Chapter 2.002. Accommodation "Crossing"
The most bustling commercial area in Qingshui Town is called Tianhe Street. Although it is called the most bustling, it is actually just a road that is wider and flatter than the other streets.
There are several shopping malls on both sides of the street, and their architectural structures are old-fashioned. The tallest building in the mall is no more than five stories high, and the faded promotional posters in front of the doors only feature some well-known, mainstream brands.
Behind the shopping mall is a residential area, including a community called "Yahai Tianhewan", which is the most luxurious community in Qingshui Town.
It is said that everyone in the town with a bit of wealth and power lives in this community. However, in recent years, many of the truly wealthy residents of Qingshui have left, causing this so-called premier luxury residential area to become somewhat deserted.
Afterwards, Guo Fa led Chen Zhoudu around in that maze-like alley several times. The suitcase was completely broken. Out of respect for his elders, he couldn't let Chen Zhoudu carry it himself, so he actually carried the suitcase himself, panting and looking for the way.
Little did I know that the alleyway was truly a labyrinthine maze, with one alley leading to another.
Finally, Chen Zhoudu couldn't bear to watch any longer and knocked on a door to ask for directions. Only then did he realize that the route they had taken countless times was actually already out of the alley. It was just that the road was too narrow and the light was too dim, making them think they were still going around in circles in the alley.
"..." Guo Fa almost wanted to curse.
It wasn't until they arrived at "Tianhe Bay" that Guo Fa's exhaustion and anger from the day finally eased, and he collapsed onto the sofa, panting heavily.
Chen Zhoudu looked around the house, then lifted the white cloth covering the furniture and dusted it off.
This apartment is on the twelfth floor, a full 230 square meters, and boasts the best view from the top floor of the entire Tianhewan residential complex.
Looking out the window, one can vaguely see the neon lights of Tianhe Street, and further away, the stars and moon are sparse and the distant mountains stretch endlessly.
"Yahai Tianhe Bay" is actually a property of the Shen family. Shen Jinghai made his fortune in real estate, and "Yahai Group" is the company he founded.
Strangely enough, not long after Shen Jinghai made his fortune, he built the Tianhewan residential complex in Qingshui Town. At that time, there were very few pre-sale apartments in Qingshui Town, but he was determined to build Tianhewan in Tongcheng Qingshui despite the advice of those around him, and then make a name for himself with a high-end reputation.
More than a decade has passed, and Qingshui Tianhe Bay is undoubtedly a success, but he has never returned even once.
His feelings for his hometown were like this "mansion" that had never been lived in, outdated and luxurious on the outside, but empty inside, bright, cold, hollow and indifferent.
Shen Jinghai had the house cleaned before Shen Zhoudu arrived, but Shen Zhoudu still did a small cleaning himself, gathering all the white cloths together in a damp cloth to wipe away the dust.
Guo Fa recovered, stood by the window, lit a cigarette, squinted at the night view for a while, and sighed softly, "It's so good... When we were your age, we didn't have this kind of opportunity. In the blink of an eye..."
Shen Zhoudu raised her eyes to meet his gaze, only silently curving her lips.
But thinking back on everything that had happened today, Guo Fa still felt a pang of heartache. "But speaking of which, Zhou Du, I think you should apologize to your father. There's no knot between a father and son that can't be untied, is there? This place is no place for you! Look at the group of people you met today... especially that last girl, what kind of person was she! I'm really scared if you stay here any longer..."
"Uncle Guo." Shen Zhoudu took a bottle of water from his suitcase and tossed it to him, silently interrupting him.
Guo Fa was thirsty after talking for a while, so he blankly unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water.
Guo Fa did not linger in Tianhe Bay. In his opinion, it was not a good time to stay in his dilapidated hometown, which he had not returned to for a long time. So, before he came, he booked the last hard sleeper train from Qingshui back to Tongcheng that night.
Before leaving, he carefully instructed Chen Zhoudu on many things and advised him, "Zhoudu, you should calm down and think things through for a while. If you figure it out..."
"Uncle Guo, have a safe journey and be careful," Chen Zhoudu said.
Guo Fa stopped trying to persuade him, sighed, gave him a few more words of advice, and left quickly.
After Guo Fa left, Chen Zhoudu cleaned the house simply, swept the floor, made the bed sheets, and stuffed the white cloths into the washing machine to wash them.
After the washing machine spun several times, it still didn't produce water. Chen Zhoudu carefully checked the equipment and wiring, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the washing machine, he took out his phone and contacted the property management.
