Chapter Seven: Female Police Officer Landlady

On December 4th, the weather got even colder, the snow on the ground didn't melt, and it was difficult to walk.

A week has passed since his aunt and uncle's visit, and Zhang Guodong's daily routine has been remarkably simple: home and the market, that's it. He hasn't even had time to go online. His already meager contact with classmates and friends is even less frequent; their communication is currently limited to the internet.

With a glimmer of hope for his career, Zhang Guodong's biggest need was still money. Having eight thousand yuan, he wanted eighty thousand to secure a prime location shop where he could live and work together. But opening a shop, especially in a bustling area, meant very high rents, and finding a suitable location was difficult.

The municipal government has detailed plans, and the city management won't let you set up shop anywhere; it's quite a hassle. Of course, if you're willing to invest, that's a different story. Spending tens of thousands to open a proper storefront is much more comfortable than riding a pedicab in the cold every day.

"This village is going to be demolished, sigh, I'll have to find a new house!" People have been talking about this lately.

"That's right, the village committee has announced that the village will have its water and electricity cut off before the 20th!"

When I returned from delivering vegetables that day, I overheard people on the street in the urban village talking about the village's impending demolition before the new year. I vaguely remember my parents mentioning it a few days ago; they said that the villagers' pancake shops probably wouldn't be able to stay in business, and that their businesses would be severely affected by the village's demolition.

As the news spread, it seemed to become increasingly exaggerated, and more and more people came to know.

Zhang Guodong was also dissatisfied with these developers. They were a bunch of profit-driven scoundrels, forcing everyone to move even though it was almost the end of the year and snow was falling. He knew a thing or two about the conflicts between developers and homeowners that were frequently exposed on the internet and television; it was the result of collusion among certain individuals.

The government simply encloses the land and hands it over to developers and real estate companies to operate. These people only care about money and don't care about your life or death.

"The common people can't fight against the officials," Zhang Guodong thought to himself, realizing he couldn't stay here any longer. He had lived here for three years and had developed an attachment to the place, though it was hard to define what that attachment was.

However, Zhang Guodong also understood. This village was like a shackle he had put on his own mind, keeping him closed off and distant from his classmates and friends. This move was like a sign that the shackle on his mind was about to be opened.

After all, people don't live in a world of one person.

When I got home, my parents weren't there; they must have gone to visit a fellow villager.

He put down his wallet, washed his face, and then started counting the money.

One thousand four hundred and sixteen dollars!

This is today's harvest. We didn't replant the Chinese cabbage, but the tomatoes and green peppers grew again, and the price was high, enough to make up for the loss of the Chinese cabbage.

He's earned a total of 15,000 yuan these past few days. That doesn't include the 200 yuan he gives to his mother, Ye Cuihua, every day. If this continues, Zhang Guodong will have an income of over 30,000 yuan a month, and 360,000 yuan a year.

Despite never having seen so much money before, Zhang Guodong's family's life didn't change much. Apart from their food expenses becoming normal, their clothing and housing remained the same, and the money was truly saved.

"It doesn't seem like that much!" Zhang Guodong muttered. It's not even enough to buy a house. To buy a 100-square-meter house in a good location, it would take two years, which is a bit long.

"What do you mean 'not much'?" Zhang Guodong was focused on sorting out the money from the past few days when the door opened, and his parents returned. Ye Cuihua heard her son mutter "not much" and asked in confusion.

Zhang Guodong laughed and said, "These geniuses earned a little over 10,000, which is only a little over 30,000 a month, less than 40,000, and only about 300,000 a year. Not much!"

That was a bit of an overstatement, and Ye Cuihua and Zhang Zhengrong immediately reprimanded them. For them, earning more than 10,000 yuan in just half a month was a lot of money.

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang Guodong immediately changed the subject.

"By the way, Mom, there are rumors going around that the village is going to be demolished. Should we consider moving?"

At this moment, Zhang Zhengrong took off his gloves and said, "I just talked about this with the villagers. It's been confirmed, but the specific demolition time is still uncertain. Many villagers haven't even signed the agreement yet!"

Ye Cuihua's gaze was fixed on the pile of money on the bed, counting it one bill at a time with a smile. Zhang Guodong found it amusing—his mother was the head of the household! Without even looking up, she said, "Why would they sign anything when they haven't even received the compensation from the developer? Once they sign, it's hard to get the money back. Haven't the City Express reported enough about these kinds of things?"

