Chapter 3: The New Neighbor 2

Chapter 3: The New Neighbor 2

The old building's exterior paint had long lost its luster, revealing a worn appearance. As it was an aged complex, there were no entrance gates or elevators.

Yun He lived on the third floor. After their vigorous climb, both of them reached the destination panting.

"Water, water, I need water. I'm dying of thirst," Lin Yong exclaimed as he rushed into Yun He's house the moment Yun He unlocked the door.

Yun He's home was not spacious, a modest 40-square-meter apartment with a typical two-bedroom layout. Despite its size, the place was tidy. In the living room, there stood a white piano that seemed out of place in the modest surroundings.

"Over there on the table, help yourself and pour me a glass too," Yun He said as he lifted the piano lid, casually playing a few notes before walking over to the sofa, tossing his backpack aside and sinking into it.

Without hesitation, Lin Yong hurriedly poured himself a glass of cold water from the glass jug on the dining table, gulping it down greedily. Then, he refilled the glass and handed it to Yun He.

Taking the glass, Yun He took a large sip, caught his breath, and pointed at the backpack. "Your homework is in there. Quickly copy it; try to finish tonight. I'm all sweaty, so I'll need to take a shower soon."

Lin Yong unzipped Yun He's large backpack and rummaged through it. "Ham... sausage... fried snacks... roasted peanuts... Oh my god... so much food... where's the homework?"

"Keep digging," Yun He instructed.

"Oh! Found them!" Lin Yong finally dug out a few crumpled summer homework assignments from the pile of food, their pages stained with oil. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Your workbook reeks of bacon."

"Hey, they just came out of the frying pan. Cut the chatter and hurry up with your copying." Yun He gave Lin Yong's shin a gentle kick.

"What if the smell makes me hungry while I'm doing my homework?" Lin Yong carried the workbook over to the dining table. Yun He's home had no designated study room, so he always did his homework at the dinner table.

"In that case, tear out a couple of pages and snack on those," Yun He suggested, standing up to head for a shower. The stickiness of his sweat was bothering him.

"Damn... you..." Lin Yong started to retort but was interrupted by knocking at the door.

"Hmm?" Yun He heard it too and paused, calling out, "Who's there?"

"Hello, I'm your neighbor from across the hall," a woman's voice came from outside.

A neighbor? And from across the hall? But that apartment had been empty for over a year. An old couple used to live there, but after the grandmother passed away, the grandfather moved in with his children. When did new neighbors arrive? Yun He stood perplexed, wondering if it could be some kind of scam.

"You must be Yun He, right?" The woman outside seemed to sense Yun He's suspicion and continued, "We've been here almost a month now and have already met your parents."

She knew his name and mentioned the time frame when he'd been visiting his grandparents in the countryside – perhaps she wasn't a fraud. Even if she were, two teenage boys like him and Lin Yong weren't particularly vulnerable. Thinking this, Yun He felt it didn't matter much and went over to open the door.

"Hello, oh my, you're really handsome," said a woman in her forties, standing at the door. Her appearance was gentle, and her attire was refined. Her voice was soft as she held a tray of colorful pastries, smiling warmly at Yun He, who had just opened the door.

"Uh... hello..." Yun He replied.

"I live right across the hall," the woman indicated behind her, where the front door of the neighboring apartment stood wide open. It was an old building with two units on each floor. Apparently, this woman had come from the opposite unit and forgot to close the door.

"Oh, hi, Auntie," Yun He greeted her again.

"Mm-hmm, hello, hello..." The auntie continued to smile at Yun He, pushing the tray forward. "These are some pastries I made. I heard your door opening and thought I'd bring some over."

"Uh? No, no need, Auntie." Yun He quickly waved his hands in refusal.

"It's alright, don't be shy. Your parents have brought us many delicious fruits too," she insisted, placing the tray into Yun He's hands. "But your mother mentioned that you've been staying with your grandfather lately, so I haven't had the chance to meet you. She was right, you're quite a handsome young man."

"Oh... well... then... thank you, Auntie..." Yun He felt a bit embarrassed facing such a kind and warmhearted beautiful aunt.

"Haha... no problem. If you enjoy them, feel free to visit my place next time. I'll make more for you. I have a son around your age, but he's new here and doesn't have many friends yet. Perhaps the two of you can play together often in the future. Too bad he's not home now; otherwise, he could have come to meet you."

"Okay, Auntie," Yun He agreed, then added after a moment's thought, "I'll look for your son to play together next time."

"Oh! Alright, alright! Auntie will be on her way then, dear child."

"Okay, goodbye, Auntie." Yun He smiled. Despite meeting for the first time, he found her to be quite likable.

"Woah, what a gorgeous cake!" The moment Lin Yong closed the door, he dashed over, drooling at the dessert.

