A life of success begins with being a landlord.

Although Sister Li had said that, I had no feelings for the girl in front of me and asked directly, "The landlord is out running errands, why are you looking for her?"

"My... my power is out," the little girl answered softly.

"Please wait a moment."

I turned to make a phone call, then called to the girl, "Come in first, I'll make a call and ask."

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then walked in and stood there clutching the hem of her clothes.

I used a landline to call Sister Li and report to her.

"Those bastards must have used the electric stove or immersion heater again, that's why they changed the fuse..."

Sister Li muttered and cursed, "There's a cabinet on the balcony with electrical tools and fuses. Go check room 604 and fix it. Oh, and Old Xia in 604, he owes me half a month's rent, collect it while you're at it... If they don't pay, kick them out!"

"Okay, Sister Li."

I hung up the phone.

The girl opposite me had a flushed face, sweat on her nose, and her eyes darted around, avoiding my gaze.

I went to the balcony to get some tools and fuses, took my keys, and called to the girl, "Take me there, I'll take a look."

The girl nodded and we went out the door together.

Sister Li's apartment is 302. To get to 604, you need to go downstairs and take the stairs next door.

The girl walked ahead, her steps a little hurried.

I asked her, "How many people live in room 604? Who is Lao Xia?"

The little girl stopped on the platform at the corner: "There are three families living here... Old Xia is my dad..."

"So, your family is behind on rent?"

"It seems... right." The little girl's voice was almost inaudible.

"Let's go upstairs." I waved my hand.

When we arrived at room 604, a man in his forties opened the door.

The man was slovenly, with disheveled hair and a strong smell of alcohol.

"Dad," the girl called out, "the landlord sent someone to check on the power outage..."

"I'm Hu Xiaoli's cousin, I've come to visit."

Let me introduce myself.

"You're the landlord's brother? Oh, thank you."

The man, grinning with yellow teeth, ushered me into the house: "Look, is the fuse blown? The power keeps going out..."

I looked at the house; it seemed to have been sublet.

There were originally two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.

However, the living room was also partitioned and remodeled, so there are now three rooms.

Old Xia and his daughter lived in the living room, which had a balcony outside where they had a stove and cooking utensils.

Upon opening the meter box for inspection, it was confirmed that the fuse had blown.

I worked as a plumber's apprentice for four months, so changing a fuse wasn't difficult; I did it quickly.

"Boss, want a cigarette?"

Old Xia pulled out some cheap cigarettes and tried to get on my good side: "You're so handsome, and you can even do electrical work, that's really amazing."

"I don't smoke."

I shook my head: "You're Lao Xia? Sister Li said you owe me half a month's rent, it's time to pay me."

Old Xia immediately put on a mournful face: "In a couple of days, just a couple more days, once Chunyan goes to work, we'll have money..."

Then he scolded his daughter, "Chunyan, what are you standing there like a dead person for? Quickly pour the landlord a cup of tea!"

It turns out this girl's name is Chunyan.

Chunyan agreed and turned to pour water.

I simply sat down and stared at Lao Xia: "Tell me clearly, how many days do you have to pay me? Sister Li said that if you don't pay the rent soon, you'll have to move out."

This is a task that Sister Li gave me. Even if I don't receive the rent, I need Lao Xia to give me a definite answer!

You think Chunyan will have money once she starts working? Are you kidding me?

"No, boss!"

Old Xia's smile was more like a grimace: "I'll pay you the rent in a week at most. My wife's at work, she'll get paid soon..."

I shook my head: "No, you're already half a month behind on rent, you have to pay it off today."

Old Xia stuttered, sighing and mumbling in a few words of dialect that I couldn't quite understand.

Chunyan came over with a glass of plain water and placed it in front of me.

"Chunyan, go outside, I need to talk to the boss..." Old Xia's eyes lit up when he saw his daughter.

Chunyan turned and left.

Old Xia leaned closer to me and chuckled softly, "Boss, do you have a wife?"

I frowned: "I'm not married, so where did this woman come from?"

"Hey... Boss, how about you date my daughter? She's really pretty, isn't she?"

Old Xia scratched his head: "I brought her out here with the intention of finding her a man... If you like Chunyan, you can start flirting with her now... Anyway, she's going to get married soon."

"You're talking nonsense!"

My face flushed, and I grabbed Old Xia by the collar: "Pay up what you owe! Stop talking nonsense. If you don't pay, get out!"

This old devil, what does he take me for? We just met and he's already messing with this girl?

"Hey, stop hitting me, I was just joking..."

