Old Wang felt he needed some noise, the deafening kind. Not the eternal hum of printers and keyboards weaving together in the office, nor the lukewarm background noise of his wife's chatter mixed with TV commercials at home. He needed the kind of colossal sound that could shake the soul from the body, a rock concert—the louder, the better.
Under the overpass, in a teahouse, several old-timers sit around a table, sipping strong tea, cracking melon seeds, and chatting.
The physical examination report lay on the table, the words "Healthy" boldly printed in black on a white background. Li Wei squinted and looked it over several times, afraid she had missed something. All the indicators were normal, like a smooth mirror reflecting her flawless health. Half a month ago, she had even taken half a day off work specifically for this report, braving the winter wind to stand in long queues at the hospital.