Chapter 211 - 198: Renting a House 2
Chapter 211: Chapter 198: Renting a House 2
Two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. At around seventy to eighty square meters, it was quite spacious for two people.
In the car, Mo Xiaoman had heard Tang Haocheng say, "We’ll find an apartment for the two of us, get a bike, and live off-campus." This was something Mo Xiaoman had been dreaming of for a long time. The huge dormitories, packed with twenty to thirty people, were far too inconvenient for her. But in this day and age, rental housing was incredibly scarce. She had searched for a long time last semester but found nothing. When Teacher Yu learned that she wasn’t comfortable in the large dorm, she had offered to let Mo Xiaoman stay at her home, saying there was a spare room. Mo Xiaoman had politely declined. ’How could an outsider possibly impose on a perfectly happy family of three?’
So when Tang Haocheng mentioned he had a place, she was naturally tempted.
’I’m not riding on Tang Qingyun’s coattails,’ she thought. ’Tang Haocheng invited me to live with him. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just pay the entire rent myself.’
Mo Xiaoman took out some money to give to Xiao Feng, but he waved it away. "Just live here, don’t worry about anything else," he said. "Go to your classes this afternoon. I’ll have someone move in the bed frames and desks, so you can move in after school tonight. I’ll also have a set of pots and pans sent to the kitchen, right? That way, if you get hungry at night, you can cook some noodles to tide you over. As for daytime meals, Hao Hao doesn’t want to eat at school, so I’ve arranged for meal tickets at the agency canteen. You two will just have to walk a little farther to eat there. Here are the keys, one for each of you. Oh, right, the iron gate to the compound is locked at night. It opens at five in the morning and is locked at eleven at night. Remember that."
Tang Haocheng took the bare key, glanced at it, and casually stuffed it into Mo Xiaoman’s hand. "I’m not used to carrying keys. I’ll only lose it. You hold onto it for me! Anyway, our schools are right next to each other, separated by just a wall. I’ll just wait for you at the school gate when classes are over."
Mo Xiaoman grumbled internally, ’Who’s ever ’used’ to carrying keys?’ Still, seeing that the bare key had nothing attached and would be easy to lose, she put it away. She figured she’d tie a cord to it that night before giving it back to Tang Haocheng.
Tang Qingyun and Tang Haocheng had already visited the county high school that morning. Even though he was over a month late for the semester, his grades were outstanding, so the school was more than happy to welcome him, even without him having to drop his father’s name. With all the registration paperwork taken care of, he walked with Mo Xiaoman to school that afternoon to familiarize himself with the route, meaning Tang Qingyun didn’t need to drive them.
When Mo Xiaoman got back to school, a little thrill of excitement ran through her at the thought of having her own room. Before class started, she found Mo Linghui and Guan Ailan to tell them the news. The two girls were both envious and crestfallen—envious that Mo Xiaoman could live off-campus, but crestfallen that she would no longer be eating, sleeping, and exercising with them.
Guan Ailan wailed dramatically, tugging on Mo Xiaoman’s arm. "Please don’t go! I can’t live without you!"
Mo Xiaoman wasn’t about to give in. She just smiled and said, "I can’t just leave Hao Hao by himself, can I? We’ll still be in class together during the day, and I’ll be here for evening study hall. We just won’t be sleeping in the same room, that’s all. You two need to be good and keep up with your morning exercises on your own. And when the weekend comes, you can come over to my place for a feast!"
The two girls immediately perked up. "Yeah, yeah! And not just one meal! On Sunday, you have to feed us for the whole day!"
"In your dreams! I’m providing the place, you’re providing the labor. It’s more like you’ll be feeding me all day Sunday!"
"Mo Xiaoman, you little tyrant!" Guan Ailan yelled.
"Yeah, treating us like your hired help," Mo Linghui added, feigning indignation.
Mo Xiaoman stuck her hands in her pockets, puffed out her chest, and walked past them with a haughty air. "If you’re so tough, then just don’t come!"
The two girls chased after her, and the three of them ran into the classroom, laughing and roughhousing playfully.
When classes ended for the evening, Mo Xiaoman told Mr. Cheng about her plan to live off-campus. Mr. Cheng was concerned it would affect her studies, but Mo Xiaoman argued that the walk to and from school would be good exercise and a chance to unwind. Besides, she added, she would still be on campus for evening study hall. Mr. Cheng saw her point and agreed, then took her to the school’s administration office to complete the necessary paperwork.
Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui helped Mo Xiaoman pack her quilt and other belongings, tying them up into bundles. They helped her carry everything to the school gate, where Tang Haocheng was already waiting. Xiao Feng had come to pick them up by car, and Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui piled in as well. Since they had to return for evening study hall anyway, they decided to go along and see Mo Xiaoman and Tang Haocheng’s new home.
They opened the door to find the apartment spotlessly clean. The living room was now furnished with tables, chairs, and small stools. Against one wall stood a wooden convertible sofa that could be pulled out into a bed. In the center of the room, a large round table was already laden with steaming hot dishes. A rare sight greeted them: Tang Qingyun, sleeves rolled up, arranging bowls and chopsticks. If Xiao Feng hadn’t mentioned earlier that he’d asked some of the neighbor ladies for help, they might have actually thought he had cooked the meal himself.