Fatty is a person who loves life, always has been. Moreover, he also harbors another vibrant world within his heart.

The fat man said to Sha Zhu very seriously, "Master, there are six people in my family, and we really can't fit everyone here. I heard from Ma Hua that your sister is getting married, and I wanted to give a gift; at the same time, I also wanted to rent your house to live in. That's all."

In this day and age, the custom of giving gifts is no longer fashionable. Only people with extremely close relationships would think of this.

Only then did Sha Zhu start to look at Fatty properly. Yu Shui had gotten together with a policeman and they were already talking about marriage; the house would indeed be vacant soon.

Renting it out... isn't out of the question.

Looking at the bottle of wine in the fat man's hand, Sha Zhu's eyes lit up, and his Adam's apple began to bob involuntarily.

He doesn't usually have the chance to drink such good wine.

He glanced at the cigarettes again, then sneered, "What kind of class are you? Smoking the same kind of cigarettes as me?"

The fat man quickly pulled out some cheap cigarettes from his pocket: "How could I? With my meager salary, I can only afford these."

Fatty usually gives them money in the kitchen; if they like it, they can smoke it, if not, they can leave. Ma Hua and the others have often said behind his back that he's stingy, and Sha Zhu knows this too.

But Shazhu isn't exactly a generous person!

The fat man had watched the TV series. He knew that this silly Zhu was incredibly generous and tolerant towards Qin Huairu, but he was extremely vengeful towards others.

Remember this: cooks are never generous. As the old saying goes, "If a cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be good"—he knows exactly what he's doing!

For example, when serving shredded pork with garlic sauce, if they can use 8 qian (approximately 40 grams) of pork, they will never use 1 liang (approximately 50 grams); when serving twice-cooked pork, if they can serve 6 slices, they will never serve 8 slices.

Take Sha Zhu as an example. The first time he went to a high-ranking leader's house, he dared to rummage through the leader's tea leaves and drink them. After becoming familiar with him, he even dared to try to steal the leader's phonograph.

Does he really not know the value of that thing?

Right now, he's unmoved by the bottle of fine wine, but he's picky about cigarettes—just two packs? Are you trying to fob off a beggar? You should at least give him a carton!

However, being the master after all, he knew that the fat man hadn't received his salary yet, so it was understandable that he would buy these things to show his respect.

Renting a house in this era was far less troublesome than it is in later years. There was no need to worry about platform traps, nor was there a requirement to pay a deposit plus three months' rent upfront.

When Sha Zhu went to work in the afternoon, he took Fatty to the street office, and the two of them signed a document, which was all that was needed.

Prices in this era were all approved by the government, including rent. It wasn't a matter of what Sha Zhu dictated; there were three price tiers.

Renting the two main rooms where Sha Zhu lives costs 6 yuan a month if you want to rent the whole place. The one and a half rooms at Fatty's house cost 4 yuan a month. Renting a single room is the cheapest option, at 2.7 yuan a month.

After completing the formalities, Sha Zhu, unusually generous, invited Fatty over for a drink and a house viewing.

We followed Sha Zhu all the way to Nanluoguxiang.

The square courtyard, the straight alley, the gray roof tiles, the dark green shade of the trees, the gate towers of various sizes, the sturdy door piers... all seem to be telling the fat man a story, a memory.

Sha Zhu walked ahead with his hands behind his back, while Fatty followed behind carrying a net bag. When they reached the door, Sha Zhu called out, "Third Uncle, have you eaten?"

The third uncle was none other than Yan Bugui, the "Master Calculator".

Yan Bugui was thin, but he paid attention to his appearance. His hair was neatly combed, and his clothes were clean and tidy. Underneath his glasses, which were wrapped with tape, his two small eyes were full of calculation.

Upon seeing a stranger, he asked, "Who is this person?"

Sha Zhu didn't even turn his head: "Disciple."

The fat man quickly greeted the third uncle and followed Sha Zhu into the courtyard.

Upon entering the Intermediate People's Court, I noticed a woman eagerly waiting.

What they were hoping for wasn't Sha Zhu, but the lunchbox in Fatty's hand.

While waiting for her lunchbox, Qin Huairu washed her clothes under the communal tap. She didn't turn off the tap, letting the water flow freely.

This was also the first time the fat man had ever seen a tea master.

Their eyes met, and at first glance, the chubby man was stunning. From Qin Huairu's perspective, he was the epitome of "slightly chubby"; he was full-figured, with a graceful posture, almond-shaped eyes and peach-like cheeks, a slender nose with a slightly downturned tip, and eyes that seemed to be veiled in mist, sparkling with starlight…

Wow, that actress in the TV series is already quite feminine; she portrayed the character perfectly.

But compared to Qin Huairu herself, she has to be thrown away!

That makes sense, though. Sha Zhu is a sucker for good looks. If Qin Huairu weren't this beautiful, how could she have kept Sha Zhu firmly in her grasp? A woman like this is favored by time.

As soon as Qin Huairu saw Sha Zhu, she greeted him with a smile: "Zhu Zi is back?"

When Fatty read "Dream of the Red Chamber," he was told that Wang Xifeng's "laughter was heard before her lips parted," but he never quite understood it. Today, after meeting Qin Huairu, he suddenly understood.

The moment Sha Zhu saw Qin Huairu, he acted like Xu Jiang seeing Fatty. His face crinkled with laughter, and he immediately started licking her: "Hey, Sister Qin, are you doing laundry?"

Qin Huairu's alluring eyes swept over Sha Zhu, then settled on the lunchbox in the fat man's hand, her voice gentle: "And who is this?"

"Oh, this is my apprentice, Fatty! Fatty, come here quickly and greet Sister Qin."

Ever since he made up his mind to rent Sha Zhu's house, Fatty knew he would run into these people from the original story sooner or later. Upon hearing this, he immediately greeted them, "Hello, Sister Qin, my name is Chen Kang."

Qin Huairu's gaze swept over the fat man for a moment before returning to Sha Zhu, and she said to him in a feignedly intimate tone, "Come here for a second."

Sha Zhu ran happily to the tap, and Qin Huairu asked him in a low voice, "Bang Geng was just talking about his Uncle Sha, saying that the fish Sha Zhu brought back last time had been on his mind for almost a week."

Sha Zhu wasn't stupid. Hearing this, he turned his head and glanced at the lunchbox with a troubled expression. He made up his mind and said, "I can't give you this lunchbox today. Yu Shui is getting married. My apprentice gave her a gift, and she's going to rent the empty room in my house. It's only right and proper that I treat her to a meal, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's eyes lit up: "Then we'll all be neighbors living in the same courtyard from now on. We'll see each other all the time. Come to my house for dinner tonight, it's settled!"

Without waiting for Sha Zhu's reaction, she walked straight to Fatty and reached for the lunchbox in the usual spot: "Fatty, right? We'll be neighbors from now on. Let's go to Sister Qin's house first to get acquainted. We'll have dinner at her house tonight."

The fat man had no intention of struggling with her, since it wasn't his anyway, and he easily let her take the lunchbox.