"Young man, you are outstanding. Our country needs young people like you who know how to make progress."
The old man swept the fallen leaves into the dustpan, and walked to a hut behind the gate with the broom and dustpan.
"Come here, I just know that there is a house for rent near here."
Zhao Donglin didn't realize it at first, he was just a little lonely watching the old man sweeping the floor alone, and asked about nearby houses by the way, he didn't expect the matter to be solved so easily
Although the old man's hair was gray, he did not move slowly. After putting away his things, he looked back and saw that Zhao Donglin hadn't followed. He waved his hand and said, "Come on, why, are you afraid that I will lie to you? The house is just behind the school, walk a few minutes The minute is up."
Zhao Donglin smiled and strode over. He was a young man with no property, and he was afraid that others would deceive him, but he had nothing to deceive.
Besides, this old man has a warm breath all over his body, which makes people feel an inexplicable sense of intimacy.
The old man led Zhao Donglin around the school courtyard wall for half a circle. Right behind the school gate were rows of residential houses, hidden among towering trees, stepping on the leaves blown by the north wind, there was a quiet and simple atmosphere.
Zhao Donglin is not dull, this kind of place can only be lived by people with status, this kind and warm-hearted old man is probably not as simple as a janitor.
The old man stopped in front of an iron gate in the middle, turned his head and said to Zhao Donglin, "This is the house I live in. There are five rooms, divided into front and back yards. Now only my wife and I live in the front yard. Rent it out and see if it suits you.”
The house was allocated by the school. The old man had no intention of renting it out at the beginning, but because Zhao Donglin was pleasing to his eyes, and he heard Zhao Donglin say that both of them were admitted to Wudong University, and they wanted to bring their children to do math together. I thought about renting out.
A few years ago, the only daughter of the old couple passed away. The wife always said that the house was too deserted. If there were more children, the house would be more lively, and the wife was very happy.
The old man pushed open the iron gate and led Zhao Donglin into the courtyard, the door of the house opened as soon as the courtyard door slammed, and an old lady with gray hair and glasses came out.
"Why did you come back so early today? I haven't started cooking yet."
At first, the old lady didn't notice that there was someone behind the old man, and she said some commonplace things. The old man smiled and turned sideways, patting Zhao Donglin on the shoulder.
"Oh, I met a young comrade at the gate of the school. He is a freshman who just entered college this year. He said he wanted to rent a house near the school and bring his family to study. I think our house is quite big, so many empty rooms are empty. It’s empty, so let’s take him over to have a look.”
Zhao Donglin nodded and greeted the old lady.
"Hi old man, I'm here to look at the house..."
As for why he came here, he really couldn't figure it out.
The old lady said twice in a daze. She didn't expect her husband to bring someone back suddenly, and there was also the matter of renting out the house. I hadn't heard her wife have such an idea before.
"Oh, yes, let's go into the house and have a look."
Despite the accident, the old lady welcomed Zhao Donglin.
The house was very clean. The vermilion furniture, chest of drawers, coffee table, sofa, tape recorder on the cabinet, and photo frames on the wall all reflect the family's high taste and excellent accommodation conditions.
Zhao Donglin was naturally satisfied with the living environment, but he was afraid that the rent for such a house would be too high for his daughter-in-law, and the maximum should not be higher than 151 years, otherwise the family's savings would not be enough.
"How about it, are you satisfied?"
The uncle had already told his wife about Zhao Donglin's situation, and when he learned that it was a family with three children, the old lady's heart began to waver.
She gave birth to a daughter in her life. After she got married, she was raped by some people under the influence of their husband and wife. Later, she was sent to a farm in Heilongjiang, where she fell ill and passed away. The news of her daughter's death made her cry so hard that her eyes were almost blind. Even so, the child still couldn't come back.
After the downfall of the Digital Gang, some people invited them out from the decentralized areas. Especially when the college entrance examination was resumed this time, the school lacked highly respected teachers. Hiring them to teach back to school not only arranged houses for them, but also settled their lives properly. What do you mean, it's just two old people who are lonely and helpless, lingering on their last days, living day by day, their daughter is gone, and their life has become meaningless.
The old lady saw that Zhao Donglin had a righteous look in his eyebrows and eyes, he was tall and straight, with clear eyes, and he was a freshman admitted to Wudong University.
She has lived for so many years, and she has seen many people. She can tell whether a person's eyes are good or not.
