Mu Nan was fiddling with his phone while speaking to Qin Huai, who was dealing with the pork bones. "Brother, the neighbor added me on WeChat and asked if they could buy some corn from us."
Qin Huai glanced over and smiled. "They probably smelled the aroma. Just give them two cobs; it's not worth selling. How many people live next door?"
Although they were on the same floor, there weren't many old residents. Qin Huai recalled that their floor was mostly tenants, and over the years, the residents had changed several times.
Mu Nan shook his head. "I don't know."
Their homes were only separated by a balcony, which used to be open. When standing on the balcony, you could easily see into the neighbor's place, but now that the balcony is enclosed, the separation is complete. From the entrance, Mu Nan's home is closest to Qin Huai's, with the neighbor's place being at the other end of the hallway, so he really didn't know much about the neighbors.
Qin Huai said, "Then just give them two cobs. Even if people like corn, they usually don't buy too much. The individually packaged kind you bought is perfect—one package has two cobs, and that should be enough for a family with kids."
Mu Nan nodded and replied to the WeChat message: "No need to buy any more; corn isn't very expensive. But we don't have many left, so I'll give you two cobs. I'll put them in a plastic bag and tie it to my front gate. You can come over to pick them up."
After a while, Yu Zibai replied with another message. Mu Nan quickly said, "Brother, the neighbor wants to give us a jar of pickled vegetables. I told him we don't need it since we have some already, but he insisted it's homemade from his hometown and wants us to try it. Do you think it's too much to trade two cobs of corn for a jar of pickled vegetables? Maybe we should give them a few more cobs?"
Qin Huai said, "No need for that. Just accept it. Since they're our neighbors, if they need help in the future, we should assist when we can."
Mu Nan agreed and went to find a small plastic bag to tie the corn to the iron gate. After a while, there was a knock on the door. Just as Mu Nan was about to open it, Qin Huai stopped him, saying, "Stay inside; I'll handle it."
Qin Huai put on a mask and went to open the door. He had expected the neighbor to be someone of a similar age to his father, but instead, he found a young man who was about his height. Although the man was wearing a mask and his face wasn't visible, he seemed quite handsome from his exposed features.
Yu Zibai was also a bit surprised. He had seen the neighbor before; he appeared to be a university student, thin and always with a pair of headphones. It seemed he lived alone, and whenever they crossed paths in the elevator, he always looked sleepy and disheveled. Yu Zibai had lived here for nearly three years and had never exchanged a glance or even said hello to this neighbor, so he was surprised to see someone different from what he had imagined.
However, Yu Zibai quickly composed himself and smiled. "Hello, I'm Yu Zibai, your next-door neighbor. Thank you for the corn. This pickled vegetable is homemade by my aunt from my hometown. It's quite good but a bit spicy. If you don't mind, you can give it a try."
Qin Huai took the jar of pickled vegetables and said, "I'm Qin Huai. It's just a bit of corn; you're too polite. We're neighbors and young people, we should help each other out when needed."
Seeing that the other person was easygoing, Yu Zibai felt a bit more relaxed. He replied, "In times like these, the saying 'A close neighbor is better than a distant relative' really holds true. It's just me and a friend at home. He's been craving corn ever since he smelled yours. I thought since we've lived here for years without properly getting to know our neighbors, it's a good opportunity to introduce ourselves."
With the exchange completed and introductions made, they said their goodbyes. Although they were wearing masks, and even though the hallway wasn't foggy, it still felt somewhat unsafe, so they kept the conversation brief and went back to their homes. As soon as Qin Huai came back inside, Mu Nan rushed to ask, "What did you talk about at the door for so long?"
Qin Huai sprayed disinfectant on the jar of pickled vegetables and placed it on the shoe rack by the door. After washing his hands in the bathroom, he replied, "I thought it was a family with kids, but it turns out to be two young people, about the same age as me. We introduced ourselves a bit. It's good to get to know each other in case we need to help each other out in the future."
Mu Nan nodded. "What should we add to the bone soup? Seaweed, radish, or lotus root?"
Qin Huai asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Mu Nan said, "Let's use lotus root. I bought quite a lot of it, specifically the kind that's used for stews."
Qin Huai nodded. "Then take it out for now. We'll prepare the soup base today and add the lotus root tomorrow. Otherwise, if it stews overnight, it'll turn to mush."
