Chapter 17

"Brother, come quickly!"

As soon as Qin Huai came out of the shower, he saw Mu Nan holding up a piece of the sweetest part of the watermelon with a spoon. Smiling, he walked over and took a bite of the watermelon. The icy sweetness of the fruit instantly dispelled the residual heat from his body after the shower. Looking at Mu Nan's eager face, Qin Huai said with a smile, "It's very sweet. This watermelon was a good purchase."

Qin Huai didn't like fruits much when he was a child—he disliked all kinds of them. In contrast, Mu Nan loved all fruits, especially the sweeter ones. Whenever they had watermelon, Mu Nan cherished the sweetest middle part and would always save it for himself. Knowing how much he loved it, the family would let him have it. Once, after school, Qin Huai saw Mu Nan sitting alone in the living room with a small wooden spoon, struggling to dig out the sweetest part of the watermelon. With a playful intent, he ate that piece before Mu Nan had a chance to put it in his mouth.

At that time, Mu Nan was still in kindergarten, very small. Qin Huai thought he would cry if he took away his favorite piece of watermelon, but instead, Mu Nan just smiled at him. After that, Mu Nan always saved the sweetest part of the watermelon for him.

Mu Nan, with a hint of pride, said, "I specifically went to Shandong to buy this. The watermelons there are cheap because of high production and low transportation costs. I bought it at a wholesale price of ninety cents per pound, and I also bought a lot of rice and flour there. They're cheap and taste good."

Qin Huai said, "Eat less. Watermelon is cold in nature. Just have a bit to cool off and quench your thirst."

Mu Nan responded with an "oh" and didn't argue. He actually couldn't eat too much anyway. He used to be able to eat a large watermelon by himself, but with long-term late nights and takeout, his body had deteriorated, and now he felt full after just a small portion.

After eating a few more bites, Mu Nan handed the remaining watermelon to Qin Huai. "You should have some too. After eating, put the leftover in the fridge before I store it in the space. By the way, brother, don't you think it's time for a haircut?"

Qin Huai took the watermelon and sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing Mu Nan's eager expression, he said, "Let's do it tomorrow, before I take a shower. You can cut my hair then."

Mu Nan was delighted. "I'll go find the scissors. I bought several hair-cutting scissors." Fortunately, since they were men, a short cut would suffice. If it were women with long hair, it would be more challenging.

While Mu Nan was setting up the scissors, a sudden loud noise downstairs startled him. It sounded like banging or kicking on the door. He accidentally dropped the scissors, but fortunately, Qin Huai reacted quickly and pulled Mu Nan away, otherwise, the sharp end of the scissors might have injured him.

Qin Huai picked up the scissors from the floor and put the others that were on the table into the drawer. Mu Nan, still shaken, patted his chest and said, "That scared me."

The commotion was likely from downstairs. It seemed like someone was forcefully hitting the door, creating such a loud noise that even their iron door upstairs was slightly vibrating. Along with the banging, there were also intense curses. It was unclear what the conflict was about at such a late hour.

In the past, such disturbances would have drawn the neighbors out to watch the commotion. But now, despite their curiosity, no one dared to go outside. They would only listen carefully to the noise from their own doors. Since the only households facing them were directly across, and the adjacent area was an open courtyard, they could hear everything clearly without needing to open the outer iron door.

Mu Nan, curious about what was causing the noise downstairs, squatted by the door to listen. With Qin Huai back, his outlook on life and surroundings had changed significantly. He had become more interested in his surroundings than before. When the loud noise happened earlier, it reminded him of a similar incident from his previous life. Back then, while he was drawing in his room, he had no interest in the noise outside and even found it annoying, so he put on headphones to block out the sound. Later, he didn't even bother to find out what the commotion was about. This time, he was genuinely curious about what could cause such a disturbance at this hour.

However, after listening for a while, Mu Nan heard only shouts demanding to open the door and for money. The Mandarin was laced with a regional accent, and when the speaker got too excited and spoke too quickly, Mu Nan couldn't make out everything. But he could understand some of the curses, which were extremely harsh—things like "die a terrible death," "get what's coming to you," and "may your whole family be wiped out."

The sound of the door being kicked was so loud it seemed like it might break through the door.

Qin Huai reached out and pulled Mu Nan away from the door. "Don't go outside after you've showered, and don't stand by the door either."

Mu Nan asked, "Do you remember which family lives downstairs? Is it the one with the teacher?"

Qin Huai replied, "Yes, it's the teacher's family."

Mu Nan found it odd. "The teacher's family is quite nice. Who could they have angered?"

Qin Huai indicated Mu Nan should look at his phone. The issue had already spread in the community group chat. In no time, the chat had accumulated 99+ messages. Mu Nan scrolled to the top to start reading. It turned out the trouble began with a group purchase.

As time went on and people were increasingly confined at home, many had to risk going out to find a livelihood. Not everyone had savings; some had to support large families, and the pressure was as heavy as if facing a life-threatening virus. Although there wasn't a cure yet, the infection rates were dropping due to proper precautions. Still, some people began taking risks to go out, leading to a rise in various private group purchases.

These private sellers couldn't directly reach every resident, so they created product groups through information channels. Residents within the delivery range would join these groups to buy items. Since it wasn't practical for sellers to deliver just one or two items, someone would take the lead to organize the group purchase, collect orders until a certain quantity was reached, and then arrange for delivery.

