Chapter 135: Urban village

The fountain square was an ideal place to hang out in April, when spring was at its most beautiful and pleasant.

Several cherry blossom and maple trees were planted at intervals around the square. A group of elderly people were dancing in the early morning sun, welcoming the day with their routine fitness exercises.

The children’s laughter could be heard, along with the sound of dogs barking at each other as they walked with their owners.

This was an old residential neighborhood in Haidian District.

Because of its proximity to important locations such as universities, tech offices, and malls, it was a popular residential neighborhood with countless tenants, including teachers, students, migrant workers, and office employees.

It was a classic urban village, with a mixed bag of newly built apartment buildings and old buildings dating back to the 1980s or early 2000s. This was a rather common scene in small pockets of the capital due to the rapid outward expansion of the district.

These areas were once large tracts of village settlements. During the rapid expansion of the capital, most of the surrounding areas had been demolished and reconstructed into technological parks, commercial areas, and high-end residential complexes.

However, these smaller village pockets were not fortunate enough to be granted the luck of demolition and were instead trapped in the limbo between highly sophisticated modernization and old-school, village-style neighborhoods.

The difference between the former neighbors was indeed too stark and had always sparked envy.

Fortunately, to comfort these unfortunate locals’ hearts, the awkward location made the neighborhood very appealing to migrant workers and students from out of town.

This provided the locals who rented out their properties with a steady flow of rental income, making their lives more comfortable than those of employees working under big companies just to earn a meager salary.

A group of middle-aged women were resting on a bench under a maple tree.

A middle-aged woman addressed an older, plump woman whose face looked haggard with concern. "Elder Sister Liu, why do you look so listless?"

Elder Sister Liu rubbed her eyes and yawned. "My useless old man didn’t sleep all night and kept turning, making me unable to sleep as well."

"Oh, is he still upset about it?"

"What? What is he upset about?" Another middle-aged woman asked curiously.

Someone answered. "Remember how Elder Sister Liu and her husband had always wanted to move up to that empty unit on the eighth floor, ever since the elevator was installed a several years back?"

"Ah, that unit with the large balcony."

A pedestrian who was walking while looking down at a map on his phone paused after hearing this.

He stopped nearby, with his suitcase in front of a convenience store by the fountain square, not too far from the gossiping women.

Elder Sister Liu was grumpy. "My old man is upset because the manager of the building always told him it was off-limits, but then they suddenly rented it out to a new tenant."

All the women finally understood.

No wonder Elder Brother Liu was angry. He had always been waiting and persistently asking the manager about that unit, only for them to suddenly lease it to someone else, a newbie.

"Shouldn’t they prioritize their old tenants first?" Someone complained.

"Pah! Shameless people."

A snort from nearby interrupted their conversation.

The middle-aged ladies all looked towards the sound. Seeing who it was, they stiffened and inwardly cursed their luck.

The manager’s mother, who was also called the tigress on the ninth floor, was actually nearby!

The manager’s mother, an old woman in her fifties, stood with her hands on her hips, pointing her finger at the gossipy women.

"When you signed the lease, the contract clearly said that you can’t just move to another unit unless the old unit you’re renting is no longer suitable to stay in. You will even have to compensate for any damages in the old unit."

The feisty old woman started rattling on. "You people just want to take advantage of a perfectly fine and unused unit after wearing out your place."

Sensing that this was going to be a long tirade, the women all stood up one after another, making excuses.

"Ah, I forgot that I have something stewing on the stove. I have to go back."

"My mother-in-law told me to buy soy sauce. I need to go to the convenience store."

Elder Sister Liu also stood up to escape, but the old woman stood in her way, not letting her go.

The tigress of the ninth floor began to talk rapidly, as if she were rapping a highly rhythmic and fast-paced underground rap.

"When my son said that you needed to pay for any damages they found in your unit and asked why you wanted to change, your old man clearly said there was nothing wrong with your apartment. Your family just likes the large balcony."

"Your old man even said that because he is an old tenant who has been renting in this building for almost two decades, he wants the rent to be the same as your current unit."

Recalling his son’s complaints about the Liu family, the old woman, Auntie Zhang spat on the ground.

"Pah! What is that if not shameless! That unit on the eighth floor is bigger and has never been used, with the best location and view, and is also not as hot as the ninth floor."

The nearby pedestrian was already looking this way in curiosity and schadenfreude.

Auntie Zhang: "Your family still dare to complain about my son? How about we start checking for any damages in your unit right now, huh?"

"I’m sorry, Auntie Zhang. It’s just my mouth running off. Don’t be upset! I’ll tell my old man to shut up soon. Oh right, I forgot to turn off the rice cooker at home. The rice might burn. I have to go!"

Elder Sister Liu finally found a chance and ran off, leaving the old woman, Auntie Zhang, behind.