A life of success begins with being a landlord.

"No, no... you don't need to carry me."

I shook my head; I had grown up in that instant.

So this is how it is between men and women: once the unspoken understanding is revealed, they become family. From then on, there are no more taboos, no need to hide anything, no need to hesitate or hold back.

Straightforward and open, even as an old married couple.

I am no longer a boy, but Chunyan's man; Chunyan is no longer a girl, but my wife.

mother-in-law?

I've only been here a few days and I already have a wife! Dongguan is so amazing!

……

After breakfast, Chunyan washed clothes and bed sheets at home.

I went to find Kuai Dafa with great pride and high spirits.

For some reason, I'm growing to like this fatso more and more, and I enjoy the love-hate relationship we have.

Without this fatso, my life as a landlord would be stagnant and utterly boring!

Fighting against the heavens, fighting against the earth, fighting against that fatso—it's endless fun!

When I arrived at room 404, I banged on the door with my foot.

I knocked for ages, but there was no response at all.

The tenant across the hall came out: "That fat guy went out; he's not home."

That bastard is hiding from me again!

I nodded and took out my phone to call Kuai Dafa.

But that bastard ignored me and hung up the phone!

I flew into a rage, ran back to 302, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote a menacing line: "You fatso, you'd better fix this bathroom by today, or you'll face the consequences!"

After writing the note, I thought about it and then went to the hardware store to buy two chain locks.

Back in 404, I added two locks to the fat man's security door and stuck the note on it.

Rather than me looking for you, you should come looking for me!

Having done all that, I was very satisfied. Pointing at the door, I yelled, "You fat bastard, you like to mess with me, huh? Watch how I'll make you pay!"

After I finished venting, I felt much better and turned to leave.

But when I turned around, I found a young man standing behind me without saying a word.

"Holy crap, what are you trying to do?" I was taken aback and took a step back.

"Hello, I'm here to see the landlord..."

The young man was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He looked very capable and neat, and he smiled at me.

"I'm the building manager. Which apartment do you live in?" I frowned.

"No, I'm here to rent a place. I wanted to ask if you have any rooms available for rent..."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes."

I nodded: "We have both suites and single rooms. Would you like a suite or a single room? I'll show you."

"Please let me see the suite first, thank you."

The young man was very polite and offered me a cigarette.

I didn't dare accept the cigarette from the stranger, so I waved him off and took him to see apartments 608 and 607.

Both apartments upstairs are vacant because they are on the top floor and it's hot there, making them difficult to rent out.

The young man looked at two apartments but wasn't satisfied with either. He laughed and said, "This apartment is alright, the renovation is nice too. It's just that the floor is too high, climbing the stairs is too tiring. Do you have any lower floors?"

I asked, "Are there any single rooms available? They're all shared apartments. Would you like to take a look?"

The young man nodded and followed me to see a single room in room 503.

But the single room was small and located on the north side, so it didn't get any sunlight, and the young man didn't like it.

"Let's not watch it today."

The young man hesitated for a moment, then checked the time: "Boss, give me a call. I'll go back and think about the two apartments on the top floor. If I need them, I'll contact you."

I nodded and gave the young man my phone number.

The young man came downstairs with me, and when we reached room 404, he pointed at the door and asked, "Boss, does this tenant owe you rent, so you locked the door?"

"No, the chemicals he used soaked my bathroom floor, and the stinky water is leaking downstairs, and he won't fix it."

Mentioning Kuai Dafa filled me with rage, and I kicked the iron gate again: "That fat bastard is cunning and shameless, he's hiding from me, refusing to meet with me or deal with me. I've never seen such a shameless scoundrel!"

The young man laughed: "In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds."

As we were talking, the tenant of apartment 304 downstairs came up and started complaining to me.

The downstairs bathroom is unusable.

You have to hold an umbrella while you're sitting on the toilet because the stinky water keeps dripping from it!

I pointed to Kuai Dafa's iron gate: "I added two locks to it and left a note. Let's wait for him to come back."

The downstairs tenant also gave me an ultimatum: "If it's not fixed in three days, I'm really moving out. I can't take it anymore."

"Okay, I'll try my best." I nodded and turned to go downstairs.

As we stepped out of the building, the young man smiled at me and said, "Landlord, thank you for showing me around all day. Let me treat you to a meal. I'll have to rely on you after I move in."

So polite!

I smiled and said, "You're welcome. I'm the building manager, it's my job. You go ahead and do your work, just call me if you need anything."

The young man nodded and walked towards Fatty Sister's fried rice noodle shop.

I returned to 302, where Chunyan was cooking.

Wearing an apron, she really looks like a young married woman.

Snapped!

I gave Chunyan a light pat on the bottom, then grabbed and released her repeatedly, saying in an endless loop, "Chunyan, didn't your mom say you can't cook?"

