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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang Tao dropped a five-cent coin into the payphone and dialed the number written on the note. After several rings, an elderly but sharp-sounding woman answered, her voice slightly hoarse. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Hello, Auntie," Jiang Tao tried to make his voice sound sincere and trustworthy. "I saw the rental notice on the storefront at the alley behind the market and wanted to ask how I could rent that place."
"Oh, renting a house?" The old woman's voice carried a hint of scrutiny. "What do you do? What do you need it for?"
"Auntie, I’m an Individual Business Owner. I sell and repair electrical appliances and bicycles at the market. Business is decent, and I want to rent a storefront for a more formal operation," Jiang Tao replied honestly.
"Repairing things?" The old lady seemed hesitant. "Isn’t that going to be noisy? I must tell you, my place is right behind a residential area; we can't disturb the neighbors."
"Don't worry, Auntie. I mainly fix small appliances and clocks; it won't be too loud. I promise to close up on time in the evenings so as not to disturb anyone's rest," Jiang Tao quickly assured her.
"Hmm..." The old lady pondered for a moment. "The rent isn't cheap—thirty yuan a month, with three months' rent in advance and utilities paid separately. Not a penny less!"
"Thirty?!" Jiang Tao gasped in shock. This price was even higher than he had anticipated! He barely earned three or four hundred yuan a month working hard, and now he would have to put down one hundred twenty yuan—almost all of his savings!
"Auntie, could you possibly lower the price a bit?" Jiang Tao attempted to negotiate. "I'm just starting out, and I'm really tight on funds."
"Lower? Young man, even though my place is in an alley, it's close to the market! Many people are vying for it! Thirty yuan is already a fair price!" The old lady immediately rejected his request, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Jiang Tao realized that this old lady was tough to deal with. He quickly shifted tactics: "Auntie, how about this? I'll agree to thirty yuan for rent; I'm not stingy. But could I see the place first? If there aren't any major issues with it, I'll take it. Also, I noticed your doors and windows seem a bit old; the rolling shutter is hard to pull up. I'm in this line of work; if I rent it, I can fix those little problems for you free of charge and make sure everything runs smoothly. What do you think?"
He was trying to appeal to her interests. Older people often cherish their properties and are usually receptive to offers of free repairs.
Sure enough, there was silence on the other end for a few seconds before the old lady's tone softened slightly: "...You can fix rolling shutters?"
"Of course! Not only rolling shutters; if you have any broken electrical appliances or bicycles at home once I rent your place, I'll be available anytime for free repairs!" Jiang Tao assured her confidently.
"...Alright then, come by at three o'clock this afternoon. I'll wait for you at the door." The old lady finally relented.
Jiang Tao was overjoyed and thanked her profusely before hanging up.
At three o'clock that afternoon, Jiang Tao arrived punctually at the small storefront. An elderly woman with gray hair, small stature but full of spirit was already waiting there. She scrutinized Jiang Tao from head to toe with sharp eyes.
"Are you the young man who called?"
"Yes, Auntie, my name is Jiang Tao."
The old lady took out her keys and opened the rolling shutter—just as Jiang Tao had said, it creaked loudly and was quite difficult to lift. The shop was not large, about twenty square meters, empty and filled with dust; the walls were somewhat shabby but still allowed decent light in. The floor was cemented and relatively flat. There was also a small partition at the back that could serve as storage or a break room.
"This is the place; take a look yourself," she said with her arms crossed.
Jiang Tao examined everything carefully and used his intuition to scan the walls and basic structure, confirming there were no major issues. He pointed at the rusted parts of the rolling shutter and several windows saying, "Auntie, look at this rolling shutter and these windows—they're aging. I can oil them up and adjust their tracks to ensure they operate smoothly. Also, see this water pipe joint in the corner? It seems to be leaking a bit; I can fix that too."
The old lady looked skeptical: "Can you really fix it?"
"Just watch!" Jiang Tao said, not elaborating further. He took out a wrench, a screwdriver, and an oil can from the Tool Kit and began to work on the roller door's track and several jam points. His movements were swift and professional; in less than ten minutes, the roller door that had previously required all of one's strength to move could now be easily operated by the elderly lady herself! He also tightened the hinges of the window and wrapped the leaking pipe joint with some sealing tape.
The elderly lady tested the roller door and window, then looked at the now non-leaking pipe joint. The doubt on her face completely transformed into surprise and satisfaction. "Well done, young man! You really know your stuff! You're much better than my useless son!"
Seizing the moment, Jiang Tao continued, "Auntie, since I'm renting this house, I promise to take good care of it. About the rent... could we possibly discuss it a little?"
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