Chapter 470

Chapter 470 - A Noisy Neighbor

Living in an apartment building certainly has its conveniences, but a significant downside is the poor sound insulation. Many have experienced the frustration of hearing every argument or scolding session from their neighbors. In extreme cases, the constant noise has even led to some suffering from neurasthenia and heart conditions.

Su Ming once encountered a particularly loud family while renting in the suburbs. He was baffled by their ability to create such a racket all day long, to the point where he wondered if they ever slept.

Back then, the noise was incessant. There was even a night when he was jolted awake by the grating sound of the upstairs neighbors dragging a table. Thankfully, he could just put on headphones and listen to music to drift back to sleep.

Su Ming had hoped that in his own building, his parents would be able to enjoy peaceful nights, but they too had run into noisy neighbors.

Playing basketball upstairs is incredibly inconsiderate, especially at five or six in the morning when most people are still asleep. The bouncing ball sounded like drumbeats, rattling nerves. If the family only made noise in the morning, it might be tolerable, but they seemed to be restless all day.

Seeing Su Ming's annoyed look, Su Tao chuckled, “Don't get upset. It's normal for kids to enjoy being active.”

With a furrowed brow, Su Ming asked, “Dad, how do you know they have kids?”

Su Tao paused, realizing his slip-up.

It all clicked for Su Ming. The previous night, Su Tao must have confronted the noisy neighbors to plead for quiet, only to be met with hostility and sent away.

Perhaps their early morning basketball was even deliberate.

“Dad, Mom, you rest for a bit. I'll go have a word with them,” Su Ming said, heading for the door.

Su Tao quickly grabbed his son, insisting, “There's no need!”

He explained that during his encounter with the family upstairs, he found them to be quite aggressive, particularly the middle-aged woman.

No sooner had he knocked than a very irritable and loud voice bellowed from inside, “Who's there?”

Frowning, Su Ming stood at the door and said, “You're being too loud. You shouldn't be playing basketball inside your apartment.”

Before he could finish, the door swung open.

A middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties stood before him. She was quite overweight, her face round and marked with pimples. Despite her short stature, her demeanor was intimidating. She scrutinized Su Ming and scoffed, “This is my home, and we'll do as we please. It's none of your business!”

Undeterred, Su Ming persisted, “You can play basketball, but you should do it outside. It's very early, and you need to be considerate of your neighbors.”

The middle-aged woman placed her hands on her hips and stepped forward, raising her voice, “Mind your own business! My son is playing basketball indoors to lose weight! And if he doesn't slim down, are you going to take responsibility?”

Su Ming replied, “He could go to the park downstairs to exercise.”

Undeterred, the woman yelled, “Outside? It's too dangerous, and there are kidnappers. What if something happens to my son? He's just a kid. Why are you picking on a child?”

Su Ming couldn't help but chuckle. It was a common excuse among parents to justify coddling their children. If her son had been under five, Su Ming wouldn't have made an issue of it, but the boy was fifteen—hardly a child!

As Su Ming was about to respond, he caught sight of a sturdy silhouette through the crack in the door.

He took a closer look and his brow furrowed. There stood a teenager, roughly the same height as the woman but much heavier. After a couple of bounces of the basketball, he was already gasping for air as he made his way to the table, devoured several bites of cake, and washed it down with a gulp of soda.

Great!

Su Ming's smile was tinged with irony. He was astonished by the boy's approach to weight loss. If the teen continued like this, he'd be overweight for life.

With conviction, Su Ming stated, “While you have the freedom to do as you please in your home, creating noise that disturbs the neighbors is against the law.”