Chapter 15: She Excels at Pretending

After work, Tao Yu washed away the lingering smell of the canteen and walked with Li Juan to the courtyard opposite.

As they got closer, a guard in uniform turned around and raised his hand, signaling them to stop. He saluted and said.
“Hello, comrades. Please present your identification.”

Tao Yu politely handed over their IDs. After a thorough check, the guard returned them, and she explained their purpose.
“Comrade, we’re here to see Uncle Yu from the Song family.”

The guard thought for a moment and then said,
“Please wait here.”

He quickly went to the gatehouse, spoke to the guard inside, and made a phone call. When he came back, he said.”Comrades, please wait at the gate. Someone will be out shortly.”

Tao Yu thanked them, and Li Juan took out some bright red apples she had brought from home, offering one to each of the guards.

The guards, under their rules, politely turned them down at first. But Li Juan, being used to selling things at the market, didn’t give up. She insisted, and soon, all six guards were holding an apple.

Li Juan handed one to Tao Yu too.
“Yu’er, have one. I cleaned them before bringing them.”

Tao Yu took the apple but didn’t eat it, just holding it in her hand.

While waiting, Li Juan ran into an old acquaintance from her vegetable-selling days and struck up a lively conversation.

Tao Yu, standing quietly by the gate, kept her distance.

The older woman couldn’t help but steal glances at Tao Yu, repeatedly praising her beauty, calling her “as lovely as a little fairy.”

Li Juan was absolutely delighted, her face splitting into a wide grin. She even gave away two more apples in her joy.

Tao Yu, dressed in a soft pink-and-white short-sleeved blouse with a doll collar and a white fitted skirt Li Juan had recently made for her, stood quietly by. On her feet were the latest black leather shoes Li Juan had bought at the foreign goods store.

Her outfit, clean and elegant, with its tailored fit, accentuated her fair and slender arms, which seemed to glow under the soft summer sunlight.

Just by standing there, she drew attention from everyone passing by, including the guards at the gate, who couldn’t help but sneak a few glances in her direction.

The early summer breeze was gentle and pleasant.

Before long, a sleek black sedan pulled up in front of Tao Yu.

This time, the car came to a smooth stop—unlike the screeching halts from before.

The window rolled down, revealing none other than Xiao Zhang, who enthusiastically leaned out and greeted her.
“Comrade Tao, are you here to look at the house?”

Tao Yu nodded, her delicate eyes glancing past Xiao Zhang.

Holding the vibrant red apple in her hands, she smiled faintly, her gaze landing instead on the man in the back seat.

“Yes, I’m here to see the house,” she said softly, her voice light and calm.

It was impossible to tell whether her words were meant for Xiao Zhang or for the man behind him.

In the back seat, Song Hecheng finally turned his head to look at Tao Yu.

At the moment he glanced at Tao Yu,

The evening breeze gently lifted Tao Yu’s still half-damp long hair after washing,

Revealing her fair neck and cheeks in large swaths.

But it was just a fleeting glance.

Song Hecheng gave a slight nod to Tao Yu and Li Juan, then resumed looking straight ahead.

Li Juan, however, was even more enthusiastic upon seeing Xiao Zhang than she had been earlier.

She immediately handed him the last big apple she was holding and thanked him repeatedly.

Xiao Zhang, always talkative, immediately struck up a conversation with Li Juan and chatted for a few moments. He even introduced their boss, Mr. Song.

Li Juan, feeling nervous, nodded quickly and greeted Song Hecheng in the back seat, clearly flustered.

After all, this was her daughter’s factory director!

Song Hecheng remained calm as usual, nodding back in acknowledgment.

Sensing it was about time, and with his boss sitting behind him, Xiao Zhang dared not linger.

He waved goodbye to Tao Yu and Li Juan, then drove off slowly, entering the compound.

After parking the car and seeing Mr. Song disembark, Xiao Zhang said, “Take care, Mr. Song,”

And, without delay, eagerly took a bite out of the big apple.

