As Susan opened the door, a cool night breeze blew in. She stood motionless in the doorway, the light from inside casting a line on a small tile in front of her feet. The reporters had left, and the house was suddenly so quiet you could hear the refrigerator running.

She took a step forward and gently closed the door.

The streets were nearly deserted, the streetlights flickering on one after another, as if people had lined up in advance. She walked along the sidewalk, her steps light, not intending to go anywhere. She passed a small, closed supermarket, its glass covered with expired promotional flyers, which swayed slightly in the wind.

Laughter came from afar.

There was also music playing intermittently, seemingly coming from the square. She turned a corner and saw several tables set up in the open space of the community center, surrounded by a group of people. Some were eating, children were chasing a ball, and an old man was holding a microphone and shouting, "Next group! Pictionary, start the timer!"

She stopped and stood at the entrance.

The lights were much brighter than on the street, and the air smelled of snacks. A little girl in a red dress, carrying balloons, ran past her, almost bumping into her leg. The little girl glanced back at her, grinned, and ran off again.

Nobody noticed her.

She took a half step back and put her hand in her coat pocket. Inside was a crumpled tissue and a coin. She held the coin in her hand; the edge was a little rough.

"Little girl, what are you doing standing here?"

The voice came from the side. An elderly woman with gray hair walked over carrying a fruit platter, a smile on her face. "Since you're here, don't just stand there. Try a piece of mung bean cake, I made it myself."

Susan paused for a moment, then reached out and took it.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," the aunt waved her hand. "You're new here, aren't you? I've never seen you before."

"Well... I guess you've come back."

"Oh, going home?" The aunt nodded. "Then we should get to know each other better. The neighbors here aren't bad. They may be a bit noisy, but they're honest and don't hold grudges."

She finished speaking and left, calling out loudly to others as she went: "Old Li! Your grandson popped the balloon again!"

Susan looked down at the pastry in her hand. The mung bean cake was small, square, and sprinkled with coconut flakes. She took a bite, and the sweetness slowly spread.

She took a few steps forward and found a chair to sit on. There were several dishes of sunflower seeds and peanuts on the table, along with small pieces of watermelon. An older woman next to her was eating sunflower seeds and glanced up at her.

Which building do you live in?

"Unit 3, fifth floor".

"Oh, downstairs at the Chen family's house." The older woman smiled. "Their house has been quite lively these past few days. I heard they brought a robot back?"

Susan nodded: "Nana."

"The name is quite fancy." The older woman didn't press further, but turned to the other person and said, "Old Zhang's mooncakes are shaped like rabbits this year. How did he, a man, come up with that?"

The topic just veered off like that.

Susan listened, occasionally glancing around. A couple was teaching their child to recognize fruit cards, while in another corner, several elderly people were playing cards, the loser having to dance with a balloon on their head. A little boy drew a crooked cat, and everyone guessed for a while that it was a dog, but he finally revealed the answer himself, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Her lips twitched.

A moment later, someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was the same auntie from before, now holding a cup of hot tea.

"Here, have something hot to drink on a cool day."

"thank you."

"Don't just thank me." The aunt plopped down next to her. "It'll be your turn to play the game later."

"I'm not very good at playing."

"Who is born knowing this? The first group drew a well, but they guessed it was a 'black hole.' Do you know why? People said they've been watching the news about the universe a lot lately, and their brains have been completely occupied."

Susan couldn't help but laugh.

"Look how beautiful your smile is." The aunt patted her. "We have activities every Saturday, and if it rains, we hold them in the community activity room. You can come again next time."

She didn't speak, she just nodded.

Another round of the game began, and the host called people up to partner up. No one raised their hand.

"That girl over there!" the old man suddenly pointed at her, "Come on, give me one!"

Several people around joined in the cheering: "One more! One more!"

Susan froze.

"Go ahead," the older woman nudged her. "Anyway, you won't be fined if you draw it wrong."

She stood up, her legs feeling a little heavy. Walking forward, she saw her opponent was a middle school student wearing glasses.

"You go first," the host said.

She took the pen and drew a house on the whiteboard. It was very simple, with a door, windows, and smoke coming from the roof.

"Household necessities!" the students answered eagerly.

wrong.

She thought for a moment, then added two more people, who stood hand in hand in front of the door.

"Family?" the student hesitated.

"Yes!" the host banged the gong, "One point added!"

Someone applauded. A little girl shouted, "Sister, your drawing is even better than my teacher's!"

Next round, it was her turn to guess. The other person drew a circle with a dot in the middle.

"sun?"

"wrong!"

Two more wavy lines were drawn below.

"The moon? Water?"

"Dumplings!" a student shouted. "These are dumplings in the pot! Steaming hot!"

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Susan laughed too, this time out loud.

The final round was a group game where everyone was divided into two teams and used their bodies to spell out words. Their team drew the word "乐" (lè, meaning joy/happiness).

"I'll take that shot!" the auntie jumped up.

Susan was assigned to be the "point". She stood at the back, raised her hand, and tried to keep it still.

"Hey, hey!" someone shouted. "Susan, lower your head!"

She lowered her head slightly.

"Alright! Perfect!"

The gong rang out, and their team won. The prize was a lollipop for each member.

When it was delivered to her, the packaging was pink and it was strawberry flavored.

"Will you come again next time?" the aunt asked.

She held the candy and said, "Here you go. I'll bring some snacks next time."

"Great! I do the best!"

The event ended, and people gradually dispersed. She walked out, still holding the unopened lollipop in her hand. On the way, she encountered two middle-aged women tidying up tables and chairs, who waved to her.

"You're leaving? Come earlier next time!"

She nodded.

Back downstairs, I looked up at my window. The light was still on, the curtains weren't fully drawn, and I could see Nana's shadow sitting on the sofa.

She stood downstairs and didn't rush up.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the coin he had been clutching. Heads up.

She smiled and stepped into the building.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on.

She went up to the third floor and saw a miniature paper rabbit on the corner of the stairs, probably left behind by one of the children. She bent down, picked it up, and held it in her hand.

As the key was inserted into the lock, Chen Hao's voice came from inside the house.

Who is it?

The door opened a crack.

Before she could speak, Chen Hao's eyes widened: "Oh, you actually went out? I thought you were just saying it."

She placed the paper rabbit on the shoe cabinet, and casually put the lollipop there as well.

"Um."

"You participated in the event?"

"After eating mung bean cake, I won candy and even became the dot of the character '乐' (le).

Chen Hao was stunned, then burst out laughing: "You're talking like a robot reporting a mission."

She didn't argue, walked into the living room, and saw Nana looking down at a cookbook.

“Nana,” she said.

Nana looked up.

"There's a community gathering next Saturday. I'd like to... teach you how to make mung bean cakes."