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墨書 Inktalez
Ancient Sorcerer's eyes lit up as he approached the young woman in front of him, who appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Her black hair was casually tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and she had an oval face with large, watery eyes beneath elegantly arched eyebrows. Her nose was high and delicate, resembling a suspended lantern, and her small cherry-like mouth added to her charm. Despite her petite stature, her figure was undeniably graceful. She wore a simple dress that revealed a neck as smooth as jade, complemented by a rounded bust and a slender waist. Such a woman would catch any man's eye.
"Hello, my name is Ancient Sorcerer. I would like to see the house."
"My name is Zhou Yake. Are you interested in renting this place?"
Ancient Sorcerer found it strange; her tone seemed off. Hadn't he already stated his intention to rent the place? Why was Zhou Yake asking him that?
He had to clarify his intentions once more: "Yes, Miss Zhou."
"Well... there's something I need to make clear first. This area is part of Urban Renewal, so I can't guarantee how long you can rent it. Also, there are people who come here... causing trouble..."
Ancient Sorcerer paused for a moment before laughing and replied, "Ah, Miss Zhou, I understand. Don't worry; I'm not someone who is easily scared."
He hadn't expected Zhou Yake to mention this issue. Typically, landlords would avoid disclosing the true conditions of their properties to secure tenants, especially regarding troublesome visitors. The fact that Zhou Yake brought it up indicated she was an honest person. As for trouble? Ancient Sorcerer truly didn't care; in his view, he was the one who caused trouble for others, not the other way around.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yake finally nodded and said, "Alright then, come in and take a look at the house. I'll give you a discount on the rent."
She hadn't expected Ancient Sorcerer to still want to rent her place. Many others had come before but left immediately upon hearing about potential disturbances.
As soon as he stepped inside, Ancient Sorcerer noticed that the small yard was filled with various flowers, many of which were already blooming and exuding a delightful fragrance. It was exceptionally tidy, indicating that Zhou Yake must be someone who valued cleanliness. This attention to detail further solidified his decision to rent here.
Before he could step further inside, a little girl suddenly dashed out from the room. Upon seeing Ancient Sorcerer, she ran over excitedly and exclaimed, "Uncle! Are you here to rent our house? You have to rent our house! It's big and the rent is cheap! My mom and I are home all day; it's very safe!"
Ancient Sorcerer laughed upon hearing this, squatting down and saying, "Great, Uncle really likes your house and will definitely rent it."
"That's wonderful! Mom won't have to worry about my tuition anymore."
The little girl clapped her hands and jumped up, her face full of smiles, clearly very happy.
Ancient Sorcerer did not expect such a situation. He glanced at Zhou Yake, recalling what she had said earlier about the possibility of someone causing trouble with the house. He couldn't help but admire this seemingly fragile woman even more.
Although Zhou Yake's clothes were neat, both the fabric and style were quite old-fashioned, with patches in inconspicuous places. It was evident that life must be quite difficult for her. In contrast, the little girl wore the newest clothes, indicating that all the good things were given to her daughter.
Zhou Yake felt her face flush; she hadn't expected her daughter to mention this.
"Well... my health isn't very good..."
Speaking of this matter, Zhou Yake's expression darkened. Five years ago, shortly after her daughter Lai Chen was born, her husband passed away. Gradually, her health deteriorated to the point where she could no longer work outside and could only do some embroidery at home. The two-story house left by her husband was supposed to provide a living through rental income.
However, once it was announced that her house was within the scope of urban redevelopment, trouble began. Some people saw that she was a widow with an orphan and wanted to buy her house at a very low price. This house was left by her husband for their daughter; Zhou Yake was unwilling to sell it. Even if she sold it, she wanted a good price since it would be her daughter's dowry in the future.
When these people saw that she refused, they resorted to various ways to harass her, such as intimidating those who wanted to rent from her, aiming to cut off her source of income and force her to sell the house.
