5pm yet the sun had already set.
Walking out of the office, Fengye was about to leave. Then, right as he left the first door, he returned.
"Close the office, close the door, three turns, every. single. time." He told himself, talking aloud since he was the last in the office anyways.
Just a small rented office in an office space, nothing large.
"When he said he would leave and work in the warmth for a month or two, I thought it would be casual.
I arrive a bit late, drink some tea and sit down to work, and finally leave early."
Fengye complained as he walked down the stairs.
Next to him he saw the cleaning lady take the elevator. He wasn't in the mood to wait for just one stop.
"I'm already doing my work faster than anyone else, I'm also more diligent, and basically the only one that still comes to the office while everyone else is working from home.
Working a bit faster to go home earlier should be fine, shouldn't it?"
He took a deep breath as he opened the door.
There was no wind nor breeze, it was a simple evening.
On the ground there was some residual frozen snow from the snowfall two days ago.
Stepping on it, a crunch sounded, creating a small smile.
When he did these things, he felt childish, so every time, he had to make sure there was no one around.
He touched his bag, feeling his laptop inside, before putting his hands into his jacket.
'Even when I am doing all these things, I'm still required to stay until the last minute. Just. in. case.'
His every breath formed white fog in front of his reddened face.
Struggling with whether to take out his phone in this weather, he finally decided not to and just get home as fast as possible.
…
He entered the house, leaving his shoes outside so as not to dirty even just the entrance.
With jacket and bag still on, he walked in, bypassing the living room towards the kitchen.
Every time he did so, he looked sideways.
As usual, his father was watching TV while his mother was on her phone, looking over when she saw him.
He took a breath as he walked by before entering the kitchen.
Taking a glass of water, he sighed. Another one, and… another one. He himself didn't know whether he was counting the glasses or the sighs.
Finally, he took out his earbuds, putting them away as he walked once more by the living room.
"Fengye," his mother called out "oh, it's you? Did you close the inner door? You know it's freezing outside."
"Yes I did." Fengye answered shortly, about to step away.
"What did you do about the thing I asked you about?" his mother continued to ask.
"Which thing?"
"Marriage."
Fengye looked at her before simply moving away, not listening to her calls anymore.
Since he had been young, there was always friction with his parents.
'Always able to find a reason to annoy me, never trying to talk with me.' He frowned, annoyance written on his face.
In his youth it was about going out, in his teen years it was about playing less, and now, it was about talking with more people. Even after over ten years, they couldn't understand the pattern, which made Fengye wonder many times.
Going to his room, he threw his bag next to his bed and put his jacket into the closet.
Early on he had also started taking every piece of his items into his room, not leaving anything outside… except for his shoes.
'Marriage.' Fengye said in his mind, his expression darkening.
Didn't he want to do this too?
As for his mother's matter, it was simple. She asked him to talk more with his co-workers and be more outgoing, getting into a date or something.
'Those, they all have boyfriends. Nowadays, every girl has one. And if they don't have a boyfriend, it might be a girlfriend, a close male friend, or her ex-boyfriend.'
He shook his head as he pulled off his socks and put them into the basket in the bathroom.
Returning to his room, he didn't even have any energy to shower, simply laying in his bed.
'Even if they didn't have a boyfriend, would I want to go out with them?
Always late, always doing her work half-assed, always pushing her work towards others. And the other, she, too, drags her work endlessly before doing anything. Is there something wrong with them?
They are working and getting paid to afford their studies, do they really not care if they get fired?' He had asked this many times when he saw their work attitude.
While he was the first to arrive and last to leave, they came in at 10 or even 11am. When he went to eat lunch, they already left to go to some 'doctor's appointment' or something else.
'Marriage…' he thought once more, his face softening slightly.
'Don't I want to marry too? To find the girl I like?
But what can I do?
They told me to become a doctor, yes, they always did.
Become a doctor and everything will be easy!
Why the hell did I choose traditional medicine?!'
Another question he repeatedly asked himself.
But to be honest, he had a deep liking for the ancient times.
Wild mountains, clear rivers, beautiful cities that are dark at night, ancient buildings with their art…
To get a bit closer, he finally chose traditional medicine…
'This must be the only medical profession where you don't get a wife, right?
Even though there are so many women in my course, none of them seem to have even an inkling of interest…'
He didn't know whether he talked about dating and marrying in general or dating and marrying… him.
Looking at the ceiling, he sighed.
'If I could marry right away, I'd mind spoiling my wife rotten.
She wouldn't have to work if she didn't want, and if she wanted, I would visit her at her work to eat out, help her with whatever she wanted, take her out on the weekends…
When we have children, we raise them together…
And in old age, I will sit by her side, listening to her complain about some young people being too loud…'
As the idea formed in his mind, a little light seemed to awaken.