[Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Temporary Shelter]
Cheng Liyan took Shen Yuyao to a large courtyard.
Although it is called a shantytown, it is actually not very big. It is just a converted yard from a wealthy family’s home in the past.
This yard should have been the main courtyard in the past. The houses were arranged in a very regular pattern, with an open space in the middle and houses on all four sides.
It’s just that it has been taken over for public use for so many years that it no longer looks like it used to.
Apart from the patterns carved on the stone edge of the well in the middle open space and a half-dead pomegranate tree on the east side, one can still vaguely feel the past heritage.
The others have already been altered beyond recognition.
It’s such a small yard, but now there are ten families living in it!
Any open space is filled up, and if you don't walk carefully, you will definitely bump into something.
When Shen Yuyao entered the yard, she was stunned, mainly because she had never seen such a messy place.
In the past, she would occasionally pass by the compound where the servants lived, and even if she had never been inside, she had seen the layout inside.
It’s definitely not that messy!
She didn't even dare to imagine how crazy the old housekeeper would be if he saw such a mess!
Cheng Liyan took Shen Yuyao directly to a house on the east side and knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was a little girl of about four or five years old. She was very thin and her face was so small that it seemed as if there was only a pair of big eyes left, which were blinking.
The child obviously knew Cheng Liyan. His eyes lit up when he saw him and he called out in a clear and crisp voice, "Uncle Cheng!"
Cheng Liyan touched the child's face and asked, "Xiaoya, is your mother home?"
Before the child could answer, a middle-aged woman hurried out of the house.
The woman looked to be about forty years old, of medium height, very thin and dark.
She was wearing a blue cloth jacket that had been washed so much that it looked pale, with two neatly mended patches with fine stitching on the edge of the jacket.
When she saw Cheng Liyan, she immediately smiled ingratiatingly and asked, "Captain Cheng, how come you have time to come here today?"
Although he was smiling, his face still looked miserable.
This woman's husband's surname is Qian, and people call her Sister Qian.
Mrs. Qian and her husband are both workers in a textile factory.
They were among the first batch of workers recruited when the textile factory was first built, and both of them were admitted through formal exams.
Working in a textile factory and with both husband and wife being working, the Qian couple could be considered to be extremely well off at that time.
So I bought two houses in this large compound.
Who would have thought that not long after the house was bought, the man fell ill and passed away, leaving only Qian's wife and a five-year-old girl.
Because her husband was sick and suffered a lot of hunger, in addition to working, Mrs. Qian would go to the army to do odd jobs in her free time and do odd jobs in the canteen, so Cheng Liyan got to know her.
While on the way, Cheng Liyan was thinking about how to accommodate Shen Yuyao.
Given their current situation, he definitely can't bring her to the army. How would he explain it then?
Even if you want to get married, you have to file a report first and go through a political review, which all takes time.
So he thought about it for a long time and felt that it would be more appropriate to bring her to Sister Qian's place to stay temporarily.
We are all lesbians, and no one will gossip about us when we live together.
In addition, Mrs. Qian has a gentle personality and loves cleanliness, so I think Shen Yuyao will be able to get along with her.
So he asked, "Sister Qian, have you rented out that little house?"
Mrs. Qian was stunned.
She did have the idea of renting out the cottage before, but she only dared to think about it and was not brave enough to take action for the time being.
She was afraid that the people in her husband's family would come and make trouble for her if they knew she was renting a house outside!
How did Captain Cheng know that she wanted to rent a house?
Before she had time to think about it, Mrs. Qian's mind came back to her mind.
I don’t dare rent this house to others, but I can rent it to Captain Cheng!
Those people dare to make trouble for others, but do they dare to make trouble for Captain Cheng?
He is the leader of the Sea Eagle Regiment and one of the most important officials in Binhai City!
She immediately put on a smile and said, "What are you renting? Captain Cheng, if you want to use the house, just use it. It's always empty! I clean it twice a week. The bedding has been freshly washed and I just dried it yesterday. It's very clean!"
Cheng Liyan did not agree, but said directly: "Sister Qian, the amount is how much it should be. If you don't want the rent, then I can't use this house."
After hearing what he said, Mrs. Qian hesitated for a moment and said, "Then the rent is five dollars? I'll pay for the bedding, and I'll give you a small coal stove, but you have to buy the coal yourself."
"Okay." Cheng Liyan agreed without much thought.
He thinks this is good.
Although five dollars is not a lot of money, it can save a lot of trouble.
The most important thing is that the location here is good. The residents in the courtyard are all old neighbors who have lived here for many years, and there are almost no new people living here, which means it is safe!
In addition to safety, transportation is also convenient.
After leaving the courtyard, walk along the alley for about 200 meters and you will reach the main street. There is a bus stop on the street, so it is very convenient to take the bus wherever you want to go.
There are state-owned vegetable stores, grain stores, and a small window of the supply and marketing cooperative to the outside world in the alley.
You don’t have to go far to buy groceries or food if you need to make some last-minute purchases.
Another thing that made Cheng Liyan satisfied was that this place was not far from their troops, only 40 minutes away by bus.
If Shen Yuyao has any problems in the future, it won’t be difficult for her to find him.
Cheng Liyan took out ten yuan from his pocket and gave it to Sister Qian.
Shen Yuyao had been standing by and watching silently. When she saw that this man had paid for her again, she suddenly felt a little pressured again.
Even if he is your future husband, you cannot use his money casually as long as we are not married. Otherwise, what will happen?
Even if we are sending gifts to each other, isn't there still the word "mutual"?
Shen Yuyao touched her small bag and wondered secretly how she could exchange the silver for the kind of money they were using now.
The original owner had no intention of taking her back after she was tricked out by her aunt, so naturally it was impossible for her to leave a penny for her.
Shen Yuyao didn't have a penny on her.
After receiving the money, Qian's sister-in-law's smile became more sincere, and she immediately took the two of them to see the house.
The room she rented was at the back of the row of houses.
Because it is located diagonally opposite the main house, only one door can be seen from the yard.
The rest of the house is blocked by the row of houses in front, and you can't see what's inside unless you walk up to it.
It looks very quiet at first glance.
After getting closer, the two people discovered that probably because the residents of the main house and Mrs. Qian were two different families, no one had the nerve to fill up the house when the house was expanded, which left a gap between the two rooms.
The gap is not wide, just over one meter.
But it is still very convenient for someone to pull a rope to hang clothes, or even put a small coal stove outside to cook a meal.
When Shen Yuyao saw the gap, before she felt anything, Cheng Liyan had already hummed with satisfaction.
Several people entered the house together.
The room is not big, at most no more than five or six square meters.
There is a single bed against the wall, a bench next to the bed serving as a bedside table, and a small red lacquered cabinet against the wall. That's all.
The single bed was called a bed, but in fact it was just two benches supporting a bed board, and the paint on the red lacquered cabinet had all fallen off.
Fortunately, the whole cottage was cleaned thoroughly by Mrs. Qian.
Also, because there is a fairly large skylight facing outside, the room is well lit and looks dry.
I've been through so much, especially living in the same room with three men.
At this moment, even Shen Yuyao felt that the house was nice and could serve as a temporary shelter.
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