13 Mink Street

Under the dim streetlights, Jeff discarded a cigarette butt that had almost burned down to the filter on the ground. Immediately afterward, he quickly glanced around, habitually stepping on the butt with the sole of his shoe and rubbing it back and forth. "Sizz... Damn it!" Jeff shook his foot hard, forgetting that the sole of his shoe was worn so thin that it was almost breathable, burning his foot sole. The cold evening wind whipped the streets back and forth, and there were few pedestrians on the road. Even those in the distance were wrapped in hats and scarves, hurrying along with their heads bowed. Jeff turned up the collar of his coat, and though the oil stains on the collar gave it a glossy appearance, it provided him with a sense of security as if he was being hidden and protected. Ahead was No. 128 on Mingke Street. From No. 50 to No. 200, they were all row houses. The people who bought or rented here might not be millionaires, but they could be considered middle-class at least. The house in front was occupied by a family of three. The male owner was a doctor, the female owner was a teacher, and they had a seven-year-old son. During the day, a maid would come to clean and tidy up the house, but she would not stay overnight and would go home after preparing dinner. Additionally, this family had a habit of going out to the theater for a performance every Saturday night. The door opened, and the male owner, dressed in a black suit, walked out first and started the car parked at the door. Subsequently, the female owner, dressed in a red dress, also came out holding the child. After closing the door, they got into the husband's car, chatting and laughing. Then, the car drove away. Jeff licked his lips with his tongue and quickly stepped forward. He flipped over a low wooden fence that even a small dog couldn't block, landed in the flowerbed, and then quickly walked up the steps. He took out a key from his pocket and inserted it. "Click..." The crisp sound indicated that the door had been successfully opened. Three months ago, Jeff, who was a moving company worker, had the opportunity to steal a key when he was providing moving services for this family. The female owner trusted the moving company and gave them the new house keys. Jeff took the opportunity to make a duplicate. However, he was hesitant at that time as he had already lost almost everything; now, he didn't have to hesitate because he not only had nothing left, but also owed a considerable debt. After opening the door, Jeff slipped inside and quickly closed it behind him. "After tonight, you should understand the importance of changing your locks after moving." The first floor consisted of an open kitchen, dining room, and a maid's room in the northwest corner. Jeff went straight to the second floor, where he didn't turn on the lights but used a handheld flashlight he brought with him. The light from the flashlight was unstable. "Damn it..." Jeff cursed silently, knowing that it was due to low battery power, but that was because he had used the money he intended to buy batteries to buy a pack of "Morf" cigarettes for 5 rupees. He knocked hard on the elbow of the flashlight a few times, and the light became brighter than before. The second floor was the master bedroom, a small study, and a bathroom. The third floor, being an attic, was only used as the child's bedroom. Jeff pushed open the door of the master bedroom. Inside was a large bed and various antique cabinets. He knew that the valuable items in this house were most likely in this bedroom. Of course, before leaving, he would also check the small study. "Sizzling... Sizzling..." The sound of electrical friction mixed with static came through. "Welcome to the 'Rohit Storytime Show,' I'm your old friend... Alfred. The moon is beautiful tonight, and under such a beautiful moon, it seems that whatever you do can be accompanied by a sense of happiness..." Jeff was startled by the sudden sound and looked down to find an old-fashioned vacuum tube radio. "Damn it, even when people leave, they don't know how to save on electricity!" Jeff reached out and turned off the radio. Then, he began searching through the drawers in the dresser. Generally speaking, the female owner liked to keep some of her often-worn jewelry and household expenses here. Of course, it would be even better if he could find a jewelry box next. "Click..." A sound of a door opening came from the first floor. Jeff was startled almost to the point of jumping. Immediately afterwards, there were the sounds of high heels ascending the stairs, with a clear destination: the bedroom. Jeff quickly pushed the drawer back and turned off the flashlight. He was only a thief, not a robber. Stealing and robbing were two entirely different concepts, even leading to different verdicts in court. Most importantly, he didn't have the courage to be a robber! The sound of high heels approached rapidly, with a hint of urgency. Jeff didn't have time to consider other options. He had to lie down on his side and roll into the bed's underside. "Squeak..." Almost simultaneously, the bedroom door was pushed open. "Click!" The light was turned on. Hiding under the bed, Jeff saw a pair of red high heels walk towards the dressing table. After a chaotic search, the woman seemed to find a small medicine jar. There was the crisp sound of pills being poured out, followed by the sound of swallowing. Next, There was a series of relieved sighs. Jeff saw the woman's high heels pause for a long time at the dressing table. Then, she stood up and the high heels began to move. "Jingle... Jingle..." The phone rang. The high heels left the area near the bed and walked towards the tea table under the window, where the phone was placed. The woman answered the phone: "Yes, yes." "Um, hmm." "I had planned to go with them, but I suddenly fell ill and had to come back for medicine. They'll go tonight, and I'll stay home to rest." "It's fine, don't worry. Thank you for your concern, I'm fine." The woman hung up the phone and turned towards the bed. "Clunk." She stepped on each other's heels to take off her shoes. The high heels almost fell right in front of Jeff, so close that he could even smell the scent emanating from the shoe surface. Then, the bed vibrated slightly as the woman presumably lay down on the bed, exhaling a long and comfortable sigh. Clearly, after a full day of work and family activities with her husband and children, she had finally gained a moment of leisure, even if it was due to her illness. It must have been quite pleasant. Under the bed, Jeff began to consider what he should do. He regretted not wearing a mask earlier. If he had known it was just a woman returning home, he could have threatened her with a mask and made her stay put while he left. He believed that a woman alone wouldn't dare to take action, and since he hadn't stolen anything yet, she might even choose not to report it to the police. But, thinking about it was just thinking. Even though he knew for sure that only a woman was lying in bed, Jeff didn't have the courage to crawl out from under the bed and threaten her. Jeff tried to open his mouth as wide as possible to allow himself to breathe silently to ease his tense emotions. Wait for the woman to fall asleep, wait for her to fall asleep, Once she falls asleep, he can slip out from under the bed while her husband and children are still away, safely leaving without disturbing anyone. The woman in bed was humming a song, and the sound of turning pages could be heard. Damn, why aren't you sleeping yet? Jeff didn't know how long the woman had been reading because at this moment, hiding under the bed, he had lost his sense of the passage of time. Finally, "Click." Jeff heard the sound of the book being closed. The woman got out of bed, barefoot. She began to walk towards the bedroom door, yawning as she walked. Was she going to take a shower? Jeff felt relieved. While she was in the shower, he could escape! However, To Jeff's disappointment, all he heard was the sound of "click" as the woman walked back, followed by the static sound of the radio. "Squeak..." The woman lay back down on the bed and picked up the book. Soft music began to play on the radio, and the woman hummed along with it.