At first, I found that she just loved picking up trash.

In order to get fresh first-hand resources, she worked like a paparazzo, getting up at four or five in the morning every day, wandering downstairs, picking up things like bottles and delivery boxes that others didn't want, and carrying them back with her worn-out urea bag.

I worked late, even setting my alarm for nine o'clock, but she had already finished her morning rounds by seven o'clock every day, slowly bringing up the bottles, cans, and cardboard boxes she had picked up downstairs.

Although she moved slowly, her voice was loud and persistent.

Before long, her noise kept me from sleeping at all. It wasn't a sustainable situation.

So, the next day, when I heard her dragging things up to the door again, I stood at the door early.

Of course, at that time, I didn't know her temperament.

The sound of dragging trash got closer, and she passed by my door again with a pile of garbage.

I stopped her: "Auntie, could you stop for a moment? Let's discuss something."

Probably having been complained about by neighbors before, she looked at me warily and replied in broken Mandarin, "What's up?"

I put on what I thought was a friendly smile and said, "Well, every morning at seven, you make a lot of noise, which is not suitable for the neighborhood. How about this, Auntie? Could you come back a bit later or be quieter so I can get some more sleep?"

Auntie gave me a disdainful look, "You young man, what do you know? If I come back late, all the stuff on the main road will be taken by then! What if there are any valuable items among the things I can't pick up? Will you compensate me?"

I scratched my head, "It's not just about that. We're all neighbors, shouldn't we consider each other? You pick up trash all day, and the smell wafts from your house to the yard. We've been turning a blind eye because of your age, but you..."

Before I could finish, she loosened her grip, and the trash inside spilled all over the floor.

The overwhelming stench made me cough suddenly. She glanced at me, "So dramatic..."

Then, she lightly glanced at me, took out her keys, opened the door, and said while rummaging, "I've told you, this is my routine. If you can't stand it, get lost. I've lived for so many years, but I've never made things easy for anyone!"

She slipped inside, along with her pile of trash.

Well, that was a futile attempt.

I searched through the house and found two earplugs deep in a drawer. Since then, I have never been disturbed again.

I couldn't compete with her, so I accepted my bad luck.