Dropping Slippers

The people in China either wash their shoes all the time or have very stinky feet. This is an assumption I make from seeing their shoes hovering along the window ledges with the tongues sticking out all the time. Maybe they have stinky feet and they wash them all the time. Either way, I am impressed with way they balance them because if I tried it my shoes would definitely end up falling.
My slippers and flats needed to be washed, so I hand-washed them in a small plastic tub in the sink. I hand-wash my sweaters as well since I can’t talk to the lady at the laundry mat. It takes them about three days to dry.
There are screens covering all the windows except the ones off the balcony where we dry the laundry. I should also mention that there are rusty iron bars covering all of the windows. The balcony overlooks the very small, private, concrete courtyard of the first floor residents. I carefully balanced the flats lengthwise along the ledge. They seemed safe enough. I shoved the slippers a bit through the bars so the breeze could get inside of them. Quite pleased with myself for not dropping a shoe I turned to go back inside and hit one of the slippers with my hand.
It tumbled into the courtyard and I pressed my face against the bars trying to see it. Now, I had to go explain to my neighbors that I’d been drying my slippers in the window and one had fallen into their courtyard and could I please have it back? Needless to say I do not have the vocabulary for this.
I waited until the next day when I figured they would have gone in the backyard and seen the slipper themselves until I went down (other slipper in hand) to fetch it. No one answered the door when I knocked, but the grandmother and 2 year-old came back just then. I held up my slipper and pointed to myself, upstairs, to the slipper, then to their backyard. The grandmother talked to me then motioned for me to go inside after the little kid who shoved open the door and ran in. The little boy got my slipper and I thanked him, even though he was two. I was just glad he didn't cry when he looked at me.