Number 2, 4 and 6 on Water Lily Street are terraced buildings with polygonal four-slope roofs. The overall appearance is grey-blue, and three chimneys stand out prominently.
There are certainly no lawns or gardens here, nor are there any porches. The entrance faces directly onto the street.
"Thingen City Housing Improvement Company's" Skart, holding a string of copper keys, opened the door while introducing:
"Our terraced houses have no entrance hall. You enter directly into the living room, which has a bulging window facing Water Lily Street, and the lighting is quite good..."
What caught the eyes of Klein, Benson and Melissa was a set of fabric sofas bathed in golden sunlight and a spacious space comparable to their previous two-bedroom apartment.
"This living room can also be used as a living room. On the right side is the dining room, and on the left wall there is a large fireplace for you to warm yourselves in winter," Skart pointed out with familiarity.
Klein glanced at it and confirmed that it was a rough open layout. The dining room and living room were not separated at all, but were far away from the bulging window, making it rather dim.
There was a small red rectangular wooden table placed there, surrounded by six soft-backed wooden chairs. On the left wall, the fireplace was like the ones in foreign movies and TV series that Melissa had seen before.
"Behind the dining room is the kitchen. But we don't provide any appliances. The living room is opposite the small guest room and bathroom..." Skart walked forward and detailed the rest of the layout on the first floor.
The bathroom was divided into an inner and outer room. The outer side was for washing, and the inner side was the toilet, separated by a folding door. The guest room was said to be quite small, but it was the same size as Melissa's current apartment, making her stare in astonishment.
After seeing the first floor, Skart led the siblings to the staircase beside the bathroom:
"Down there is a ground-level storage room. The air inside is very stuffy. Remember to ventilate before entering."
Benson nodded without showing any emotion, following Skart up the stairs to the second floor.
"On my left is a bathroom, and on the same side there are two bedrooms. On my right is the same layout, except the bathroom is closer to the small balcony."
While speaking, Skart opened the bathroom door and turned his body to allow Klein, Benson and Melissa to look around without any obstruction.
This bathroom had a bathtub more than the one on the first floor. There was also a folding door next to the toilet. Although it was covered with some dust, there were no other dirty areas and no unpleasant smell.
Melissa stared at this place blankly until Skart walked towards the adjacent bedroom, then she lowered her gaze and followed him slowly.
After a few steps, she looked back.
The worldly-wise Klein was also quite delighted and expectant about this, because even though the landlord often supervised the cleaning, the communal bathroom was still not clean enough, often causing him to have the urge to vomit, let alone when he was in a hurry and had to wait in line.
The other bathroom was the same as this one. There were four bedrooms, only one slightly larger, with bookshelves, and the rest were about the same size, with beds, tables and wardrobes.
"The balcony is very small. You can't dry too many clothes there." Skart stood at the end of the corridor, pointing to the area separated by a door and lock, "Here are complete sewer systems, gas pipes and meters, etc. It's very suitable for gentlemen and ladies like you to live here. The rent is 13 shillings per week and 5 pence for furniture usage fees. Also, a four-week deposit is required."
Before Benson could speak, Klein, curious and looking around, asked:
"If I want to buy it, how much would this house cost?"
As a time traveler from a country that loves to eat, the desire to buy a house had always been in his heart.
When he heard this question, Benson and Melissa were startled and looked at Klein with monster-like eyes. Skart, however, answered firmly:
"We don't sell properties. We only provide rentals."
"I just want to know, understand? To understand." Klein awkwardly explained.
Skart hesitated for a few seconds and said: Last month, the homeowner at No. 11, Water Lily Street, just sold a similar house on a leasehold basis for 300 pounds over a period of 15 years. This was much cheaper than renting directly, but not everyone could afford such a large sum all at once. If one wanted to purchase it completely, the homeowner's asking price was 850 pounds.
850 pounds? Klein quickly started doing mental arithmetic:
My weekly salary is 3 pounds, and Benson's is 1 pound and 10 pence... The rent is 13 pence, plus good food every day, that's approximately 2 pounds a week. There's also the cost of clothing, transportation expenses, interpersonal expenses, and so on. And that's only about 10 pence a week at most. A year, that's around 35 pounds. 850 pounds would probably take about twenty years... Even if it's just the 300 pounds on a leasehold basis, it would take at least eight or nine years... This doesn't even take into account future events like getting married, dividing the property, having children, traveling, etc...
In this world without personal housing loans, most people should be left with no choice but to rent...
Having some understanding, he stepped back and glanced at his brother Benson, gesturing for him to negotiate the rent price.
As for Melissa's intentions, just by looking at her bright eyes, he understood it all!
At this moment, Klein had a momentary illusion of "closing the door and letting Benson out".
Benson pointed with his unbrilliantly silvered cane and looked around before saying:
"We should go and look at other houses. The lighting in this restaurant here is too poor, and the balcony is very small. Look, only that bedroom has a fireplace, and the furniture is too old. We'll need to replace more than half of it when we move in..."
He picked out a series of faults at a moderate pace and successfully "persuaded" Scutt to lower the price to 12 pence for rent and 3 pence for furniture usage fees. The deposit was rounded up to 2 pounds.
Not wasting any more time, the three siblings followed Scutt back to the "Tingen City Housing Improvement Company", signed a double-copy contract, and went to the Tingen City Notary Office to have it notarized.
After paying the deposit and the first week's rent, Klein and Benson's remaining money added up to 9 pounds, 2 pence, and 8 farthings.
