,!
The old man sheepishly slid open the glass door.
"Wasn't I just worried I'd disturb you?"
"Disturb me how?"
The old woman rolled her eyes.
Why was the old man suddenly saying such strange things?
"I didn't hear anything."
The old woman walked up to him and answered plainly.
"Maybe I was just unlucky."
She didn't pay it much mind.
"I'll be more careful next time I go out onto the balcony."
"You..."
The old man looked disappointed by her answer. "Are you still going upstairs to ask tonight?"
The old man nodded.
"Since I've already asked the other households..."
"I might as well ask them all."
It felt uncomfortable to leave a few out.
If he could, he'd go ask right now.
Unfortunately...
They weren't home.
"You..."
The old woman's lips moved slightly.
"Suit yourself."
She sighed.
"Why... are you so hung up on the sound of that pipa?"
The old woman couldn't help asking.
"You said it was disturbing people's sleep. That's certainly one reason."
"But the thing is..."
"Have you considered..."
"Yesterday might have been an exception?"
"After all, what ordinary person would stay up in the middle of the night playing the pipa?"
"Why insist on finding them just because you heard it once..."
"And go to so much trouble?"
"It's not that much trouble..."
The old man reflexively retorted.
"I just went upstairs and downstairs once."
All he'd done was knock on a few doors.
What was so difficult about that?
The old woman fell silent.
"Fine."
"Go ahead."
"What will you do if they all say they didn't hear anything either?"
The old woman walked off the balcony.
"You're not planning to ask every household in the whole building, are you?"
Uh...
The old woman's question