A life of success begins with being a landlord.

I'm furious. It's one thing to call me a bastard, but to make such a blatant accusation about us sleeping together the night before last!

Just as I was about to turn hostile, Sister Li stepped in to stand up for me.

"His name is Yaozu, he's my younger brother. If you dare call my younger brother a bastard again, I'll sell you to Zhangshutou."

Sister Li rolled her eyes, pointed to the Jiangnan Hair Salon on the side, and introduced it to me: "This is Bobo's shop, she's the owner. From now on, when you need to get your hair washed or anything, come here. Don't pay, let her do the service for free."

Bobo bent down to open the roller shutter door, then turned to me with a smile: "Don't worry, Yaozu, I promise I'll wash your hair clean and make you feel comfortable..."

Wearing a short skirt and bending over dramatically, everything was visible.

I turned my head away: "I can wash my own hair."

I really dislike Bobo. Why bother getting my hair washed here? It's so much easier to wash my hair at home!

"Wash it yourself, it's too much trouble."

Bobo had already opened the door: "Sister Li, would you like to bring your little brother in for a sit-down? It's early in the morning for business, I'll give Yaozu a discount."

"You damn bitch, my brother wouldn't even look at you."

Sister Li shook her head and beckoned me upstairs: "Yaozu, let's go upstairs for a walk."

Upon entering the fourth stairwell, a foul stench filled the air.

I don't know which drunkard vomited in the stairwell last night, leaving a mess everywhere.

Sister Li covered her nose and cursed, "Which bastard did this? If I see it, I'll kill him!"

I felt nauseous too, so I quickly stepped over and said, "Sister Li, I'll clean up a bit later and tidy up the hallways."

Sister Li walked ahead of me: "Okay, have Old Xia from 604 come and do the work. That bastard owes me rent, so he can work to pay for it, twenty yuan a day."

"Okay, I'll go find him later."

Twenty yuan a day is a very reasonable price, about the same as factory wages.

The entire building consists of shops on the first floor and residential units on the upper floors.

Some tenants are at home, while others are not.

Turning to the third stairwell, and arriving at room 505, Sister Li was about to knock on the door.

"Sister Li, I was here last night."

I stopped Sister Li: "Those tenants said they'd pay me tonight."

"You came here last night? They said they'd pay tonight?" Sister Li was skeptical.

"Yes, I'll collect the rent tonight."

"That's good……"

Sister Li hesitated for a moment, then deliberately shouted loudly at the door, "If they don't pay tonight, call Dao Zai Xiong, check their identification, and send them all to Zhangshutou!"

There was no sound from inside, so we didn't know if the person was home.

Continuing upstairs, Sister Li whispered, "Those guys in 505 seem like they're involved in organized crime. When you come to collect your money tonight, don't get into a fight with them. If things get really bad, I'll call Daozai Xiong and his men over."

I was puzzled: "Sister Li, if they really want to renege on their debt, you can call the police."

"Uncle Hat is very busy, so don't bother him with such a small thing. You'll find out later that it's much more convenient to ask Knife Boy Xiong."

Sister Li gave a wry smile.

After exiting the third stairwell, we entered the second stairwell and went upstairs, knocking on each room door.

Finally, we arrived at room 604.

The door opened by the swallows.

Upon seeing me and Sister Li, Chunyan blushed and stammered, "Sister Bao... Brother, my dad is sleeping..."

"What time is it? Still sleeping? You don't want to pay the rent you owe me, do you?"

Sister Li entered the house, glanced around, and started cursing, "Old Xia, if you don't pay the rent, I'll have Dao Zai Xiong throw your things out and send you to work at Zhangshutou to pay off the debt!"

Chunyan stood to one side, tears welling up in her eyes, her head bowed as she clutched the hem of her clothes.

I looked at Chunyan and said to Sister Li, "I came here yesterday, and Lao Xia said he would pay in three days."

"Don't listen to his nonsense."

Sister Li pounded on Lao Xia's door and shouted, "Lao Xia, get up right now! After you eat, clean the hallway for me. Work to pay off your debt. Clean the hallway thoroughly, or you're out tonight!"

"Okay, landlady. I'm still sleeping... I'll go to work after I eat."

Old Xia answered from inside the room, but didn't come out.

"Yaozu, let's go."

Sister Li shook her head, turned around and went out.

As she approached the door, Sister Li turned back to look at Chunyan:

"Little girl, in the future, it's best not to carry a bag when you go out. It's a mess here, and you might get robbed. Also, don't go out alone at night. If something happens, you'll have no tears to cry about."

Chunyan nodded and replied weakly, "I'll start working in the factory once I get my ID card."

"ID card? Where do I get one?"

"It's too late to go home and get it done. There's a place in the market that makes ID cards for people... but it costs 150 yuan."

"The wet market?"

Sister Li hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and left.

In one morning, we visited all 48 households in Building 27.

However, many tenants were not home; we didn't see them.

There are two other apartments and some separate single rooms that are currently vacant and have no tenants.

"From now on, I'll leave all these trivial matters to you, Yaozu. It'll be a bit busy at first, but once you get used to it, it'll be much easier."

Sister Li sat down on the sofa, rubbing her legs. "I'm tired from running around and don't want to go downstairs. Go to Aunt Pang's and buy two lunches for us. Don't pay her; let her put it on the tab."

I nodded and went downstairs to buy lunch.

I bought a plate of fried noodles and a plate of fried rice, and let Sister Li choose.

Sister Li picked out some fried rice and said while eating, "I'll be going out of town in a few days, probably for about a week. Is this okay with you?"

"It should be fine, it's not a big deal."

I actually felt a little expectant and excited.

Sister Li is gone, so I'm now the landlord. Isn't that a promotion?

"That's good." Sister Li thought for a moment and then said:

"Call me if you need anything. If it's something serious, contact Dao Zixiong. He lives in Building 30 on the east side, that five-story villa is his home."

I nodded: "Okay, I got it."

After lunch, I gathered a bucket, shovel, mop, and plastic bags to prepare for cleaning the stairwell.

"Yaozu".

Sister Li stopped me: "Go to room 604 and ask Lao Xia to clean it. While you're at it, get that girl's name, ID number, and home address, and also a photo. I'll have someone make her an ID card and introduce her to a job. Otherwise, Lao Xia will never pay me rent in his entire life."

"Sister Li, are you making an ID card for her?" I was a little surprised.

"Go ask her. If she's already done it, then forget about it."

"Um."

I nodded and turned to leave.

Go to 604 first and ask Lao Xia for help.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the building, I saw Chunyan holding a mop and bending over to mop the floor.

"Brother, my dad isn't well and can't do any work. Can I help you clean?"

Chunyan looked at me with expectant eyes.

"Okay, I can't handle it all by myself."

I nodded and looked up: "It'll be easier to clean from upstairs to downstairs."

"I've already cleaned upstairs."

Chunyan wiped her sweat with her sleeve: "If you don't believe me, you can go upstairs and check... However, the rooftop hasn't been cleaned yet, and the sun is very strong now, so I plan to clean it later..."

"No need for the checkup."

I put down my tools, remembering Sister Li's instructions: "By the way, Chunyan, did you make your ID card?"