He guessed that the problem must be with the water pipe connected to the washing machine, either it was blocked or the water supply was interrupted.
The property management arrived quickly and, after a thorough inspection, soon located the problem. They said, "The main pipe connecting the secondary pipe is severely aged and completely blocked; it's almost broken. To fix it completely, this main pipe needs to be replaced, otherwise it will gradually affect your water supply in the bathroom and kitchen."
No one has lived in this house since it was built. Occasionally, someone would come to maintain it, but it was only to do some surface maintenance, so it is unlikely that any problems with its aging have been discovered.
Chenzhoudu asked, "How long will it take to replace the pipes?"
"It won't take long, but it's a bit troublesome. The flooring in this area will have to be dug up. But it definitely won't work today; it has to be during the day. The homeowner needs to register and make an appointment."
Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment, said he would discuss it with the homeowner again, thanked him, and saw him out.
As soon as the property manager left, Shen Zhoudu took out his phone to contact Shen Jinghai, but then paused, hesitated for a moment, and finally pursed his lips.
He did not want to ask Shen Jinghai for help.
Three nights ago, Shen Jinghai and he had a huge fight over that matter, and the cold war between father and son, which had lasted for several days, finally reached its lowest point because of this fight. Shen Jinghai, his face red with anger, pointed at him and cursed:
"You did nothing wrong, then get out! Get out of this house! I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"
"I think you've really forgotten your roots! Who raised you? Who gave you such good conditions? If you've got the guts, get out and never come back!"
Both father and son are stubborn like the other. If you tell me to get out, then I'll get out. I won't stay a second longer, even if it means going out to beg for food in the middle of the night.
Enraged, Shen Jinghai decided to send him here overnight.
The homeowner is Shen Jinghai. If he were to call him now because of this, it wouldn't be an admission of wrongdoing, but Shen Jinghai would certainly see it as a veiled sign of humility.
In that brief moment, Chen Zhoudu had already made a decision in his heart, and he grabbed his keys and phone and went out the door.
Chenzhoudu didn't know the way, but fortunately, although the town was small, the streets and alleys were clearly marked on Baidu Maps, so he didn't get lost.
There are some hotels like "7 Days Inn" and "Home Inn" near Tianhe Street, but staying in hotels is not a long-term solution, so he still wants to rent a short-term room first.
There are naturally no rental apps like Ziroom in this town, and it was already late, so the rental agencies on the street had closed.
He walked along the street through some residential areas, looking for rental phone numbers posted on the windows.
I made several phone calls and viewed several houses, but each house had its own shortcomings.
Just as Chen Zhoudu was thinking of going back to make do for the night and then finding a room through the system the next day, he saw from the navigation that he had arrived at an alley area similar to the one next to the train station.
Not far away, on a low wall, was a rental advertisement, simply written in black and white:
"Crossing" Hotel
Short-term rental, long-term rental, hourly room, shared bed
Contact number: 15849XXXXXX
The word "渡" (du) implies a momentary pause in the crossing of the sunken boat.
Then he couldn't help but chuckle.
He felt it was fate and thought he might as well try again.
Pick up your phone and dial the number.
After a few seconds of beeping from the speaker, a clear and gentle female voice rang out.
"Hello."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, and Chen Zhoudu's heart skipped a beat.
He paused for a second before saying, "Hello, are you looking to rent a room?"
The voice on the other end paused for two seconds before saying, "Long-term rental or short-term rental?"
"Short... but long-term rentals are possible, like a few months' lease."
There was another pause on the other end. "Where are you?"
The author couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the sunken boat ferry, but gave a general description of the surrounding furnishings and buildings.
Tell him to wait a few minutes and not to go far.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhoudu waited under a nearby telephone pole. The streetlights cast a dim yellow shadow, making his shadow a long line on the ground.
A short while later, he heard the sound of light footsteps running behind him, and he turned around.
The long shadow of the street lamp suddenly became two, overlapping on the ground to form an even longer straight line.
She seemed to have rushed out, carrying only her phone, and wearing an extra blue plaid shirt compared to the afternoon.
She stopped a few steps away from Shen Zhoudu, looking at him with a hint of surprise. The orange-yellow light shone on her fair face, like illuminating a patch of snow.
Chen Zhoudu was both surprised and unsurprised, and stared at her for a moment without saying a word.
In the distance, the sounds of cars on a summer night fade into the distance.
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"...This is the courtyard, not very big. The building has three floors including the ground floor. The first and second floors are for both short-term and long-term rentals, while the ground floor has shared rooms and hourly rooms."
