When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

Ma Hao stuffed two bottles of mineral water into his backpack, zipped it up, and turned around to unplug the charger from the bedside table.

"Let's go. We arranged to meet the landlord at 3:30. Don't keep them waiting."

Lin Ye confirmed that the floor plan and the few questions he had noted down last night were saved on his phone, and then followed him out of the dormitory.

When the two arrived at the entrance of the residential area, the landlord was already waiting by the guardhouse.

A man in his fifties, wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with a thin vest over it, holding a bunch of keys in his hand.

Upon seeing Lin Ye approach, he first raised his phone.

"Was it the person who asked about rooms last night?"

"it's me."

The landlord glanced at Ma Hao beside him: "And who is this?"

"My colleague came with me to get an eye exam."

"Okay, with more people around, we can see it more carefully." The landlord weighed the keys in his hand. "I just took back the house half a month ago, and it's been cleaned inside and out. The furniture isn't new, but everything is there; you can move in right away."

The three people entered Building No. 3.

The right-hand unit on the first floor is right next to the stairwell.

The landlord picked out a brass key and inserted it into the lock.

The first turn went smoothly, but the second turn clearly got stuck. He gripped the doorknob and lifted it up a bit before the lock cylinder finally turned open.

Ma Hao stood behind without saying a word, only giving Lin Ye a look.

Pushing open the door, the first thing that wafts out is the smell of a long-closed wooden cabinet.

The living room is small, with a gray fabric sofa against the wall and transparent anti-collision strips on the corners of the coffee table.

The south-facing windows are bright and airy, with sunlight reaching halfway down the dining table.

The kitchen and bathroom are both on the right-hand side when you enter the room, and the bedroom door is at the far end of the living room.

The landlord reached out and switched on the overhead light: "It's a standard one-bedroom apartment, over 40 square meters. The refrigerator, washing machine, and water heater are all in good working order. The mattress was left by the previous tenant; if you think it's too old, I can have it moved out."

Lin Ye didn't look at the furniture first, but instead looked directly at the bedroom: "Can I look at the bedroom first?"

"Sure, look around."

The bedroom is narrower than it appears on the floor plan. The 1.5-meter bed takes up most of the space, leaving only a narrow passageway between the foot of the bed and the wardrobe.

The window I could see from the outside last night was to the right of the bed, and the landlord had already drawn the curtains.

Lin Ye walked straight to the window.

The walls have been freshly painted and look snow-white.

Near the ground, there is a section that is noticeably lighter in color than the surrounding area, less than a meter long, directly opposite the darkest part of the old watermark on the outer wall.

The wood-grain baseboard at the bottom is also newly replaced in one section; the seams are brighter than other areas, and the edges are not yet fully attached to the wall.

Ma Hao crouched down, his fingertip lightly touching the raised seam: "This section was replaced later, wasn't it?"

The landlord came in and took a look: "It was damp before. Last year, there was heavy rain, and the outside drain got clogged. Water accumulated under the window and seeped up the wall. Later, the property management cleared the drain, and I also had someone repair the exterior waterproofing."

"When was it repaired?" Lin Ye asked.

"Before last autumn, after it was repaired, no one said it leaked again."

When did the previous tenant move out?

The landlord paused for a moment: "Last month."

"During his stay, did the house become damp?"

"It's true that the baseboards are a bit damp during the humid season, but there's no more water seeping into the house." Seeing that the two of them were staring at the baseboards, the landlord squatted down and pressed them as well. "This section was just replaced after I took possession of the house. The old one had been soaked, and the edges were bulging, so it didn't look good."

Lin Ye touched the base of the wall with the back of his finger.

The wall felt dry to the touch, with no obvious dampness, but if you got close to the seams, you could smell a faint lingering latex paint odor.

He straightened up and opened the window.

There were several indelible gray marks along the bottom edge of the window frame, the sealant in the lower right corner had turned yellow, and a small section of it had detached from the wall.

Outside the window is the drainage ditch I saw last night. There's no water in the ditch, but the shrub branches are very close together.

"Hasn't the window frame been resealed either?"

The landlord peeked over and said, "The outside has been patched, but the inside hasn't been touched. This little gap is nothing; we can just apply some sealant later and it'll be fine."

"If we really want to rent it out, this place needs to be fixed first." Lin Ye closed the window. "We can't just put some sealant around the inside. We also need to check the exterior walls and drainage ditches, lest it get damp again in a while."

