The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 148 - 145: Didn’t Buy (Rented) _2

Chapter 148: Chapter 145: Didn’t Buy (Rented) _2

Comrade Xiao Shen, seeing that he had persuaded them, hurriedly said, "Brother and sister, rest assured, I won’t be coming back in the meantime. I have also rented a small house next to the school over there, so the rent here just offsets the one there, and I am doing this for a living."

Many people liked her house, but they all recoiled upon hearing about her bizarre relatives.

Jiang Nanzhou looked at Xiao Shen and said, "We’ll rent this house, but we’ll also move out early once we find a suitable place."

"Is it possible to rent it for a year?"

Lu Jingqiu said, "Yes, rest assured, if we renew our lease, we will contact you in advance."

Xiao Shen smiled radiantly and said, "Let’s get to know each other formally. My name is Shen Manman, I’m seventeen years old, and I’m a first-year student at Sea City University of Finance and Economics."

"Nice to meet you, I’m Lu Jingqiu, this is my partner, Jiang Nanzhou. Could you tell us about those peculiar relatives you mentioned?"

"My granduncle’s family has split up a long time ago. Both my grandpa and granduncle received a handsome inheritance, but it’s a pity my granduncle wasn’t up to par, squandering more than half of the property on food, drink, prostitutes, and gambling. My uncle’s family was the same; they were no good either. After facing a tough situation, they hid out in my grandma’s maternal home in the countryside.

Later, when our family was in trouble and sought their help, they cut ties with us completely.

Now, having heard that only I was left at home, they initially came claiming goodwill, but once they moved in, I realized something was wrong. They not only eyed the house but also a job my father had left for me. Luckily, I was clever and threw their things out when they weren’t home. After I got into university and sold the job since I was going to study out of town, I was afraid they would snatch the house away once I left.

Not long ago, Uncle Zhao mentioned someone wanted to rent the house, so I took leave and came back, just to encounter my grandma leading my cousin over to make a scene that day. My grandma is like a ruffian, picking fights, making scenes, and refusing to reason—just a total thug. My uncle and cousin don’t have brains, all following my grandma’s lead. As long as you can handle my grandma, the others won’t be an issue."

Jiang Nanzhou was undeterred; he wanted to see what kind of people would bully a child like this.

The couple walked around the yard, liking the house more and more.

Although the house was good, some parts needed to be redone. Lu Jingqiu finally asked, "After we get the house, could we renovate and make some changes?"

"That’s fine, as long as you don’t collapse it." Shen Man knew the house was old and in need of repair; their family’s old house had already been requisitioned by the government, leaving only this little house where they had lived for over a decade.

"I understand."

After the three discussed it, without concern for time, they rode directly to the housing management office.

Director Zhao seemed worried about Shen Manman, but his face relaxed when they returned.

Learning that Jiang Nanzhou and the others wanted to rent the house, he was even more overjoyed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

"Let’s sign for one year first, and if you continue to stay, you can send a remittance to my school, or directly to Uncle Zhao," said Shen Manman.

"That’s fine."

Director Zhao gave them two copies of the contract, which were signed by Jiang Nanzhou and her. Director Zhao wanted to check his identity, and upon seeing the military ID, he asked, "Did Xiao Shen tell you about her grandma’s family?"

Jiang Nanzhou nodded: "She did. If they come to make trouble, please give me a call, Director Zhao." Saying this, he wrote down the barracks security office’s phone number on a piece of paper, along with Lu Jingqiu and his name.

"That’s great."

Shen Man had not expected them to be military personnel, which reassured her. Perhaps this soldier could deter the Shen Family’s Second Branch.

After signing the contract, Jiang Nanzhou paid Shen Manman a year’s rent in one go.

Shen Man gave them a key and wrote down her university address: "I’ll pack up in a bit and head back to Sea City early tomorrow morning. I’ll leave the other key in the living room; you’d better change the lock."

"Alright."

No sooner had Shen Man reached the doorway than neighbors began gathering around, asking, "Xiao Shen, have you rented out your house?"

A few others eagerly added, "Yes, yes, have you rented it out?"

Seeing the concern of the neighbors, Shen Man’s eyes reddened as she said, "Ladies, aunties, it’s rented out. Thank you for looking after me all this time."

Upon hearing the news, one auntie slapped her leg and said, "Oh dear, it’s finally rented out. I hope you didn’t rent it to someone like your grandma’s family—those people, oh my goodness, what a bunch!"

Seeing the auntie struggling to speak, an old man next to her indignantly said, "Xiao Shen, don’t be upset. You can’t be soft-hearted towards that family. Look at your family’s furniture; they have moved it all. Not to mention other things."

Pots, pans, ladles, these things are all worth money.

"Indeed, that old lady wouldn’t even leave behind a stool."

Another elderly person, seeing the topic drifting, hurriedly asked Shen Man again, "Xiao Shen, how many people are the renters planning to have, how is their family, what do they do, and aren’t they afraid of your grandma’s family causing trouble?"

"Yes, several almost-deals have been scared off by their ruckus."

"Ladies, aunties, today’s renters are two young people, a brother and sister, who plan to use the rented place as their marital home. What’s more, the brother is a soldier and the sister is a university student. They both seem very amiable. I’ve told them about the situation, and they have no objections."

"A soldier, huh? That’s good. Grandma might be somewhat intimidated," said someone.

A house like this, if people don’t mind such problematic individuals, means they are confident.

They didn’t say much more. The reason they asked Shen Man about the renters was out of fear that another troublesome family would move in, as everyone in their alley was very harmonious and they didn’t want to see their peace disrupted.