Chapter 11: Renting a House for 1,000 Yuan a Month is the Right Choice...
Chapter 11
Lin Mujin still asked the agent to call the landlord. Since she couldn't meet the landlord, no matter how many excuses she had to bargain, they would be useless.
The middle-aged female landlord arrived in just over ten minutes. It seemed that she didn't live far away.
The old lady introduced the two people to each other. The female landlord's surname was Zhu. She owned several shops and was a very rich person.
"Sister Zhu, can the rent be lower? I've heard that the average rent in our area is around eighty or nine hundred dollars." Of course, Lin Mujin couldn't include the old lady in this, so she could only say it in a different way.
Sister Zhu said, "Prices are going up this year too. Look at everything that hasn't gone up. Newspapers have doubled in price, and even eggs are 70 or 80 cents."
Lin Mujin continued, "Just give me a low price. I don't have any children, and my youngest is fifteen. I promise I'll take good care of the house."
Sister Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Then it's 1,000. It can't be any less. I'm going to increase the price of the other one too."
One thousand words did meet my expectations, but...
"Sister Zhu, I have a suggestion. You know gas water heaters? Imported ones are very expensive, costing over three thousand or five thousand. But our locally produced ones can be bought for eight or nine hundred. Why don't you give one to your renter?"
Seeing that she was about to retort, Lin Mujin quickly said, "Sister Zhu, let me do the math for you. Actually, the wool from the sheep can be paid for. You can first ask the tenants if they want to use it. If they do, they will have to pay an extra ten yuan per month. Naturally, they will also pay for the water heater themselves. In this way, you can get a water heater for free in three or four years. Do the math and see if this is the right deal."
Sister Zhu was really calculating, "That's true, but installing so many water heaters at once isn't cheap..."
Lin Mujin smiled and said, "There are definitely tenants who don't want to move in. We won't force them. It's all about voluntariness."
Sister Zhu was obviously tempted. "I'll think about it."
Lin Mujin took the opportunity to encourage her, "Sister Zhu, if you want to buy a water heater, you must choose a high-quality one. This way, it will still be like new in three or four years, and you can get a lot of money even if you sell it second-hand."
She was afraid that it was too cheap and the quality was not guaranteed, and the water heater would break down while she was taking a shower.
As for three or four years later, it has nothing to do with her. She doesn't believe that she won't be able to buy her own house by then.
She had made up her mind that if the residents on this floor were unwilling to install a water heater, then her family could do it themselves. It would be worth spending an extra twenty dollars a month, as it would save a lot of effort.
Lin Mujin asked again, "Sister Zhu, where can I buy a bunk bed nearby? There are five of us in my family, and it won't fit."
As for moving from a subdivided flat, it is not that troublesome, and the transportation fee is not cheap.
Sister Zhu waved her hand generously, "No need to buy. I have a lot of old furniture in my warehouse, including a bunk bed. You can go and pick one."
Lin Mujin clasped her hands together and said, "Thank you so much, Sister Zhu. Sister Zhu is so kind and beautiful!"
She saved a lot of money, so what's wrong with her flattering me? She was sincere, okay?
The middle lady also helped to praise it with a few words, and the atmosphere among the three of them was very harmonious for a while.
"Then let's sign the contract. I'll pay a 500 yuan deposit first, and come over tomorrow to pick out the furniture and pay the balance."
Now that the decision has been made, there is no need to delay any further. Lin Mujin also wants to go home early to finish writing the 4,000 words for tomorrow.
Sister Zhu had no objection. She had the rental contract in her hand and both parties just had to sign it.
Renting a house is still very easy now.
Lin Mujin did not forget to pay the remaining 30 yuan to the agent, got the key to the rental house, asked for Sister Zhu's address, and then said goodbye to the two of them and left.
As for whether Sister Zhu still needs to pay the old lady an "introduction fee", that is none of her business.
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At dinner, Lin Mujin saw that everyone had almost finished eating.
He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... I have some good news to announce."
After keeping everyone in suspense for a while and seeing everyone's urging, she continued, "I've rented a house, so we can move now."
But the audience was silent, with no applause or cheers. This was a little different from what she had imagined.
Uncle asked in a deep voice, "Ajin, where did you rent the house?"
Cousin Lin asked anxiously, "How much is the rent?"
Cousin Lin also asked, "Have you signed the contract?"
After a week of looking around, Lin Mujin felt a little nervous. "I've signed the contract and paid the deposit. The house is in Sham Shui Po, a very nice tenement building..."
Talk about the advantages in great detail.
"I'm afraid if I miss this opportunity, I'll miss it. Good houses are hard to come by. Plus, the newspaper has increased my writing fee to 20 yuan per thousand words. I can earn at least 2,000 yuan a month, so I don't have to worry about not being able to pay the rent."
Another silence...
Lin Mujin understood that the uncles did not want her to spend money to rent a house. In their eyes, she was still young and the burden of renting a house should not be placed on her shoulders.
"Uncle, we are a family. You didn't throw me and my brother out when we didn't make money. Why do you have to divide us so clearly now?"
Lin Mujin looked at her cousin again and said, "Sister, there are a lot of food shops over there. It's easy for you to find another job. Or we can open our own food stall. The lady who introduced me to the house runs her own dessert stall."
Seeing that cousin Lin was moved, she winked at her and asked her to join in the persuasion.
Lin Muli spoke up, "Since my sister has already rented the place, we can't return it. Let's think about how to move tomorrow."
Lin Mujin happily patted her younger brother's shoulder, thanking him for his help. "Yes! Yes! Let's clean up as soon as possible. We don't need the bunk bed anymore. The landlord has one for free."
Cousin Lin made the decision, "I'll take a day off tomorrow and we'll move. I'll pay the rent from now on."
Lin Mujin didn't argue with her cousin, and she would see what would happen later.
Cousin Lin was undecided, "Should I ask for leave or just quit?"
Cousin Lin asked, "When do you get paid?"
Cousin Lin replied, "Just sent it."
Cousin Lin said, "Quit your job."
Cousin Lin clapped her hands together and made up her mind, "I quit."
Then he asked with a smile, "Sister, tell me more about our new house."
Lin Mujin was not impatient at all and described in detail how to find a house.
She then told him about how she had tricked the landlord into installing a gas water heater. "Whether this will work or not is still uncertain. If they install it, it will save us a lot of trouble. We won't have to boil water in kettles anymore."
Cousin Lin empathized with her. As a girl, she loved cleanliness, but washing was too much trouble. "I hope the landlord will install one. I heard water heaters are very expensive."
Lin Mujin explained, "Imported ones are expensive, over 3,000 yuan, while local ones are okay, around 1,000 yuan."
Cousin Lin suddenly realized, "This price is not bad." It is not as expensive as imagined.
Lin Mujin turned around and asked, "Uncle, can I cancel this subdivided flat early?"
Uncle instructed Cousin Lin, "Call the landlord tomorrow and refund as much as you can. After you finish eating, go pack up your things."
Cousin Lin jumped up with the bowl in hand and said, "We're moving!"
Lin Muli was also chuckling.
Lin Mujin looked at her excited family members and felt that this was the right house to rent.
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