They went up to the third floor, but the older woman, carrying the child, didn't go any further.
Lu Zhixia followed and turned the corner to see a long corridor. It was lunchtime, and several women were cooking and chopping vegetables at the door. Children ran around and then went back inside. The tenement building was full of the lively atmosphere of daily life.
Su Lan was overjoyed when she thought that if she could rent out the room she had partitioned off from her house, she could earn an extra 10 yuan a month for household expenses. On the other hand, it also put an end to her mother-in-law's idea of moving in.
The husband is the eldest son in the family. In addition to taking care of the family, he also has to contribute some money to support the elderly. Not long ago, his mother caused some trouble. She said she would come over to help take care of the children.
They're also letting my brother-in-law's child come and study here. There are only two rooms for living, so it's obvious they're just here to take over the rooms. They're even rationing food for my brother-in-law's child.
That's why she posted a rental notice on the telephone pole. As long as someone lives in the house, she won't have to worry about it anymore.
When you get home, put the child down on the ground and use the key to open the door.
Lu Zhixia saw that there were many things on the cabinet, including pots, pans and all kinds of dishes, and half a bag of potatoes in the corner.
The door was opened.
"This is the small room for rent." Su Lan pushed the door open with her hand. It was her first time renting a house, and she was a little unsure of herself, worried that the tenant might not like it.
The doors and windows were painted a light yellow, and the wood had cracked in some places.
Lu Zhixia saw that in the room, besides an iron bed against the wall with some luggage bags piled on it, there was a large wardrobe against the wall. The mirror was cracked but did not affect its use.
Looking in the mirror, I can see my current appearance: my face is slightly flushed, and my hair is a little messy.
The place wasn't big, only about seven or eight square meters, but it had a small window, and the breeze blowing in from the window relieved the heat.
Fearing the other party might not rent the house, Su Lan quickly explained, "I didn't expect someone to come and rent the house so quickly, so I haven't tidied up much. If you rent it, I'll move all my things out of the house."
Lu Zhixia thought the woman who spoke seemed alright, so she looked around and concluded that someone who was clean and tidy was at least emotionally stable. She figured she was just renting the place to sleep at night, so as long as the environment was acceptable, she could stay.
"Sister, I'd like to know how much the rent is for this month. It would be best if you could break it down in detail. I don't want you to ask me for extra money after I've already paid the rent."
"Ten yuan! All utilities included! The toilet is just around the corner, one toilet per household," Su Lan said.
Lu Zhixia felt it was alright to share a toilet with them, so she continued, "Then how will I cook?"
Su Lan frowned slightly. "There are two honeycomb briquette stoves at home. If we cook at the same time, then each of us will use one stove."
As for the other things, you can buy them as needed. I'll set aside a shelf in the cabinet for you to store your things, and I'll give you a separate key. You must lock the cabinet when you're not using it to prevent things from being stolen.
Lu Zhixia thought that since she had limited money, staying here would save her money.
"We'll move to a better place when we have more money later," she said with a smile.
"Can I stay here tonight?"
"Huh?" Su Lan hadn't expected the girl to be staying here tonight. "Where's your luggage?"
Lu Zhixia pointed to the bag on the ground, "This is all my belongings."
Su Lan was worried about getting into trouble, so she asked, "Could you explain in detail what exactly happened?"
Lu Zhixia felt there was nothing wrong with saying it, so she spoke frankly.
“My husband cheated on me, and I caught him red-handed. I decided to divorce him, so I moved out.”
"I see. Will he come looking for trouble?" Su Lan chose to protect the child in the face of danger, but thinking that the little girl was indeed quite pitiful, she felt a pang of pity. Was she overthinking things?
Lu Zhixia: "I understand your concerns. If anything happens, I will handle it outside and won't bring it back."
Su Lan bit her lip. "You stay here for now, and I'll discuss it with my man when he gets back."
Lu Zhixia nodded; she didn't want to force anyone.
Su Lan breathed a sigh of relief, and the thought that she could receive money if the house could be rented out made her feel less heavy-hearted.
"Here's the key to the apartment; I need to take the kids to work."
He took the key to the small house from a bunch of keys and handed it over.
"There's only one key to this house, so don't lose it."
"Okay." Lu Zhixia put the keys in her pocket.
"You can just call me Sister Lan."
"Then call me Xiaxia."
Su Lan only realized when she carried the child downstairs that she had been quite careless in giving the key to someone else.
Thinking that as a woman myself, if something like that happened to her, she wouldn't be as carefree as this girl.
Lu Zhixia felt she couldn't just sit idle. Seeing a basin and a rag by the door, she decisively went to the water room to fetch water and cleaned the small room inside and out before sitting down to rest.
After Liu Yue'e had put the child to sleep, she tiptoed to the next room. Seeing the door open, she walked in confidently.
"I'm next door, are you a relative of hers?"
Lu Zhixia sized up the woman in front of her. She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing a floral tank top and sheer black pants.
"We're not relatives, I'm here to rent a place."
"I see." Liu Yue'e leaned against the doorframe. "Did she say how much money she wanted?"
“It’s 10 yuan a month, including water and electricity,” Lu Zhixia replied.
Liu Yue'e did the math in her head: 10 yuan a month, that's 120 yuan a year. Looking at the size of the house, she realized that workers only earn a little over 60 yuan a month, which is equivalent to two months' wages.
This deal is too good to pass up. I thought about the space at home, but then I realized I have too many kids and there's no room to squeeze in. I can only watch as others make the money.
"She probably didn't tell you that she doesn't get along well with her mother-in-law, so she rented out the empty house so her mother-in-law can't come and live here anymore."
Lu Zhixia admired Su Lan's courage and determination.
“I haven’t heard her mention that.”
“That’s true. You’re just a tenant. By the way, have you eaten yet?” Liu Yue’e asked kindly.
"I've had lunch, so I'm not hungry yet." Lu Zhixia rubbed her sore shoulders and looked outside. The sun had already set, and the family would be back soon.
Liu Yue'e realized she couldn't get any gossip out of the girl, so she went home on her own without speaking to her anymore.
The person came and went quickly. Lu Zhixia didn't think much of it. Instead, she closed the door, took out her money, and counted it. In her wallet, besides money, there were also various coupons issued last month.
Song Weidong paid the hospital fees. Chen Jianing was not in any life-threatening danger. As long as she woke up, she would be fine. She finally made it to nightfall and regained consciousness, but she definitely couldn't take care of the child.
So he hired a caregiver for her, and then he took the child home. As soon as he unlocked the door, what he saw made him gasp in shock!
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