Zou Ming's subway arrived at the station. When he walked out of the station, it was dark outside. He had already passed the university town and entered the suburbs. It was a typical urban-rural junction. Only the Xixiangtang Market opposite was bustling. From afar, he could hear the music of square dancing and the sound of open-air karaoke. But across the road were the self-built houses in the urban village and two newly built low-rent housing communities.
Ah Shuang lived in a low-rent housing. Zou Ming checked and found that he had to have a local household registration to apply for it, and he had to draw lots. In this regard, Ah Shuang was lucky. The rent of low-rent housing was only a few dozen yuan per month, and the water, electricity and gas fees were not ripped off, which was very enviable.
A ding-dong reminder came from WeChat. He glanced at the time before turning on the screen. It was already eight o'clock in the evening. The last subway was at eleven o'clock, and he had plenty of time.
Ah Shuang sent a message: Come over, it's so convenient to be at home.
Zou Ming had never been to her house. When he started dating Ah Shuang, he stayed in a small hotel, the kind of hourly room that cost 30 or 50 yuan. The motivation was to meet physiological needs. There was no romance or interest. There were no flowers or chocolates. They never went out shopping, watching movies or eating together. He just sent a short message, and Ah Shuang would wait near the hotel. After entering the room, they would exchange a few words, mostly talking about the weather, what they had eaten today, whether there were many people on the road, etc. After the end, he always let Ah Shuang go first, and then took a comfortable shower and left. It was often when he was sitting in the subway car on the way back that he suddenly realized that he had just been with a woman.
The hourly room in the hotel was only two hours, and for Ah Shuang, who only saw her once every two or three weeks, she felt that time was a bit tight, and she asked Zou Ming to go to her home several times.
Zou Ming refused, because in his opinion, the psychological feeling in the hotel room and Ah Shuang's home was very different. In the dirty and dark little hotel, he and Ah Shuang were just a pair of men and women who met by chance, and they were together to solve their physiological needs. Zou Ming was a man, and he paid the room fee.
Going to a woman's house feels like taking advantage of her.
A Shuang is a very ordinary middle-aged woman, with a face value of at most 60. He is a small town youth after all, but A Shuang's home is deep in the mountains. She went out to work before graduating from junior high school and has been there ever since. He would look down on himself for taking advantage of such a woman.
Being with A Shuang, he felt that he had fallen, but he could not get rid of the temptation of women. Although she was ten years older than him, she was a woman after all, not a fifth girl. Unknowingly, they had been dating for more than three years.
"Come down, I'll wait for you at the old place!" He replied, his tone was irrefutable.
On the side of the road, there is a row of shops and small hotels transformed from self-built houses facing the street. The hourly room is 50 yuan for two hours or 60 yuan for three hours, and 100 yuan for overnight stay. You only need an ID card to check in. He and A Shuang met for the first time near here, and had sex when they first met. Later, they met because they wanted to have sex and spent a short two or three hours together.
A Shuang sent a voice message, he frowned and listened patiently.
Ah Shuang was obviously in a good mood: "You should come to my house to save some money for rent and food. If you feel bad, buy a watermelon. I want to eat watermelon."
He changed his mind, not because Ah Shuang mentioned saving money for rent and food, but because Ah Shuang made a request for the first time in three years of dating, and the request was just a watermelon!
There was a fruit vendor at the entrance of the community. Although he couldn't tell what kind of relationship he had with Ah Shuang, he was ashamed to define her as a "P friend". Ah Shuang had the advantage of being available at will and never complained about anything. Every time he was with Ah Shuang, she always showed infinite tenderness and indulged him in various requests, but never made any requests. This was the first time, and it was just a watermelon.
Seeing the price tag of the vendor, which was much cheaper than the city center, he picked one without thinking, and then sent a message asking: "Which building do you live in?"
"Wow, you're at the door?" Ah Shuang was surprised and sent the building number and room number.
He walked into the community with a mobile phone in one hand and a watermelon in the other. What surprised him was that although it was a low-rent housing community, it was not much different from ordinary commercial buildings. The community was well greened and there were two elevators. However, there were many people in the elevator. No one spoke and they stared at each other.
Based on his social experience, he knew that the residents here were all at the bottom of society, beaten and tortured by life, and had a lot of hostility, so he kept a straight face and didn't say anything.
Going up to the seventh floor and getting out of the elevator, there were long corridors on both sides. There were doors lined up on both sides of the corridor. Ah Shuang said that she applied for a single room because she was alone. After walking a few steps along the room number, Ah Shuang had already opened the door: "Here!"
Seeing the watermelon in Zou Ming's hand, Ah Shuang smiled: "I was kidding, you really bought it!"
Zou Ming didn't laugh. He felt a little embarrassed. When he walked into the door, Ah Shuang brought him slippers to change into.
"Is the room quite clean?" Zou Ming was surprised.
Although the room was not big, the furniture and various items were neatly arranged and spotless everywhere. It was wiped very clean. A plastic mat was laid on the floor. A small TV was hanging on the opposite wall, showing advertisements.
"I am the cleaner. Our president said that I am the best cleaner in the history of their bank. I work neatly and thoroughly. When talking about her job, Ah Shuang was very proud: For example, I will clean the top of the door every day."
Zou Ming knew her profession and was not surprised. While chatting, he looked at her room. There was a bathroom on the left hand side of the door, and then the bedroom. A large wardrobe and double bed occupied 70% of the area in the room. The TV was opposite the bed. Further in was a plastic steel door leading to the balcony. The balcony was divided into two parts. Outside the door was a place for drying clothes, which was only more than one meter wide. On the other side was a closed kitchen with a refrigerator, gas stove, and range hood, all of which were polished to a sparkling shine.
I sat down in the room. Although both fans were turned on, I still felt hot, but this was in the suburbs, which was much better than the rental house in the city center.
"I don't feel hot, maybe I'm used to it." Ah Shuang was busy pouring water for him, while explaining with a smile: "The low-rent housing is not equipped with air conditioning. It's not cost-effective to buy one yourself, so I just make do with it." Zou Ming didn't say anything. It's not his own, so he can't comment. In fact, Ah Shuang's rental conditions and environment have made him look inferior. Holding the water cup, Zou Ming just sat down and faced the TV. The TV was playing an advertisement for Volkswagen SUVs. He liked cars and liked to watch cars, although he had never owned a car of his own. "How about you take a shower?" Zou Ming felt constrained and didn't respond for a while. She leaned over: "It's better to stay at home. The rent is dozens of yuan, and the room is not clean!" Zou Ming had nothing to say about this. Maybe it was because it was home, not a small hotel that lacked a sense of security. Ah Shuang was particularly proactive. After having fun, he came out of Ah Shuang's place with satisfaction. Ah Shuang sent him to the door and greeted the neighbors in the elevator, without any intention of avoiding curious eyes. Instead, Zou Ming felt embarrassed: "Aren't you afraid that the neighbors will see you?" "No, I don't have a husband!" Ah Shuang looked indifferent. Feeling relaxed and satisfied, Zou Ming got on the subway. In the cool temperature of the subway car, he recalled the passionate scene just now and suddenly thought of a question: What if she is pregnant?