"Over seven thousand yuan, son, you can't just leave money lying around. Put it in the bank again!" Ye Cuihua urged immediately after counting it. It wasn't safe to leave it in the room; several thousand yuan was a large sum for the family, and she was very unhappy with her son's careless spending.

Last time, I deposited over eight thousand in the bank. This week's income is no exception.

"Yes!" Zhang Guodong replied, put the money away, took out his ICBC card, and planned to deposit the money later.

“Some people are moving these days, maybe our family should move too. I heard the houses are cheaper in Lijia Village? It’s a pity we won’t get any demolition compensation!” Ye Cuihua looked at Zhang Zhengrong. She hadn’t forgotten about this; the village was a mess, especially after rain or snow, the alleys were full of mud and sewage, the environment was terrible.

Moreover, this room is indeed too crowded right now.

Zhang Zhengrong thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Seeing that his father had agreed, Zhang Guodong said, "The sooner the better. How about we rent a room? I heard there are some cadre apartments or something, the rent is only five or six hundred a month, furnished, and the electricity bill will be around a thousand. It's comfortable to live in! There are several rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and all that!"

"Go away! Rent and other expenses alone amount to a thousand a month, that's too expensive!" Ye Cuihua raised her hand, ready to punch the boy. She was very unhappy with her son's suggestion. This kid had only a little money and he was already getting cocky. A thousand yuan! She felt a pang of pain; she couldn't bear to part with it.

Zhang Guodong shrank back and quickly went to the door to add, "To make money, you have to learn how to spend it first. Maybe my brother will bring his girlfriend over at the end of the year, and my third brother will bring his girlfriend back too. What will people think of this small town? If the conditions are better, we'll improve things. Otherwise, what will you do if your daughter-in-law runs away?"

Zhang Guodong was secretly pleased with himself after he finished speaking.

What Zhang Guodong's parents cared about most was his daughter-in-law; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to persuade him to rent a nice house. This persuasion was based on Zhang Guodong's confidence in his future.

Only when his parents' lives improved did he have the time to further develop his career.

Zhang Guodong made an excuse to go to the bank to deposit money and left, but Zhang Zhengrong and Ye Cuihua were somewhat tempted. Actually, what their son said wasn't wrong. If their future daughter-in-law came to visit, and their family's conditions were such that people would indeed think something of them. Now that their son's vegetable business was going well, he had earned more than 10,000 yuan in half a month, so it would be a lie to say that they weren't tempted.

"Let's do as our son says. We'll stay for a month or two, and if it really doesn't work out, we'll move out!" Zhang Zhengrong said, extinguishing his cigarette.

Seeing that her husband had agreed, Ye Cuihua held back from saying anything more, though a hint of worry appeared on her face. It was no wonder she felt bad that the money was being spent so quickly.

"Whatever you want!" Ye Cuihua said, dissatisfied.

Since her husband had agreed, although she was unhappy that he and her son were both extravagant spenders, she would still support his decision.

And so, the relocation was settled.

Zhang Guodong was overjoyed upon hearing this news. Every day after delivering vegetables, he would immediately go to an internet cafe to check nearby rental listings. Rooms with utilities and rent costing nearly a thousand yuan a month could only be ordinary residential houses, and even then, they were mostly secondhand, often belonging to work units or government officials.

Finally, Zhang Guodong found a rental apartment in the district telecommunications bureau's residential compound. It had three bedrooms, one living room, one bathroom, one kitchen, and a balcony.

The location was excellent, with convenient transportation and a relatively bustling area. It took Zhang Guodong a while to notice the ad; it was a bit old, over six months ago. Surprisingly, he got through on the phone. The room was still unrented, but the landlord's tone was somewhat indifferent. The landlord had moved in with his son, leaving the room vacant. However, the annual rent payment made Zhang Guodong frown. Although the rent was only 600 yuan per month, with utilities not included, it would still amount to 7,200 yuan a year, which was quite a sum.

Renting a place usually involves quarterly leases, which explains why it's been vacant for so long. The people who rent secondhand apartments are mostly working-class. Those with money are already considering buying new homes and naturally look down on secondhand apartments because they're old. But working-class people don't want to pay the full amount upfront, and even if they have some extra money, it's not something they can afford to spend all at once.

