Chapter 103: Living for a Long Time Is Not Easy [VIP]
"Dad, since Liang Ming told us to go and look at the houses, why don't we go now?" Tian Baozhu followed her father's steps with a backpack on her back.
Only after they left the market did Tanaka Masaru slow down his pace, paused, and looked around to make sure no one was following them before he spoke: "Liang Ming has been keeping an eye on our stall all morning. We've made so much money all at once, and Dad's worried someone might get jealous."
Yesterday they said there were no suitable houses for rent, but today they were allowed to go and look at houses. If there is nothing fishy going on, Tanaka doesn't believe it at all.
After all, they are strangers, and it is always better to be cautious in this unfamiliar place.
These words also reminded Tian Baozhu that the people selling velvet flowers yesterday only collected small amounts of money, unlike today when such a conspicuous big customer suddenly came. The three silver ingots would indeed be easily coveted by others.
Dad is right. We should always be on guard against others and be more careful.
"Are we still going there this afternoon?"
Tanaka weighed the table and chairs on his back and said, "Let's look for one ourselves first. If we can't find anything suitable, we can wait for your uncle to come back and then we can go together."
Tanaka Masaru had it all planned out. When the time came to look at the house, he and his third brother would go in first, while his daughter L would stay outside. If anything seemed wrong, he would yell at his daughter L to run and call the police.
Tian Baozhu naturally followed her father's arrangements, and the two returned to the inn to put their things away.
The father and daughter did not go to the money shop this time. The old woman Ma gave them silver ingots of ten taels each. Compared with the light silver notes, Tanaka Masa still felt that it was more reassuring to carry the silver on him.
Although he made money, Tanaka Masaru was still very frugal at heart, so he still had steamed buns for lunch, but he also bought meat buns for his daughter L with his own money.
After dinner, I looked around the city for a house. Jiangnan is rich, but here every inch of land is worth a lot of money.
The rent for houses in good locations is expensive, starting at five taels of silver. Those farther from the city are really far, dingy and cramped, and the rent is not much cheaper either.
The father and daughter decided to go back to the inn and wait for Huang Songbai.
Huang Songbai not only gained nothing from this trip, but also came back with a lot of resentment.
Tanaka Masaru and his daughter asked him what happened.
Huang Songbai was so angry that he pounded the table with his fist and told the whole story.
Today he brought some furs to look for a shop to discuss cooperation.
But I didn't expect that the shop I had originally visited would shamelessly imitate and sell their own gloves overnight.
Although silk cloth was used, the style was undoubtedly an imitation of our own.
Thinking of the crowds in front of the shop, Huang Songbai gritted his teeth and said, "It's fine if he sells gloves based on ours, but he even claims that these gloves are his own idea. Do they have any shame?"
Tian Baozhu and Tanaka Zheng looked at each other. Before they set off, A Yao had said that these fur products did not require much embroidery skills, but in fact, they could be figured out how to make them at a glance.
They sell these simply for the initiative and quality.
"Uncle, don't be sad. Since we can't find anyone to cooperate with us, we might as well do it ourselves. The furs we brought have almost been sold, and the rest can be left to me to sell slowly." Tian Baozhu put the earnings of the day in front of his uncle.
Huang Songbai looked at the three silver ingots in surprise: "Baozhu, you sold these again?"
This luck is too good.
Tian Baozhu explained that good luck played a part, but the most important thing was the help from Ronghua.
The customers who came to her stall today were all there for the velvet flowers, so she took the opportunity to introduce the fur products to everyone.
Besides, it’s not every day that a guest as generous as Mrs. Ma comes.
Huang Songbai and Tian Zhongzheng nodded repeatedly, "Baozhu, please tell us more about your ideas."
Tian Baozhu hesitated for a moment and said, "We can't afford to rent a shop yet, so we might as well set up a stall first and spread our reputation for wealth and glory. We can rent a shop later when we make money. I don't believe that we can't make money with our high-quality goods and new styles."
Huang Songbai slammed the table and stood up angrily. "Alright, let's do as Baozhu says. Now they look down on us and refuse to cooperate with us. Even if they beg us in the future, we won't agree. Let them regret it later."
In the evening, the three of them went to Liang Ming's house together.
Later, they learned from Liang Ming's wife that the house they had found for them was the one owned by Grandma Xie next door, and that Grandma Xie was willing to rent them two empty rooms.
Tanaka Masaru didn't react at first. This was obviously different from what he thought.
Huang Songbai, on the other hand, asked Liang Ming warmly, "Don't worry, we are all honest people. Since we live in the same yard, how much is the rent this month?"
Liang Ming was not very clear about this matter, so he asked his wife to talk to them.
Furong told the three people that the rent for the two empty houses was one or two taels of silver per month.
Tian Baozhu couldn't help but look happy when she heard this. This was more than half the price than those outside.
Huang Songbai took a look and guessed that since the rent was low, there might be other requirements.
He then asked, and sure enough, they wanted them to take care of
Furong looked on without saying anything, feeling a pang in her heart, fearing that this matter would be difficult to accomplish.
Then she reached out and took off the hibiscus hairpin from her bun: "When Tian Wen sold this velvet flower to my husband, I knew that the girl had a pure heart and was not a treacherous person. It served as a bridge to resolve the difficulties between us."
"What difficulties does Grandma Xie have?" Tian Baozhu thought that as an old woman, she should be enjoying her old age, so why did she have difficulties?
Furong sighed and told the three of them, "This old lady Xie lost her husband and son in her old age. She's old, and her eyesight and hearing are not very good. We neighbors would like to take care of her, but she has a stubborn temper and refuses to accept."