Old Xia got scared and waved his hands, begging for mercy: "Boss, please have mercy, wait three more days, and I'll pay you the rent, I promise."

"Okay, I'll give you three more days."

I pushed Lao Xia away, turned around and said goodbye.

Old Xia followed them out and called out to Chunyan, "Chunyan, quickly see the landlord off."

Chunyan was really obedient; she foolishly followed me downstairs.

Reaching the fifth-floor door, I turned to Chunyan and said, "Why are you following me? Go back and figure out how to pay the rent!"

"Big brother."

Chunyan suddenly tugged at my sleeve, her eyes reddening: "It's all my fault. My ID card and some change were stolen on the train when I came here. Now I can't work without an ID card. My dad said he'll find someone to make me one. Once I get my ID card, I'll go find work and pay your rent..."

"This is none of my business. I'm just an employee too."

I pulled my hand away, turned around and went downstairs, sighing inwardly.

I know Chunyan is pitiful, but I can't help her.

Seeing that it was still early, I went to explore a few other stairwells.

They're all the same—dirty, messy, and chaotic.

Back in Sister Li's room, I found a thick leather-bound notebook in the coffee table drawer.

This is the rental ledger, which records the tenant information for each property, including the tenant's name, ID number, rent, lease term, and so on.

The accounts were a mess, the handwriting was illegible and crooked, and there was graffiti everywhere—a complete jumble.

Two hours have passed since I carefully reviewed and sorted through the information.

My stomach is growling; I'm hungry.

I got up and went downstairs to find the fat woman's fried rice noodle shop.

The fried rice noodle shop is located in room 103 of this building. The proprietress is around thirty years old and is indeed a bit overweight, weighing about 90 kilograms.

But Fatty Sister was very efficient at her work. With one hand she tossed the wok to stir-fry the noodles, while with the other she added chopped green onions, minced garlic, and various seasonings. Her entire body was covered in fat, which moved rhythmically.

"Handsome, want some noodles?" The chubby woman greeted me warmly when she saw me.

They even speak Cantonese!

I nodded and sat down at the long table in front of the door: "One large serving of fried noodles."

Hearing me speak, the plump woman paused, then switched to Mandarin: "Judging from your accent, you're Sister Li's younger brother?"

"Yes, I'm Hu Xiaoli's cousin. She invited me to eat here." I nodded.

It turns out that Sister Li had already spoken to Sister Pang.

"Oh my, no wonder he's so tall and strong, he's Sister Li's cousin!"

The plump woman smiled broadly: "Please sit down, it'll be ready in a minute!"

I nodded, waiting for the stir-fried noodles while watching the street scene.

This place is called Sanlichuan Street, and there are six- or seven-story buildings on both sides.

The ground floor is usually occupied by shops, while the upper floors are residential buildings.

The building managed by Sister Li, number 27, is just an ordinary building.

Soon, my chubby sister-in-law brought me a big bowl of fried noodles, topped with a layer of beef slices, and also gave me a bottle of beer.

"You're Sister Li's brother, so this meal is on me. It's free, so eat up."

The plump woman wiped her hands on her apron, a fawning smile on her face.

Thank you.

I thanked them and picked up my chopsticks to start eating.

The stir-fried rice noodles were delicious, smooth and chewy; Auntie Pang's cooking skills are excellent!

Halfway through the meal, Chunyan, the girl from room 604, walked past the fried noodle shop carrying a bag.

Upon seeing me, Chunyan smiled.

I nodded slightly without saying anything.

Waaah—!

On the street, two motorcycles roared towards Chunyan.

The rider on the first vehicle passed by Chunyan and suddenly reached out.

Before Chunyan could react, her shoulder bag was gone.

I didn't realize it either.

What's going on? Is Chunyan's friend joking?

The second rider arrived and suddenly reached out, slapping and pinching Chunyan's buttocks!

"what!"

Chunyan was startled and backed away, yelling, "Robbery! Bag snatching!"

Holy crap, robbery in broad daylight?

These bastards are way more arrogant than the blond-haired punks in our hometown!

I realized what was happening and suddenly stood up.

Chunyan also ran towards me, her face pale, shouting, "Big brother, they're robbing us! They're robbing us!"

No one could have imagined that the motorcycle in front would drift and turn back, heading straight for Chunyan.

The rider, with a lewd and disgusting grin on his face, once again reached out his groping hand...

As a passionate young man with a conscience, I can no longer tolerate this!

These two bastards, in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded city, not only robbed me of my money, but also tried to rape me!

"stop!"

Without much hesitation, I grabbed a beer bottle from the table and rushed out: "Chunyan, come here!"