Chapter 6 I found a house to rent
Xu Heye took her mother and skillfully walked around two streets and came to the entrance of an alley.
She pointed to the alley and said to Dong Taohua, "Mom, this is the alley. There are many large courtyards in it. There should be some houses for rent."
Dong Taohua took a look at the alley. There was a huge camphor tree growing at the entrance of the alley. Its branches were scattered all over the place. Some branches near the road had been randomly cut off, making it look a bit ugly.
The alley was deep, paved with bluestone bricks, but due to years of disrepair, many bricks were broken and missing parts, but fortunately, it was clean. The drainage ditch beside the road was messy and covered with lush green moss, which made it seem even more secluded.
"Let's go in." Xu Heye said, and walked into the alley.
After they walked a few steps, Dong Taohua took her daughter's hand and stopped in front of a grocery store not far from the entrance of the alley.
"Let's do some shopping first."
Xu Heye looked at the shop. There was a wooden sign hanging above the door that read Jingu Grocery Store.
This was converted from the original oil and grain store.
As soon as I walked in, I saw a public telephone on the counter next to the store door. Next to the phone was a paper shell with the prices written on it - 10 cents per minute within the city, 30 cents per minute for long-distance calls within the province, and 1 yuan per minute for inter-provincial calls.
The price is fair.
There was a grandfather's chair next to the counter, on which half-lying was a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties, slightly plump, with a kind face. She was knitting a sweater with knitting needles.
Seeing someone coming in, the woman put down her work, stood up, and asked with a smile: "I'm shopping. What do you want to take?"
Dong Taohua had already thought about what she wanted to buy. "Boss, give me a pound of White Rabbit candy."
"Okay." The shopkeeper responded with a smile and walked behind the counter to start weighing the sugar. After weighing it, he showed the scale to Dong Taohua and said with a smile, "It's exactly one pound."
Dong Taohua glanced at the scale and saw it was accurate. She also saw the tail of the scale tilted high, indicating that the boss lady had given her enough, so she thanked him, "Thank you, boss lady."
"You're welcome." The proprietress handed the plastic bag of candy to Dong Taohua and casually asked, "Besides White Rabbit candy, what else would you like to order?"
Seeing that both mother and daughter looked unfamiliar, and the little girl looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, I thought of the recent policy introduced by the city to allow children of educated youth to return to the city, as well as the farce in the alleys during this period.
The proprietress sighed and suggested, "The egg cakes and steamed buns are new arrivals today. They are freshly made and can be stored for a long time. They are delicious and not expensive. Buying one or two bags as gifts for relatives is both decent and economical." At least it is more cost-effective than White Rabbit milk candy.
Dong Taohua took a look at the egg cakes in the cabinet. They were golden in color, moist and refreshing, without the dry and greasy feeling of losing water and returning to oil after being stored for a long time. She knew that what the boss lady said was true.
Thinking about how his daughter had drunk half a bowl of coarse grain porridge at Dong's house that morning, and guessing she would be hungry later, he said, "Then weigh me another half pound of egg cake."
The egg cakes were carefully made into plum blossom shapes, small and exquisite, and there were about ten of them in half a pound.
Dong Taohua took the egg cake that the boss lady had weighed and asked with a smile, "Boss lady, how much is it in total?"
"White Rabbit candy is three yuan a pound, and egg cake is one yuan and a half a pound, so the total is three yuan and seventy-five cents."
Dong Taohua took out a small wallet from her pocket, counted out four dollars and handed it to the proprietress.
The lady boss was about to give her the change, but Dong Taohua said hurriedly, "Sister, let's not rush to change the money yet. Actually, I have something I want to ask you."
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. Seriously, I'm from this area. I went to the countryside as an educated youth in 1968 and later settled down there to start a family. But my daughter is growing up, so we have to consider her future development, right?
After the policy of returning to the city was implemented in 1977 or 1988, her father and I never returned. After the policy of returning to the city for children of educated youth was implemented, her grandfather and uncle called us immediately and asked us to send the child back..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Heye couldn't help but look up at her mother.
You know, before they went out this morning, her step-grandmother was still sarcastically driving them out. How could the Dong family call them and ask them to come back?
However, she knew that her mother had her own intentions, so although she was very confused, she remained silent.
Dong Taohua continued, "Her father and I were a little hesitant about whether to send the child back. After all, we have been working in the countryside for twenty years and have some connections.
But the child's uncle took a special leave and came over to scold us, insisting that we send the child back. No matter how good a small place is, how can it compare to the big city of Hucheng?
We thought the same thing and decided to send the child back." This also explains why others came in early March, but they waited until the end of April to rent a house.
Dong Taohua explained, then explained her purpose. "After returning, my household registration was quickly completed, but housing is a problem. Oh, my mother's family lives in the steel plant next door, not far from here."
Originally, her grandparents wanted the child to live at home, but you should know that the family housing in the steel plant is so small that the whole family is crowded.
My younger brother is already 26, and he's still sleeping on the floor in the living room because he has no room. Marriage seems even further away. My eldest brother's son is almost 20, and he's also going to have to think about starting a family soon. Housing is already tight at home, and if we squeeze in a grown-up girl, there's no room."