Next door, Jian Daodao finally got to eat the corn and generously shared half with Yu Zibai. "You worked hard for the corn, so here's a reward for you!"
Yu Zibai found it amusing how Jian Daodao had perked up from his earlier dejection. "Well, thank you for your generosity."
Jian Chu waved his hand. "No need for thanks. We're all good neighbors, after all."
He then took a big bite of the sweet corn and felt that life had suddenly become happier. They shared one cob, and saved the other in the refrigerator. They had a lot of groceries from a group purchase, including various vegetables, meats, bread, and cakes, but no corn. So, they decided to save the remaining cob for later.
That evening, Jian Chu again leaned against the balcony door, smelling the aroma of the simmering bones, looking melancholic.
Seeing his demeanor, Yu Zibai couldn't help but chuckle. "How about we follow someone else's recipe for our meals? It seems like other people always have better stuff. Are you craving soup? I can organize a group purchase for bones in the chat tomorrow. There's a lot of demand for bones recently, so you don't need to envy others."
Jian Chu gave him a look. "Which eye of yours saw me craving something? I'm just contemplating life. Sitting here and looking at the empty street helps calm my restless mind. I'm not interested in soup."
He had just graduated this year, and although he hadn't received his diploma yet, he had been supporting himself through college with part-time jobs. Managing to support himself while studying had been challenging enough, and now with little savings left, he felt increasingly impatient. With mounting expenses and no clear end in sight, he didn't know how many more days he could manage.
His roommate, a graduate student who had also finished this year, had already received an offer from a major company but was also stuck at home due to the global pandemic. Though his roommate's situation wasn't as dire, his background wasn't wealthy either—his mother had passed away early, and his father had his own family, leaving Yu Zibai with little support. Both of them were scraping by, unable to afford much, including meat.
In these times, the only people venturing out were those risking their lives. With skyrocketing prices and the entire society almost at a standstill, basic items like green onions, which used to cost just a couple of yuan, now cost thirty to forty. Having food at all was a challenge. With no clear timeline for effective treatments or a return to normalcy, they couldn't afford to buy expensive bones for soup.
Despair wasn't limited to those who were ill. With all focus on the pandemic, financial pressures were often overlooked, and to those who weren't struggling with money, such concerns seemed insignificant compared to life itself.
Many people were struggling financially, while others weren't as concerned. Every time Mu Nan saw someone buying something in group purchases, he'd follow suit. Though he didn't buy in large quantities, he bought frequently enough that the volunteers responsible for deliveries recognized them and joked, "You and your brother live alone, yet you buy quite a lot. Don't waste it."
Qin Huai chuckled. "My brother has been learning to cook from online recipes, making buns and pork dishes. It's rare to have something to focus on and stay motivated. We can't afford to waste food; prices are too high now."
The volunteer sighed, understanding the struggle. "Exactly, even cabbage has become too expensive."
As they were organizing the items, Jian Chu, wearing a mask, came out. Volunteers usually notified which floor the items were on, so people could come to the hallway to pick them up. If someone missed the notification, they'd knock on doors, but it's always better to save a bit of trouble.
When Jian Chu arrived, the volunteer was finishing sorting out the items, which included vegetables, meat, and several types of fruit. Qin Huai was carrying bags of these items into his home. Jian Chu had seen the neighbor before, but yesterday, Yu Zibai mentioned that there was another person at their home, someone taller and stronger than the university student. Seeing the person carrying the groceries, Jian Chu guessed that this must be Qin Huai, while the university student was probably at home, and Qin Huai had likely asked him to stay inside.
Jian Chu walked up and stopped at a distance. Despite wearing a mask, his tone conveyed a smile as he said, "Hello, I'm Jian Chu. Thank you for the corn yesterday."
Qin Huai turned around and smiled back warmly. "No need to thank us. I should be thanking you for the pickles. My brother really likes them."
Jian Chu smiled but didn't say more. He reported his door number to the volunteer. They had only bought a small amount of vegetables—just two bags, which was barely enough for a week's worth of meals. It wasn't that they were eating less; it was that they couldn't afford more. A pound of radishes was twenty to thirty yuan, even with government-controlled prices. Prices from private vendors were even more outrageous. Fresh produce was expensive and scarce. With government prices this high, it was uncertain how things would fare if they continued staying home and couldn't go out.