This comrade looks like a young man with good character, and she has agreed with her wife's decision in her heart.
"It's good, but I don't know how to negotiate the rent."
After the uncle asked the question, Zhao Donglin didn't hide it, and directly expressed his thoughts.
Of course, when he said this, he also felt a little guilty, feeling like he was bargaining. In fact, his thoughts were very simple. The house is good, and it even exceeded his expectations, but he can do whatever he has. Such are the economic conditions in China, there is no need to slap a swollen face to pretend to be fat.
The old man laughed when he heard this, "When I said renting you, I didn't mean any rent, but just to make the house lively. You can pay the rent if you want, and I don't ask for anything."
Zhao Donglin definitely can't agree, everyone is not relatives, and we can't just take advantage of others.
"Master, it's really not good. Since I rent a house, I must pay the rent."
Seeing his persistence, the uncle thought about it and gave a more suitable amount.
"If you're on a long-term lease, then it's 100 yuan a year. If it doesn't work, 80 yuan is fine."
He mainly saw that Zhao Donglin came from the countryside, and he was afraid that their family would be in financial difficulties. Besides, it would cost a lot to come to a strange city with his family, so he didn't want to charge more rent.
Even if the rent is 100 yuan a year, it is less than 10 yuan a month, let alone such a big house, it must be a good deal.
Of course, ten yuan is not too little at this time, and the monthly salary of ordinary urban workers is only about thirty yuan.
Zhao Donglin was a little hesitant when he heard this, and didn't immediately agree.
"Is this suitable? Such a big house, with several rooms, only charges a hundred yuan in rent. I always feel that if I accept it, I will take advantage of it."
The old lady laughed after hearing this, "Hey, no matter how big the house is, we two old people can't live in it. Since we have closed our eyes, we don't care about those vain people. If you feel sorry, what heavy work will you do at home in the future? Just give us a hand."
For example, when burning coal, carrying briquettes, and changing gas in winter, the old man almost lost his waist last time.
Zhao Donglin is not indecisive either, since the old man has said so, he has no reason to be hypocritical.
"That's okay. I rented the house. The school will register on March 5th. We may come and settle in two days in advance."
After finishing speaking, Zhao Donglin took out fifty yuan, which Jiahui gave her as a backup when she went out. She said that if the landlord wanted a deposit, she could pay part of it, and at the same time, she had to sign a contract to ensure that neither party would suffer.
For such an old man, Zhao Donglin didn't mention the signing of the contract, but he took the initiative to give the deposit, which can be regarded as an expression of his sincerity.
"Oh, look, you young man is too honest. I heard that you were admitted to the Department of Economics. You can't do this. You need to be rational to study economics. If you show your cards casually like this, if you encounter a liar Miserable."
Zhao Donglin smiled and said, "I still have the ability to judge, and I can judge the good and the bad. The money was given by my wife. It is a kind of contract that I need to give a deposit when signing a contract for renting a house."
The old couple looked at each other with a smile, and both felt that Comrade Zhao's wife was also a wonderful person.
"Okay, since your wife said it, let's make a contract."
The uncle smiled and went back to the study, took out a pen and paper, spread it on the table and wrote a rental contract.
Zhao Donglin stood aside and watched, and saw that the old man's handwriting was written in one go like a dragon and a phoenix. He couldn't help admiring, and praised the old man's good writing.
After the old man finished writing the text, he signed his signature, Zhong Daomin, in the lower right corner.
Zhao Donglin muttered it twice, took the pen and wrote his name. His handwriting was strong and powerful, and it could be seen that he had practiced it seriously. The old man nodded in satisfaction.
After signing the contract and paying the deposit, and politely refusing their offer of a meal, Zhao Donglin said goodbye and left, but he was not in a hurry to go back. Instead, he walked around the surrounding area and thoroughly wiped out the surrounding environment.
It is adjacent to shops and markets on the east, and schools and hospitals on the west.
The matter was settled too easily. The house that he thought would take a day or two to finalize was actually settled within two hours of his arrival in the provincial capital.
Limited by the departure time of the shuttle bus, Zhao Donglin didn’t arrive home until noon the next day. He didn’t want to live in the guest house alone at night, so he found a chair in the waiting room of the station in the middle of the night and watched it. Later, the staff on night shift at the station let him in to rest. He also gave him hot water and steamed buns.
After rushing home, no one expected him to come back so early.