"It does look nice, but why didn't Mom tell me we had new neighbors across the street?" Yun He placed the plate on the table.

"She must have been too busy to mention it." Lin Yong grabbed a small cake and popped it into his mouth. "Damn! This is so delicious!"

"Really? Then I'll try one too." Yun He had a sweet tooth and couldn't resist such treats.

Mmm, the taste was indeed delightful.

"Hehe, I quite enjoy these pastries made by that auntie..." Yun He contentedly licked the cream from the corners of his mouth, grinning happily.

After both of them finished off the plate of cakes standing in place, Lin Yong returned to the dining table, ready to resume his homework with satisfaction.

Yun He sent a message to his grandfather to assure him of his safety, then took a shower. He dozed off on the couch until the evening, when his phone rang, rousing him from his nap. Upon waking up, he saw Lin Yong slumped over the table, dozing off.

"Hey, Mom..." Yun He answered the phone, still groggy from just waking up.

"Son, you're back, huh?" His mother's voice was full of energy, with a cacophony of sounds in the background, indicating she was swamped with work.

"I've been back for the whole afternoon before you remembered me," Yun He rubbed his eyes, pouting slightly in displeasure.

"Oh dear, sorry about that. I got so busy that I forgot to call you back, hehe..." Mom chuckled apologetically.

"It's alright, I'm used to it. As long as you and Dad still remember having a son like me."

"How could we forget our handsome son? Hey, by the way, have you seen the new neighbor who moved in next door?"

"Yes, I did. The lady from that house even gave me a cake this afternoon."

"Really? Then did you see her son?" Mom inquired.

"No, I didn't."

"Let me tell you, their son is incredibly good-looking. Wow, if Mom were twenty years younger—"

"If you were twenty years younger, you'd still only be my wife!" Yun He couldn't help but laugh as his father's voice suddenly came through the phone.

"That's fine, if I had a daughter, I'd marry her off to you! That should work, right?" Mother grumbled.

Yun He's mom was a complete aesthete. She couldn't help but linger her gaze on good-looking men and women, and even now, she still had a crush on a top male celebrity.

"Mom, you can't just judge people by their looks. Inner beauty is important too," Yun He said, walking behind Lin Yong. Gently slapping his descending head, he added, "Though those little cakes the neighbor auntie brought over today were pretty tasty."

Lin Yong, who was almost dozing off, woke up with Yun He's pat. Rubbing the back of his head, he continued writing.

"Oh, yes, Aunt Zhang's bread and cakes are delicious. Your dad and I have been having her bread for lunch lately. Hahaha..."

"Really? You two have gotten that close?" Yun He was surprised.

"Mm, Aunt Zhang is a nice person. Her husband, I've met him a few times, not much of a talker, seems a bit—"

"Auntie, can I have a box of jackfruit?" A customer's voice interrupted the call.

"Coming, coming! Son, I'll talk to you later. Cook something for yourself tonight, okay? Mom will come home early to see you. I miss my dear son so much! Muah!"

"Alright." Yun He hung up the phone.

"You haven't finished copying yet." Yun He glanced at Lin Yong's messy handwriting.

"My God, I'm exhausted! My arms hurt! My hands ache! My shoulders are killing me!" Lin Yong twisted his neck, looking pitiful. "I swear I won't leave my homework until the last minute again. It's too torturous."

"You should write that down and paste it above your bed to read a hundred times every day," Yun He said, glancing at the wall clock. It was already past seven.

"I'll cook later. Hurry up with your writing. Stay here for dinner and head back home after," Yun He suggested.

"Brother Yun! Why are you so domesticated? You're like a trained bride, doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning since young."

"I don't have the luxury of being a spoiled prince at home, where everything is served to me. If I don't cook, both my parents would go hungry too."

That was the truth. Yun He's parents barely had time to cook meals at home. Yun He learned to cook at a young age and would prepare dinner after finishing his homework every evening. If his parents couldn't make it home for dinner due to work, he would eat alone and pack the food for them to consume at the fruit store. Sometimes, one parent would come home for dinner while the other tended to the store. The one who ate would then bring leftovers back to the store for the other. On extremely busy days, they might simply grab something outside or skip meals altogether.

In short, Yun He appeared delicate like a young master but was actually a diligent homemaker. As his parents had a loving relationship and treated him more like a friend, Yun He seldom caused them worries. He was a well-behaved child who tried his best to fulfill their requests.

For instance, when his mother expressed her love for the piano, Yun He achieved a level ten certification in piano by the time he graduated from elementary school.

Fond of Sichuan cuisine, Father enjoyed dishes like boiled meat slices with chili sauce and fish-fragrant shredded pork. To cater to his father's taste, Yun He diligently learned to prepare these recipes himself.