"Snails? The Old Woman just warned me to be careful of snails. Why did Jiang Ming pull out a snail shell?"
Chen Ge was a little confused, but he knew the old woman would never hurt Jiang Ming.
Carefully putting the snail shell back in his pocket, Jiang Ming took Chen Ge by the hand and led him out of the old woman's little room.
The child took Chen Ge running all over the shared Apartment Building. They went to the windowsill on the rooftop, the storage room where coal briquettes were piled, and a cubicle packed with garbage. Whenever Jiang Ming found a snail, he became very happy.
Chen Ge didn't know why Jiang Ming was so determined to look for snails. He simply watched how seriously Jiang Ming took the search and couldn't bring himself to stop him.
Keeping Jiang Ming company in silence, they searched the whole Apartment Building but found only four snails. Jiang Ming put them all in his pocket, then took Chen Ge by the hand and ran downstairs.
As long as they didn't make a sound, the strange Neighbors wouldn't come over. Jiang Ming's father hadn't appeared again since the Old Woman beat him.
"Are you going home?"
Jiang Ming nodded happily. He led Chen Ge to the rental unit with the wooden sign hanging outside and reached out to pull the light cord.
After the light inside flickered a few times, the door to the rental unit opened. A slender woman with pale "skin" appeared in the doorway.
When she saw that Jiang Ming had returned safely, a tender smile spread across her face. Then she noticed Chen Ge, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes. She seemed frightened by the arrival of a Stranger.
The woman signed something to Chen