Chen Tongfu did not refuse the invitation from his neighbor Aunt Wang, because during dinner that night, he rarely commented on the saltiness of the dishes, which surprised Zou Weijun.
"This is the first time you've commented on the taste of a dish."
Zou Weijun was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said that Chen Tongfu had made the right choice of residence.
If you live in a crowded environment, you'll definitely pick up some of that atmosphere. If you still live in a high-end apartment where you might not even see your neighbors for days, it can feel lonely.
Just like Zou Weijun herself, she originally rented a house in the community just to make it convenient for Xie Qian to go to the hospital. Xie Qian's injury has healed, but now she is reluctant to move out.
"Of course there's a place to move, but moving to a new place means getting to know the neighbors all over again, which is quite troublesome."
It takes time for one person to get to know another, and there is another process from knowing each other to becoming familiar with each other. It also took Zou Weijun several months to go from being a stranger to being a neighbor and now being able to chat with each other in the elevator.
Zou Weijun isn't the only one. Housekeeper Liu has completely integrated herself into the community's domestic worker community. She often goes to the supermarket with other housekeepers to buy food, and after cleaning the house, she chats with them in the courtyard, basking in the sun.
It can be seen that Aunt Liu also likes the current community very much.
Originally they were just renting the house, but later Zou Weijun bought it.
Children need their own space when they grow up. Xie Qian will eventually move out, but Zou Weijun is staying. Because Aunt Liu has become a social figure among the community's domestic workers, Zou Weijun often gets to try new dishes and even receives baked cookies from neighbors.
"What about you? Do you have any such interactions with your neighbors?"
Chen Tongfu really has no relevant experience.
Although his house also has a small kitchen, he rarely uses a spatula.
He was just an acquaintance with his neighbors. He had never eaten any cookies given by anyone, nor did he make desserts for his neighbors.
Zou Weijun said it casually, but Chen Tongfu pondered it for a long time. It seemed that God knew Chen Tongfu's dilemma, so he received Aunt Wang's invitation when he returned home that evening.
Chen Tongfu accepted Aunt Wang's invitation, exchanged a few words with Aunt Wang, and then returned to his room and couldn't help but call Zou Weijun to share this matter.
“…I agreed to that.”
"Didn't you say you could always smell your neighbor's cooking? Now, you can finally taste the food and see if it's delicious."
Well, that's exactly what happened.
Chen Tongfu knows his own problems.
Outside, he has no problem dealing with all kinds of social interactions because they are all work.
Once outside of work, Chen Tongfu is unwilling to spend energy interacting with others. He wasn't like this before, but later... Anyway, he has been like this for a long, long time, so long that even going to a neighbor's house for a meal is an act of breaking the social anxiety deadlock.
Chen Tongfu felt that he should bring some things to Aunt Wang's house.
"There's no reason to come to visit empty-handed, right?"
"Indeed not."
Zou Weijun’s suggestion is to bring some fruit.
The quantity doesn't need to be excessive, but it must be small and high-quality. Aunt Wang and her family are all locals in Shanghai, and they are very particular about budgeting. Too much is not necessarily a good thing, so two or three kinds of high-quality fruits are just right.
Chen Tongfu thought this was a good suggestion, and he actually went to buy some fruit the next day.
After doing some work at home in the morning, around 11 o'clock, Chen Tongfu went to Aunt Wang's house with some fruit.
"Mr. Chen, you're so polite~"
Aunt Wang said this with a very happy look on her face. She felt that Chen Tongfu was polite and did not mean to look down on her family.
Aunt Wang was always so enthusiastic, so Chen Tongfu didn't feel anything unusual at first.
When it was almost time for dinner, Aunt Wang's daughter, who worked as a clerk in a foreign company, came back. Aunt Wang introduced the two parties and then went into the small kitchen to cook.
Chen Tongfu offered to help, but was rejected by Aunt Wang on the grounds that the kitchen was too small. He could only stay in the small living room of Aunt Wang's house and stare at Aunt Wang's daughter.
Chen Tongfu didn't feel embarrassed at all as Aunt Wang's daughter looked him from head to toe.
Aunt Wang always said Chen Tongfu was no ordinary man, and his daughter admitted her mother had good judgment. Chen Tongfu had the leisurely demeanor of someone accustomed to large occasions. If he were truly a middle-aged, homeless, and unemployed man from another place, how could he be as indifferent as Chen Tongfu?
The only drawback is that this person is a bit taciturn and doesn't seem to talk much.
Aunt Wang's daughter took the initiative to open the conversation. "My mom told me that Mr. Chen found a new job. I wonder what exactly he does?"
Aunt Wang's daughter rents a house outside and occasionally comes back here for dinner. Chen Tongfu has lived here for so long but has only met her a few times in the corridor and they are not familiar with each other at all.
Chen Tongfu is cautious by nature and will not reveal too much privacy to people he is not familiar with. He just said that he was recently helping out at a charity fund.
"Like volunteering?"
"About the same."
"Just helping out, no salary?"
"A little salary, but not much."
Chen Tongfu told the truth.
Chen Tongfu does receive a salary for managing the "Dream Building Fund", but compared to his previous jobs, his salary at the "Dream Building Fund" is really low - it's not that Wen Ying and others are harsh, it's Chen Tongfu's own request, and he doesn't care about the amount of his salary. If his salary is too high, the annual operating expenses of the "Dream Building Fund" will be ridiculously high.
Aunt Wang's daughter didn't press the point further, but naturally changed the subject and chatted with Chen Tongfu about her personal hobbies. Aunt Wang's daughter worked as a clerk in a foreign company, earning a good salary. She often hung out with a group of foreign colleagues and had developed many hobbies, especially rock climbing.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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