CHAPTER 366: CHAPTER 366 NEIGHBORS

Afternoon classes ended an hour earlier than usual, with only two sessions.

As she approached her rental home, she ran into Yang Peiying stepping out with a broom in hand. Yang PeiMin glanced to the side and saw a puddle of rotten vegetable leaves mixed with water.

As soon as Yang Peiying looked up, she saw her. "Sister, you’re back."

"Was this thrown out from next door?"

"I don’t know who did it, but you have to be careful not to step on it. I’m about to sweep it up."

The place she was currently renting bordered on a leather factory’s staff courtyard to the left, with houses similar to hers on the right. The current mess was right next to the factory’s side, clearly the work of those residents.

The alleyways here were not particularly spacious, paved with stone bricks. In areas where no one walked, like close to the walls, moss grew. If people kept dumping water and household waste carelessly, it would only encourage more moss growth, making it very easy to slip and fall.

That’s why Yang Peiying was so concerned and warned her to watch her step.

Without entering her home first, Yang PeiMin took a few steps to the left to observe the courtyard. The yard wasn’t very large, but she could tell from the number of doors that it was densely populated. Clothes hung under the eaves in the three-story building were noticeable. Despite it not being the end of the workday, there were plenty of elderly people, women, and children at home, engaging in various activities like chatting, cleaning, and cooking, while children played noisily nearby—a lively scene.

She noticed how casually some of the people cooking dumped out their water. Others poured water right out of their homes onto the doorstep without any consideration for the playing children who might slip and fall.

She also saw Lin Shuangmei, who was washing vegetables with water from a tap in the center of the yard with her younger brother on her back. Lin Shuangmei looked up inadvertently and saw Yang PeiMin, promptly standing up to greet her, "Hello, Yang."

Yang PeiMin nodded at her.

She considered whether to ask Lin Shuangmei to relay a message to the other residents through her, asking them not to throw trash at their doorstep.

By then, Yang Peiying had swept the ground clean, and Yang PeiMin turned her attention back and walked over.

Walking back with Yang Peiying to their house, she said, "When Lin Shuangmei comes over, ask her if it’s a common practice for people on their side to do this, and ask her to remind them not to throw garbage around carelessly. It’s a safety hazard because it’s easy to slip, and it’s also unhygienic and attracts rats."

Yang Peiying nodded, "I got it, sister. I’ll go talk to her after I put things down."

"There’s no need to rush; just go after dinner."

"If we tell them sooner, they’ll stop throwing things sooner," Yang Peiying said simply.

Today, Yang Peiying hadn’t expected Yang PeiMin to come back so early, thus dinner wasn’t prepared yet. Yang PeiMin gestured expansively with her arms, "Let me cook today; you take the evening off."

It had indeed been a long time since she had cooked, so much so that she had forgotten how much water to use for cooking, phew.

How could Yang Peiying agree? "Sister, let me do it. I was planning to make sweet and sour ribs tonight and stir-fry smoked pork with garlic shoots; I’ve got everything ready. You’ll have a meal in no time."

Seeing her sister’s determined and orderly manner, Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but laugh, "Then I’ll be your assistant; I’ll go start the fire."

In this city, everyone usually cooked with coal, but since they were renting an independent house with its own kitchen, which had a stove built for burning firewood, they cooked with wood.

Yang Peiying thought burning coal was more expensive than wood, so she had bought some. The woods were procured from someone who sold them, but Yang PeiMin couldn’t remember the price per load. Financial management at home was now in the hands of Yang Peiying.

Whenever Yang PeiMin had the time, she taught her sister how to keep simple accounts, using a notebook to jot down the date, income, summary, and balance, keeping a ledger of expenses so they could clearly see their financial flow.

Yang Peiying showed great interest, "This way, I won’t fear wasting money recklessly."

She used to quickly return the leftover money to Yang Peimin each time she bought groceries for the day, also telling her the various prices of the vegetables.

Yang Peimin found it annoying and told her to keep track of the accounts herself; she just needed to have an idea of the finances and didn’t care how much was spent.

Upon entering the kitchen, Yang Peimin tied on an apron and started washing the rice to get it ready for steaming, then moved on to chopping the garlic scapes.

"Peiying, I made your husband’s meal; he should be back tonight, right? He hasn’t been here for two days."

Yang Peimin didn’t know either, "Go ahead and make it; he mentioned he had to go out of town for some training or something. I have no idea if he’s back yet, but start cooking anyway; better to have too much than to get rushed later."

Yang Peiying agreed.

As they were talking, Shen Yixiang also returned home. She came in with such force that Yang Peimin called out to her.

Gasping for breath, Shen Yixiang came in and said to them, "You wouldn’t believe it, but a stray dog chased me all the way here. I’m exhausted."

Yang Peimin was surprised. As far as she knew, none of the neighbors nearby owned a dog.

"Where did it follow you from?"

Shen Yixiang leaned against the door frame, "It’s not like I did anything to provoke it. When I got to the intersection, I don’t know where this dog came from, but it chased after me barking. I ran for my life all the way home. Thankfully, it didn’t catch up. I locked the gate tight because I was afraid it would follow me in."

Yang Peiying was somewhat worried, "You didn’t provoke it, but it still chased after you. We all use that intersection; what do we do now? My sister is even less able to run fast."

Right, with such a dog around, it would scare anyone to death.

Yang Peimin nodded, "I’ll go outside and ask around, see whose dog it is and what’s the deal with it. No idea why it’s chasing people for no reason."

Shen Yixiang quickly nodded, "I’ll catch my breath and go ask around. It scared me to death. I was supposed to attend a colleague’s child’s full moon banquet later, and now I’m too afraid to go out."

Yang Peimin glanced at the sky, it was just past five, not dark yet, but by the time dinner was over, it probably would be. "Why did they arrange it for the evening all of a sudden?"

"That colleague had taken leave for maternity, remember? They just came back and notified us today. Nevermind, I’ll just have someone send a red envelope on my behalf, I won’t go," said Shen Yixiang, still shaken by the encounter with the fierce dog.

Yang Peimin felt relieved hearing this, "Don’t worry about how good of a colleague they are; when you’re alone at night, it’s better not to go. Nothing is more important than your own safety."

Yang Peiying watched Shen Yixiang nodding vigorously, "I don’t dare to go out either."

Shen Yixiang also went into the kitchen to lend a hand, and soon the meal was served.

While they were eating, someone knocked on the courtyard door.

Yang Peiying put down her chopsticks and went to open it, "It must be Yiguang coming back."

Just as Yang Peimin was considering that Shen Yiguang had a key and wouldn’t need to knock, Yang Peiying had already run out.

She came back after a while, saying it was Brother Qu from the neighboring courtyard who came to borrow soy sauce.

Yang Peimin then wondered, with so many acquaintances in their own courtyard, why would anyone come to borrow from them?