“Cleaning the room?” Looking at Hao Yunyang’s smiling face, the old man’s expression remained unchanged. After dropping a sentence, he leaned on his cane with a black cat and turned towards the stairs: “No garbage allowed in the hallway. Clean it up and take it down to the trash bin.”
“Sir, you…” Hao Yunyang wanted to apologize, but the old man had already turned and walked away. Watching his inconvenient back, Hao Yunyang stood at the door, unable to come back to his senses. How tolerant was this old man? Being splashed with garbage and just letting it go like that?
By the time Hao Yunyang remembered to go up and help, the old man had already gone downstairs. Scratching his head in confusion, Hao Yunyang muttered, “What a good person…”
Touching the phone in his pocket, Hao Yunyang bent down to collect the garbage he had swept out, putting it into two plastic bags. It was almost dinner time, and he remembered there was a ramen shop not far from where he came in.
Carrying a bag of garbage in each hand, he went downstairs. The manager had changed into a faded but clean set of clothes and was sitting in a chair. He didn’t speak as Hao Yunyang came down the stairs, but just as Hao Yunyang was nervously passing by, the manager suddenly said, “Come get your clothes when you return. Wash them and return them to me.”
“Okay, okay.” Hao Yunyang was startled by the sudden speech but quickly agreed, his smile undiminished: “If you have any other clothes that need washing, I can help you wash them too.”
“Trying to get close to this old man?” The old man glanced at Hao Yunyang, his words leaving Hao Yunyang speechless: “You’re not qualified.”
“Cough cough.” What a cool old man! Hao Yunyang thought to himself, but his face showed no embarrassment. He smiled and turned towards the trash bin.
The manager said nothing more, watching Hao Yunyang’s back with an expressionless face, his cloudy eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts.
The trash bin was placed less than ten meters from the dormitory building’s wall. Because it was a dormitory area, it was rarely maintained, and the bin was already full, surrounded by garbage.
