Chapter 924: Chapter 536: Renting a House
Hearing it was the tenant, Mrs. Du’s sharp edge in her eyes softened slightly, and her voice also softened somewhat: "Please come inside and have a seat."
Suddenly, she threw the wet club in her hand into the wooden basin with a clatter, splashing a burst of water, and looked at her daughter with a cold face: "Take Little Treasure to the room."
The young girl said nothing and indifferently took the boy into the side room.
Zhao Douan’s gaze lingered slightly on this burgeoning young girl, frowned slightly, and then stepped into the main house.
As expected, the true decision-maker was neither Du Ruhui nor definitely the old broker.
The formidable Mrs. Du wiped her hands, strode across the threshold with an imposing demeanor, and sized up Zhao Douan with an unfriendly look and tone: "An outsider?"
Zhao Douan calmly said: "A person from Hu Ting, fleeing from disaster, went to Linfeng to seek refuge with relatives, but now can’t go there and has to find a place to settle in the city."
The accent issue was easy to resolve; he had studied it temporarily, and in Yu Country, any family with some wealth had children who spoke formal language. He had also been to Hu Ting, understood the customs and practices, and was unafraid of revealing anything.
There were many people heading north to avoid the military disaster, avoiding the rebel army. Nowadays, a large batch was in the city, unable to go north out of town and into Linfeng—Zhao Shixiong had completely sealed off the road north, and once anyone was found "smuggling," they would be lightly detained or treated as "spies."
"Where is the passport document?" Mrs. Du asked unpleasantly.
She didn’t want to rent to outsiders, but it was clear this family wasn’t affluent. Although they had two courtyards in the Prefecture, they couldn’t afford servants... this Du Ruhui seemed to be a scholar, from a scholarly family, but now "unemployed at home"... the family’s daily needs depended on the rent...
Zhao Douan quickly assessed, while the broker beside him smiled and said: "We’ve verified it before, absolutely no issues. Moreover, Mrs. Du, look at this gentleman’s demeanor, he surely comes from a well-educated family. If he becomes a tenant, he won’t cause trouble."
Mrs. Du carefully examined Zhao Douan, saw that although his appearance was ordinary, he moved with calmness, her expression relaxed slightly as she nodded and said: "It’s best not to cause trouble, as nowadays, with military chaos, city soldiers often patrol the streets, prices are skyrocketing, and inn prices rise daily. Our Du Family is an honest and kind household, if not a decent family, no amount of rent would permit it."
Though stating money was unimportant, every word was about money... it seemed they indeed needed rent to make a living, yet feared inviting troubles. It’s a common mentality among ordinary people... Zhao Douan smiled and took out a small denomination silver note from his pocket: "I understand, this is half a year’s rent."
Mrs. Du’s demeanor visibly improved; her tone became even more gentle, and her gaze towards him was much more agreeable.
Then she reservedly reiterated a few requirements, including not bringing disreputable people home and not raising animals, among other details.
Only then, under the witness of the broker, did they sign the rental contract.
With this, Zhao Douan now had a place to stay in the city.
Afterward, the broker left, and Mrs. Du personally took Zhao Douan to the fourth, much smaller courtyard next to the Du Family’s home in Red Mud Lane. The courtyard was quite elegant and clean, with bedding, brooms, bowls, and chopsticks all complete, separated from the landlord’s family by just one wall, and it was Zhao Douan’s residence.
"If you still lack anything, you can buy it at the shop on the right side of the street outside the lane. As for meals, if you can’t cook yourself, you can go to the street-side eatery next door; it’s cheaper than other places and clean," Mrs. Du said finally, then handed over the key and walked away.
Zhao Douan watched the landlord leave, smiled, went inside to put down his baggage, walked out of the room intending to go shopping, but saw that the Du Family’s budding young girl was quietly standing at the courtyard gate.
"You’ve been spotted." Du Shishi looked at him calmly and said.