Chapter 43: Renting a House

“You’re really living it up, huh? Always eating out every couple of days. No matter when I come here, I run into you,” Wu Wei said teasingly, walking up and giving Bai Kaixuan a pat on the shoulder.

“Nah, it’s just having a meal with my girlfriend,” Bai Kaixuan scratched his head awkwardly.

Hearing this, Wu Wei glanced at the girl behind him. Jia Baimei responded with a gentle smile and nodded politely toward Wu Wei and the others.

“Looks like it’s getting serious, huh? Don’t forget to invite us when the time comes so we can have a drink together.”

“Of course! It would be my honor if Director Wu and Director Zheng could attend,” Bai Kaixuan said flatteringly.

“Why don’t you all join us for lunch?” he asked tentatively.

Wu Wei glanced at Nan Zhou, and Lao Zheng also looked in Nan Zhou’s direction.

Seeing this, Bai Kaixuan quickly realized who the host of today’s gathering was. Judging by the timing, they were probably here for some business. Not wanting to impose, he added quickly, “If it’s not convenient, we can do it another day. I’ll treat next time—just let me know.”

“It’s fine. Let’s eat together. Director Bai is from the steel factory too. Later on, Qiao Qiao will need his support,” Nan Zhou said.

“Of course. Nan Qiao is like our little sister, one of our own—of course I’ll take care of her. But… isn’t she stationed at the Hongqi Commune? Why’s she coming to the steel factory?” Bai Kaixuan asked curiously.

“Let’s head in first. We’ll talk while we eat,” Nan Zhou said to the group.

They went into the state-run restaurant and found a round table to sit at. After placing several orders, Nan Zhou sat down at the table.

“Thanks again to all of you for today,” Nan Zhou said to everyone.

“No need for that. We’re all like family—no need for thanks,” Wu Wei waved it off.

“That’s right. I should be the one thanking Nan Qiao. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even be sitting here eating lunch right now,” Lao Zheng said with a smile, his eyes crinkling.

“Wait, can someone tell me what exactly happened?” Bai Kaixuan finally couldn’t hold back his confusion.

“Oh, it’s about that upcoming foreign investor visit at your factory,” Lao Zheng said bluntly.

“And what does that have to do with Nan Qiao?” Bai Kaixuan asked, still puzzled.

“We didn’t have a translator. It’s always been a pain to borrow someone from Qing City. Turns out Nan Qiao knows English, so we’re working on transferring her from the village,” Wu Wei explained, noticing Bai Kaixuan’s anxious look.

“Oh, that’s great news!” Bai Kaixuan slapped the table excitedly. “Nan Qiao will have a much easier time working in town.”

“I’ve got to tell my uncle right away… oh, by the way, Nan Qiao, where are you going to live in town? Why not stay at my uncle’s place?”

Speaking of living arrangements, Nan Zhou suddenly realized it hadn’t been settled either. He looked toward Nan Qiao, weighing the feasibility of her staying at Director Bai’s house.

“No need, Director Bai’s place is a bit far from the compound. I’ll look for a small courtyard nearby to rent—something close,” Nan Qiao declined.

Living alone would be more relaxing. She could cook and do whatever she wanted without bothering anyone. It was much more convenient.

“Then… how about you stay in my courtyard?” Bai Kaixuan offered. But as soon as he said it, everyone’s gaze turned toward him, and their expressions weren’t exactly pleasant.

Realizing the implications of what he’d just said, Bai Kaixuan quickly explained, “No, no, don’t get me wrong. That courtyard belonged to my grandparents. They moved back to the countryside and left it to me. It’s been empty ever since. I’m living with my parents now—I don’t use that house.”

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief and turn their attention elsewhere.

“Wouldn’t that be inconvenient? You’re getting married soon—aren’t you planning to move out on your own?” Nan Qiao asked hesitantly.

“No worries. Baimei and I already decided—we’ll live with my parents after marriage. They’re not in great health, and it’s easier to take care of them,” Bai Kaixuan replied, looking at Jia Baimei as he spoke.

Jia Baimei smiled and nodded. “That’s right, Qiao Qiao. You’ll feel more at ease staying in a house that belongs to someone you know.”

“I think that works too. Where is your courtyard exactly?” Wu Wei asked.

“It’s just a street over from the compound. If you’re free after lunch, I can show you. It’s been empty for a while, though, so it’s a bit dirty and needs some cleaning.”

“Sounds good. Let’s check it out later. But whether I rent it or not still depends on Secretary Qian’s final decision,” Nan Qiao said. After all, it would be awkward to rent a place only for the transfer to fall through.

