Nos. 2, 4 and 6 Daffodil Street are townhouses with polygonal pitched roofs and a gray-blue exterior with three striking chimneys.

There are of course no lawns and gardens, and there are no porches, and the entrance faces the street directly.

Scarter of the "Housing Improvement Company of the City of Tingen" held a string of copper keys and opened the door and explained:

"We don't have a foyer in our townhouse, we enter into the living room, and we have a convex belly window facing Daffodil Street, which is quite nicely lit......"

Crane, Benson and Melissa were greeted by a set of cloth sofas bathed in golden sunlight and a spacious space comparable to their previous two-bedroom.

"This living room can also be used as a living room, with a dining room on the right and a large fireplace on the left wall for heating in the winter. Scat pointed familiarly.

Klein glanced at it and confirmed that it was a rough open plan, with no partition between the dining room and the living room, but it was rather bleak away from the bay belly window.

There was a small red rectangular wooden table surrounded by six upholstered hardwood chairs, and the fireplace on the left wall was the same as that of the foreign movies and TV series that Klein had seen before.

"Behind the dining room is the kitchen, but we don't provide any utensils, and across from the living room is the small guest room and lavatory...... "Scat took a step and detailed the rest of the layout on the first floor.

The bathroom is divided into two rooms, inside and outside, the outside is the washing place, and the inside is the toilet, separated by folding doors, the guest room is said to be very small, but it is also as big as the cubicle where Melissa currently lives, and she is a little stunned.

After looking at the first floor, Scat led the three brothers and sisters to the staircase next to the bathroom:

"Down there is an underground storage room, and the air in it is very dull, so remember to ventilate it before going in every time. ”

Benson nodded quietly and followed Scat down the stairs to the second floor.

"On my left hand side is a bathroom, and on the other side of it are two bedrooms, and on my right hand side is the same layout, except that the bathroom is near the little balcony. ”

As he spoke, Scat opened the bathroom door and leaned over so that Crane, Benson, and Melissa could look at him without hindrance.

This bathroom has more bathtubs than the one on the first floor, and there are also folding doors next to the toilet, although there is some dust, there are no other dirty places, and it is not foul or crowded.

Melissa stared at this in amazement, until Scat walked to the bedroom next to him, and then he closed his gaze and slowly followed.

After taking a few steps, she looked back again.

Klein, who has seen the world, is also quite happy and looking forward to this, because even if the landlord often supervises everyone's cleaning, the public bathroom is still not clean enough, and people often have the urge to vomit, not to mention that it is easy to encounter queues when they are impatient.

The other bathroom is the same as this one, only one of the four bedrooms is slightly larger, with bookshelves, and the rest is about the same size, with a bed, a table, and a wardrobe.

"The balcony was small and couldn't dry too much laundry at a time. Standing at the end of the hallway, Scat pointed to the place separated by a door and a lock, "There are also complete sewers, gas pipes, and meters, perfect for gentlemen and ladies like you to live in, for only 13 soles a week in rent and 5p for the use of furniture, plus a two-week deposit." ”

Without waiting for Benson to speak, Klein looked around curiously and said:

"How many pounds will this house cost if you want to buy it?"

As a traverser of the big food country, the desire to buy a house has always existed in his heart.

Hearing this, both Benson and Melissa were startled and looked at Klein with monster eyes, and Scat replied firmly:

"No, we don't sell the property, we only offer rentals. ”

"I just want to find out, understand? Klein explained awkwardly.

Scat hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"Last month, the owner of 11 Daffodil Street happened to sell a similar house for 300 pounds for 15 years in the form of a title deed, which is much cheaper than renting outright, but not everyone can come up with that much money at once, and if you want to buy it completely, the homeowner has a list price of 850 pounds. ”

850 pounds?Klein quickly began mental arithmetic:

My weekly salary was £3 and Benson was £10...... The rent is 13 soles, and if you eat well every day, you probably have to use close to 2 pounds a week, as well as the sharing of clothing, transportation expenses, interpersonal expenses, etc., etc., at most, you can save a dozen soles a week, a year, about 35 pounds a year, and 850 pounds will take about 20 years...... Even if it is only 300 pounds in the form of a title deed, it will take at least eight or nine years...... This does not take into account things such as getting married, separating families, having children, traveling in the future......

In a world where there is no personal housing loan, most people should have to choose to rent......

Aware of this, he took a step back, glanced at his brother Benson, and motioned for him to negotiate the price of rent.

As for Melissa's wishes, just by looking at her eyes that have been shining!

At this moment, Klein had the illusion of "close the door and let Benson go".

Benson nodded with his unsilvered cane, glanced left and right, and said:

"We should look at the other houses, the restaurant here is so poorly lit, the balcony is very small, you see, only that bedroom has a fireplace, and the furniture is so old that we have to change more than half ......of it when we move in."

He picked on a bunch of faults without hesitation, and in ten minutes he succeeded in "convincing" Scat to reduce the price to the level of 12 soles for the rent, 3 pence for the use of furniture, and a deposit of 2 pounds

Without wasting any more time, the siblings followed Scat back to the "Tingen City Housing Improvement Company", signed the contract in duplicate, and went to the Tingen City Notary Office to find a notary public to notarize it.

After paying the deposit and the first week's rent, Klein and Benson had the rest of the money to add up to £9, 2 sules and 8 pence.

