The way the people in the old north city entertain guests is to make tea first when they enter the door, ask the guests to sit down, and then talk about things calmly while drinking tea.

As soon as Lin Minjun took the first sip of tea, Aunt Xu started talking about the origin of this courtyard.

"I told you on the way just now that this was originally the eldest daughter's study, and later it was requisitioned by the power supply bureau. Originally, all the people living in this yard were employees of the power supply bureau and their families." Aunt Xu also took a sip of tea.

"The power supply bureau sometimes has to go on missions. Many years ago, there was a heavy snowstorm in the capital, which destroyed the power lines in the suburbs. The power supply bureau sent many people out to repair it. One team had an accident on the way back. Seven people went out, but only two came back. The remaining five all died on the road. My husband also died at that time. There were five more widows in the yard that time." Aunt Xu's smile was of course ironic, "But there are those who are good at talking. They always say that our yard is a widow's yard, it's unlucky, and whoever comes in will become a widow. Or they say that someone in this yard has a strong life and specializes in killing people around them."

"This is complete nonsense, this is just an accident." Lin Minjun couldn't listen any more. In her previous life, she couldn't have children. Lu Deping's mother went to a charlatan, but the charlatan also said that she had a hard life and couldn't have a son. What a rubbish! All the sufferings were imposed on women.

Aunt Xu put away her sarcastic smile and patted Lin Minjun's hand. "This is the situation. I have explained it to you clearly. You can go back and think about it. The house is a good house, but the reputation is not very good. If you are willing to live here, I will take you to find the landlord later."

"I don't have to go back and think about it. I can make the decision now and rent the house now. Is that okay?" Lin Minjun's breathing became rapid.

Her decisiveness surprised even Aunt Xu, who asked with a smile, "Girl, aren't you afraid of being unlucky and becoming a widow if you move in?"

"I'm not getting married, so what am I afraid of?" Lin Minjun replied with a smile: "Besides, that's all feudal superstition. If someone spreads a rumor, it means someone has something to hide, so they should be the ones who are afraid!"

"You really look like me when I was young." Aunt Xu looked at her lovingly, stood up decisively and said, "Since you are in a hurry, let's go find the landlord now and try to get the matter settled today."

Lin Minjun also stood up and prepared to follow Aunt Xu, but unexpectedly Aunt Xu did not leave immediately. Instead, she searched around the house and found a large white steamed bun, then put it in her pocket and took her out.

After leaving Aunt Xu's house, I walked towards the gate of the courtyard and stopped at the small house on the right side of the gate.

Aunt Xu explained as they walked, "Didn't I tell you before that the landlord is the eldest daughter's son? The eldest daughter had a bad background and committed suicide. Her husband died not long after. At that time, the child moved to the gatehouse by himself and has been living there ever since. The child is a little young, but he can understand things. You can have a good talk about it later."

Because she would soon have her own house, even if it was rented, it would be a space that belonged to her. Lin Minjun was very excited along the way and didn't pay much attention.

It was only when she entered the lobby that she realized how small the landlord was.

ten years old.

I followed Aunt Xu into the lobby and saw a little boy about ten years old sitting on a stool doing his homework. When he saw someone coming in, his first reaction was to grab some firewood and hit the person. The boy was fierce, with a buzz cut that was almost shaved close to his scalp. His skin was dark and at first glance he looked like a wild child.

Lin Minjun was frightened and pulled Aunt Xu to hide.

But Aunt Xu called out, "Er Wa, it's me, Grandma Xu."

After hearing this, the kid named Erwa stopped what he was doing, threw away the stick, and sat back on the stool. “What’s the matter?”

Aunt Xu handed the big white steamed bun in her hand to the child. The child hesitated for a moment, reached out to grab it, put it in his mouth and took big bites of it, and said thank you in a vague voice. Lin Minjun couldn't hear it clearly. Maybe it wasn't thank you, but something else.

After Erwa had eaten several mouthfuls, Aunt Xu pushed Lin Minjun forward and said, "Old Wang was taken away by his son some time ago, so the back house is now vacant. I met a girl who is compatible with me and wants to rent a house. Take a look and rent it out if it's suitable."

Erwa turned around and looked at Lin Minjun. Although he was not very old, his eyes were sharp. He looked her up and down and asked a very precise question, "You are not a local?"

Lin Minjun clenched her hands and made herself look at him, "Yunnan people."

"Oh, then you don't have a job. If you have a job, you will be given a dormitory." Erwa asked again.

"No, I plan to set up a stall and start my own business to make money." Lin Minjun added.

It's strange, isn't it? But when they met for the first time, Lin Minjun felt a little nervous in front of this little boy, because he exposed her past in just a few words.

The little boy asked a few more questions, such as how did you come to the capital from Yunnan and why you were looking for a house. After confirming that Lin Minjun was not a bad person or a bad person, he nodded, which meant that he agreed to rent the house to her.

The next step was to negotiate the rent. This was not difficult. The boy did not ask for an exorbitant price. He only asked for two yuan a month, which was twenty-four yuan a year. For Lin Minjun at that time, this price was not too much. She was happy to pay, but she had one request. "I want you to accompany me to the street office. I don't need anything else, just to prove that I have rented this house and that I have a place to live now."

The little boy was stunned for a moment, and after a few bites he finished his steamed bun, he drew a few lines on his notebook and quickly packed up his schoolbag. "Then I'll go after lunch break. You have to pay the rent to the street office anyway."

Doesn't the house belong to him? Why should it be handed over to the street office?

Lin Minjun didn't understand, but it had nothing to do with her, so she nodded and said, "Then I'll clean the house in advance and go with you in the afternoon."

Aunt Xu had been watching for a long time. When she heard this, she immediately said, "I have some cleaning tools at home. I'll lend them to you. Go and clean the house."

The vacant back room was originally occupied by an old man. The house was not dilapidated, but it smelled bad and was very dusty. What surprised Lin Minjun was that there was a bed, a small square table and a bench inside, so she didn't have to buy them herself!

Lin Minjun borrowed a broom and rag from Aunt Xu, fetched water from the well, and spent the whole afternoon cleaning the small room until it was spotless and spotless.

It was just past one in the afternoon when we finished cleaning. I went to the street office with Erwa to pay the rent and get a certificate.

After leaving the gate of the street office, Erwa carried his school bag and went to school, while Lin Minjun went to Zhao's house to pick up her luggage, each going in two directions.

She breathed a sigh of relief. From now on, she was no longer a vagrant.

In other words, a new life is about to begin.