Chapter 47: As long as it works
Zheng San spoke with great confidence and made no attempt to hide his thoughts. It was precisely this unintentional display of confidence that made the other party wary.
Upon hearing this, the woman tried to rush over even from a distance, but was stopped by the man beside her.
No one knows how they discussed it, but the man came over last. He came with a smile and said, "My wife and I have discussed it. Since neither of us wants to make things worse, we'll pay you twenty coins as compensation. But you have to move out today."
Twenty coins is enough for three bowls of wontons!
"No..." Shen Zhiyi had barely started speaking when San Tou replied, "Okay."
Zheng San was heartbroken to hear this.
Perhaps it was because his expression was so genuine that he heard the woman's soft humming and urging: "Twenty coins is already the biggest concession. If it's not enough, then we'll have to go to the county government office."
The man with the buzz cut nimbly entered the house. The woman craned her neck to look inside, but Shen Zhiyi stepped to the side, effectively blocking her view.
"Your room is so small, yet it costs two hundred coins a month?" Shen Zhiyi asked expressionlessly.
The woman was clearly guilty, and she used her voice to cover up her stammering, then raised her voice and said, "They begged Father and Mother to let them rent it, and I only agreed because I was kind."
"Oh, I was just asking casually, don't get so worked up," Shen Zhiyi said nonchalantly.
The man with the crew cut came out with twenty coins, first giving the copper coins to Shen Zhiyi, whom he trusted most, and then hiding behind her.
“Since the matter has been settled, let’s count the money in person to avoid trouble later,” Shen Zhiyi said in a deep voice, taking out the copper coins and counting them one by one.
When the count reached "twenty," the woman spoke up first: "Alright, alright, you all hurry up and move out, so I don't see you again and get annoyed!"
This is what it means to turn your back on someone. Shen Zhiyi was too lazy to say more. She turned to San Tou and Cun Tou and said, "Let's pack our bags. We'll inform Damu when we find a place to stay."
"Mmm," Three-Headed and Crew-Headed replied obediently.
However, while they were tidying up, the woman covered her nose, leaned against the door frame, and peered inside, occasionally saying, "Don't take anything you shouldn't."
"Some people look honest, but they are actually full of tricks."
"I need to fumigate it properly, otherwise this stench will linger."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyi said indifferently, "Some things can't be fixed by just fumigating them. You have to cut out the bad stuff and replace it with something good, otherwise you'll be plagued by bad luck for the rest of your life."
San Tou understood the unspoken meaning and smiled, "I understand, elder sister."
"What nonsense!" the woman said angrily. Judging from her expression, she clearly didn't understand, otherwise she would have already started cursing.
The side room wasn't big to begin with, so they had even less stuff; a few straw mats rolled up were all their belongings.
As San Tou left the alley, he couldn't help but look back. Memories kept swirling in his mind. Farewells always come so suddenly that they can cause feelings of regret.
"Let's go," Shen Zhiyi said slowly. "We need to look forward, and we need to move forward."
The three-headed man nodded and walked slowly, while the crew-cut man had a simple idea: to obediently follow Shen Zhiyi.
"I'll carry you on my back," Zheng San said hurriedly, grabbing the straw mat with one hand and tossing the three heads onto his back with the other. "Hurry up."
"We don't know how long it will take to find a new place to stay, and we're already wasting time," Shen Zhiyi advised.
San Tou was already feeling incredibly guilty, but he didn't dare to delay any longer. He put aside his embarrassment, climbed onto Zheng San's back, and felt that the strength he felt was far beyond what he and Da Mu Ge could currently match.
As soon as he stepped out of the gloomy alley, the light that rushed towards him seemed to divide the same piece of land into two parts. Knowing the way clearly, he returned the way he came, first to find the "county town know-it-all".
“This isn’t…” Zheng San asked in surprise.
“Yes, we’re going to find him,” Shen Zhiyi said calmly. If someone has the ability to sell information for money, they must have other untapped skills.
After walking through the main street, the road narrowed. Zheng San was carrying things in his hands and carrying someone on his back, so it was inconvenient. He said, "Let's wait for you here. We'll be coming out in a little while anyway."
"Okay." Shen Zhiyi looked at the crew-cut man standing beside her and asked, "Do you want to come with me, or wait for me here?"
“I’m with my sister,” the man with the buzz cut said softly.
"Let's go then." Shen Zhiyi said, reaching out to take the hand of the crew-cut man. After all, the alley was crowded and full of people, and she couldn't be careless.
Walking through the narrow alley, the steam from the water heaters was quite noticeable, so there was no need to remember which one it was.
Shen Zhiyi entered the shop with her buzz cut. Only Ge Ermazi, half-asleep, was inside. She tapped the table lightly, and he mumbled sleepily, "Sir, you are...?"
When Ge Ermazi opened his eyes, he suddenly regained his spirits and laughed, "You're here to have dinner with me at this hour? Come on, come on."
"Next time," Shen Zhiyi said without any hesitation, "You know the county town well, right? Do you have any cheap and decent places to rent?"
"Yes, I do." Ge Ermazi smiled at Shen Zhiyi, a hint of lewdness in his eyes. "My house."