Standing at the door of No. 2, Water Lily Street, they each held a string of copper keys, and for a moment, they couldn't take their eyes off each other, swirling with various emotions.
"It feels like a dream..." After a while, Melissa raised her head and looked at the "Moretti Family" ahead, her voice low and distant as she said.
Benson exhaled and smiled:
"Don't wake up."
Klein, however, wasn't as touched as them. He nodded and said:
"We need to replace the locks on the main door and the balcony door as soon as possible."
"This doesn't need to be rushed. The reputation of the Tingen City Housing Improvement Company is very good. The rest is your expense for formal wear, but before that, we need to go to Mr. Frank's place." Benson pointed in the direction of the apartment. ......
After having a meager meal of rye bread at home, the three siblings then headed to the row of apartments on Iron Cross Street and knocked on the landlord's door.
" You should know my principle, absolutely no rent arrears allowed!" Mr. Frank, who was short in stature, sat on the sofa and declared with a commanding tone.
Benson leaned forward and smiled as he spoke:
"Mr. Frank, we are here to terminate the lease."
So direct? Is this really a good way to negotiate? Klein listened in astonishment on the side.
On the way here, Benson had said that his bottom line was to compensate 12 solle.
"Terminate the lease? No! We have a contract, and there's still six months left!" Frank stared at Benson, waving his arms and shouting.
Benson looked at him seriously and waited for the tension to subside before calmly saying:
"Mr. Frank, you should be well aware that you should earn more."
"Earn more?" Frank touched his thin face and asked in interest.
Benson straightened his body and explained with a smile:
"Two-bedroom apartment for three people, it's 5 solle 6 pence, but if you rent it to families with five, six people, and two or even three working and receiving salaries, I think they will definitely be willing to pay more for it instead of going to that place on the street with very poor security, 5 solle 10 pence, or 6 solle. I think this is a reasonable price."
Seeing Frank's shining eyes and moving throat, he continued:
"And you surely know that in recent years, the rent for houses has been on the rise. The longer we live here, the more you lose."
"But... I need time to look for a new tenant." The Frank who inherited the inheritance and got the apartment was obviously moved.
"I believe you will find one soon. You have the ability and resources. Maybe two days, maybe three... We will compensate you for the losses during this period, using the deposit we paid, 3 solle. This is very fair!" Benson immediately made a decision.
Frank nodded in satisfaction:
"Benson, you are truly a young man with a conscience and honest in your actions. Alright, we sign the 'Termination of Contract' agreement."
Klein was stunned on the side and completely understood how easily Frank could be persuaded.
This is too easy to persuade, isn't it...
After resolving the issue of the previous contract, the three siblings went to help Klein buy formal clothes, and then began to busy themselves with the move.
They didn't have any heavy and bulky items, as those belonged to the landlord, so Benson and Melissa jointly "rejected" Klein's idea of hiring a carriage and did it themselves, traveling back and forth between Hyacinth Flower Street and Iron Cross Street.
The sun in the window was setting towards the west, and the golden color with a burnt smell passed through the bulging window and fell on the desk surface. Klein looked at the neatly arranged books and notes on the shelf and gently placed the ink and pens on the clean table.
Finally, it was done... He let out a breath, feeling his stomach growl, and put down the rolled-up cuffs as he walked towards the door.
He had a bed that belonged only to him, with white sheets and blankets, old but clean.
Klein turned the handle, walked out of the bedroom, and was about to speak when he saw the two doors on the opposite side open simultaneously, revealing the figures of Benson and Melissa.
Seeing the gray dust and dirty stains on each other's faces, Klein and Benson suddenly laughed, laughing extremely happily.
Melissa slightly bit her lip, gradually being infected by them, and softly expressed her smile. ......
The next morning.
Klein stood in front of the uncracked mirror, carefully straightening the collar and cuffs of his shirt.
This set included a white shirt, a black tailcoat, a half-height silk hat, a black waistcoat and trousers, leather boots, and a bow tie. It cost him 8 pounds, which made him feel extremely guilty.
However, the effect was good. Klein felt that the scholarly air of himself in the mirror was even more pronounced, and he seemed a little more handsome.
Plop!
He closed his pocket watch and put it in the inner pocket, then took the cane, hid the revolver, and took the track public carriage to Zotlan Street.
Just as he was entering "Black Thorn Security Company", he realized that he was used to his previous lifestyle. This morning, he didn't give Melissa any extra money and let her continue walking to school.
He shook his head, noted this down, and entered "Black Thorn Security Company", seeing the brown-haired girl Rosan there brewing coffee, making the aroma spread everywhere.
"Good morning, Klein. The weather is nice today," Rosan greeted with a smile, "Honestly, I've always been wondering, wouldn't you men feel hot in formal attire on such a warm day? I know that the summers in Tingen can't compare to those in the south, they're not as hot, but they are still summers."
"This is the price of grace," Klein replied humorously, "Good morning, Miss Rosan, where is the captain?"
"Same place," Rosan pointed inside.
Klein gave a barely visible nod, through the partition, and knocked on the door of Dunn Smith's office.
"Come in," Dunn's voice and tone were as low and gentle as ever.
Seeing that Klein had indeed changed into a nice suit, he nodded slightly, his gray eyes smiling:
"Have you made up your mind?"
Klein took a deep breath and solemnly replied:
"Yes, I have made a choice."
Dunn slowly sat up straight, his expression quickly becoming serious, his gray eyes deep and unchanging:
"Tell me your answer."
Klein answered without hesitation:
"Divinationist!"