The night passed in a blink. As daylight flooded in, a knocking sound pulled Lin Feng from the void of sleep. He responded and quickly jumped out of bed. “Huh? Why do I feel so light on my feet?” Standing on the ground, Lin Feng felt as if he was treading on several feet of cotton, giving him an unreal sensation. With a slight movement, he felt like he might take flight at any moment. Hastily, he grabbed some clothes to wear. Upon opening the door, his mother was already waiting outside. “Lin Lin, why do you always lock your door when you sleep these days? You’re acting like a young girl. What do you do cooped up in your room all day? I’ve been knocking for ages before you answered. Are you up to no good in there? … What’s that smell in your room?”
Lin Feng’s mother, without even looking up, stepped forward as if to inspect the room. Lin Feng quickly blocked her way. “Mom, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good!” Lin Feng stretched his neck out the door, exaggeratedly sniffing the air, pretending to be ravenous, while subtly holding onto the door frame to block his mother’s path. As for the strange smell his mother mentioned, he could smell it too, though he wasn’t sure where it came from. He didn’t want to be lectured by his mom so early in the morning. He thought the smell might be from his underwear and socks he had tossed under the bed, left there too long. Sigh! His mom was good in every way except for her nagging, which was unbearable. If he didn’t distract her quickly, who knows what else she might find odd and start lecturing him about. Lin Feng muttered to himself, remembering the label of “underwear thief” hanging over him. Thus, not only did he always lock his door when sleeping recently, but the first thing he did upon waking was to check around, though thankfully today, he didn’t find any conspicuous colorful items.
