What happened in the summer of 2020

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April 7

I have lived in the current apartment for three years, and I am considered an old resident. I am familiar with the administrator, but I don’t know any neighbors.

The room next to me is similar to my apartment size. There is a young couple with a child who moved here last year for the National Day.Maybe because of the epidemic in the next year, only the man will live. I guess the wife and the child will return to their hometown.

I never spoke to that man.

It was only recently that I discovered that I and that man go to work at about the same time, and the company is also in the same direction, and we can often meet at the subway station.

Everyone wore masks, and I had no particular impression of his eyes, or the occasional exposed nose.I think he has an ordinary appearance, neither fat nor thin, but when he is standing, his legs look very powerful when viewed from the back.

Sometimes, we go out almost at the same time, I take the stairs, he takes the elevator, and comes out from the door of the apartment. We are not far away from each other. When we arrive at the subway station and wait in the same line, I will feel a little awkward.

I regret it, maybe when I first had the opportunity to speak, it was more appropriate to say hello politely.But at that time, I remember that I just came back from the outside, the door of his house was open, and the child was standing at the door.Because I was relatively withdrawn, especially because I didn't want to get close to children, I lowered my head very low. When I walked through his door, he came out and led the children in and closed the door.

I think he must have felt my indifference at the time.So, we never spoke.

The sound insulation of our room is very good, and we have not been disturbed by each other.

It's just that now that summer is here, the balconies are next to each other. Sometimes I open the balcony door and find him leaning on the balcony smoking a cigarette, so I don't go out for a while.Sometimes, when I was blowing air on the balcony, I heard his balcony door open and then close again.

It was later discovered that he often settled out for dinner and came back relatively late.I went to the balcony early, looked at his dark room, and couldn't help but wonder, as a married man living alone, his life would be different from that of a single dog.

Sometimes when I see some news related to married life, I think of my neighbor who has never spoken to me.

After such a long time, there is an expectation for the ice breaking of the relationship.

We lived next door, and our routes to work overlapped, so I figured we'd have a chance to talk after all.For example, his clothes to dry may be blown onto my balcony by the wind.Or, I was walking behind him one day and the zipper on his backpack was unzipped, or something.

But it wasn't until July 7, a few days after that company dinner, that I finally had the opportunity.

It was at the gate of the subway in the morning, and he was in front of me, separated by a person.It seems that because of a problem with his mobile phone, he couldn't scan the gate, so he let him go to the side.

I swiped the bus code to enter the station, and saw that there was just a subway train arriving, and the people around me were walking quickly. I hesitated for a moment, but carefully retreated to the gate against the crowd.Ask him through the guardrail, I have a bus card, do you want to use it?

He raised his head and found that it was me. He was a little surprised, but he readily took my card and swiped through the gate.

He said that he has always used the bus code, and the bus card is still reliable.

He wants to return the card to me.I said, you still need to use it when you get out of the station.

He pulled the mask and said yes.

I said return to the apartment at night and pay me back.

After entering the compartment, it was very crowded and we separated soon.

He got off the subway one stop before me, glanced in my direction as he walked out the door, and I nodded.

When I was working during the day, thinking of this incident, I was a little looking forward to whether I would have another friend because of it.But if you have to exchange greetings every time you meet in the future, it will be a bit troublesome.I have a little problem with my eyes. Unless I need to watch the computer, I don’t wear glasses when I walk. I often meet acquaintances and can’t see clearly, which is impolite.

When I got back to the apartment at night, I came out of the stairwell and saw his door was open.Knowing that he probably came back earlier on purpose to return my bus card.I think this guy is very thoughtful.

When I passed by his door, I was stopped by him, and he said come in.

I just walked two steps in, and the cooking table and bathroom on both sides of the room are similar to the layout of my room.To my surprise, I thought his room would be rather cramped, after all, a family of three lived there, and it turned out to be surprisingly simple.

I said: Your room is so clean.

He said: I don't have much food, and I don't cook. I usually eat out.

Then he picked up the bus card from the table and returned it to me, wanting to add WeChat to me.

I said: It’s good to add WeChat, but don’t transfer money to me, I don’t even need a bus card.

He was a little embarrassed, but he said it was ok.But he was also prepared. He took out a watermelon from the refrigerator, put it on the cooking table and cut it in half. He wanted to give me half, saying that he couldn't eat it.

I picked up the heavy half of a watermelon and said with a smile: I haven't eaten a watermelon this year.

He said: Really?The temperature is low this year, and I want to eat watermelon only when it is a little sunny today.

That night I was blowing air on the balcony and heard the door of his balcony open.

I was only wearing a vest and boxer shorts at the time, and I glanced at his balcony with a little embarrassment.He was also only wearing a tank top and boxers.

He said: Do you usually exercise?

I said: I like to run and play with dumbbells.

He said: I haven't been to the gym for a while, and I still have to go when the epidemic passes.My gym is very good. Do you want to try it? It’s better to have a partner, or you will always encounter embarrassing things.

I said: what embarrassment?

He said: Sometimes someone you don’t know well comes to protect you, and you can’t shirk it, and then you have to protect him again, especially when you meet someone wearing tights, which is very embarrassing.

I seem to get a little bit of what he's saying, he probably doesn't like being accosted by other guys at the gym.

I asked him, do you live alone recently?

He said: Yes.

I said: Has your wife returned to her hometown?

He said: I am not married yet.

I think I must have misunderstood something, so I asked who was your child before that?

He said: What kid, you made me a little bit hairy.

He said that he had never had a child in his house, and he lived alone all the time. As for what I said about seeing a child at the door once, he said he had no impression at all, and I was a little flustered as a result.

I also thought about the misunderstanding about a certain marriage before.I thought it was nothing at the time, but when combined with the current one, something is wrong.

I said: You must be bluffing me.

He insisted no.

I was really surprised, so I said: Can you let me go to your room to verify it?

When I got to his room, I realized that it was inappropriate to be so rash.But everything has come, I think if he has a wife and children, it will not be difficult to find traces at home.

He opened the cabinets and drawers generously.

Sure enough, they are all used by bachelors.

I was a little confused, on the one hand because I didn't understand what was going on with the previous child, on the other hand I felt that I was too reckless.Thinking of what to say to ease the embarrassment.

Instead, he came up with an idea first, and he said: I have asked you to check everything, and the only thing missing is a body search. You should also let me see your room.

I said yes.

But when I opened the door of my own room, I felt a little guilty.

I'm not as open as he is.There are things I don't want outsiders to see.My room is fairly tidy, floors mopped, walls I painted myself last year, but I don't want to open the bathroom.

Fortunately, he just looked at the layout of the room and didn't make any further requests.

The next day, I met the apartment manager.

I remember that last year, when the next-door resident first moved in, I asked the administrator if one or two people moved in.She told me it was a family and promised that there would be no noise.

However, when I asked the administrator about this matter again, she said that she had taken over too many residents who had moved, and she could no longer remember.