When arranging the hotel, Jiang Fusheng was very meticulous, choosing one near the No. 1 Department Store. The place he was taking Qin Xiaoyu to now was behind the No. 1 Department Store, winding through alleys.

"This place is so hard to find." Qin Xiaoyu frowned as she looked into the deep alley. It wasn't very safe for Tang Wenwen, a girl, to live in such a secluded place.

"Don't worry, there's only one in this alley," Jiang Fusheng said with a smile, noticing her unease.

"Just one? How big is this one?" Qin Xiaoyu clicked her tongue in amazement.

"It wasn't very big. There used to be a house there, but it was cut down later."

Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized that this could be Jiang Fusheng's house.

Reaching the black lacquered door inside, Jiang Fusheng skillfully reached in and unlocked it.

Qin Xiaoyu stepped over the high threshold, and a bright and spacious view suddenly appeared before her. This courtyard was beautiful!

This is a four-courtyard house with a screen wall at the entrance. Beyond it are rows of red brick houses, and the brick carvings under the eaves are still faintly visible. Although the doors and windows are old, they are kept very clean, showing that this is a family that has fallen on hard times but still maintains its traditions.

"Why are you back so early today?" Someone spoke from inside the house. A middle-aged woman wearing a Tibetan-style jacket, with fair skin, willow-leaf eyebrows, and phoenix eyes, stepped out from behind the curtain. She paused for a moment when she saw a stranger.

“Auntie, this is my comrade. She wants to open a counter in our store. I brought her to see the property.”

"Looking at houses?" Aunt frowned.

“The person in charge of the counter at their factory is a woman, and it’s inconvenient for her to rent a place outside. I thought we have so many empty rooms in our house, so let’s give her one to stay in for now.” Jiang Fusheng’s status in this family is not as high as that in the No. 1 Department Store. He spoke with certainty, but his tone was that of a discussion.

"Then let's take a look." Auntie looked Qin Xiaoyu up and down for a long time before she finally agreed.

Qin Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. She had already taken a liking to this house without even seeing it; her only fear was that her aunt wouldn't let her live there.

Jiang Fusheng led Qin Xiaoyu through a moon gate, inside which were three rooms. He pointed and said, "That's my room."

He walked around a fence and came to two rooms. He went over and opened the door. It was a bit dark inside, so it seemed that no one had lived there for a while. But the room was fully furnished.

"This is the guest room, let Tang Wenwen stay here first. You can eat in the front, Auntie cooks a lot every day, we can't even finish it all. The mall's closing time is fixed, and if there's nothing else, we'll leave together, so don't worry about her safety." Jiang Fusheng made all the arrangements perfectly.

"This is wonderful, Wenwen will be very happy." Qin Xiaoyu glanced around and saw that there was a bookcase in the guest room, which was filled with thread-bound books. It was indeed a family with a long history.

After greeting his aunt, Jiang Fusheng led Qin Xiaoyu out.

Tang Wenwen hesitated for a moment when she heard that she would be staying at Jiang Fusheng's house.

"I've seen it, and the house is really nice."

"I'm not worried about the house." Tang Wenwen lowered her head and twisted her clothes.

"He's a nice person too," Qin Xiaoyu said hesitantly.

"Sister-in-law," Tang Wenwen stopped her from continuing.

"Okay, I won't say anything more. It's pointless. You can stay here for now, and move if it's not suitable. We're new here and don't know anyone. Once you've figured out the area, moving will be easy for you, right?"

After finishing the work at the counter, Qin Xiaoyu took Captain Chen and the others home. The goods had been shipped and would arrive later. Qin Xiaoyu had complete confidence in Tang Wenwen's abilities.

On the afternoon before leaving, Qin Xiaoyu took a look at the No. 1 Department Store. A while ago, to avoid disrupting business while working, the entire area had been covered with cloth, but now it was all open, a refreshing sight.

The small, white-themed cubicle is like a dream world. The modern, stream-of-consciousness style of the furnishings creates a strong contrast between the inside and outside. Everything is ready, just waiting for fashion to complete the look.

Jiang Fusheng relayed a message, inviting Qin Xiaoyu and Tang Wenwen to come over for dinner that evening.

For some reason, Qin Xiaoyu felt that this meal wasn't quite what it seemed. Last time, Jiang Fusheng hadn't said where they were going, so she'd arrived empty-handed; she couldn't do it empty-handed this time. The Department Store had a wide variety of goods, so she bought a bunch of fruit. But she felt it wasn't appropriate to bring it all in like this. Just then, she saw Captain Chen cleaning up unused items, and a small bamboo basket caught her eye.

She arranged a large fruit platter and tied it with colorful ribbons, instantly making it look high-end.

"This looks good. I'll tell the fruit department tomorrow to learn from you." Jiang Fusheng's brain is truly something else.

When my aunt saw the fruit basket, her eyes lit up. Although she didn't smile, her expression softened a bit.

Jiang Fusheng had vaguely mentioned that this aunt was his biological aunt, but she never married. After his parents passed away when he was young, she raised him and was like a foster mother to him.

My aunt must have been very beautiful when she was young. Now that she's older, her skin hasn't become too loose, just a few fine lines that are easily overlooked if you don't look closely.

She often stayed indoors, her skin covered up, making her delicate white complexion appear even more pale, and her hands seemed bloodless.

There were many dishes on the table, all of which looked and smelled delicious. Qin Xiaoyu looked at her aunt's hands and no longer wanted to believe that she had made them.

She wasn't wrong. Her aunt took a sip of soup, frowned, and called out to the back, "Aunt Chen, this soup is bland."

Chen Ma was a petite old lady who walked briskly. She came over, took the soup bowl, and went out. When she came back in, the soup was steaming hot and smelled delicious.

"Aunt Chen is getting old and is always forgetting things," Auntie said with dissatisfaction.

"Then I'll remind you a little more, since you're free anyway." Jiang Fusheng said this with a playful nod, indicating that he had a good relationship with his adoptive mother.

"I have to remind her all the time, what's the point of having her?" Aunt raised her voice in annoyance.

After Tang Wenwen entered the room and called out to her aunt, she refused to speak again. Now she is eating in silence, as if the things around her have nothing to do with her.

Qin Xiaoyu was also focused on conquering a shrimp, as if her mission today was the same as what Jiang Fusheng had said: to have a simple meal.

"I asked him to invite you all here today." After the meal, Chen's mother cleared the table, and the aunt asked them to sit down.

She sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Jiang Fusheng sat on the other side of the kang table, and Qin Xiaoyu and Tang Wenwen sat on two chairs on the floor, right in their aunt's line of sight.

“My family doesn’t take in tenants. He must have begged me this time. I see that you two are decent girls from respectable families. If you were some scoundrel, I wouldn’t let you in. There aren’t many rules in my courtyard, but the first one is that you can’t bring men in.” Auntie spoke plainly, but her tone carried an air of authority.

Upon hearing that men were not allowed, Jiang Fusheng choked on his tea and coughed twice.

"That's all. I heard him say that you insisted on paying rent, which he didn't want at first, but then he thought it was for the sake of his reputation, so he decided to pay. He told me to name my price and pay whenever I wanted," Auntie continued.

Tang Wenwen fiddled with her fingers, it was unclear whether she had heard him or not.