Before the Monday morning meeting, Wu Fang said to Lu Nan, “There’s a shortage of staff for the afternoon shift at the collection shop today. Manager Wang said for you to cover it, so you don’t need to come in the morning. Since you have time in the morning, can you take me to see that house you looked at yesterday?” 

Lu Nan nodded in agreement. 

Xinguang Yipin was less than one kilometer from the office building. After getting off the elevator, Lu Nan was about to hail a cab when Wu Fang said, “It’s okay, it’s so close. Don’t worry about me. We can walk slowly over. Besides, it’s good to move a bit during late pregnancy.” 

Since Wu Fang put it that way, Lu Nan naturally respected her opinion, chatting along the way, “Sister Fang, when’s your due date?” 

“In early August, during the hottest time, even during confinement, I can’t use the air conditioner. I feel like I’ll spoil by then… Oh, I’m sure you girls don’t want to hear this.” Wu Fang stopped herself. 

Lu Nan smiled, “My mom said she didn’t do well with her confinement month after giving birth to me, and now her heels get cold in winter. So it’s still very important to do the confinement month well. We should listen to traditions but also to science. When the time comes, consult with a doctor early so your elders at home will listen. You have to persist and endure then.” 

Probably because of Lu Nan’s support, Wu Fang gradually cheered up as she spoke. She casually revealed to Lu Nan, “Although General Director Xiang arranged your group purchase position in advance, Manager Wang oversees our Hailin City Office… Manager Wang, well, though he talks a lot, he’s actually not a bad person. You know what I mean, right?” 

“Hmm, I understand. Thanks for the reminder, Sister Fang!” Lu Nan made a gesture as if zipping her mouth shut. 

So, at the agreed schedule, both the prospective landlord and tenant arrived at Xinguang Yipin. 

Seeing Teacher Zhang, Wu Fang immediately recognized her as a local from the old city area by her accent, so she started chatting fluently in the local dialect. 

Teacher Zhang had a favorable impression of Lu Nan since yesterday. Now, seeing another local come to discuss the lease, they smoothly signed the rental contract and generously extended it by seven or eight days, “Let’s start the contract from July 1st. It will just cover half a year until December 31st. We can talk about renewing it in early December.” 

Using the local dialect, Wu Fang sincerely complimented Teacher Zhang a few times, and the real estate agent exaggeratedly praised Teacher Zhang’s generosity. 

After inspecting the appliances and handing over the access card and keys, Teacher Zhang and the real estate agent left first. 

Wu Fang praised Lu Nan again, “This house is really nice. If you don’t find it too difficult to clean alone, you should move in first. I heard you live quite far away.” 

Lu Nan couldn’t be more pleased and, seeing it was not yet ten o’clock, she asked, “Sister Fang, what time do I start and finish my substitute shift this afternoon?” 

“Two o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening.” 

“Okay, then I’ll move in today!” 

After exiting the gate of Xinguang Yipin, Lu Nan hailed a taxi and pulled Wu Fang into it. “Sister Fang, it’s on the way. Once we’re at the office, you can get off. It’s much hotter now than earlier; I can’t let you walk back alone.” 

Wu Fang didn’t refuse, and her satisfaction with Lu Nan increased a bit more. 

… 

Although it cost fifty or sixty yuan to take a taxi back to the rental house, it is worth the money in order to save time on moving. 

The current apartment Lu Nan was renting was finalized in the second semester of her senior year for the convenience of her internship. The lease began on New Year’s Day, signed for six months. It expires at the end of this month, and she had already informed the landlord earlier that she wouldn’t renew (she mentioned it when she was thinking of resigning at the beginning of the month). So now, on the taxi ride, she called the landlord and said she would move out a week early. The landlord had no objections, “No problem, I’ll refund your deposit in full. But you won’t get a refund for the remaining seven or eight days of rent.” 

“Hmm, that’s understandable. Landlord, can you come to collect the keys in an hour?” 

The landlord was a local resident with several nearby rental properties. Without a regular job, he dedicated his time exclusively to property management and was busy overseeing various properties daily. The time Lu Nan proposed was perfectly fine with him. 

Back at the rental house, Lu Nan was relieved that she had already sent many of her books and autumn/winter clothes back home when she received her diploma and degree certificate at the beginning of the month. Now, the only items left in the rental house were two 28-inch suitcases containing summer clothes, pillows, blankets, and other essentials, along with two “trendy” woven bags with red, white, blue, and white checkered patterns for shoes, basins, and miscellaneous items. This way, she could manage everything smoothly. 

It didn’t take an hour to clean up all these things. Lu Nan used the remaining ten minutes to sweep and mop the rental house. 

When the landlord arrived and saw the spotless room, he felt pleased. During the settlement of water and electricity bills, the water costs were minimal, totaling just over twenty yuan, while the electricity costs were higher due to the billing standards, amounting to just over a hundred yuan. He voluntarily waived off the excess and returned the deposit—exactly six hundred yuan—to Lu Nan. 

Seeing Lu Nan had quite a bit of stuff, he casually helped her carry a suitcase and a woven bag. He escorted the young girl to the community gate to make it easier for her to catch a taxi. 

“Thank you, Mr. Landlord,” Lu Nan recalled the note she had left for the landlord, smiling and waving goodbye to him. 

After becoming a fresh graduate again, she never thought she could move so efficiently. 

The scenery outside the taxi quickly faded away. Lu Nan tapped the glass and exclaimed, “Starting tomorrow, no more early mornings—awesome!” 

— 

Upon arriving at Xingguang Yipin, Lu Nan greeted the security guard and explained she was moving in. She showed her access card, and the guard issued a temporary pass to the taxi. 

At the building entrance, the driver also helped out, which Lu Nan appreciated greatly. He loaded all of Lu Nan’s belongings into the elevator. 

After settling the fare and thanking the driver, Lu Nan made sure to get a few extra receipts. 

Once on the elevator, things became simpler. Lu Nan moved all her belongings to the door in one go, then used her key to open the door and swiftly moved everything inside like a diligent ant colony. 

Glancing at the time, it was already twelve o’clock. After a morning of strenuous physical activity and feeling hungry, Lu Nan’s stomach growled loudly. 

She decided not to rush into unpacking, she grabbed her phone, wallet, and umbrella, and headed downstairs to eat a bowl of Zhenjiang pot cover noodles nearby. Considering the morning’s hard work and the joy of moving, she also ordered an extra portion of crystal braised pork. 

After finishing her meal, she stopped by a nearby convenience store to buy a broom, mop, and other cleaning supplies. Returning to her new place, she first cleaned the room she had chosen. 

It was a duplex with five rooms. 

Three rooms downstairs—the master bedroom was larger with a bay window. The children’s room and the elderly room were similar in size, each spacious enough to fit a 1.8-meter bed. The elderly room even had a small balcony. 

Upstairs, there were two rooms. One was a starry sky room with a slanted ceiling and a skylight above a mattress but there’s no bed frame. Instead, it had a small dressing room. The other is a study room with no windows and a transparent glass door. It is only about eight or nine square meters. 

Both upstairs and downstairs have bathrooms and showers. The large balcony in the living room also has a laundry sink. Even if six girls move in, there will be enough faucets for everyone to use in the morning.