"How silly! What woman can't cook? It's just a matter of whether the food tastes good or not."

Chunyan turned her head and touched my lips to mine: "I'm your wife now. If I don't cook, you'll beat me to death! I'm not a good cook, but I can learn slowly."

I turned Chunyan around and put my arm around her waist: "Where do men beat their wives?"

"Men used to beat their wives, but nowadays, fewer men beat their wives."

"Anyway, I won't dare to hit you. Just don't hit me again."

"Just live your life well, and I won't hit you."

Chunyan chuckled and swung her small spatula: "If you dare go out and find women, I'll beat you with this spatula!"

I suddenly felt a surge of attraction and started acting up again: "If you satisfy me, I won't look for other women..."

"Stop messing around, you animal."

Chunyan pushed me away, rolled her eyes angrily, and spread her right hand with five fingers: "You bothered me five times last night, and I still feel uncomfortable walking. Don't touch me for the next couple of days."

Was it five times? I can't remember.

As we were chatting, Liu Haomei arrived.

Chunyan asked, "Didn't you go to work today?"

"I plan to go back to work after I get my residence permit," Liu Haomei answered softly, looking at me timidly, "Brother Wang, what do you think..."

"Alright, I'll take you to get your residence permits. Chunyan, come along."

I nodded.

I promised Liu Haomei yesterday that I would help her get her certificate.

Chunyan turned around and found two photos: "I'm cooking, I'm not going. Didn't you say that my ID card and photos would be enough? I brought the photos."

"I'll give it a try."

I took Chunyan's fake ID card and photo, thought for a moment, took three thousand yuan with me, and called Liu Haomei downstairs.

Building No. 3 is not far, only a few hundred meters away; you can just walk there.

Once outside, I asked Liu Haomei, "Haomei, I want to buy something for Chunyan. What do you think... should I buy? What do girls like?"

Chunyan gave me her pure and innocent body, and I couldn't treat her too badly, so I didn't show her any appreciation.

Liu Haomei smiled and said, "Of course, it's clothes, dresses, cosmetics, and oh yes, bags and leather shoes."

I shook my head: "The bag isn't suitable. Sister Li said that if you bring a bag out here, it's like giving it away to someone else to steal."

"Then let's go with clothes, dresses, and cosmetics."

"But where can I buy one here? I want to buy a better one." I turned my head and looked around.

"Across from Building 3 is a large shopping mall."

Liu Haomei grabbed my hand and gently tugged at it.

I nodded, gently withdrew my hand, and quickened my pace to follow Liu Haomei.

Liu Haomei's hands were so soft, it felt so comfortable to hold them, but I couldn't betray my Chunyan. After all, I'm a pure-hearted person, right?

Building No. 3 is located at an intersection. There is indeed a shopping mall opposite, which is three stories high and not very big.

Standing at the crossroads, Liu Haomei asked me, "Should we buy things for Chunyan first, or get the certificate first?"

"Get the certificate first."

I looked at Building No. 3 and walked over there with Liu Haomei.

Several signs hang in front of Building No. 3, indicating the subdistrict office, the comprehensive management office, the investment promotion office, the liaison office for Taiwanese and Hong Kong businessmen, and so on.

The lobby on the first floor is where residence permits are processed, and there are many people queuing up.

As soon as Liu Haomei and I entered, a balding middle-aged man wearing a red armband blocked our way with a rubber baton: "What are you doing here?"

"To apply for a residence permit," I said.

"It's time to get off work. Come back this afternoon."

"It's only 10:30, and you're already off work?" I muttered casually.

"Hey, you idiot, what are you muttering about?"

The bald man with the red armband poked my chest with a rubber stick, glaring at me: "Are you blind? So many people are in line, it'll be past midnight by the time it's your turn. Do you think we should just go home?"

"How dare you talk like that?" I snapped.

"Brother Wang, forget it, let's go buy clothes first."

Liu Haomei panicked, grabbed my waist, and pushed me backward with all her might.

The bald man stared at me.

I swallowed my anger, left the lobby, and went to the shopping mall across the street.

"Brother Wang, don't argue with the security team, they really will arrest you and take you to Zhangshutou!" Liu Haomei grabbed my hand again:

"At my old glass factory, some people were taken there. They said it wasn't a place for humans. Men would get beaten, and pretty women would be..."

I frowned. "Is it really that scary? Is there no law anymore?"

Actually, I had Daozai Xiong backing me up, so I wasn't afraid of that bald-headed lackey at all.

Mentioning Dao Zai Xiong's name is enough to scare him so much he'd wet his pants.

"It's true, you have to believe me." Liu Haomei squeezed my palm:

"I also heard a story about a few team members who saw a pretty girl and went to check her residence permit that night. The girl took out her permit, but they said it was fake and took her away. She wasn't released until a few days later, and she was barely recognizable as a human being."