The argument at Wang Teng's home ended when the police knocked on the door.
A neighbor had called the police, and they came over to mediate. It seemed this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Wang Teng's father continued cursing at the neighbors across the hall for a while, until the police stopped him. He refused to back down, standing in the doorway and cursing up and down the stairwell for quite some time.
Only when the police put on stern faces and issued a serious warning did he finally quiet down.
In domestic and neighborhood disputes like this, the police could only mediate. As long as no one escalated things and it was just an argument, it wasn't considered a serious matter.
After seeing the police off as if going through the motions, the family all wore grim expressions and didn't speak to one another.
I heard the door to Wang Teng's room close. When I turned around, I saw it shut tight.
The others also returned to their own beds.
Wang Teng's younger sister didn't go looking for the black cat that had hidden away. She went straight back to the master bedroom. There was a small bed for her on its little balcony.
The apartment wasn't completely dark.
Wang Teng's younger brother was staying up late to study, apparently preparing for the graduate school entrance exam. Game sound effects came and went from Wang Teng's room. In the master bedroom, a TV drama was playing, with the male and female characters trading lines.
The living room lights were off. Only the light from Wang Teng's younger brother's desk lamp remained.
The black cat crawled out from under the sofa and looked at Wang Teng's younger brother's back with a distinctly humanlike expression.
It silently