Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1212 What kind of people are there?

This is April 26th.

Miler has already gone to Hainan, and Xiaowei and Chen Hui have finished their month and a half of theoretical courses.

Today, the two of us came together to visit the legendary basement residents and learn about the actual situation.

"What...what are you going to do?" the girl asked, a little flustered.

In this underground world, anything can happen at any time. Some people specifically target these outsiders living underground, plotting all sorts of schemes against them. There is no protection or restraint whatsoever.

Especially for single girls or women, being harassed is a common occurrence. They rely on daily vigilance to get by. Rape is a frequent occurrence. Shouting in this deep underground place is of no use. Even if someone hears them, they won't bother to interfere.

There was nothing that could be done after what happened. Calling the police was useless; they couldn't find the person at all. The only option was to move and continue living the same life in another basement.

Fortunately, Kyoto has plenty of underground air-raid shelters like these, so there's no worry about finding a place to rent.

Chen Hui laughed and said, "Why are you so scared? Do you think we're bad guys?"

Xiao Wei said, "I imagine this place is pretty chaotic and not very safe. The main gate is just left wide open with no one managing it, and anyone can come and go as they please."

Chen Hui asked the girl, "Are there more men than women here? Let me calculate for a moment and then tell me. Do you know anyone here?"

The girl nodded.

The door next door opened, and a woman in her thirties peeked out: "Xiao Hong, are you alright?"

The girl said, "It's okay, Sister Wang. Are you done getting ready?"

Sister Wang glanced at Xiao Wei and Chen Hui as they walked over: "Alright, you're still not done?" The two doors were only a meter apart, and they were over in two steps.

Xiao Wei stepped aside, and Sister Wang entered the house: "Why are you taking so long? Who are these two?"

Sister Wang is not tall, about 1.55 meters, slightly plump, or you could say voluptuous. She looks like she's been married. She has long, wavy hair. She's not exactly beautiful, but she's definitely not ugly either. She exudes the aura of a mature woman.

Xiao Hong looked at Xiao Wei and Chen Hui and said, "I don't know either. I don't recognize them. I just came in when the door was open."

Sister Wang looked at Chen Hui and Xiao Wei: "What's up, you two?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's nothing, I just came over to see what it's like to live in a basement, to check out the conditions here, and since her door was open, I came over to ask, 'Hey, how much does it cost a month to rent this place, with these conditions?'"

Sister Wang raised her hand to smooth her hair and looked Xiaowei and Chen Hui up and down: "You two are looking to rent a place? You don't look like you can live in this place."

Xiao Wei asked with a smile, "How's it like staying here?"

Sister Wang glanced at Xiao Wei and said, "You two are obviously rich, how could you possibly live in this shabby place?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Then why do you live here?"

When Sister Wang went to make Xiaohong's bed, she said, "You don't have money, do you? If you had money, who wouldn't want to live a better life? Money is so easy to make these days. Let alone making money, it's good enough to find a decent, stable job."

Chen Hui asked, "Do you have to air out and lay out your luggage every day?"

Sister Wang said, "That's right. If it's not dried in the sun for a few days, there's no need to cover it anymore, it's damp, the humidity here is too high. It's a little better in winter, but after a few more days when summer comes, you can see water running down the walls, then you really have to dry it in the sun every day, it'll be soaked through overnight."

Xiao Wei said, "Won't that make you sick? Can you stand it for a long time?"

Sister Wang said, "What can we do? We can't just live on the street. It's only about two thousand yuan a month. Half of that goes to food and transportation, and we have to send some money home. We're lucky if we even have a place to stay. It's not easy for outsiders to make a living here. I've been to several basement apartments, and they're all full."

Chen Hui asked, "Is everything this trendy?"

Sister Wang said, "They're all pretty much the same. This place is like a cellar in winter; it's impossible for it not to be damp unless you turn on the ventilation. Would the boss be willing to do that?"

After the bedding was laid out, Xiao Hong got out of bed and put on her shoes. Sister Wang turned around and went back to her room, carrying a small bag: "We're leaving now, we won't chat with you two anymore."

A boy in his early twenties returned, with slightly curly hair and a stubble-covered chin. He greeted them as he opened the door, "Sister Wang, Xiao Hong, going out for dinner?"

Sister Wang said, "Hmm, have you finished dancing? Have you eaten?"

The boy said, "No, I just brought some things back. I haven't gone dancing yet today."

Sister Wang asked, "Want to come together?"

The boy went inside to put his things down and said, "Okay, I'll treat you two."

Xiao Wei walked to the door and glanced inside. The layout was similar, and a faint musty smell wafted through the air. Xiao Wei asked, "Why doesn't your room have a TV?"

The boy glanced at Xiaowei: "TV? There's no TV. We're lucky to have a bed, let alone a TV."

Xiao Wei said, "I saw a TV in her room, didn't I?"

The boy said, "That's what Sister Wang bought and put in that room. That room is further inside, so it's drier than ours. I usually watch TV there by watching their shows."

Xiao Wei went inside and touched the bed; the bedding was damp. He asked, "Why didn't you take it upstairs to air it out?"

The boy walked out with a shoulder bag slung over his shoulder: "It'll be sunny tomorrow, and I'm off work tomorrow. I'm afraid I'll lose it if I take it to work on weekdays."

Xiao Wei turned to Sister Wang and asked, "Aren't you afraid of them getting stolen every day when you air them out? And people still steal blankets?"

Sister Wang said, "We've seen all sorts of people. They steal everything, even underwear. We've paid for this service, so someone's watching us."

Chen Hui said, "Holy crap, there's this kind of business? How much do they charge?"

The boy locked the door, and the little red girl locked the door too. The five of them walked out.

Sister Wang said, "It's thirty yuan a month, one yuan a day."

Chen Hui asked the boy, "You wouldn't even spend thirty yuan and would rather stay damp?"

The boy said, "I only make about a thousand yuan a month, and I eat for three days on thirty. I usually go out on Sundays to read a book for half a day. It saves me money and effort."

Sister Wang said, "Wan Bin just came here. He doesn't earn much, and men spend a lot more. He spends hundreds more on food than us."

Xiao Hong remained silent, clinging to Sister Wang's arm and watching Xiao Wei and Chen Hui with wary eyes.

Walking down the long staircase from the corridor to the ground, Chen Hui immediately felt much better. He took a few deep breaths and said, "The air down here is terrible."

Sister Wang said, "This is still good. Come and take another look when it gets hot in the summer."

Xiao Wei said, "Then you guys would all smell musty every day, wouldn't you?"

Sister Wang said, "Just air them out frequently. Take out the clothes you're going to wear and air them out. Get up early in the morning and let them air out. Clothes need to be aired out too."

Chen Hui said, "I see some people cooking downstairs. Why don't you cook for yourselves? You need to save some money, right?"

Sister Wang said, "It's okay to share a meal, but cooking by myself is expensive. The food will spoil quickly after one meal, and there's nowhere to vent the cooking fumes. It already smells bad enough."

(End of this chapter)