There were many stars tonight.

22:00. She went to bed.

Before sleep, she opened her phone, looked at Jiawei's message again. *Package tomorrow.*

She slept without curiosity — because she was used to receiving small things from him.

At 4:47 the next morning — the roosters again — Lizi woke.

But today, there was a feeling in her sternum that told her this morning was different.

11:23. The Yto truck arrived. A medium box wrapped in brown paper, with Jiawei's handwriting on the top.

Lizi took the package.

The delivery man walked away.

She brought the box inside, set it on the table.

Cut it.

Inside — a Xiaomi mid-range phone, with a charger, still in its wrapping. And a small paper envelope with Jiawei's handwriting.

In the envelope, one piece of paper —

*Lizi,*
*This is a new phone — and access to this:*
*URL: wuji.tech/agent*
*Username: lizhi-2027*
*Password: huai.qin.huan.le.2027*
*Just try it — it's the AI agent I use at work. Very smart. Answers almost any question.*
*Don't tell anyone. It's the side perk I get — and I want you to have it.*
*— Jiawei*

Lizi read it twice. *An AI agent? What would I do with that?*

But she set up the phone. Inserted her old SIM card. Started using it.

Before opening the URL — she had to go to Po Li's. There were customers waiting.

Lizi didn't yet know that six hours later, she would come back and open the link.

And that six months later — her world would not be the same.

九月的一个清晨,凌晨四点四十七分,李埔村还没醒。但李芷醒了。

公鸡开始叫——三个声音。第一个从李婆婆家。另一个从陈大伯家后院。第三个她不确定,也许就是第一个走得离她窗户近了。

李芷躺在一床旧棉被下,听了三秒——然后睁开眼。

她卧室的窗户整夜开着,因为九月还没冷。她能看到旧的木桌,上面只摆着一本书——两年前用过的《初三英语》。一盏台灯。一杯白水。她那部角落裂了的旧手机。

她下了床。

5:00。

跟卧室相连的厨房里(这间房子只有三个房间——卧室、厨房、卫生间),李芷在旧水壶里烧水,准备早茶。

她用的是妈妈一周前从广州带回来的散茶叶——颜色淡淡的,没有新茶香,但够用。

水烧着的时候,她推开后门,坐在台阶上。

昨夜被浇了水的稻田的味道随风飘来。从村后流过的漓江支流,发出小小的水击石头的声音。喀斯特山脉像黑影一样,在一片正在变浅的深蓝色天空下站着。

李芷在日记里写下今天——那本她从十四岁起每天清晨写的小本子。

今天她写:*再过六个月就是春天。我会满十八。*

只有这一句。她合上本子。

5:30。

她走到李婆婆家——离她家三分钟。李婆婆家是一家卖早饭的米粉店。李芷在那里帮工已经六年——从妈妈去广州工厂打工开始。

李婆婆坐在炉子前。头发白净。脸是没变过的脸。

"来啦,小芷。"

"早安,婆婆。"

"今天起得早。"

"和往常一样。"

李婆婆没有再问——因为李芷从小就习惯早起。

6:00。第一位客人——陈大伯,推菜车的——要了一碗鸭腿饭。李芷立刻盛上——李婆婆在炉子边煮面。

7:00。客人多了起来。李芷动作很快。每个客人的名字她都记得——谁喜欢细面,谁喜欢宽面,谁不要豆芽,谁要多放辣椒粉。

8:30。客人稀了。李芷洗碗。

9:15。李婆婆给她端来一碗她自己的米粉——和每天一样。

"婆婆,今天的米粉好像短一些。"李芷边吃边说。

"是啊——供货的来晚了——卖给我的少。"

李芷点头。没说话。但她在想。

10:00。

她走回家。三分钟。路上碰到阿梅——一年级开始的好朋友。

阿梅已经在她家门口等她,怀里抱着一岁的双胞胎之一。

"嘿,小芷。我姨明天结婚——帐篷那里见?"

"应该能去。"

"你真的要继续读书?"