With a crisp “crunch,” the sound of Xiao Zhang biting into the apple made Song Hecheng pause mid-step as he got out of the car.

His gaze shifted back to the car interior, lingering for a moment.

Was it his imagination? The faint fragrance seemed to linger in the car.

Song Hecheng stepped out, walking steadily toward his home.

Perhaps it was the floral scent carried in by the breeze earlier…

After Xiao Zhang and the others went inside, Tao Yu and Li Juan waited for a short while before an elderly man jogged out, slightly out of breath.

“Comrades, were you introduced by Xiao Zhang to see the house? I’m Yu Bo, the one he mentioned.”

Li Juan explained that they were indeed looking to rent the house near the alley.

Hearing this, Yu Bo confirmed they had found the right person.

He led them toward the alley while apologizing,

“Alright, let’s go check the house now. My apologies—I was outside trimming tree branches earlier and missed the call from the yard.”

“When Xiao Zhang returned and told me, I realized you were waiting at the door.”

Li Juan quickly waved it off, saying it wasn’t a problem and they were the ones troubling him to make the trip.

Tao Yu, however, remained silent, quietly following behind.

She wasn’t paying much attention to Yu Bo’s words, lost instead in thought about the moment Song Hecheng had looked at her.

A subtle, mischievous delight crept into Tao Yu’s usually calm expression.

It seemed the breeze had arrived just at the right moment.

After all, she had always known what appearance of hers looked the most beautiful…

The house by the alley wasn’t far—just a few steps away.

Yu Bo took out an old brass key and smoothly unlocked the antique brass padlock on the door.

When the door opened, the view inside was unexpectedly spacious.

Tao Yu stepped into the house, looking around.

The place wasn’t very dusty, nor was there a musty smell, suggesting it had been cleaned recently.

Yu Bo showed Li Juan and Tao Yu around the house, explaining the layout as they toured.

It was an old house with a front hall, rear wing rooms, and a large and small courtyard.

Upon entering the main gate, there was a small courtyard first,

Followed by a spacious hall at the front.

Beyond the hall was the main courtyard, which even had a well.

Tao Yu noticed that the well was covered, and the water appeared clean.

Yu Bo assured them that the well’s pulley and rope had been replaced recently and were still in good condition.

Further back, the house had two decent-sized wing rooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.

When Tao Yu stood in the courtyard, running her hand over the weathered blue bricks on the wall,

Yu Bo smiled and said,

“This little house dates back to the previous dynasty. It’s a small family inheritance from the Song family.”

“Though it doesn’t have east or west wing rooms and isn’t very big, it’s well-maintained and clean.”

“In the past, we used it to store Hecheng’s machine parts.”

“Now that everything’s been moved to the factory, it’s empty. We still have it cleaned regularly, so it’s ready to be lived in.”

Li Juan, after seeing the house, couldn’t be more satisfied.

She eagerly inquired about the rent.

Rent?

The Song family hadn’t rented out this house before, so Yu Bo was a bit unsure.

Then he remembered Xiao Zhang’s earlier whispers and his question to Hecheng about the rent.

What had Hecheng said?

“Set any rent you see fit, Yu Bo. It’s good to rent it out to factory employees while it’s unused.”

That was all Hecheng had said.

Unused and rented to factory employees…

Yes, Xiao Zhang had mentioned that Comrade Tao worked at the factory, so the rent shouldn’t be too high.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Bo tentatively suggested to Li Juan,

“I heard from Xiao Zhang that Comrade Tao works at the factory. How about 15 yuan per month, no deposit. Does that work?”

Li Juan was shocked. Fifteen yuan?

A house this big for just 15 yuan a month!

They were getting an incredible deal!

She had checked rents around the area before—a single 10-square-meter room cost 3 yuan per month.

This house, easily over 200 square meters, should cost at least 60 yuan a month!

Fifteen yuan felt almost too good to be true.