Shen Zhiyi remained calm and unaffected by the other party's demeanor, and asked, "How much money is involved, how will the payment be made, and can a contract be drawn up?"
"No, are you serious?" Ge Ermazi was so surprised that he stood up.
"Otherwise what? Hurry up and tell me." Shen Zhiyi urged, not expecting that this matter would be answered so easily, and she was not willing to miss it.
Their noise seemed to disturb the person behind the straw curtain, which was then lifted, and a woman with gray hair, neatly combed, came out and asked, "Erzi, what is it?"
"Auntie, it's nothing, she just wants to rent my house," Ge Ermazi said slowly.
“Young lady? That won’t do.” The woman spoke with the concern of an elder. “There are two rooms in Erzi’s courtyard, but a man and a woman living alone in the same courtyard will drown if those people talk to them.”
“Auntie, you’ve misunderstood,” Shen Zhiyi said gently, bringing out the crew-cut man beside her. “They’re the ones who want to rent it. They’re all teenagers who do the work of emptying chamber pots for the government.”
"Oh, that's good." The woman looked at the man with a loving gaze. "What a good boy. I originally asked Erzi to try out that job, but he ran away because he thought it was too hard. He only dared to show his face to me after he got the job."
"Let's rent it to them," the woman said, turning to Ge Ermazi. "They're so young, and they're doing such tiring and hard work, so the rent should be cheaper."
Ge Ermazi showed no impatience and said gently, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, Auntie. I'll talk to them next. Auntie, go back and rest, so I don't get beaten up by Brother Guan again."
The woman smiled gently and, supported by Ge Ermazi, went into the inner room.
Once the straw curtain was lowered, Ge Ermazi, who had turned around, immediately changed his gentle demeanor, his face full of smiles, and his voice deliberately softened: "My house is a nice courtyard facing south. Even if there's nothing to do, you can bask in the sun in the courtyard every day. So many people want to rent it."
"Then why wasn't it rented out?" Shen Zhiyi asked directly.
Ge Ermazi was speechless at these words, and quickly tried to make amends: "I didn't want to rent it! Now that Auntie has spoken up, I have to give her face, so I'm willing to talk to you about renting it."
"I see," Shen Zhiyi said with a sudden realization. "What's the price?"
"Given our friendship, I don't need much, just one or two taels of silver a month," Ge Ermazi said with a smile that perfectly illustrated the face of a cunning merchant.
“Oh, I see. Then I still prefer to talk to Auntie.” Shen Zhiyi replied with a smile, mimicking Ge Ermazi’s tone when addressing her as “Auntie.”
As she spoke, she walked inside, and Ge Ermazi quickly blocked her way. The closer she got to the straw curtain, the softer her voice became: "Hey! Hey, hey, wait, let's talk this over. Seven hundred coins..."
Shen Zhiyi did not stop, as the price Ge Ermazi mentioned continued to decline.
"Grandma, two hundred coins is the lowest I can offer," Ge Ermazi said hurriedly, sweat pouring down his forehead.
“Okay, let’s go see if it’s as you say. If not, we’ll have to talk to Auntie.” Shen Zhiyi said softly.
These words sounded like the whispers of a demon to Ge Ermazi, who gritted his teeth and said, "Then can't we choose another one?"
“At the moment, this is the most effective method,” Shen Zhiyi said gently, then turned to look at the crew-cut man. “We’ve agreed on two hundred coins a month. Let’s go take a look at the courtyard first.”
Ge Ermazi was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth, but since he had already spoken to his aunt about it, he had no choice but to do it obediently.
Having figured this out, he returned to his usual self and said lazily, "Then let's go."
When Zheng San, who was guarding the alley entrance, saw them come out, he called to San Tou to carry them on his back, and then followed behind Shen Zhiyi and the others.
As I walked, I realized something was wrong. Why was this the way to the noodle shop?
Zheng San had some doubts. He looked up and saw them turn a corner and enter the alley on the left. He quickly followed.
"I told you, this courtyard is in a good location, facing south," Ge Ermazi said proudly.
Shen Zhiyi carefully looked around the courtyard. Although there were only two rooms, it was quite spacious, and there seemed to be some original layout in the courtyard. If it still existed, it must have been a very exquisite little courtyard.
"Is this really your home?" Shen Zhiyi asked incredulously.
“It’s absolutely true, I even have written proof!” Ge Ermazi said, and hurriedly went to the main room to get it. He took out that thin piece of paper with the air of a nouveau riche who had won millions of dollars.
He didn't hand it over, but unfolded it in front of Shen Zhiyi, emphasizing, "This is a document stamped by the county government, and my name is written on it! Even if it's lost, the county government still has a copy, but it will cost money to replace it!"
After carefully examining the property deed and confirming that it was in Ge Ermazi's name, Shen Zhiyi asked, "Which room do you plan to rent out?"
“The side room.” Ge Ermazi pointed to the side, and seeing that Shen Zhiyi did not speak, he added, “I have built heated kang beds in both of my rooms, so it won’t be cold. The only problem is that you have to buy the firewood yourself! You can use the kitchen as you like, since I don’t eat at home anyway, so you have to buy whatever you need yourself.”
The three heads were quite satisfied with just seeing the courtyard and couldn't help but ask, "Is it really two hundred coins?"
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