A life of success begins with being a landlord.

On the other end of the phone, Liu Haomei was still teasing me: "Come on, Brother Wang, I'm waiting for you."

"Bring it on, who's afraid of who?"

I decided to take the plunge, hung up the phone, packed my things, and headed out.

Huang Aijun and others upstairs are still having a meeting. I'm staying in 302, so I guess I won't be able to sleep either.

So, I rushed to 508 full of anticipation and excitement.

Chunyan and Liu Haomei had both taken showers and were ready, waiting for me.

As soon as I entered, Liu Haomei and Chunyan pulled me over, turned on the electric fan, brought out playing cards, and began a heated exchange.

Two hours later...

The two cunning gamblers had their fill of playing cards, covered my face with notes, and then, satisfied, slipped into their respective bedrooms to sleep.

I went to the small room facing north, turned on the fan, and went to sleep, vowing to myself that I would definitely get my revenge tomorrow night!

I've been a bit tired these past few days, so after getting into bed, I fell asleep.

I don't know when it happened, but I vaguely felt someone next to me.

"Spring Swallow, is that you?"

In the darkness, I embraced Chunyan.

The swallows responded warmly to me, kissing me.

Before I knew it, I was getting into the swing of things.

But I had a vague feeling that Chunyan seemed a little different tonight.

I guess I'm a little... reserved.

After a blissful dream, I fell asleep again, holding Chunyan in my arms.

I was woken up by a phone call the next morning.

I picked up the phone and realized that I was all alone. Chunyan must have sneaked over last night and then ran away again.

The call was from He Tiantian: "Fellow villager, where are you? I'll come over and remove your stitches."

"I'm at Building 27, Sanlichuan Street. Come over here."

I hung up the phone, got up and dressed, calling out, "Chunyan, good sister!"

The room was quiet, and no one answered me.

I walked out of the small room and saw a note on the dining table. It was left for me by Liu Haomei.

"Brother Wang, you worked hard last night. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you. I've made noodles in the pot, and there are eggs too. Remember to eat them. After you eat, leave the pots and pans there; I'll wash them when I get back tonight. Good sister."

The handwriting was neat and tidy, and a small heart was drawn.

What does "working hard all night" mean?

I stared at the note and was suddenly startled. Could it have been Liu Haomei last night?

Thinking of this, I rushed back to the small bedroom to check the sheets.

The bedsheets were a complete mess, beyond description.

There is also a picture of winter plum blossoms above, which are bright and beautiful.

Holy crap, was last night's dream real? And it wasn't Chunyan?

I was stunned for a while before I woke up. I quickly rolled up the sheets and threw them in the bathroom to soak in water.

There were noodles cooking in the kitchen, and two boiled eggs.

The noodles were boiled and then simmered for a long time, so they lost their chewy texture and weren't very tasty. However, the boiled egg was good, retaining its original flavor.

After having breakfast, He Tiantian arrived at Building 27.

I went downstairs to greet them.

From afar, you could see a slender beauty standing in front of Fatty Sister's fried rice noodle shop.

Today, He Tiantian is wearing a light red dress and high heels. With her slim waist and full hips, she looks completely different from the nurse she was on earlier.

"You are... He Tiantian?" I was a little hesitant to recognize her.

"Fellow villager, don't you recognize me? You must have a bad memory." He Tiantian rolled her eyes.

"Don't joke around, folks. What kind of important person am I? Here, everyone calls me 'Diao Mao' (meaning 'pig-hair')."

I smiled and invited He Tiantian to go to 302.

He Tiantian followed me into 302, looking left and right.

I poured He Tiantian a glass of water.

"Hey, did you buy this house?" He Tiantian asked enviously after touring the house. "It's so nice to have a house here."

"Even in ten years, I still won't be able to afford a house here."

I shook my head: "This is the house my older sister rented."

"Your sister is here too? What does she do?" He Tiantian asked curiously.

