Chapter 1939 - The Tenant

In the past, Feng Nuo's work was relatively leisurely, and he'd do some housework when at home. However, recently, he couldn't manage it anymore. Home hygiene was degrading steadily—yet he had quite a few components and professional books at home, so he wasn't at ease hiring cleaners from the Service Agency.

Relying solely on Feng Shan's rushed tidying every morning, the home hygiene situation could be imagined. Feng Nuo was already dissatisfied when he went home today. Added to not having lunch, he was inwardly angry when he returned to the Computing Center and saw Feng Shan bringing a boxed meal.

Of course, he, Feng Nuo, prided himself on being an activist for women's equal rights, and cultivating Feng Shan into a "top student" was also facilitated by him personally. Now that "Lady Murasaki" was accomplished in her studies and busy with her career, he naturally couldn't openly drag her back—otherwise, he'd be schizophrenic. So he just "reminded" her very politely.

But the displeasure in his tone was obvious. Feng Shan also realized his dissatisfaction. She lowered her head and said:

"Yes, I'll clean up when I go back tonight."

Feng Nuo vented and calmed down. He started eating the boxed meal Feng Shan brought.

Dual-income couples really can't afford this. Should I buy another Living Secretary? Feng Nuo thought to himself.

Qian Yuzhi stared blankly in the direction Feng Shan went upstairs.

So she really is... There had long been rumors in the Vocational School that Teacher Xiao Feng was actually a certain Chief's "Living Secretary." This was originally unbelievable because Feng Shan had always studied and worked at Fangcaodi, never wore the "maid uniform," and no one had ever seen her having an intimate relationship with any Senator—Feng Nuo's nature of work and otaku attributes, Feng Shan's own heavy studies and work, and of course the factor of the "Hikaru Genji" label back then, all determined that they rarely went out on dates to show off.

However, the facts were before his eyes. Qian Yuzhi certainly wouldn't mistake the "maid uniform." From the initial maid outfit to the latest style suit, every version of the "maid uniform" was an important topic for dormitory night talks at the Vocational School. He, Qian Yuzhi, betting his reputation as the No. 1 expert on maid uniforms in the vocational school, definitely wouldn't have seen wrong.

This discovery made him somewhat distracted all afternoon. Teacher Xiao Feng's silhouette wearing the maid uniform was like a speck of dust firmly stuck to his eyelids; it would emerge as soon as he closed his eyes. He managed to endure until dinner time, and because he was constantly zoning out, slowing down the work progress of the entire team in the afternoon, he was scolded by the section leader and told "no need to come for the night shift, roll back and reflect." Only then did he recover slightly.

Qian Yuzhi ate a half-full meal tastelessly in the canteen, bought two sweet potato flour cakes for tomorrow's breakfast, and walked out of Bairen City toward East Gate Market.

He was a local. His mother died early, and his father was a sailor in the Coast Guard. Three years ago, he was transferred to the Hong Kong base for garrison duty. Once, he went on a sea patrol mission and never came back. There was no body, not even ashes, leaving only him and his sister, two years younger, to depend on each other.

Benefiting from the Senate's preferential treatment policy, he and his sister entered the National School to study free of charge as "relatives of martyrs." Even his name was changed to the refined "Yuzhi."

After finishing two years of junior primary school, Qian Yuzhi's grades were average, and he was getting older, so he transferred to the Vocational School. Because his status as a "martyr's relative" was favorable, he was assigned to the Bairen General Machinery Plant to be trained as a technician apprentice after graduation; his sister entered the Ministry of Health's Nursing School. Last year she was sent to Kaohsiung for an internship.

Though the siblings lost their father, their economic conditions remained good. As orphans of a martyr, besides a pension, their food and lodging were free during schooling. The housing was handed down from the family. It was originally very dilapidated, but after their father sacrificed himself, the Ministry of Civil Affairs stepped in, took back the old house in the village, and allocated them a self-owned small apartment in the large batch of naturalized citizen collective dormitories built near East Gate Market.

He rarely lived in this small apartment usually, so he rented it out—housing in Lingao was tight, and rental income was very good. But after graduation, he could no longer live in the Fangcaodi dormitory. So at the end of last month, he mailed the notice to take back the house to the "Lingao Commercial and Residential Housing Management Association."

The "Lingao Commercial and Residential Housing Management Association" was a new state-owned mixed-ownership enterprise under the Commercial Department, with a nature similar to a mixture of a housing management office and a real estate agency. His house was entrusted to the Association for rental management.

Qian Yuzhi entered the courtyard of No. 15, East Gate Market 3rd Ring Road. This was housing built in batches by the Civil Affairs Department for naturalized employees. Densely packed red brick bungalows stood one after another, each facing south and extending very long—if a Japanese person came, they would definitely find it familiar: this was just a nagaya (longhouse)!