Liang Ming also spoke up for his wife: "Originally, I didn't want her to get involved in this matter. After all, we're not familiar with each other, but my wife is kind-hearted. After you left last night, she told this to Grandma Xie. I never thought Grandma Xie would agree."
"If you want to rent it, you can come with us to take a look. If you don't want to, just pretend that we never mentioned it."
Tian Baozhu tugged at her father and uncle's sleeves and said, "Since we're here, why don't we go take a look first?"
Tanaka slapped his daughter L's hand away, frowning and saying in a deep voice, "Then Grandma Xie doesn't have any relatives to take care of her daily life and food? Will we get into trouble if we move in later?"
Furong was about to answer when she heard the sound of a stick hitting the ground outside the door.
Granny Xie stumbled into the courtyard, holding onto the doorframe with one hand and a bamboo stick in the other. "This house is in my name. The deed you signed with me has to be filed with the government. I'm not afraid, an old woman like me, so why should you, a grown man, be afraid?"
Tanaka was so embarrassed that his face turned red, and he didn't know how to refute for a moment.
Huang Songbai stood up immediately upon hearing this: "Everything should be based on mutual consent. We must also clarify everything to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Trouble, what trouble? I, an old woman, kindly give you one or two taels of rent per month so that you can take care of my three meals a day. Do you think you are afraid that I will take advantage of you when you eat delicious food every day?" Mrs. Xie was also a little excited.
Over the years, even though she gradually lost her sight and hearing, she never troubled anyone else.
However, the coffins she had in recent years were almost used up, so she accepted the kindness of Liang Ming's wife.
Liang Ming's wife praised the girl for her cleverness and dexterity, calling her a kind and pure person.
But she didn't expect her father to be such a ruthless person.
"Liang Ming's wife, didn't you tell me that a father and daughter were renting my house? How come it turned out to be two grown men? Did you deliberately collude with outsiders to deceive me?"
This is really unfair.
Furong stepped forward to help Granny Xie sit down, and poured more tea for everyone. "Let's all calm down first. If there are any problems, we can talk it out face to face. Just consider it as a favor to me as the middleman. Don't get angry."
Granny Xie held the stick in both hands, turned her head away and snorted coldly.
Tian Baozhu called out "Dad" and explained to Grandma Xie, "This is all a misunderstanding. Let's not reject Mr. Liang and his wife's kindness."
"Mother-in-law, it is true that my father and I want to rent a house, and my uncle is here with us to take a look. We are tenant farmers in Xiahe Village, Qingfeng Town, Fang County. My family makes some furs and velvet flowers, so we followed the tea merchants here to do business." Tian Baozhu explained sincerely to Mother-in-law Xie.
Furong personally handed the tea to Grandma Xie: "You heard it all, I didn't collude with anyone else to deceive you."
"They think I'm troublesome. Two rooms cost one or two taels a month. Even if you move out of the city, you won't get this price." Mrs. Xie righteously poked the ground with a stick, her sallow and wrinkled cheeks puffed up slightly, and she was obviously very angry.
Huang Songbai and Tian Zhongzheng were about to speak when Tian Baozhu stopped them: "Yes, it's not easy to live in Jiangnan for a long time. We are not thinking you are troublesome, but we are afraid that you will get into trouble. Let us explain the rules clearly so that you will know your limits when living together in the future."
Hearing the little girl's logical words, Grandma Xie's voice also became much calmer: "Don't worry, if you live in my house, apart from three meals a day and cleaning, you don't need to worry about other things. If there are any troubles, it will be my trouble, and it has nothing to do with you."
"That's great. Mother-in-law, can we go and see the house now?" Tian Baozhu's voice was filled with joy.
Grandma Xie finished her tea and took them to see the room next door.
As you enter the courtyard, there is a well in the middle. The door of the main house is open, and there are only two chairs inside. There are two empty rooms on the left, and the kitchen and utility room on the right.
Granny Xie felt her way to the door of the wing room and knocked off the lock with a stick. When she heard the lock fall to the ground, she bent down to pick it up. "You guys go in and take a look. Although it's a bit dusty, as long as you clean it up, you can move in any time."
As soon as she finished speaking, she opened the door to the next room.
Tian Baozhu went in and took a look first. The place was covered with a thick layer of dust as no one had lived there for a long time, but it was fully furnished and the room was bright. There were tables, chairs, benches, boxes and cages. It was indeed a nice place.
Tanaka Zheng and Huang Songbai also carefully inspected the doors, windows and every corner. They looked at each other and thought it was very good.
"Then let's ask Mr. Liang to help us sign the contract and rent it for two months first." Tanaka Zheng said.
Granny Xie looked at the blurry figure in front of her and asked, "You guys should buy this lock yourselves. I won't leave it to you. If you lose something in the future, you can't come to trouble me."
Being confronted with the Yin and Yang in front of him, Tanaka was gritting his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, "We can just buy it ourselves."
Everyone returned to the Liang family, asked Liang Ming to write a deed, paid half of the rent first, and got the key to the Xie family's front door.
Furong was grinning from ear to ear and asked her husband to buy a sea bass to invite them to her home for dinner, but everyone politely declined.
After getting the deed, Tanaka Masaru was going to take his daughter L and third brother away. They had to buy daily necessities such as locks and come to clean them early tomorrow morning. They could save a lot of money by staying in the inn for one less day.
Tian Baozhu followed behind her elders and waved goodbye to Liang Ming and his wife and Grandma Xie.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
