,!
The old man's hand slid off the door.
He couldn't say he was in a good mood.
The old man lowered his head.
He silently suppressed the irritation that was making him feel ready to explode.
He was too late...
The old man knew it.
The old man sighed.
He would just have to come back that evening.
He felt a little unwilling to give up.
Though he wasn't even sure whether the answer he was looking for was on this floor, after running into a setback...
All three apartments were already empty.
That only made him more eager to meet the people who lived in them.
He wanted to ask them the question he'd been asking all along: Had they heard the sound of a pipa at home recently?
The old man stood there, lost in thought for a while.
When he suddenly came to, he felt disoriented, as if he didn't know what day or time it was.
The old man shook his head hard.
Then he reached up and pressed his temples.
Clarity returned to the old man's eyes.
At last, he started walking.
The old man returned home.
Just as he'd put his key in the lock, before he could turn it, the door opened.
The old woman raised her eyebrows slightly as she looked at her husband, who seemed a little dazed.
"You're finally back."
"What took you so long?"
"You..."
The old man was a little surprised.
"Were you going out?"
"Not right now."
The old woman shook her head.
She was indeed going out today.
But not until the afternoon.
"I heard your voice, so I came to open the door for you."
"I just called you."
A hint of disapproval appeared on