Fight the Giants

  Chapter 70 Three Money

  Crossing the Jiangdong Bridge and passing the Jiangdong Gate, Huo Xi, Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu entered the outer city of the capital.

   Go in the direction of Shicheng Gate and Qingliang Gate in the inner city. Mochou Lake is between the two city gates.

  This place is bustling and lively. When she brings back the groceries from the north from Huai'an, she may sell them here. If the house is rented here, it will be convenient for storing the goods and making it easy to access.

  The more you go to the inner city gate, the greater the flow of people, and the shops are coming and going.

  Huo Erhuai was a little worried, he looked around, "Xi'er, isn't this place too lively?"

   "Brother-in-law, isn't it exciting?"

   "That's good. But it's so popular, I'm afraid we'll need money to rent a house. How about we go to the east? There are many shacks there, and renting a house is cheap."

   "Father, let's not go to the shanty town. I'm worried about leaving Mother and Nian'er there."

  Huo Erhuai thought about it and gave it up. The shantytowns are cheap, but there are all kinds of people living there. If something happens, I can't even think about it. Forget it anyway.

   Then he calculated the eleven taels of silver at home. He wanted to keep the money for the journey to Huai'an, and also left some money for his mother and son. The money for renting a house... I don't know if it is enough.

  Huo Erhuai looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, their mental outlook was different from other places, and their clothes were better than those of other places. He touched his chest again and calculated the money in his arms.

  However, Huo Xi has already found a dental shop by familiar ways.

  A few dentists in the dental shop were sitting in the room, sitting and talking, when they saw Huo Xi and the other three coming in, they raised their eyelids leisurely, did not get up, and continued to talk.

  A seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy stood up and greeted him with a smile.

   It looks like a novice at first glance.

  Huo Xi didn't dislike it at all. The three of them are not people who can bring any big business at first glance. It is normal for people to look down on them.

   Then he smiled at the Yaman who claimed to be surnamed Ma, and said: "We want to rent a room, can you show us?"

  Ma Ya people were very enthusiastic when they heard it. Greet them to sit down, pour tea for them, and ask their needs.

  When Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu first arrived in this kind of place, people even served them tea, feeling uncomfortable and at a loss.

  Huo Xi took a big sip of tea calmly, relieved the fatigue from walking all the way, and smiled at Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu.

   Seeing that she drank, the two of them let go of their nervousness, picked up the tea and poured it with their heads up.

   Quenches thirst. comfortable.

  The Maya man smiled when he saw this: "You're thirsty, I'll pour you another cup."

  The dental man inside looked at them with disdain. To be so thirsty, it is estimated that I have walked a lot. It seems that there are no means of transportation. So he turned his head away and refused to talk to him, and he didn't even bother to grab the business.

  Huo Xi sat firmly like a mountain.

  Under the gaze of others, Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu moved their buttocks uneasily.

  The Ma Ya people refilled their tea.

  Huo Xi cut to the chase and said, "We want to rent a small, quiet courtyard. The neighbors are not too cluttered or too far away. There are three or four rooms in the house, and there is a kitchen for cooking. It is better to have a yard."

  Ma Ya people re-looked at them after listening.

   At first glance, it looks like a poor and lower-class common people, but they want to have their own house?

  The real person doesn't show his face?

   looked at them carefully again.

   "Just take us to see it. It doesn't matter if it's old or there's nothing in the house. What matters is the environment. You want to live in peace of mind."

  Ma Yaren nodded: "Understood. I have a few houses in my hand. Let's go, I will show you." He took the keys of several houses and led them out.

  Huo Erhuai took Huo Xi and Yang Fu's hands and followed behind.

  The three followed the Maya man to look at the house. Regarding his probing all the way, Huo Xi didn't want to get to the bottom of it, and only probed for routines all the way.

   After looking at several places in a row, Huo Xi and Huo Erhuai were not very satisfied.

  Go to the fourth place. The Ma Ya people said: "This should meet your requirements. It is a single family, with a main room, a hall, left and right wing rooms, a kitchen, and a small courtyard."

  Huo Xi looked at the small courtyard. The surrounding environment is not bad. I heard that the neighbors are all scholars, so there should be nothing messy about living here.

The Ma Ya man was still selling: "Most of the courtyards here are rented to students from other places who come to Beijing to catch the exam, and to study for a short time. This place is not far from Mochou Lake. Usually, students go out to Mochou Hu Yinshi is right, or shut up in the room and read, there are not too many troubles. You can rest assured."

  Yang Fu is very satisfied with the surrounding environment. Huo Xi was very satisfied with the well in this small courtyard.

  Although the house is a bit old and has little furniture, it has an independent well for water. It's inconvenient for Yang Shi to go fetch water with Nian'er in his arms, and it's even more worrying to leave Nian'er at home. There is a well just right.

  Huo Erhuai felt that the house just now was better, it was separated by a large courtyard, and there were neighbors on the left and right, so if something happened to Mrs. Yang and Nian'er, there was someone to help her.

  But Huo Xi doesn't want that kind of house where people live together.

  Although the price is not high, only one yuan a month, there are beds and cages in the house, and you can move in with your bags, but who knows who the neighbors are.

   "What is the rent for this yard?"

   "This place costs three dollars a month, one payment in March, and the rent is at least half a year."

   "Three dollars a month? How about half a year's rent?" Huo Erhuai frowned. It is rented for half a year, and I have to live until the end of March next year.

   It costs nearly two taels of silver to rent, and it takes a lot to buy two more beds and furniture.

   And live for half a year, do they want to rent for such a long time?

  Huo Erhuai looked at Huo Xi.

  Huo Xi felt that the lease period was too long. But three dollars a month is not unaffordable according to the current family situation. Now the family sells groceries and fish a day, and can earn two cents a day.

   "Can the rent be negotiated?"

  Ma Ya people shook his head: "There is no need to worry about renting the houses around here. Later, students from all over Kaochunwei will come to Beijing one after another, and the house prices will rise. They can't be grabbed."

  Huo Erhuai is a bit pained, living here, repairing the house, buying furniture, plus rent, will cost at least three taels of silver.

   Then there are only eight taels of silver left.

  The family still needs to live and stock up. There is little catch in winter, and there is little money to sell, and fishing tax must be paid at the end of the year. And if going to Huai'an does not go well, the family will have to rely on the money until next spring.

  However, Huo Xi felt that the small courtyard here was very satisfactory. She thinks it's a good deal to rent for two or three taels of silver for half a year.

   shook Huo Erhuai's hand.

  Huo Erhuai looked down at her and understood what she meant.

   Gritting his teeth, he nodded to the horse tooth man.

  Ma Yaren glanced at Huo Xi, then at Huo Erhuai. He happily led the three of them to the dental office to make a lease agreement.

   After paying the rent and deposit, the key to the house fell into the hands of Huo Xi and the others.

  One thing doesn't bother the two masters, so Huo Xi asked the Ma Ya people to introduce a craftsman who repaired the house, cleaned up the house, repaired the leaks, and got things done in more than an hour.

   Went to buy beds and simple furniture, and bought some kitchen utensils. Shen Shichu arranged the small courtyard properly.

   Rented two carts and pushed them to the ferry, unloaded some things from the ship onto the carts, pushed the carts into the courtyard, and put the things in the warehouse. Then they locked the door, returned the cart, and the three returned to the boat.

  I went back to Taoyedu at night.

  (end of this chapter)