"The restaurant is over there, the kitchen is over there, and the shared restrooms and toilets are over there. However, if you're renting long-term, each room has a private bathroom; only hourly rooms and shared rooms don't."
"WiFi and hot water are available 24 hours a day. Meals are not included regardless of whether it's a long-term or short-term lease, but you can share meals. For long-term stays, you can pay for meals monthly or per meal, and you can specify what you want to eat, but it's not guaranteed."
"You can look around first and ask me if you have any questions. Then you can decide whether to rent or not..."
As Xia Chan stepped into the courtyard of the "Du" Inn, Chen Zhoudu looked around.
This is a small courtyard with a two-story self-built house facing south, forming a "∏" shape. At a glance, there are probably more than a dozen rooms.
Simple and well-organized.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was kept cozy and clean.
In the center of the courtyard is a small pond with several lotus flowers in full bloom. Goldfish swim in the water, and an orange cat lies on the edge of the pond, yawning and basking in the moonlight.
Interestingly, Chenzhoudu originally thought that the residential alley he had just passed was not the area around the train station. However, after Xia Chan explained, he realized that it was actually the same place, but "Du" was in another corner.
A tall, thin man was practicing Tai Chi in the corner of the courtyard. When he saw Xia Chan, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Nong Wei is here."
Xia Chan returned the smile politely.
Shen Zhoudu guessed that this must be the Shanghai native she had originally intended to meet.
After looking at two long-term rental apartments in Chenzhoudu, I found this guesthouse to be small but fully equipped.
The rooms were spotless, fully equipped, and even had fresh flowers in each room.
When Xia Chan came out after looking at the second room, she was casually leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.
Chen Zhoudu was caught off guard and nearly bumped into her, staring at her in surprise.
Xia Chan remained expressionless. "Is there any other question?"
From the moment she picked him up today, she maintained a listless and indifferent attitude, handling everything in a businesslike manner, as if she never intended for him to actually rent the place and was just going through the motions.
Chen Zhoudu paused for a moment and asked, "If it's a three-month minimum rental, what's the monthly rent?"
Xia Chan announced a number.
"I'll rent it."
Seemingly genuinely surprised that he would actually rent it, a hint of astonishment flashed across Xia Chan's face.
Then he smiled slightly, nodded without asking any further questions, and said, "Okay."
His belongings are still in Tianhe Bay, so he can only check in tomorrow during the day.
As Xia Chan was going downstairs, an old lady carrying a canvas bag came in through the courtyard gate, humming a little tune and looking quite leisurely. Xia Chan met her and called out, "Grandma."
"Hey." The old lady responded with a smile, looking like she had won money at cards. Her gaze flickered to Chen Zhoudu behind her, and her eyes brightened slightly. She looked between the two of them a few times, and her smile became more surprised. "Boyfriend?"
"..." Shen Zhoudu paused for a moment, slightly embarrassed, while Xia Chan looked so helpless she was about to faint and said in a flat tone, "New resident."
"Oh..." The old lady seemed a little disappointed, but then she smiled and looked him up and down several times with affection, telling him to stay there with peace of mind, and then asked Xia Chan to see him out.
"Oh, right."
Stepping out of the "ferry," Xia Chan seemed to remember something at this moment, her brows furrowing slightly as she asked, "You live alone, there aren't any other random people, right?"
Chen Zhoudu was stunned for a moment before realizing that "chaotic mess" referred to Guo Fa.
He shook his head and said no, and she seemed relieved. She silently led him back the way they came out of the alley.
After sending him back to where he was, Xia Chan turned and left.
Shen Zhoudu couldn't help but call out to her, "Hey..."
Xia Chan stopped and turned around.
He had thought he should explain something to her, or apologize, or say something about what happened during the day, but when he met her gaze, his brain froze before he could speak.
He thought that he had stood with Guo Fa back then, and now no matter how he explained it, it seemed pale and ineffective.
Under the lamplight, her gaze was indifferent, lacking the sharpness of a confrontation, yet still maintaining a distance.
He hesitated for a moment, his lips twitching, but in the end he only said, "...It's nothing, see you tomorrow."
Xia Chan's gaze flickered slightly, and she nodded calmly. "See you tomorrow," she said, and left.
A note from the author:
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See you tomorrow, goodnight [rose emoji]
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Thank you to "Fairy Eyebrows", "Hoshino", "Go to Sleep Early", and "Following Me Means Agreeing to Transfer Fortune to Me" for the nutrient solution!
Thanks to "polemo" for the landmine.
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