Arriving at the building next door, I met the landlord, who turned out to be an old acquaintance, Uncle Zhang. He used to run a barbecue stall downstairs and often brought his grandson to buy barbecue. He was a bit stingy, but he was willing to spend money on his grandson.
Uncle Zhang said with a smile, "We're all old acquaintances, so I'll just get straight to the point."
"Yes, Uncle, just tell us what you need." Qiao Xiaoni was very satisfied after seeing the house. Almost all the furniture was left, and the gas stove was still in the kitchen. It was practically move-in ready; all she needed to do was buy some household items. The rent wasn't cheap, and the building was older than hers.
I went to the side and discussed it with my parents. They were satisfied, so we sat down to talk.
Uncle Zhang spoke first: "As you can see, almost everything in the house has been left behind. My only request is that the furniture be well cared for and kept exactly as it was when the house is handed over. Please try not to damage anything. I've used these things my whole life, and I still have a lot of affection for them."
"Uncle, don't worry, we'll do our best to protect it. If there's any damage, we'll compensate you at the original price." Qiao Xiaoni decided to be upfront about the potential problems. It's inevitable that children in the family will get bumps and bruises.
Uncle Zhang shook his head: "No need for that. If it's broken, it's broken. How could I let you pay for it?"
Su Chenhao: "I think it would be better if we wrote a contract and included all the requirements of both parties."
If a dispute arises in the future, there will be proof, and the matter will be handled according to this document.
Uncle Zhang: Okay, the first point is about the rent, it can't be delayed, today is the 8th.
You'll pay for each month you plan to stay. Since you haven't paid yet, I'll come to collect the money on the 8th. Do you have any objections to this arrangement?
Qiao Xiaoni: "No, as I just mentioned, I'm worried about the furniture in the house getting damaged. How about this, we'll pay an additional ten yuan for depreciation. If it actually gets damaged, this money won't be refunded."
If there's no other way, and something really goes wrong, then forget about the ten dollars.
"Okay! It's settled then." Uncle Zhang thought ten yuan was a good deal; those old pieces of furniture wouldn't sell for that much.
It's settled.
Su Chenhao took out paper and pen, wrote down all the agreed-upon terms, made two copies, and signed them.
The rental agreement was all written, and Qiao Xiaoni paid three months' rent upfront. Uncle Zhang took the money and left happily, his smug expression saying it all.
Li Meihua looked around: "This house is now ours to live in?" It felt a little unreal, that we rented it so quickly.
Qiao Haisheng smiled: "It's already rented. We'll go back for dinner and then move our things. We can stay here tonight without troubling our daughter."
Su Chenhao felt this was an opportunity and came before them:
"Dad, Mom, I want to celebrate the 100th day since Grandma's passing. Then I'll find an auspicious day to marry Xiaoni. If we can't get a marriage certificate yet, we'll hold off for now."
Qiao Haisheng took all the cigarettes out of his pocket, and this time he didn't just look at them, he actually started smoking.
Li Meihua didn't object; her daughter's marriage was a big deal and needed careful consideration.
After finishing his cigarette, Qiao Haisheng said, "Let's have a simple wedding here and not go back to the village."
"We'll have another big ceremony in the village when we get our marriage certificate, that way we'll have some kind of formality."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