"……我还没决定。"

"算了吧。我们这种女孩——最后都是嫁人。回家。"

李芷露出一个小小的微笑。没回答——没有意义。

阿梅走了。骑上她那辆旧自行车骑走了。

李芷在门口站了三十秒。

她心里有一个不算问题的问题。是一种感觉:*我也不知道自己想去哪里。*

11:00。

李芷在旧木桌前坐下,打开她已经自学了一年的初三英语书。背单词。*trajectory。appreciate。however。*她从来没有机会用到的词。

手机震动。

来自表哥的新消息——北京的家伟。

李芷只有一个表哥保持联系——家伟,二十八岁,在北京字节跳动工作。比她大八岁。亲。

"小芷,明天Yto的件会到。给你寄个东西玩玩。"

她打字回:"是什么呀,哥?"

"惊喜。先试试。不喜欢可以退回来。"

李芷笑了。家伟每年会寄两三次小东西——有时是书、有时是笔、有时是北京的小吃。

12:00。

她回到李婆婆家,帮着做午饭。比早饭客人少一些。但也有。

14:00。

李婆婆让她下午休息,跟往常一样。

李芷走到漓江边,在她喜欢的那块大石头上坐下。水边有竹子。风吹动竹叶相碰。小小的水波。

她打开手机。看YouTube——上次看的是一个她喜欢的英语老师的视频,因为那位老师说得慢。

但她大概只能听懂百分之三十。

今天她选了别的——*How AI Assistants Are Changing Work*——英语的。

她点了播放。听懂百分之二十。但她盯着视频里的画面——外国的人,外国的城市,显示着文字和图表的屏幕。

李芷看了四分钟就关了。心里她想:*这是不属于我的世界。*

然后她又想:*为什么不是。*

为什么不属于她。

17:00。

回李婆婆家。晚饭班。工作日客人少。她先洗碗。

19:30。李婆婆收摊。李芷拿到今天的报酬——三十块钱。装进包里的信封里。

她走回家。天已经黑了。星星开始出来。

她推开家门——那间总是只有她一个人的房子。

妈妈每个月寄三千块回来——李芷把这些钱攒着,留给妈妈未来用——一分都不动。

她自己的报酬,一天二十五到四十块——她自己花。

20:00。她洗澡。冷水——热水器的泵坏了,还没修。

20:30——手机震动。

*妈妈。*

李芷接起来。"妈。"

"丫头,吃晚饭了吗?"

"吃了,妈。"

"妈这周回不去——厂里上新线。四天的夜班。"

"……好,妈。"

"妈对不起啊,丫头。"

"不用。"

妈妈沉默了两秒。

"丫头……不要太孤单啊。"

李芷露出一个小小的微笑——因为妈妈从来没说过这种话。妈妈平时说的是家里、吃的、钱。

"妈,我不孤单。"

妈妈轻轻笑了。"你跟谁说话呢?"

"李婆婆。阿梅。我不孤单。真的。"

"……嗯。"

妈妈安静了四秒,然后慢慢地说了再见,挂了电话。

李芷在门口的台阶上坐着。今晚星星多。

22:00。她上床睡觉。

睡前——再看了一遍家伟的消息——*明天到。*

她没有好奇地睡着——因为她已经习惯收他寄的小东西。

第二天清晨四点四十七分——公鸡又开始叫——李芷醒了。

但今天——她胸骨下面有一种感觉,告诉她,这一天不一样。

11:23。Yto的车到了。一个中等大小的盒子,用棕色纸包着,顶上有家伟的字迹。

李芷接过盒子。

快递员走了。

她把盒子拿进屋,放在桌上。

剪开。

里面是——一部小米的中端手机,还有充电器,塑封都没拆。还有一个小小的纸袋,上面是家伟的字迹。

纸袋里是一张纸——

*小芷:*
*这是新手机——还有这个的访问权限:*
*URL: wuji.tech/agent*
*Username: lizhi-2027*
*Password: huai.qin.huan.le.2027*
*试试看——是哥工作上在用的AI agent。非常聪明。几乎什么问题都能答。*
*不要告诉别人。这是哥的福利——哥想给你用。*
*——家伟*

李芷读了两遍——心里她想:*AI agent?我能拿它干什么?*

但她还是开了机。插入她的旧SIM卡。开始用。

打开家伟说的那个网址之前——她得先去李婆婆家。客人在等。

李芷还不知道,六个小时之后,她会回来打开那个链接。

也不知道,六个月之后——她的世界就会不一样了。