He rubbed the yellowed sealant with his thumb, paused for a few seconds, and then nodded: "Okay, I'll get the waterproofing contractor to come and take a look. If it really is a problem with the window frame, we'll reseal it."

Just then, the sound of chair legs dragging on the floor came from upstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps.

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly on the first floor.

Ma Hao looked up at the ceiling: "How many people usually live upstairs?"

"A family of three, the child is in junior high school, and they're basically not home during the day." The landlord added, "It's an old house, so the soundproofing isn't great; it can't compare to newer neighborhoods."

"What time is it usually quiet at night?" Lin Ye asked.

"Around 10 o'clock. Their family is quite well-behaved, and the property management hasn't received any complaints."

Lin Ye didn't dwell on the "no complaint" point and turned to go to the kitchen to test the faucet.

After letting the water sit for a while, the joint under the sink did not leak.

In the bathroom, Ma Hao had already tried flushing and using the drain, and was now looking up at the buzzing exhaust fan.

"This needs fixing too." He turned off the exhaust fan. "If you turn this on in the middle of the night, the upstairs neighbors will think you're drilling into the bathroom wall."

The landlord tried the switch himself twice, listened to the buzzing sound, and nodded: "Okay, I'll have someone take a look at this."

"I just tested the water heater a few days ago, and it's fine." The landlord stood at the bathroom door. "If you really want to rent it, I'll have the contractor do a thorough inspection again before you hand over the property."

Lin Ye glanced at the gas water heater on the wall: "Check the water heater again before handing over the house. Also, the door locks need to be replaced."

"The door lock still works."

"I had to lift the doorknob to turn it on the second turn," Lin Ye said, looking at the front door. "The previous tenant might still have a spare key. Change the lock cylinder and give me the new key when you move out."

The landlord rubbed his nose, took out his phone, and jotted down notes as he spoke: "Reseal the window frames, have someone check the exhaust fan, replace the lock cylinder, and check the water heater again before handing over the property. That's all, right?"

Ma Hao gestured with his chin toward the bedroom: "Take a look at the base of the walls too, don't just paint them."

"Okay, I'll write that down." The landlord put away his phone. "I'll have someone come and handle it on Friday. You can come back on Saturday to check again, and if everything's okay, I'll hand over the keys."

Lin Ye then asked about the deposit, property management fees, and water and electricity.

The rent is the same as listed on the platform, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance. The landlord pays the property management fee, and water and electricity are charged at residential rates.

"If I rent it for a year, can the rent be reduced?"

The landlord thought for a moment: "It'll be a hundred less per month, but you have to stay for at least a year. If you want to move out early, you have to tell me a month in advance."

"Okay." Lin Ye glanced at the house. "Put the few things I just noted down into the contract. The lease term will start after the repairs are completed."

"No problem. I'll go back and revise it before sending it to you."

The three went downstairs and parted ways at the entrance of the residential complex.

Twenty minutes later, the landlord sent over the contract.

After checking the house address, rent, and lease term, and confirming that all the agreed-upon items were written down, Lin Ye signed his name and transferred the deposit and the first installment of rent.

Hearing the notification sound indicating successful transfer, Ma Hao switched the water bottle to his other hand and asked, "Is it settled?"

"It's settled."

Lin Ye carefully kept the contract and the transfer receipt separately.

Restaurants along the street have begun to put up signs announcing their evening service.

Ma Hao glanced at the time and threw the empty mineral water bottle into the roadside recycling bin.

"After all that work this afternoon, you should at least provide meals, right?"

"What would you like to eat?"

"You just handed over so much money, I won't rip you off." Ma Hao raised his chin and pointed to the stir-fry shop in front of him. "Two dishes and two bowls of rice, that'll be enough."

Lin Ye followed him inside: "Okay, it's on me today."

The stove had just been turned on in the shop, and the exhaust fan was whirring loudly.

Ma Hao ordered a plate of twice-cooked pork and pushed the menu over: "You can order the last one."

"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes".

"Okay, you haven't lost your awareness of saving money."

Lin Ye handed him a pair of chopsticks, saying, "You can add more if you want."

Ma Hao immediately took the menu back: "Boss, another plate of garlic-flavored bok choy!"

Before the food was even served, the landlord sent another message.

Meet me at the entrance of the complex at 2 PM on Saturday. Inspect the repaired area yourself; if everything is okay, I'll give you the new key.

Lin Ye replied "Okay," and just then, the waiter came out of the kitchen carrying twice-cooked pork.