"Petal showers hide the moonlight, just one cup to offer at the Phoenix Platform, the Princess' tears accompany her incense..."
The radio sang with catchy operatic tunes.
In the morning, inside a four-walled courtyard with a dated look,
Ma Jianguo sat back in a rattan chair, legs crossed, listening to the opera with eyes half-closed, his hand rhythmically patting his thigh to the melody.
Upon hearing the faint sound of a door opening, he suddenly opened his eyes.
He fixed his gaze toward the front gate of the courtyard, at a sneakily loitering hefty figure.
He immediately shouted angrily:
"Stop right there!"
The hefty figure flinched, turned around, and revealed an honest smile:
"I was just going out to buy some cigarettes to smoke, to relieve some boredom."
But Ma Jianguo was not about to listen to his explanation and scolded him fiercely:
"Ma Donghe, do you have a death wish?"