Standing at the door of No. 2 Daffodil Street, they each held a string of copper keys, and they couldn't take their eyes off for a while, and all kinds of emotions rolled up.

"It feels like a dream......," Melissa said in a low and floating voice as she looked up at the "Moretti family" after a while.

Benson exhaled and smiled:

"Then don't wake up. ”

Klein didn't feel as much as they did, nodded and said:

"We had to get the locks on the main door and balcony door as soon as possible. ”

"There's no need to worry, the reputation of the City of Tingen's Housing Improvement Company is very good. The rest is the cost of your formal suit, but before that, we'll have to go to Mr. French. Benson pointed in the direction of the apartment.

............

After going home and nibbling on rye bread, the three siblings went to the townhouse on Iron Cross Street and knocked on the landlord's door.

"You ought to know my principles, and you must not allow rent arrears!" said the diminutive Mr. Frankie, sitting on the sofa, with great momentum.

Benson leaned forward, smiled and said:

"Mr. French, we're here to quit the lease. ”

Is it really good to negotiate like this? Klein was surprised to hear this.

On the way over, Benson said that his bottom line was to pay 12 soles.

"No, we have a contract, and we have half a year!" Frankie said as he glared at Benson and waved his arm.

Benson looked at him carefully, and waited until he had calmed down before he said calmly:

"You should be well aware, Mr. French, that you should earn more. ”

"Earn more?" Frankie asked with interest, touching his thin face.

Benson sat up straight and explained with a smile:

"A two-bedroom house is rented to three of us, it's 5 sylph and 6p, but if you rent it to families of five, six, and two or even three who are working and getting a salary, I think they would be willing to pay more for it than to go down the street where security is very bad, 5 szules and 10pence, or 6 sul, I think it's a reasonable price. ”

Seeing that Frankie's eyes were shiny and his throat was squirming, he continued:

"And, as you know for sure, the rent of a house has been on an upward trend in recent years, and the longer we live, the more you lose. ”

"But...... I need time to find a new tenant. Mr. Frankie, who had inherited the inheritance and got the apartment, was visibly impressed.

"I'm sure you'll find it soon, you have the capacity and resources to do that, maybe two days, maybe three days...... We will compensate you for the loss of this period of time, and we will use the deposit we paid, 3 Soles, which is very fair!"

Frankie nodded in satisfaction:

"Benson, you're such a conscientious, honest young man, well, let's sign the 'suspension of the contract'. ”

Crane watched in a daze, completely understanding Mr. French's easy "persuasion".

That's so convincing, isn't it......

After solving the problem of the previous contract, the three siblings went to help Klein buy formal clothes first, and then began to move busily.

They didn't have any heavy, bulky items, which belonged to Mr. Landlord, so Benson and Melissa jointly "dismissed" Klein's idea of hiring a carriage and took matters into their own hands, going back and forth between Daffodil Street and Iron Cross Street.

Outside the window, the scorching sun was slanting in the west, and the golden yellow with the smell of fire spilled through the convex belly window and sprinkled on the surface of the desk, Klein glanced at the neatly arranged books and notes on the shelves, and gently placed the ink and pen on the wiped down table.

It's finally over...... He exhaled, felt the rumbling in his stomach, and lowered his rolled up cuffs as he walked to the door.

He had a bed of his own, the sheets and quilts were white, old but clean,

Crane twisted the handle and walked out of the bedroom, and was about to speak, when he saw the two doors on the opposite side open in unison, revealing Benson and Melissa.

Looking at the gray dust and dirty stains on each other's faces, Crane and Benson suddenly laughed, and laughed unusually heartily.

Melissa bit her lip lightly, gradually infected by them, and whispered a smile.

............

Early the next morning.

Crane stood in front of the open-cracked mirror, carefully arranging the collar and cuffs of his shirt.

It consisted of a white shirt, a black tuxedo, a half-height silk top hat, a black waistcoat and trousers, leather boots, and a bow tie, which cost him a total of 8 pounds, which made him feel very distressed.

But the effect is also very good, Klein only feels that his book temperament in the mirror is stronger, and he seems to be a little handsome.

Smack!

He folded his pocket watch, put it in his inner pocket, then took his cane, hid his revolver, and rode the rail carriage to Zotland Street.

When he was about to enter the "Black Thorn Security Company", he realized that he was used to the previous way of life, and he didn't give Melissa extra money this morning, and let her continue to walk to school.

Shaking his head and making a note of it, Crane stepped into the "Black Thorn Security Company" and saw the brown-haired girl Roseanne brewing coffee there, making it smell strong.

"Good morning, Klein, it's been a nice day. "To be honest, I've always wondered how you men don't feel hot in formal clothes in such weather?" I know that summer in Tingen is not hot enough compared to the south, but it is still summer." ”

"It's the price of grace. Klein humorously replied, "Good morning, Miss Rosan, where's Mr. Captain?"

"Old place. Roshan pointed inside.

Crane knocked on Dunn Smith's office door through the partition, barely visible.

"Come in. Dunn's voice and tone were as low and gentle as ever.

Seeing that Klein had really changed into a good formal suit, he nodded slightly, and said with a smile in his gray eyes:

"Have you thought about it?"

Klein took a deep breath and replied solemnly:

"Yes, I have made my choice. ”

Dunn slowly sat up straight, his expression quickly became serious, and his gray eyes were deep and unchanged:

"Tell me your answer. ”

Klein replied without hesitation:

"Fortune teller!"