“Sure, let’s take a look after we eat,” Bai Kaixuan agreed.

After lunch, the group exited the state-run restaurant.

“Squad Leader, we’ve got things to do this afternoon, so we won’t join you for the house viewing. But come over for drinks tonight, alright? Can’t have alcohol at lunch anyway,” Wu Wei said to Nan Zhou.

“Sure. I’ll take Qiao Qiao shopping and drop her off, then come find you,” Nan Zhou replied.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting,” Wu Wei said, then called Lao Zheng to head back to the compound.

As they left, Lao Zheng turned around and shouted, “Nan Qiao, Secretary Qian and I will talk to your village chief tomorrow. We’ll come by to pick you up—just wait for us!”

He was being pulled away by Wu Wei but still looked back anxiously to reassure her.

“Got it! I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow,” Nan Qiao replied.

After seeing Wu Wei and Lao Zheng off, Nan Qiao turned to Bai Kaixuan and Jia Baimei. “Let’s go.”

“Sure, I’ll lead the way,” Bai Kaixuan said, hopping on his bike and riding alongside Jia Baimei ahead of the others.

Nan Zhou walked behind them with Nan Qiao.

In less than ten minutes, they arrived at the courtyard Bai Kaixuan had mentioned.

He opened the gate, and Nan Qiao peeked inside. Though it had been empty for a while, it wasn’t nearly as messy as Bai Kaixuan had described.

Inside the courtyard was a locust tree with a swing beneath it. The two-story house had a charming atmosphere. The environment was genuinely quite nice, but the size of the courtyard surprised Nan Qiao.

She had thought it would be a small two-room house, but it turned out to be much bigger—with four bedrooms across both floors and open spaces for the living and dining areas on the ground floor.

“This… might be a bit much for just me to live in alone…”

“It’s not too big at all. The second floor is just for storage anyway—you wouldn’t be using it. The rooms on the first floor are all yours,” Bai Kaixuan said as he unlocked two doors downstairs.

“These two rooms—one was my grandparents’ bedroom, and the one near the locust tree was a study. The kitchen’s that little room near the entrance, and the dining and guest areas are all open,” he continued.

Bai Kaixuan moved about, pointing things out as he spoke.

“Oh, and that little room next to the kitchen is the bath. The one next to that is the toilet. My grandparents had a hard time walking to the outhouse, so they built an indoor one. There’s a well and faucet for water—use whatever’s convenient for you.”

After the full tour, Nan Qiao looked quite satisfied. “This little courtyard of yours is really nice!”

Nan Zhou nodded in agreement. The place really was excellent.

“Exactly. Back then, they went through a lot of trouble to make this place comfortable for my grandparents. It took pulling a lot of strings to get it to what it is now.”

“Then why don’t your grandparents live here anymore?” Nan Qiao asked curiously.

“They wanted to return to their roots. As people get older, they like staying in their old home. They felt more at ease in the village, where they have people to chat with. No matter how we tried to convince them, they insisted on going back.”

“I see… So how much are you planning to rent this place for?” Nan Qiao looked around again. She really liked this little courtyard—if she could move in, it would be amazing.

“Rent? What rent? Just stay here peacefully,” Bai Kaixuan waved her off. Given her relationship with his uncle, there was no way he could accept money.

“That won’t do. If you don’t accept rent, I won’t stay here,” Nan Qiao refused.

“Comrade Bai, you should still charge something. Otherwise, Nan Qiao wouldn’t feel right living here,” Nan Zhou also disagreed with her staying rent-free.

Bai Kaixuan fell silent, clearly reluctant to take money.

“How about this—eight yuan a month. That sound fair? Just a small amount. We’re all close, but you really don’t want her going out to rent from strangers for more, do you?” Nan Zhou reasoned.

Bai Kaixuan hesitated for a moment. He knew that made sense, but he still didn’t want to take money. After a pause, he finally said, “Alright, eight yuan a month it is. What do you think, Nan Qiao?”

“Let’s make it ten. A round number. I’d be getting the better end of the deal anyway,” Nan Qiao responded. If this courtyard were rented out normally, ten or even more yuan would be reasonable—ten yuan was definitely a bargain.

“Alright then, you don’t need to do the cleaning. I’ll get someone to tidy it up in the next few days. When it’s ready, just move in with your stuff,” Bai Kaixuan said firmly, in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Great, then it’s settled. I think Secretary Qian’s side should be about done too. What do you think, big brother?”

“Let’s lock it in. Looks like the steel factory will be relying on you for quite a bit in the coming days,” Nan Zhou said, pulling out five ten-yuan bills from his pocket.

