Before leaving, Qin Yuzheng looked at Yang Zhiyan with complete sincerity.
“Miss Yang, your presentation today was excellent.”
Yang Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. Being recognized by someone else was an incredibly gratifying feeling.
No wonder he’s a leader, she thought. With just a few words, he can make people willingly admire him. His compliment alone was enough to keep her feeling confident and happy for the rest of the day.
She watched his departing figure cross the exhibition hall, weaving through the crowd, past the qipaos, the warm lights, and the lingering notes of the pipa performance, growing farther and farther away.
His navy jacket gradually disappeared into the sea of people until it finally vanished into the brilliant white light beyond the exhibition hall’s exit.
“Zhiyan?”
Teacher Mu’s voice came from behind her.
Yang Zhiyan snapped back to reality and turned around.
At some point, Teacher Mu had walked up behind her. Holding a cup of water, she regarded Yang Zhiyan with a thoughtful, almost knowing look.
“What are you looking at?” she asked casually, though there was curiosity in her eyes.
“N-Nothing.”
Yang Zhiyan set the brochure on the table and took a large gulp of water. It was hotter than she expected, making her wince.
After a full day of work, she returned home only to face her sister-in-law’s endless nagging once again.
Ever since she’d decided to move out, the house had become increasingly unbearable. Every corner of it irritated her.
Why did I ever devote everything I had to a family like this?
People really couldn’t empathize with the foolish versions of themselves from the past.
Tomorrow, I have to go apartment hunting.
After finally dealing with her impossible sister-in-law, Yang Zhiyan lay in bed and messaged the rental agent to confirm appointments for the next day’s viewings.
Sunday was overcast.
The clouds hung low, filling the sky with layers of dull gray. The damp scent of wet earth lingered in the air.
Yang Zhiyan left home at eight in the morning.
The first viewing was scheduled for nine o’clock in the old district, about a forty-minute bus ride from her studio.
The night before, she’d spent hours scrolling through rental listings, carefully browsing every apartment in her favorites that rented for less than 3,000 yuan a month before arranging several viewings with an agent.
The first apartment was in an aging residential building.
No elevator.
Six flights of stairs.
The landlady who answered the door was a woman in her fifties with tightly permed curls, wearing a floral-print nightgown and cheap plastic slippers. The cracked heels of her feet were dry and chalky white.
She looked Yang Zhiyan up and down, her gaze lingering briefly at her waist before breaking into a grin that revealed a row of nicotine-stained yellow teeth.
“So you’re the one here to see the place? Come in, come in.”
Yang Zhiyan followed her inside with the agent.
The apartment wasn’t large.
It had two bedrooms and one living room. It was advertised as a shared rental, but the other bedroom was occupied by the landlady and her son.
Several cardboard boxes and a treadmill coated in dust cluttered the living room.
Half a watermelon sat on the coffee table beside a plate piled with watermelon seeds.
Several towels of questionable cleanliness were draped over the back of the sofa.
“This room is yours.”
The woman pushed open the smaller bedroom.
It was only about ten square meters.
A single bed.
A desk.
A wardrobe.
The curtains were made of those oversized floral fabrics popular back in the 1990s, dull and dusty with age. When she pulled them aside, the view outside was simply the wall of the neighboring building.
The gap between the two buildings was less than two meters wide, blocking almost all natural light. Even in broad daylight, the room felt like dusk.
“This room is 3,000 yuan a month.”
Yang Zhiyan thought she’d misheard.
“Three thousand?”
“That’s right. Three thousand.”
The woman leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, speaking as confidently as if she were stating that one plus one equaled two.
“Utilities are included, there’s internet, and you can move in with just your luggage. It’s a great deal.”
Yang Zhiyan glanced at the single bed with its yellowing sheets, then at the layer of dust covering the curtains.
After a brief hesitation, she asked,
“If it’s a shared apartment, how are the common areas handled?”
“The common areas are for everyone to use.”
The woman waved her hand dismissively.
“When you get home from work, you can help me cook dinner, sweep the floors, and if you have time, bring in the laundry too. My son’s busy with work and doesn’t have time for those things. You’re living here by yourself anyway—you’ve got plenty of free time. It’s just lending a hand.”
So she’d be paying rent to work as a maid?
It was no different from living at home.
“Oh, and one more thing,” the woman added.
“My son sometimes brings his friends over to play cards. They might stay until after midnight. You’ll get used to it. They’re not that noisy.”
Yang Zhiyan looked at her quietly.
“I’m here to rent a room,” she said seriously to the agent.
“Not to be someone’s maid.”
The agent’s smile froze, and he had just opened his mouth to smooth things over when the landlady spoke first.
“What’s with your attitude, young lady?”
Dropping her arms, she planted her hands on her hips, her voice instantly rising several octaves.
“I’m doing you a favor by renting it to you this cheaply! Where else can you find a place this good for 3,000 yuan? Two bedrooms, a living room, even a balcony! Go ask around and see what the market’s like in this neighborhood.”
“No need.”
Yang Zhiyan turned and walked toward the door, her heels clicking crisply against the tile floor.
“Hey! You—”
The woman’s shrill voice chased after her.
Yang Zhiyan never looked back.
After saying a few words to the landlady, the agent hurried after her.
The stairwell was packed with junk.
Old bicycles.
Stacks of cardboard boxes.
Large ceramic jars of pickled vegetables, some weighed down with stones covered in green moss.
The hallway lights were voice-activated.
When her footsteps were heavy, the lights flickered on.
When she walked more quietly, they immediately went dark again.
By the time she reached the ground floor, the lights above her had blinked on and off the entire way, almost as if they were sulking with her.
Outside, the sky had grown even darker than when she’d arrived.
The agent caught up with her and apologized repeatedly.
“The first place won’t work,” Yang Zhiyan said. “Let’s go see the second one. If it’s the same situation, there’s no point looking anymore.”
“Of course, of course,” the agent replied hurriedly.
“It won’t be like that. The second one’s also a shared rental, but it’s cheaper—2,500 yuan.”
He then led her to the next viewing.
On the way there, Teacher Mu called.
“Zhiyan, how’s the apartment hunting going?”
Yang Zhiyan recounted exactly what had happened without exaggerating anything.
When she reached the part about paying 3,000 yuan while also being expected to cook and clean for the landlady, there was a two-second silence on the other end.
Then Teacher Mu sighed.
“Zhiyan.”
“Yes?”
“Listen to me. You’re a young woman. I’d rather you spend a little more money and rent a place in a better neighborhood than save money by renting a single room in the old district. It’s not safe.”
Yang Zhiyan held the phone without saying anything.
“Did you hear me?”
“I did, Teacher Mu.”
“You have no idea what kind of people live in those cheap rentals. You’re young and living alone. If something happened to you… how could I ever explain it to…”
Teacher Mu paused, swallowing the rest of her sentence before changing her wording.
“Anyway, just listen to me. Places cost more for a reason. Your safety comes first.”
“I understand.”
“Where are you now?”
“On the way to see the second apartment.”
“Where is it?”
“East City.”
“East City?”
Teacher Mu’s voice rose noticeably.
“The old industrial area? It’s even more chaotic over there. I had a client who lived there once. He left his electric scooter downstairs to charge overnight, and by morning both the scooter and the battery were gone.”
Yang Zhiyan opened her mouth to say, But it’s cheap…
Then she swallowed the words.
Teacher Mu seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
Her tone softened, carrying the mixture of concern and helplessness unique to an elder.
“Zhiyan, don’t worry too much about money. If you find a better apartment but you’re short on cash, tell me.”
“I can lend you the money first.”
“There’s no rush to pay me back.”