Chapter 275

"What are your requirements?" Not only the bookstore owner, but even the casserole shop owner who introduced them was curious.

Lei Tingjun looked around, walked to the side of the attic balcony, looked down, and pointed there, saying, "When I came up here, I saw that the entrance to this attic was from the bookstore downstairs. If I were to rent this place, I plan to build an external staircase here."

"That way, we won't have to pass by the bookstore downstairs when going up or down the stairs, and the owner won't feel disturbed by the noise."

Upon hearing this, the group was taken aback.

The bookstore owner, Mr. Cao, said, "You mean you want a staircase built outside my attic? This is not a request I can fulfill."

This small building is just a two-story building. To put it bluntly, it's actually a storefront building facing the street, with a small attic room built on the roof of the single-story building.

There are only a few dozen single-story houses in total, and the area occupied is not large. They are built along the street.

The reason why the attic has been listed for a while without being rented out is twofold: firstly, the bookstore owner is old-fashioned and demanding; and secondly, it is indeed inconvenient to enter and exit the bookstore downstairs.

And sometimes, if you come in or leave too late or too early, the landlord has already closed the door, so you have to knock on the door repeatedly to get the landlord, who is already asleep, to get up and open it for you.

It's very inconvenient.

The rules are numerous and the requirements are high, but the key issue is that Boss Cao's rent is not cheap.

For 30 yuan a month, you could rent a decent two-bedroom apartment on the food street behind the building.

So, this little attic was left vacant.

Lei Tingjun was the first person among those who came to see the house to make this request.

Lei Tingjun was not surprised to be directly rejected by the landlord, but he said, "As long as the landlord agrees, I can find the materials and manpower to repair the stairs myself, so it won't bother you. I will also choose to do the work during the bookstore's non-business hours as much as possible, so as not to disturb your business."

Upon hearing Lei Tingjun say that he would find the materials and manpower himself, the bookstore owner hesitated for a moment: "Are you serious? You really don't need to trouble me?"

Lei Tingjun smiled faintly: "If Boss Cao is not at ease, he can also write this into the contract."

Ji Wanmei walked over and said, "Yes, I think this attic is nice too, but having to come up from downstairs in the bookstore every day is too much of a disturbance to the owner's business. It would be more convenient to build an external staircase from the alley on the side downstairs."

After saying that, Ji Wanmei said to Mr. Cao, the bookstore owner, "Don't worry, my boyfriend majored in civil engineering and has worked on construction sites. He will design it for you properly and won't do anything wrong."

Hearing them say that, the landlord reluctantly agreed: "Alright, but you have to pay a deposit of one hundred yuan, so that if you damage the attic, I won't have to ask who to compensate me."

"I will refund this deposit to you when you check out of the property."

“Okay, no problem,” Lei Tingjun agreed.

After they finished discussing the terms, they went downstairs to write the lease agreement.

The landlord, who owned a bookstore, had excellent calligraphy skills. He immediately laid out a sheet of white paper and used a pen to list out all the terms they had just agreed on.

This includes, but is not limited to, deposits, rent, and agreements, etc.

After finishing writing, the landlord showed Lei Tingjun two copies of the contract: "Take a look. If there are no problems, we can sign it."

Lei Tingjun glanced at it, then handed it to Ji Wanmei for inspection.

After looking at it, Ji Wanmei said, "There's no problem, let's leave it like this."

After signing the contract and paying the money, they rented the rooftop loft for a year, with the option to renew it at the market price.

Lei Tingjun had entrusted most of his savings to Ji Wanmei for management, and he didn't carry much money with him.

It's worth at most a few hundred yuan.

When it was time to pay, Ji Wanmei took out her wallet from her bag and prepared to pay.

Lei Tingjun said, "I still have some on me, you can leave it for now."

Including the deposit and six months' rent, it totaled 280 yuan.

When it came time to collect the rent, the landlord saw the two men arguing over who should pay, and gave them a meaningful look.

They also said they didn't want the two of them to live together.

They're building a separate external staircase, and they're using the money together, just like a young couple.

"Alright, now that the contract is signed, you have the right to use this attic. I won't concern myself with the rest." The landlord then led the casserole shop owner downstairs.

Lei Tingjun and Ji Wanmei were left to clean up in the attic.

"Lei Tingjun, how do you plan to repair that staircase?" Ji Wanmei stood on the rooftop and looked down. It was at least three or four meters high.

Lei Tingjun said, "In my plan, I'll go to Pingdong in a few days, find a welder at the construction site, assemble an iron frame staircase, and then divide it into two or three parts. Then I'll bring screws and tools, haul them over in a pickup truck, and assemble them directly onto the wall."

Ji Wanmei didn't understand these things very well, but said, "It sounds pretty simple."

Lei Tingjun moved swiftly and efficiently, entering the small attic room and quickly clearing out all the old and miscellaneous items inside.

Then he knocked down the old wooden bed frame that was leaning against the wall and reassembled it.

This is a 1.6-meter adult bed. The bed frame is assembled. All that's missing is a desk and a wardrobe. All else is to buy some daily necessities and put them together.

After cleaning, they went downstairs. Lei Tingjun got into the pickup truck, and with Ji Wanmei's directions, they went to the nearest department store near the school to buy daily necessities.

The items used were basically all chosen by Ji Wanmei.

She picked out a navy blue striped four-piece bedding set, made of pure cotton, along with two blue thermos flasks, a fresh plaid curtain, and a tablecloth in the same color.

Considering that Lei Tingjun would be living and studying in that attic, Ji Wanmei also bought a desk lamp.

She also considered every detail, including towels for washing her face, a washbasin, slippers, clothes hangers, and even the door lock.

Lei Tingjun followed behind, responsible for paying the bills.

As he watched Ji Wanmei carefully selecting household items for him, he suddenly wondered if, after they got married, she would also be as meticulous as she was now in arranging their future home.

“I feel like I’ve bought almost everything. Can you tell me if there’s anything else I need or if I forgot?” Ji Wanmei turned around and asked him.

Lei Tingjun picked up the things he was carrying, which were almost too heavy to carry, and said, "I think that's about enough."

Others, being rough men, wouldn't need such meticulous arrangements, but since Ji Wanmei had personally arranged everything for him, Lei Tingjun gladly accepted it.

Ji Wanmei smiled and said, "Now that we've bought almost everything, let's go back and set it up."