Ye Beiping didn't know how far he had run, and he stopped when he saw the word "accommodation" in the distance.
Slightly out of breath, he still kept an eye on whether anyone was chasing after him.
Seeing that no one was chasing him, he slowly walked into a small alley with a sign that read "Accommodation".
Upon entering, I found a wooden counter.
"Hello, looking for accommodation?" an old man suddenly asked with a grin.
Upon seeing the old man, Ye Beiping asked, "Can I stay here?"
The old man knew who it was as soon as he heard the question. He smiled and explained, "Young man, is this your first time in Wenzhou?"
Um?
Ye Beiping was slightly puzzled, but considering the difference in their accents, he nodded without paying much attention.
"Young man, many people from other places come here to do business, so they don't need letters of introduction for accommodation or anything like that. Don't you know that?"
After the old man explained, Ye Beiping finally understood.
Wencheng started doing business in the early 1970s, and there were countless smuggling and other shady dealings.
In the early 1980s, due to the reputation of Wencheng people, Wencheng was also targeted as a key city for crackdown on speculation and profiteering.
Ye Beiping nodded immediately: "I see. How much is the rent for this place, sir?"
The old man who was asked the question looked Ye Beiping up and down. His smile disappeared, and he just frowned and said, "Since you don't understand, I won't cheat you. A six-person room is one yuan a night, a four-person room is one yuan and fifty cents, a double room is two yuan, and a single room is three yuan."
hiss!
The price wasn't low, and Ye Beiping was even tempted to buy a place here.
It's important to know that in the next few years, countless people will be coming to Wenzhou to do wholesale business, and they will definitely need to solve the problem of accommodation.
If the building behind the old man's house has the same three-story layout, it could easily have at least a dozen rooms. If a six-person room costs one yuan per night, that's six yuan, which is more than the price of a state-run hotel.
"Grandpa, I need a six-person room." Saving money is the main thing when traveling, so Ye Beiping thought for a moment and took out a few loose one-yuan coins from his pocket and handed them to the old man.
The old man, having received the money, smiled even more broadly and immediately got up to lead Ye Beiping to his room.
He said as he walked:
“Young man, this place is full of all sorts of people. If you have any money or valuables, be sure to keep them safe. I won’t be responsible if they get lost. Even if you go to the police, whether they can catch you or not is another matter. They’ll also check what you’re doing here. Don’t make trouble for yourself.”
He paused, then suddenly turned around and said, "You're not going to cause trouble, are you?"
make trouble?
Ye Beiping immediately shook his head. He was here to do business; why would he cause trouble?
"That's good, that's good." The old man continued walking upstairs, sighing, "We've all paid money to the higher-ups here, but we're most afraid of troublemakers. If they really cause trouble, everyone here will be in deep trouble."
Ye Beiping understood this point.
Simply put, the people providing accommodation here all have connections, but not deep ones. And those who can stay here probably don't have any letters of introduction or anything like that. Before the economic opening-up policy was fully implemented at the grassroots level, the people living here weren't considered legitimate by the police.
"Sir, I understand."
"Um."
The old man walked to the door of a room on the third floor, pointed inside and said, "Just pick any bed. If you're not leaving tomorrow, don't forget to pay."
After he finished speaking, he turned to leave, but then stopped, seemingly remembering something.
"By the way, my surname is Qin. If you have any questions about Wencheng, just ask me. But... hehe." Grandpa Qin rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
Ye Beiping quickly understood.
If you need to ask anything or use your connections, the other party can help, but help is never free; it will definitely cost money to "grease the wheels."
"Okay, Uncle Qin." Ye Beiping smiled and nodded, then said, "I know the rules. If I have any questions, I'll come to you."
Seeing that Ye Beiping understood and wasn't a complete novice, Grandpa Qin chuckled and strode away with his hands behind his back.
At this moment, Ye Beiping also entered the room.
Smelly feet, sweaty, musty smell!
The aromas of various foods mingled together, so strong they almost made Ye Beiping roll his eyes.
Seeing that there were already three people inside, all carrying large and small bags, he could only endure the unpleasant smell and walk to the bed closest to the door.
The bed is a bunk bed, which means there are three such beds in a room.
Besides the bed, there wasn't even a table or chair, and the space was extremely cramped.
Thinking of those hotels from period dramas in my past life, it seems... I've been scammed again.
That's right, we were fooled by the TV series. There's no place that big, with room to walk around in the middle.
The place where he lives is so small that there's barely enough room for one person to pass through.
Shaking his head, Ye Beiping put the bundle on the bed, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and slowly looked at the other three people.
Ye Beiping's bed is closer to the door, while the other two beds are on either side of him.
A person was lying on the lower bunk of a bed; only their back could be seen.
On the other bed, both the upper and lower bunks were occupied, and they were also sizing up Ye Beiping.
"Hello, where are you from? What brings you to Wencheng?" Suddenly, the person in the upper bunk raised his hand to greet Ye Beiping and introduced himself, "My name is Jiang He, what's your name?"
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