After hearing this, Zhang Guodong said he would go and take a look.

Upon arriving at the staff quarters of the district telecommunications bureau, the management here seemed quite standardized. The grounds were well-landscaped, with many trees reaching over ten meters in height, creating a pleasant environment.

After Zhang Guodong arrived at the entrance of the residential compound, he called the landlord. After a while, a luxury sports car stopped at the entrance, and a young woman got out. Zhang Guodong was surprised.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with a great figure and beautiful looks. Wearing a police uniform, she exuded a dashing and heroic air. She glanced at Zhang Guodong with a cold and disdainful look.

"You're here to look at apartments, right? Let's go, let's go up and take a look!" Lin Yue said coldly, but showed no intention of letting Zhang Guodong get in the car, and drove directly into the family compound.

Although Zhang Guodong felt uncomfortable, it was understandable that the car belonged to someone else and they didn't want him to ride in it. At the same time, he was also wondering, looking at the landlord, who seemed quite wealthy, how much was the rent for a year?

If you can't figure it out, then forget it. As long as the property certificate is complete, it's fine to pay once a year. Otherwise, Zhang Guodong is afraid he won't be able to hold back his temper every time he encounters such indifference.

Lin Yue led the way in her sports car, and the community security guards didn't dare to stop her. Zhang Guodong entered the residential compound and stopped in front of a building. Lin Yue seemed to be getting a little impatient.

"There are a few things you need to be careful about when renting a place. First, don't bring in any random people. Second, don't damage anything or the decor. Third, pay the rent annually. Fourth, abide by the rules of the community and don't disturb other residents. Fifth, never do anything illegal!" Lin Yue said without turning her head, seemingly skipping their introductions.

Zhang Guodong frowned. Was this woman frigid? She didn't even look at people when she spoke; she didn't even know basic manners?

"I'm just here to rent a place, to find somewhere to stay!" Zhang Guodong replied, dissatisfied. He had initially intended to leave, but his temper quickly flared. "I'm really going to rent this place!"

"I hope so!" Lin Yue said, frowning.

There was really nothing to talk about with this person who was sexually apathetic, so Zhang Guodong simply shut up, went upstairs, opened the door, and was stunned for a moment. The first thing he entered was the living room, which was very large. The sofa and some furniture were covered with cloth, obviously to prevent dust from getting them dirty. The decoration was very grand, and the style was simple and bright. Zhang Guodong could tell at a glance that the sofa and the like were expensive.

There is one master bedroom and two guest rooms, both of which are spacious and have beds and other amenities. The bedrooms are fully equipped, but all personal belongings have been taken away.

The bathroom also has a bathtub and a shower.

The kitchen is fully furnished with appliances, so there's nothing else to buy, and the heating is on. There are also a few ordinary potted plants on the balcony.

It's over 120 square meters!

It's safe to say that 600 a month, with utilities to be paid separately, is absolutely worth it!

Zhang Guodong then understood what the apathetic policewoman meant: this was a home, and she didn't want anyone else to touch it. With some doubt in his mind, Zhang Guodong asked, "I say, this place is nice, and you don't seem short of money, so why are you willing to rent it out?"

"Lin Yue, this house belongs to my grandfather!" Lin Yue didn't raise her hand, introduced herself, but didn't want to say anything more.

Zhang Guodong didn't want to continue like this with her. He was very satisfied with the house, and as long as there were no problems with the property certificate and other things, he wanted to get it settled as soon as possible.

Things went very smoothly. The property was registered under Lin Yue's name. After checking and finding no problems, it was re-registered with the property management office of the community. A contract was signed, and a lock company was called to change the locks on the spot. The rental was settled.

After paying a year's rent of 7,200 yuan and property management fees of over 1,000 yuan, Zhang Guodong lamented that half of the money had already been spent in no time. However, the other party just glanced at it and casually put it in the car, clearly not caring about the amount of money. Fortunately, Lin Yue eventually exchanged phone numbers with Zhang Guodong and said, "Don't make calls that have nothing to do with the house!"

Zhang Guodong grinned. Women these days are all arrogant and conceited, thinking the world revolves around them.