"My sister is the building manager, and I'm her assistant, responsible for collecting rent."

"Does this whole building belong to your sister?"

"No, my older sister rented the whole place and is making money as a sub-landlord." I ended the conversation: "Don't ask about the details, my sister told me not to say more."

He Tiantian nodded, opened the first-aid kit she had brought, and removed my stitches.

I took off my shirt and sat on the sofa.

He Tiantian bent down and carefully removed my stitches, asking in a low voice, "Such a big wound, was it... cut by a knife?"

"yes."

I answered casually, but my eyes inadvertently wandered into He Tiantian's collar.

This low-cut dress seems to reveal a lot.

As I watched, I couldn't help but feel my face burning.

He Tiantian didn't notice my change and even touched my face: "Why is your face red? Does it hurt?"

"It's alright, I can handle it," I chuckled awkwardly.

It did hurt a bit when the stitches were removed.

But when I was face to face with He Tiantian, I could hear her breathing, and my attention was drawn to her, so I didn't feel the pain anymore.

After a while, He Tiantian removed my stitches and disinfected the wound with alcohol swabs.

"hiss……"

This time it really hurt, and I couldn't help but twitch.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He Tiantian was so frightened that she didn't dare to move.

"It's okay, you can continue." Of course, I had to play the tough guy.

He Tiantian nodded, bent down, and continued to disinfect and apply medicine to me.

I endured the pain, searching for something to distract myself from it...

"Is it good-looking? You pervert."

He Tiantian finally applied the medicine to me, rewrapped the gauze, and gently slapped me: "Alright, you naughty fellow villager."

"What kind of bad guy or scoundrel?"

I gave an awkward smile and stood up: "You're standing right in front of me, I can't not look at you... that's not okay either."

He Tiantian blushed slightly, shook her head and smiled, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I... I'll treat you to lunch. I'm not working this morning."

"It's still early for dinner, it's only eight o'clock."

I smiled and called Sister Li first to ask her when she would return to Sanlichuan.

Sister Li said, "I should be back after lunch, so don't wait for me while you eat."

I hung up the phone and smiled at He Tiantian: "He Tiantian, you'll have to treat me to dinner sometime. My older sister won't be back until this afternoon."

He Tiantian smiled happily: "Thank you, fellow villager, for giving me this opportunity."

"Just call me Wang Yaozu." I flexed my injured shoulder, feeling it was fine now. "But I have to work this morning."

"I'll do it with you!"

"Okay, wait."

I nodded, found the account books for buildings 26 and 27, and went to collect the rent and utility bills.

I just got downstairs and ran into two sisters who were renting a place.

The younger sister seemed to be injured; her left hand was wrapped in thick gauze, her eyes were weak, and her face was pale.

My sister was dressed simply, carrying some tattered belongings like pots and pans. She spoke in a low voice, asking me, "Landlord, my sister and I would like to rent a room together, is that alright?"

"Of course, I'll take you to see the house."

I nodded and led them to apartment 304 in building 27, which was the apartment downstairs from Kuai Dafa's.

There are also vacant rooms in Building 26, but I must prioritize Sister Li's business. That's how I should treat Sister Li, right?

He Tiantian kindly helped the older woman carry some of her luggage.

304 was originally a shared apartment, divided into three rooms, with a shared kitchen and bathroom.

I led the two sisters into the house and gave them a brief introduction:

"The large, sunny room with a balcony, where you can put a gas stove for cooking, is 250 yuan per month, one month's rent as deposit. The smaller, sunny bedroom is 220 yuan per month. The bedroom facing north is 200 yuan per month."

He Tiantian sniffed and frowned, saying, "Why does it smell so bad here? Is it even habitable?"

"There's some wastewater leaking from the upstairs bathroom, but I'll fix it soon."

I explained, "If you like it, I can waive a few days' rent."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Could you make the price cheaper for the small room on the north side? We... don't have enough money."