Xue Ling looked around, finding that this area was relatively new, with most buildings being quite recent, not more than a decade old.
Ronghua City was still a small county town, and most of the buildings here were not tall, typically only two or three stories high. They were mostly self-built houses, with varying heights and sizes, giving them a somewhat irregular appearance.
As they moved further down Songming Road, the houses seemed to be more planned, and the differences in size and height weren’t as pronounced. At a glance, they all appeared similar in structure and exterior design.
At this time, there weren’t many real estate agents, and the availability of houses for rent or sale was limited. Most of the transactions relied on word of mouth, and some people simply hung up signs at their gates with the words “For Rent.”
Remembering Wang Qing’s suggestion about houses near the restaurant, Xue Ling decided to check it out.
Sure enough, in a side alley next to the restaurant, there were two identical houses with “For Rent” signs hanging outside.
Upon entering, they found that the two houses were side by side, and everything from the exterior walls to the front yard and iron gate was identical, except that the one on the left looked slightly newer.
Cheng Tianyuan furrowed his brows slightly and whispered, “These houses are too big for one person.”
Xue Ling, harboring a plan, didn’t want him to know and casually replied, “Since we’re here, let’s take a look inside. It won’t cost us anything! Besides, maybe they’re planning to rent out each floor separately. If I rent one floor, it could be cost-effective!”
Cheng Tianyuan couldn’t entirely agree but explained, “Multi-story rentals like these are not suitable for you, especially as a young woman living alone. What if people on other floors have ulterior motives? It could be unsafe.”
Xue Ling giggled and said, “Let’s go inside and take a look first. We can decide later.”
Cheng Tianyuan couldn’t persuade her, so he reluctantly let her take the lead.
This young woman had her own ideas, and it seemed unlikely she would listen to him.
Xue Ling knocked on the door and called out a few times, but the iron gate remained tightly shut.
After a while, the adjacent iron gate opened, and a woman in her fifties or sixties poked her head out, squinting at them and asking, “Who are you looking for?”
Xue Ling approached politely and explained their purpose.
The old woman nodded in understanding and walked out, opening the courtyard gate.
“These two houses are both ours, and we’re planning to rent them out. Recently, several families came, but they found it too expensive, and negotiations fell through. You can take a look first, but I only rent them out as whole units, not by individual floors.”
Cheng Tianyuan, with a slightly stern expression, signaled to her.
Pretending not to notice, Xue Ling smiled and asked, “Could we go inside and take a look?”
“Sure.” The old lady was robust and walked briskly. She took out the keys and opened the door. “I’ll show you around. But you’ll need to make up your mind quickly because there might be other people coming to view it tomorrow.”
Xue Ling grinned and replied, “Let’s take a look first!”
The old lady sized them up and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you a young couple?”
Xue Ling quickly nodded and said, “Yes! We got married not too long ago and are working in this area. The dormitories are too small for us, so we’re thinking of renting a place together.”
The old lady nodded slowly and patted the wall of the newer house.
“My husband and I built the one next door about ten years ago, and this one was built for our son and daughter-in-law when they got married. But they only lived here for a little over a month before moving to the capital. They have a house there, so they only come back here for a few days during the holidays.”
Although the house had three stories, the interior wasn’t very spacious. Each floor was about thirty square meters.
The first floor had a bathroom and a kitchen, with a worn-out bicycle parked by the stairs.
The second floor consisted of a small living room and a large bedroom, with a small balcony and another bathroom outside the room.
The third floor was empty, with a thick layer of dust covering everything.
The old lady explained, “When we built these houses, we made them spacious because they were for our family. We wanted to have more space. Actually, this place is only suitable for a small family, and it can’t be divided into separate floors.”
Xue Ling couldn’t help but ask, “If we rent, will the furniture inside be included?”
“Yes.” The old lady pointed to the adjacent house and explained, “That one is also for rent. My son and daughter-in-law are busy with work, and they have a child who’s already in school. Recently, my daughter-in-law became pregnant again. My son wanted me to move to the capital to help with the grandchild. They’ll come to pick me up next month. My husband has passed away, and my son is worried about me living alone here. Keeping the house closed all year round can lead to more problems, so it’s better to rent them out and use the rent to buy some imported milk powder for my grandchild.”
Cheng Tianyuan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed upon hearing the rental price.
“It’s a bit expensive, especially since only the second floor is suitable for living.”
He had inquired earlier, and a regular small single room cost around twenty yuan a month, while a small suite would be about thirty yuan.
Xue Ling nodded in agreement and said, “It is a bit expensive. We need to think it over.”
Buying something usually involved comparing prices, let alone renting a large house. Without comparisons, how could they determine if it was a good deal?
The old lady waved her hand and said, “You can go look for other options. But I believe my houses are worth the price. If it’s just the two of you, I can give you a five yuan discount on the adjacent one, but you’ll need to pay for three months in advance. If you decide, come and pay tomorrow. If you don’t show up by then, I’ll offer it to someone else.”
With that, she closed the door.
Autumn evenings were brief, and night had already fallen outside. The houses around them had lights on.
Cheng Tianyuan glanced at the darkening sky and noticed the lights coming on in neighboring houses. He turned to Xue Ling and asked, “Are you hungry? Let’s find something to eat first.”
Xue Ling agreed and asked, “Do you have to work overtime tonight?”
“Yes.” Cheng Tianyuan led her out, holding the bicycle.
There were several small restaurants near Songming Road, and they chose a noodle shop, ordering two bowls of egg noodles.
Xue Ling opened her military green bag and took out an aluminum lunchbox.
“The lunch provided by the newspaper was quite generous, with a box of rice and a box of vegetables and meat. I couldn’t finish it all, but I didn’t want to waste it, so I brought it back. Brother Yuan, could you help me finish it?”
Cheng Tianyuan looked at the golden fried meatballs and suddenly felt hungry. He picked up one and said, “Sure… it tastes good.”
Upon hearing that, Xue Ling happily gave him all five or six fried meatballs from the lunchbox.
“If you like it, eat more! I’ll bring some for you every day!”
Cheng Tianyuan was momentarily stunned. His gaze shifted slightly, and he focused on eating.
She… Did she just say “every day”?
Most likely, she said it casually. It must be.
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