I sat by Old Master Rong’s bed and patted him gently. He slowly opened his eyes and asked in a low voice, “Ah Jin?
What’s wrong?”
“Old Master Rong, come outside for a moment.”
I glanced at my sister-in-law sleeping soundly beside him and spoke just as quietly.
“There’s something I need to ask you.”
When I stepped into the living room, I was about to head out the door when I suddenly remembered something. The rooftop would be cold, so I had to put on my jacket. I was sure I’d left it hanging on the coat rack, but I found it on the sofa instead.
Still, clothes don’t matter to me. I wouldn’t care even if it went missing. I threw the jacket on, made my way up to the rooftop, and waited for Old Master Rong.
He took a while to come up, looking as though he was still half-asleep.
“What is it, Ah Jin? So late?”
He was wrapped in pajamas and sniffled.
“Did you run into some kind of trouble?”
“Yeah, I ran into something very, very difficult.”
I bit my lip.
“Old Master Rong, why do you need money?”
He paused for a moment.