Laboratory Stools and Water Bottles in Luanshya

Flat noon light spills across a seminar table crowded with scattered notes and lined paper. Several plastic stools tuck under the table edge, their metal legs catching the soft, overcast glow that fills the room. Clear bottles of distilled water sit in clusters near stacks of papers, their surfaces reflecting the pale sky outside. Lamplight pools into the room's corners, casting a warm amber pool against the cool daylight. The dry season air leaves the paper edges crisp and the plastic bottles free of condensation. A crumpled napkin rests beside a half-filled glass, its rim stained with a faint ring of mineral residue.