The resident downstairs from Mu Nan, who was a retired teacher, had a son who was disabled by birth. Years ago, with local household registration conditions, he married a woman who didn't mind his disabled son. They had a child, but the woman left shortly after giving birth. So, the father and son raised the boy together. The boy was even a year older than Qin Huai. Mu Nan remembered that the younger man downstairs was actually Qin Huai's senior by a year.

The problem was that this young man downstairs organized a group purchase. In response to the growing demand, various WeChat group purchase apps emerged. Group leaders could earn a small commission if the transaction was successful. With rising prices, items that used to cost two or three yuan per pound had surged to ten or twenty yuan, not to mention the more expensive vegetables and meat. Forming a group could earn a rebate ranging from dozens to nearly a hundred yuan.

The young man from the 16th floor became a group leader to help others. He only needed to set up a group, and others would choose products, make payments, and once the order quantity was met, the goods would be delivered. His job was to wait for the delivery downstairs and then distribute the items according to the door numbers. It was a straightforward way to earn money.

However, this time, things went wrong. A seller with a comprehensive inventory and extremely low prices ran a time-limited promotion. The young man organized the group purchase and, finding the prices irresistible, ordered for himself too. In an attempt to be generous, he actively recruited people in large groups. The group purchase was successful, the payment was made, but the goods never arrived. The seller's product link was taken down, and the phone was turned off. It was clear that he had been scammed.

The young man on the 16th floor couldn't contact the seller and was the one responsible for the group purchase. Even though he never handled the money directly, people naturally looked to him for resolution. Despite explaining the situation and showing the police report he filed, the young man was stressed and couldn't offer a refund.

Most people were angry but understood that the 16th-floor resident wasn't entirely to blame. The loss of several hundred yuan wasn't worth escalating further. The anger was directed at the scammer, but among the crowd was an elderly resident on the top floor with a history of mental instability. The man, around sixty years old, lived alone and was known for his erratic behavior. Despite his quirks, he wasn't considered harmful, and people generally ignored him.

This time, he also participated in the group purchase but didn't understand online payments. He paid in cash through a neighbor downstairs. When the goods didn't arrive, he went to the neighbor, who was merely a helper and didn't want trouble. The neighbor directed him to the group leader, leading him to the 16th-floor resident.

After several attempts, the 16th-floor resident, seeing the elderly man had some cash and was in a difficult position, tried to refund the money. However, the old man insisted on the items he ordered, not accepting the money. The problem was that the seller had disappeared, and the young man couldn't find the goods. This was clearly a setup for trouble. Frustrated and already overwhelmed, the young man refused to deal with the old man.

This led to daily disturbances from the elderly man, who began aggressively banging on doors, cursing, and creating a huge scene. This situation led to today's events.

The community group was buzzing with discussion, mostly condemning the elderly man and considering him a major nuisance.

Naturally, the disturbances downstairs couldn't be ignored. The community contacted the authorities and soon, people arrived. Initially, community workers tried to persuade the elderly man, but he was uncooperative. Even though the man was of age, a few young community members managed to subdue him easily. Eventually, he was taken away by the police after repeatedly trying to break the door.

After a noisy night, the downstairs finally quieted down.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed and munching on potato chips, Mu Nan sighed, "So, people really need companions. Otherwise, if you're alone for too long, you slowly start to seem abnormal to others."

Qin Huai looked at him with a smile, "I thought you'd conclude that one shouldn't stick their neck out."

Mu Nan nodded, "That's important too. It's best not to seek attention unnecessarily. Most people remember grievances more than favors."

Qin Huai ruffled Mu Nan's hair, which had grown long and soft, and said, "Go to sleep. It's very late."

Mu Nan lay down on the bed. Once Qin Huai turned off the light and got into bed, he turned to face him and softly asked, "Brother, if I hadn't spent all the money you gave me and hadn't come to find you, would you come back to find me after the smog clears and the pandemic is over?"

Qin Huai replied, "I wouldn't wait until after the pandemic to find you. I'd come back as soon as the pandemic started. I need to make sure you're okay, that you're not sick, and that you're safe at home. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay even for a day."

Mu Nan was silent for a long time after hearing this. "What if you didn't come back? What would be the reason?"

Qin Huai turned his head, trying to outline Mu Nan's figure in the darkness, and whispered, "If I didn't come back, it would only mean that I couldn't come back."

Hearing this, Mu Nan felt a pang of pain in his chest. He couldn't bear to think about what might have happened to Qin Huai in his previous life. The mere thought of that horrifying possibility made his breath feel painful. He didn't dare to tell Qin Huai that he had been reborn. He knew that even though they were right in front of each other now, the possibility of what might have happened was still unbearable.

Mu Nan moved closer to Qin Huai, hugging him just like he did when he was a child. Listening to his heartbeat, he gradually felt reassured and said, "Don't leave me alone again. I don't want to become a lunatic in other people's eyes just because I've been alone for too long. If we face a future without any way out, let's die together, okay?"

After a long while of silence, Qin Huai's quiet "okay" came through. If there truly was no way out in the future, he couldn't bear to let Mu Nan struggle alone. Perhaps death with a companion would be happier than living alone.