The proprietress nodded and said, "This is indeed a big problem." Nowadays, housing is a problem for every household.
"My family is kind, and I don't want to cause them any trouble. I just want to rent a house nearby. We're close so we can look after each other, isn't that right?"
Although I was born and raised in Hucheng, I have been here for more than 20 years and am not familiar with this area.
Since you're a local and have lived here a long time, you know everything about the neighborhood. I'd like to know if there are any harmonious families in this alley with vacant homes for rent. A harmonious family tends to have fewer conflicts, which indirectly suggests that the family is of good character, not the kind to nitpick or cause trouble even when it's not their fault.
"These days, every household has insufficient housing, so there's no room to rent out." The landlady said, and suddenly remembered something. "But sister, you came at the right time. I actually thought of one."
The proprietress said, somewhat embarrassed: "It's that room, it's not very good."
Dong Taohua said hurriedly: "As long as there is a house to stay in, we are not picky about the place. As long as the host family is kind and can accommodate us, we have no problem."
Dong Taohua once again emphasized her requirements for the host's character.
The proprietress smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. There is no one in the whole alley with a better temper and character than that family."
"That's great." Dong Taohua smiled and shook the landlady's hand. "Don't worry, sister. I know the rules. If you can help us solve this housing problem, I'll give you a generous reward."
"You're welcome," the proprietress said, her smile growing wider. She walked to the door and looked around. A few children had come to the camphor tree at the entrance of the alley, squatting at the base and playing with rocks.
She looked at one of the boys and called out, "Lian Jiashu, there's an aunt and sister here who want to rent a house. Take them home. Then tell your mother they're here to rent a house, okay?"
The boy named Lian Jiashu stood up slowly, turned around and said, "Oh."
The boss lady emphasized again: "Take this aunt and sister home and tell your mother that they want to rent a house, okay?"
"I understand." The boy of about thirteen or fourteen responded in a drawn-out voice.
"Okay." The proprietress turned to Dong Taohua and handed her the change.
Dong Taohua refused to accept it, and the proprietress said unhappily, "Sister, I am a straightforward person, and I don't like to be vague in my work.
Selling things is selling things, and finding an apartment is finding an apartment. You buy things, and I give you change, that's only natural. As for the thank you fee for helping me find an apartment, you can give it to me later if you find one you like."
Dong Taohua saw that the proprietress was serious, so she didn't refuse and took the change. "Okay, thank you very much, big sister."
"When the house is booked, I'll treat you to a meal."
The proprietress nodded and said, "Okay, my name is Liu Yumei. When you get there, just say that you were introduced to the house by Sister Liu from the grocery store at the corner of the alley." It seems that in addition to running a store to sell goods, Sister Liu also works part-time as a real estate agent.
The two agreed and followed Lian Jiashu to his home.
A boy of thirteen or fourteen is already very tall, but with this personality, why does he act like a child?
Xu Heye looked at the boy, who, as he walked, squatted down to pick up a yellow leaf, or, seeing an ant, maliciously blocked the ant's way with a clod of earth.
In short, it seems a bit childish.
And it wastes time.
Xu Heye was anxious to go see the house, so she took two candies and waved them in front of Lian Jiashu. "Jiashu, your name is Lian Jiashu, right?"
Lian Jiashu's eyes were attracted by Toffee, and then slowly fell on Xu Heye's face, "You are short, you should call me brother."
Xu Heye: “…”
Xu Heye looked up at Lian Jiashu and said, "You're so tall."
She nodded and continued, "Lian Jiashu, let's walk faster. If you take us to your house sooner, I'll give you this candy. Okay?"
Lian Jiashu's gaze returned to the candy. The sweet aroma filled his nose, and the boy swallowed, clearly greedy. But he didn't rush to get it. Instead, he turned around and quickened his pace toward home.
"OK."
As I was walking, I started running.
Xu Heye followed behind and soon arrived at Lian Jiashu's house.
After entering the house, Lian Jiashu called out "Mom" to a middle-aged woman who was hanging clothes, and then stared at the candy in Xu Heye's hand.
Xu Heye gave him the candy as promised. The boy slowly said thank you, then ran into the house, completely forgetting what the proprietress had told him.
Xu Heye: “…”
No wonder the lady boss gave me a special instruction before leaving. It turns out this guy is unreliable.
Lian's mother looked at the mother and daughter in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Dong Taohua hurriedly said, "Sister, my name is Dong Taohua. I was introduced to this house by Sister Liu Yumei from the entrance of the alley."
Lian's mother came to her senses, put down the wet clothes in her hand, wiped them on her apron, and said with a smile, "Please come in, please come in."
Dong Taohua has a good impression of the Lian family.
Xu Heye had noticed that something was wrong with Lian Jiashu, so it was natural for her to notice that the child might have some minor problems with his intelligence.
Although the child's clothes were old and patched, they were washed clean.
Xu Heye tempted him to lead the way with candy, and although he was greedy, he did not snatch it or make a fuss. After receiving the candy, he even thanked his family, which shows that his family took good care of him and had a good upbringing.
The fact that a child with intellectual disabilities is well educated and cared for is enough to show that this family has a good tradition.
Now all I have to do is go and see the house. If it’s nice, I can order a few more dishes when I treat the grocery store lady to dinner.
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