Chapter 2381
Renting a House
If they keep making a scene, the three of them will at most lose a month's rent.
But Yi Zhonghai and his partner would never receive rent again.
This was something neither of them wanted.
Left with no other option, the two had to compromise.
After receiving their rent back, the three families moved out overnight.
Once again, only Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui, along with Li Yongqiang who kept an eye on them every day, remained in the courtyard.
Li Yongqiang never comes home except to sleep at night. He spends all his time in the alley, playing chess and chatting with the old men there.
If you're hungry, you can either go to a restaurant or buy some groceries and eat at someone else's house.
Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui still wanted to rent out the property. Unfortunately, after this incident, no one dared to come and rent it.
Even if someone who didn't know came to ask about the house, there was no follow-up.
After hearing the news, He Yuzhu called Xu Damao over again.
"Arrange for someone to tease Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui."
"How do you make fun of me?"
After hearing He Yuzhu's plan, Xu Damao jumped for joy.
"That's a good idea. I'll go and arrange for people to do it right away."
Two women, a man and a woman, came over from the courtyard house; they were inquiring about renting a room.
The two walked straight into courtyard number 95.
"Sir, do you rent a room here?"
Yan Bugui was sitting idly to the side when he saw the two of them and immediately stood up.
"Rent, are you looking to rent a house?"
"Yes. We work near Gulou and are thinking of renting a place nearby."
"Okay," Yan Bugui said excitedly, "What kind of house do you want to rent?"
The woman glanced around the front yard and asked, "Why are the doors of those houses boarded up?"
Yan Bugui quickly explained, "That's how it is. They no longer live in the courtyard, and they were afraid the house would get damaged, so they sealed it off."
Don't worry about them.
We have plenty of houses here.
What kind of house are you looking to rent?
"Can you show us around?" the woman asked.
Yan Bugui was the first to recommend his temporary housing: "Okay. Look at these two houses of mine."
My house was built after the earthquake, specifically to prepare for future earthquakes and ensure its sturdiness.
The woman glanced at it and frowned: "Is this all? We want one with a window."
Yan Bugui sighed helplessly, realizing he had no choice but to let Yi Zhonghai benefit from the arrangement.
"We also have rooms with windows. Please follow me."
Yan Bugui led the two men into the central courtyard and told them to wait for him there.
He went into Yi Zhonghai's room and called out to Yi Zhonghai.
Since Qin Huairu moved away, no one has been taking such good care of Yi Zhonghai.
The third auntie only cooks meals for Yi Zhonghai; she doesn't help him clean the house.
There was a nauseating smell in Yi Zhonghai's room.
Yan Bugui opened the door and choked on his breath. It took him a while to recover.
"Old Yi, someone's come to rent the house."
Yi Zhonghai was completely unaffected by the smell and sat up in bed.
"This isn't just about asking the price, is it? If it is, you can make the decision for me."
“They’re not just asking about the price; they want to see the house. They’re dressed very smartly; they look like wealthy people. Get up quickly,” Yan Bugui urged.
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly looked for his shoes.
He's a bit sullen right now.
The more He Yuzhu tried to stop him from renting a house, the more determined he became to find a tenant.
Yi Zhonghai led a few people to see the house that the group had previously rented.
After the three families moved out, Yi Zhonghai and his two companions didn't clean up, and the house became somewhat messy.
The woman wasn't satisfied, so she picked an empty house: "This one will do. How much is the rent?"
Yan Bugui offered a high price, which the woman found too expensive, and they bargained for a while. "This is the price, I can't go any lower."
Seeing Yan Bugui's insistence, the woman gave up: "It's fine if you don't lower the price. But you must clean it for us and provide a bed and furniture."
Yi Zhonghai didn't want to do it: "The bed and furniture can be moved from those two rooms."
As for the cleanliness, you'll have to take care of it yourselves.
The woman said discontentedly, "Then forget it, we won't rent it. The rent is so high, and they don't even clean it. What's the point of us going through all that trouble?"
If it weren't for the fact that there are so few people in your courtyard, I wouldn't have bothered coming.
"Darling, let's go."
Yan Bugui was reluctant to let the two go: "Don't go. Let's talk about it some more."
Don't worry, we'll make sure it's cleaned thoroughly.
Then he advised Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi, it's just cleaning the house, isn't it?"
I'll call my wife over in a bit, and we'll clean up together. We'll finish quickly.
We finally have a tenant; we can't let this opportunity slip away.
Faced with the reality of a lack of funds, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to compromise and agree.
"alright."
The woman said, "Then it's settled. We'll go back and pack our things. We'll move in the day after tomorrow, and we'll pay you the rent then."
Yi Zhonghai and his companion never expected that someone would play a trick on them, so they agreed.
After the two left, the three old men started cleaning.
By the time we finished cleaning, it was already dark.
The three women went back to cooking.
During the meal, Yi Zhonghai said, "They won't be like the previous three people, staying for a few days and then making a fuss about moving out, will they?"
Yan Bugui, with a shrewd look on his face, smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already thought of that."
If we move out before the contract is signed, we will have to compensate them with one week's rent.
They'll only stay one day and then move out, so they'll have to pay us eight days' rent. It's a good deal.
Yi Zhonghai didn't find any problems, so he didn't say anything more.
The two were moving the bed the next day.
The three women walked in with three other people.
These three people were a middle-aged couple with an elderly person, who looked unwell.
They weren't well-dressed; they were obviously from out of town.
"Old Yi, Old Yan, here to rent a house again."
"What are you doing here?" Yi Zhonghai sized up the three people.
The three older women had already asked and helped explain: "They came from Henan to Beijing for medical treatment."
The man said, "Sir, my mother is not well, so I brought her to Beijing for medical treatment."
I'm worried I'll need to be hospitalized, so I'm thinking of renting a place nearby.
Yi Zhonghai's greatest love in life is filial piety. He was deeply moved when he heard that the man had brought his mother from afar to see him for treatment.
"No problem. Which house do you like? I can rent it to you at a lower price."
The man also asked his mother.
The old lady looked around and pointed to a house in a less-than-ideal location.
"This is fine. You two don't earn money easily selling grain. Every little bit helps."
"Mom, you don't need to save money for me."
Yi Zhonghai quickly said, "Sister-in-law, please don't say that. It's a good thing that the child is filial. If you ask me, this is the room you want. I'll give you a discount."
This room was originally the one where the three people lived.
The old lady was not satisfied and said, "I don't want this room, I'll take the one on the west side. I can see the sun when I wake up in the morning."
“Okay.” Yi Zhonghai had no objections and even offered a discounted price.
Yan Bugui didn't even have time to stop them.
The man said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sir, I'm not sure yet how long I'll be staying."
I'm thinking of going to the hospital first. I'll stay there for as long as the doctor says it will take to treat me. What do you think?
“Okay.” Yi Zhonghai agreed readily.
The man gripped Yi Zhonghai's hand, practically kneeling before him: "There are still so many good people in the world. I've met so many kind people since I brought my mother out here." (End of Chapter)