“Comrade Bai, here’s fifty yuan in advance. There are still over four months left this year. I’ll send the rest before the year ends,” Nan Zhou said as he handed the money to Bai Kaixuan.

Bai Kaixuan reluctantly took the cash, as if it burned his hands, and stuffed it into his pocket with great distaste.

“Ge, you don’t have to send me money. I’ve got enough myself, and I’ll be getting a salary soon too,” Nan Qiao quickly declined. She still had thousands stashed away in her personal space—she was practically a little rich lady.

“Just take it. Having money in your hands puts the family at ease.”

“Alright, I got it~” Nan Qiao clung to her brother’s arm and acted cutesy.

After chatting for a bit, Nan Zhou and Nan Qiao prepared to head back to the village.

“Comrade Bai, Comrade Jia, we’ll be heading off now,” Nan Zhou said.

“Alright, just come find me at the steel factory next time you’re in town to get the key. I’ll have someone clean the place up,” Bai Kaixuan replied.

“Okay, thanks for the trouble,” Nan Qiao said politely.

“No trouble at all. If my uncle finds out I took money from you, I don’t even want to think about what he’ll do to me,” Bai Kaixuan said gloomily. The fifty yuan in his pocket felt scorching.

“No worries. Just tell Uncle Bai I refused to stay unless you accepted rent—he won’t blame you.”

“Ugh…” Bai Kaixuan let out a long sigh.

Nan Zhou brought Nan Qiao back to the village. After dropping her off, he planned to wash up before heading back to town.

Nan Qiao, on the other hand, rummaged through her things for a while and pulled out two bottles of Moutai to give to Nan Zhou. “Ge, you and the others can drink this tonight.”

Nan Zhou looked up and raised an eyebrow at the bottles in her hand. “Where did you get this?”

“I bought them last time I was in town. The supply and marketing cooperative was doing a promo. I figured I’d pick some up just in case,” Nan Qiao lowered her gaze guiltily as she replied.

The truth was… she had brought the bottles from her modern home. If Nan Zhou hadn’t mentioned drinking tonight, she might’ve forgotten all about them.

Moutai was cheap in this era—she should really stock up while she could.

Nan Zhou didn’t suspect anything and just said, “You keep them. I’ll just buy a few bottles in town later.”

“No need. You take them—I don’t drink anyway. If I need more, I’ll just go buy some. Besides, you haven’t seen Brother Wu Wei in ages. You’ve gotta drink something good.” As she spoke, she set the bottles on the table and went to fetch a basin of water to wash her face.

“Alright then, I’ll take them,” Nan Zhou said, seeing that his sister had already walked off and left the bottles behind.

“But… Ge, are you coming back tonight?”

“Probably not. If we drink late, I don’t want to disturb your rest. Wu Wei isn’t married yet—I’ll just stay at his place.”

“Okay, just don’t drink too much,” Nan Qiao nodded.

“Don’t worry. Oh, and we should return the bicycle to its owner. I’ll take yours into town.”

“It’s fine—just take mine. It’s a woman’s bike, though, so it might feel awkward. I’ll talk to Aunt Xiumei about the other one later.”

“Alright.”

After washing up, Nan Zhou took the two bottles of liquor into town, bought some side dishes, and then headed to the compound to find Wu Wei and return with him to his place.

Once the food and drinks were laid out, Wu Wei’s eyes widened at the sight of the Moutai.

“Damn, Squad Leader, you really went all out,” he said. Even though he was a department head with a decent salary, he rarely drank this liquor—partly because of the cost and partly because it was a special supply item and hard to get.

“These were from Qiao Qiao. She said she bought them last time she was in town.”

“Having a little sister like that is such a blessing,” Wu Wei said enviously.

“She really is a blessing… and a worry,” Nan Zhou replied with concern.

“Honestly, with your sister’s looks and qualities, what kind of brother-in-law would it take to make you happy?” Wu Wei asked nosily.

Nan Zhou sighed and downed his glass before replying.

“Not gonna lie—it’s hard to even think about it. Just imagining some guy becoming my sister’s man makes me want to chop him up. Deep down, I don’t think anyone’s good enough for her.” Normally reserved and quiet, the alcohol had loosened Nan Zhou’s tongue.

“What about introducing her to someone from your unit—someone you know well?” Wu Wei asked.

Nan Zhou shook his head. “No. The men in the military are good, but… you know how this job is. It’s just not suitable…”

Wu Wei fell silent. That was true—soldiers were constantly in danger, living in storms of bullets and uncertainty. Who knew if they’d even make it back the next day?