"Found it?"
Zhang Qiaoer hugged her little grandson and let her go, and asked more anxiously than Jiahui.
"Well, I found it."
Zhao Donglin was also exhausted. He sat down at the table, drank a glass of water Gululu, took out the rental contract from his arms after drinking, and explained the process of renting the house.
"This old man is definitely not simple."
As a modern person, Jiahui knows that the old campus is usually located in the city center, and the house next to the university is likely to be the housing allocated by the faculty and staff.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Donglin had such good luck!
Jiahui's thoughts coincided with Zhao Donglin's. Of course, no matter what the real identities of the two old people were, they were the nobles who could solve their housing problems, and the rent of one hundred yuan a year, in terms of geographical location and living conditions It's not worth mentioning at all.
Zhang Qiaoer doesn't think like her son and daughter-in-law, she just thinks that one hundred a year will cost her a lot, and that doesn't include living expenses. How can she live in the city? It's a waste of money!
When she was sleeping at night, Zhang Qiaoer discussed with her old man, or she would go to the provincial capital with her, and the old man would stay at home and work in his hometown. There are chickens and pigs in the family, and he will earn a lot of income after a year. It is better than both of them going to the city. If you don't make money, you only know how to spend money.
The old family has three children, who go to school in the underworld, and Ying Bao is well-behaved and sensible. If someone needs someone to take care of them, they will let one go. There is no need for the old couple to go with them.
Zhao Manzhu naturally agreed, and he didn't want to go to the city in his heart. The promise before was only for the sake of his children and grandchildren. The children had needs and difficulties, and the elderly stepped forward to help. Now that he is no longer needed, he is happy, so let's live. The life of the old man in his own farm is more comfortable and happy.
The next time is to pack things. What Jiahui means is that you don’t need to bring big things with you. After all, you have to take three children with you. It’s inconvenient to take a car on the road. Just take the important things with you. Zhang Qiaoer doesn’t think so. She thinks that saving a penny is a penny, as long as she can use it, she wants to take it.
"Just let her go. The old man is easy to be stubborn. I will work harder and resist a little more then it will be fine."
But Jiahui felt sorry for Zhao Donglin, but in the end Zhao Donghe came out to speak and said that he would send them to the provincial capital and come back after they were settled.
On March 2nd, the Zhao family set off in a mighty manner, carrying pots and pans and quilts, towards the provincial capital.
The tractor drove "chug-chug", and the people in the team inevitably asked a few questions when they saw it.
"Big girl, where are you going?"
"Going to the provincial capital. Didn't they go to college? They rented a house in the provincial capital and brought their children there together."
"Yo, you go with me too, then you will become a city dweller in the future."
"What kind of city people, just help take care of the children."
After the tractor left, everyone started talking.
Originally, because the three members of the Zhao family were admitted to university, everyone had a taste for it. This kind of taste is actually the same as envy, jealousy and hatred. Inexplicably, I feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I don’t want to say anything publicly. Seeing people gain power Well, the days will only get better and better in the future, so is it possible that you are still rushing to offend people at this time? That's not a fool.
"I've never seen someone take their children with them to school. I don't see anyone taking their families with them when they are admitted to university."
"It's too much money to burn. Look, I have to come back in a short time. How much it costs in the city. I heard that a family of five spends more than 20 yuan a month just to buy rice and vegetables, and there are other expenses. , They are not from the city, and they have to rent a house, even if they have gold and silver at home, it is not enough to spend like this."
"Looking at Zhang Qiaoer's complacent look, she thinks that she has become a city person when she enters the city. The city people look down on us country people the most."
"Her daughter-in-law is amazing. I heard that her daughter-in-law is going to move to the city with her child, and refuses to leave the child at home."
"If you're not good enough to go to college? She's still the number one scholar in our county. Let me tell you, if my daughter-in-law can also go to college, I'm willing to listen to her in everything in the future."
"Your family's daughter-in-law doesn't even know a few words, so how can you compare with others' daughter-in-law?"
Everyone laughed, "That's right, hurry back and ask your daughter-in-law to read a few more words, Donglin's daughter-in-law knows how to keep accounts and settle accounts."
At the end of the year, the team's accountant didn't have time to do the calculation, so he invited Donglin's wife to do the calculation together. It is said that Donglin's wife did the calculation quickly and well, and she was capable.
No matter what age, everyone always treats capable people differently.