It must be said that such bloodless methods were indeed effective; the house had been vacant for over a year. As her daughter grew older and expenses for kindergarten increased significantly, Zhou Yake was starting to feel overwhelmed.
Her daughter must have noticed this situation as well; that's why she spoke up when someone came to rent the house.
Zhou Yake did not blame her daughter; what saddened her was that she felt like a failure as a mother.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about the body. If it's not a serious illness, with some time and care, it should get better. I want to go see the room."
It is indeed something that cannot be forced. The Ancient Sorcerer had a good impression of Zhou Yake and Lai Chen. He planned to check out the room, and if there were no major issues, he would rent it.
"Chenchen, you play in the yard. I'll take Uncle Luo up to see the room."
"Okay, Mom. Don't worry, Chenchen is very well-behaved. I'll just stay in the yard and won't go out."
A smile appeared on the Ancient Sorcerer's face; Lai Chen was definitely a very understanding little girl. He followed Zhou Yake inside and went up to the second floor.
"Our house is a bit old; it has some years on it, but it's still quite clean. The second floor has a layout of three bedrooms and two living rooms. Mr. Luo, you can rent one room or the whole place. If you rent just one room, there might be other people living here as well."
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yake smiled wryly and said, "The possibility of that happening isn't too great."
The Old Town District is located in the center of Guanghai City, so there's no worry about renting it out due to its prime location. However, because of some troublemakers, it has become difficult to rent out. Zhou Yake was a vulnerable woman and had no way to deal with this situation. Those troublemakers would see that she rented out the house and would send thugs to loiter in front of her property or even intimidate potential renters. Call the police? Those people already had intricate connections, and besides, they were lurking not far from her house—what would happen when the police arrived? They couldn't just stop people from loitering at a distance.
After surveying the house, the Ancient Sorcerer was quite satisfied; indeed, as Zhou Yake had said, the rooms were a bit old but clean.
"I'll rent the whole place then. How much is the rent per month?"
"Um... 600 yuan. No, 500 will do."
"Ah?"
Zhou Yake immediately became anxious upon hearing this and said, "400; how about 300?"
For some reason, a surge of anger suddenly welled up inside Ancient Sorcerer. This anger was not directed at Zhou Yake, but rather at those thugs who had forced Zhou Yake into this situation.
Guanghai City is a modern metropolis where rent has always been extremely high. Not to mention the Old Town District located in the city center, even houses on the outskirts of the city cost over 500 a month for just one room. Zhou Yake had an entire apartment—three bedrooms and two living rooms—renting for 3000 would be no problem. Now, however, she was willing to accept only 300, which shows how desperate her situation had become.
"I'll take the apartment, but I will pay 3000 a month for rent."
Upon hearing Ancient Sorcerer say he was willing to rent the apartment, Zhou Yake immediately showed a look of joy. However, when she heard him say he would pay 3000 per person, she quickly shook her head and said, "That won't do; I already said it was 300..."
Waving his hand, Ancient Sorcerer interrupted Zhou Yake, saying, "This rent is not the market price. I understand why you are asking for this amount. Besides, I have a few other requests if I pay this rent. I usually spend little time at home and am single, so I may need your help with cleaning. Also, sometimes I might need you to take some clothes to the dry cleaners; I won’t pay you extra for these services."
Zhou Yake felt a pang of jealousy; she understood that these so-called "extra" services were merely Ancient Sorcerer's way of comforting himself or justifying accepting the 3000 rent.
"I still don't think it's appropriate..."
"If I say it’s acceptable, then it is. To be honest, I'm not short on money right now; I just want to find a place I like to live in, and I think yours is quite nice. If there are no issues, I'd like to sign a simple contract and pay you two months' deposit..."
Before Ancient Sorcerer could finish his sentence, they suddenly heard Lai Chen screaming from outside: "You jerk! What are you doing? Let go of me! Let go of me!"
Zhou Yake's expression changed instantly; she couldn't continue talking to Ancient Sorcerer and rushed out immediately.
Ancient Sorcerer frowned and quickly followed her outside.
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