The so-called nagaya was a long bungalow sharing one eave. The housing under the eave was separated by walls according to certain areas and distributed to different families. The nagaya built by the General Construction Company weren't completely single-story; there was a loft above where one could stand upright in the middle of the ridge. A nagaya had layouts of three, five, or seven suites depending on length.

In front of each household in the nagaya dormitory, there was a small yard along the road, surrounded by a unified style of low fence. It was used for drying clothes and was also a place for the family to eat and enjoy the cool air. Many families built trellises in the yard, planting vegetables like loofah and pumpkin, with tables and chairs placed under the trellis.

It was already past quitting time; No. 15 courtyard was coming and going with people: employees getting off work, children finishing school, housewives returning from shopping. Women's laughter, children's playing noise, accompanied by greetings between off-duty workers... the thick aroma of food permeated the air.

He walked along the gravel-paved road, passing through the wet public well platform: a dozen women were washing clothes and rinsing rice by the stone water trough, the windlass creaking constantly as buckets of water were lifted. Beside the well was a sign. In addition to the routine warning not to pollute water quality and reminding to save water, there was a dark green mark indicating that the well water could be drunk after boiling.

Though he'd been allocated housing here long ago, he rarely came. He felt somewhat strange and restrained in this lively living atmosphere.

He walked all the way to the gate of his own yard. The yard was quite clean, but there were neither flowers nor plants nor tables and chairs inside, looking very deserted.

The house door was closed—according to the lease, the tenant should have moved out the day before yesterday.

Qian Yuzhi listlessly took out the key—he'd left a bad impression on the team leader just days after entering the factory, and could not help but feel uneasy. He opened the door. The room was very clean. According to the Association administrator, the tenant was a female naturalized citizen—it seemed she was a diligent woman.

It was getting late and the room was pitch black. He was too lazy to light a lamp, and too tired to move after a long day. He put down his luggage, felt his way to his bed, and fell onto it.

He felt he'd fallen onto something warm and soft, then heard a "Ya!", and the back of his head suffered a punch, making him see stars. Then he was kicked onto the ground, knocking over a pile of sundries. Before he could react to what was happening, a knee pinned him firmly to the ground, and his arm was fiercely twisted behind his back.

"Who are you?" A crisp voice asked behind his head, while his arm was twisted another half circle, making him grimace in pain.

Qian Yuzhi almost fainted from anger. He shouted at the ground with anger and some fear: "Who are you? This is my home!"

The hand twisting his arm loosened slightly, then tightened again.

"Really?" The voice behind him was somewhat suspicious. "Then why did you sneak in without making a sound?"

Qian Yuzhi thought, Do I have to knock before entering my own home? "This is my home!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was wrong—why did he have to explain this to this person?

The person behind him finally released him. He scrambled up and looked warily at the silhouette in the gloom. Judging from the voice and figure, it should be a girl about his age.

Could it be that my sister came back? He immediately rejected this idea. The voice and figure didn't resemble his sister at all, and his sister didn't have such formidable skills.

The silhouette opposite sighed and said, "Sorry, light a lamp first."

Qian Yuzhi lit a Lingao-produced oil lamp—this light source, many times brighter than candles, had now entered thousands of households. He guessed right; it really was a girl of similar age, with a fair face, flickering eyes, and a playfully upturned nose. Looking further down, he was stunned: the girl was actually wearing the new style maid suit he'd just struggled to expel from his mind.

"Are you... the landlord?" The girl asked again.

"Of course I'm the landlord!" Qian Yuzhi had roughly guessed the identity of the girl before him—this must be the tenant who should have moved out days ago.

I clearly notified her last month to take back the house, why is she still lingering in my room? Such thick skin!

However, seeing the girl's uniform, Qian Yuzhi's anger suddenly inexplicably dissipated by more than half.

"S... Sorry... I..." The girl was somewhat incoherent. "I didn't find a place to live for a moment, and seeing you didn't come back, I just stayed... on..." She suddenly spoke fluently again, "I will pay you rent!"

Qian Yuzhi hadn't quite recovered yet. Seeing him staring at her clothes, the girl felt increasingly embarrassed and slightly annoyed. However, thinking that she was the intruder, she held back and didn't flare up.

Moreover, Qian Yuzhi's dumbstruck appearance made her feel somewhat amused.

However, she was a College of Arts and Sciences student, and had seen more of the world than Qian Yuzhi, and her mind was more agile. She saw that he was an honest teenager who probably didn't have much chance to talk to girls in the vocational school.

"I am Li Jianai, also graduated from Fangcaodi this year... I am from the College of Arts and Sciences..." She first introduced herself generously, then said, "I see you are also a new graduate this year—you are still wearing the old uniform of the Vocational School."

(End of Chapter)