Chen Lun and Floey pushed the door open.
After polite greetings, he expressed his interest in renting an apartnt to the flower shop owner, and then received a warm welco.
Through a pleasant chat, Chen Lun learned her na was Caroline.
Mrs. Caroline was the landlord of the entire building and ran the flower shop downstairs. Located on a street corner, there were also two adjacent shops, which were a coffee shop and a bookstore, both of which had already been rented out.
The building wasn't tall, just four stories high.
Besides the ground floor shops, each floor could accommodate two households, and now there was only one apartnt still available on the top floor.
"Co, have a cup of flower tea, children."
Mrs. Caroline enthusiastically poured them both a hot cup of tea.
Chen Lun thanked her.
After receiving the hot tea, he placed one cup in front of Floey and reminded her to be careful as it was hot.
Mrs. Caroline nodded to herself, feeling very satisfied with the siblings.
The brother was gentle and honest, while the sister was demure and quiet.
Both had manners and deportnt that suggested a well-bred upbringing, not like ordinary folk.
Another important point was that they were both very attractive, which would make her happy every day.
It was just a sha that the girl nad Floey was blind, which was quite pitiable.
Luckily, her brother had stood by her side, bringing her all the way to Amber City to seek out relatives, just to treat her eye condition.
Mrs. Caroline, who was sensitive and emotional, felt her heart lt and sighed to herself several tis.
"Little Jack, if you want to rent the empty apartnt on the fourth floor, it will only cost you 5 Silver Ducats a week...
Oh, of course, if you're short on money for the ti being, you can owe it."
Though located in the Outer City District, this area was on the main thoroughfare and close to the bustling downtown district, and the rent should have been several tis higher according to the market rate.
But Mrs. Caroline deliberately lowered the rent.
Even the other tenants weren't paying the standard market price to live here.
Though Mrs. Caroline wasn't short on money, she did have certain requirents for her tenants.
They must be clean, have no bad habits, hold a decent job, and most importantly, have a kind heart.
"Thank you, Mrs. Caroline... Here are 20 Silver Ducats, we'll stay for a month first."
Chen Lun handed over a small bag filled with silver coins.
He added:
"Since we've co to stay with relatives, we're not sure how long we can stay, so we'll just stay for a while."
"Oh, Little Jack, you don't have to do that."
Mrs. Caroline pushed the money bag back and lowered her voice, saying:
"You and your sister have just arrived in the big city, and there will be many places you'll need to spend money, so don't rush to pay the rent..."
She then took both their hands and walked them out, and Chen Lun, having no choice, took back his money bag.
"Co, I'll show you upstairs...
Your neighbors are all friendly people, and I believe you can beco friends."
"That's very kind of you, but will the flower shop be all right without anyone to look after it?"
Chen Lun and Floey were escorted out of the flower shop and asked.
Mrs. Caroline waved her hand with a smile.
"No problem, business isn't good at the flower shop, I just tend to it when I feel bored."
Saying this, she led the way into the stairwell.
Just as Chen Lun and Floey followed Mrs. Caroline and disappeared into the stairwell, two youths erged from a small alley across the street.
Both were wearing brown leather jackets and striped skinny jeans, one of them smoking a cheap cigarette, laughing as he said:
"I didn't expect that staking out the kid would yield such an unexpected find..."
He gave a look to the other.
"Go back and report to the boss, bring more people, I'll keep watching here so we don't let these two little fat sheep get away..."
"Alright, then keep a close eye, that man and woman are definitely worth a high price!"
The other youth licked his lips and left first.
"Especially that girl, tsk tsk… prettier than the honorable congressman's daughter, makes the maids at the Bird and Flower Tavern look like a pile of Xie Te!"
...
Mrs. Caroline led Chen Lun and his companion up the stairs.
The wooden floor seed rather old, creaking softly with each step.
"Sorry, this house was handed down from my husband's grandfather; it's quite old."
Mrs. Caroline explained as they walked.
Upon reaching the third floor, she pointed to a door down the left corridor.
"This apartnt is where Connie and her father live.
Connie is a diligent girl, attending classes at the nearby technical college during the day and working outside at night to take care of her sick father, Mr. Hood."
After finishing, Mrs. Caroline pointed to the right.
"And here live the three Moriarty siblings, all good children.
The brother goes to work at a foreign trade company in the city center early every day, taking care of the life of his younger brother and sister…
Oh right, I've heard that the sister lissa and Connie are classmates."
Chen Lun felt that the introduction sounded vaguely familiar, as if he had heard of these three siblings sowhere.
Without delving deeper, he and Floey followed Mrs. Caroline up to their new ho on the fourth floor.
Mrs. Caroline led them into the room on the left side.
The room was not large, a classic three-bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, one kitchen, and one balcony setup. The furniture was all complete and though sowhat old, it was very clean. Chen Lun was very satisfied with it.
"You've really gone to a lot of trouble, Mrs. Caroline. Floey and I really like it here."
"Oh, is that so? That's just wonderful…"
Mrs. Caroline also seed very pleased, and she then cautioned,
"Now, little Jack, you will probably need to buy so household items and other sundries. You should be frugal with your money…
If you don't mind, in the mornings and evenings, you could bring your sister to join for als on the second floor."
"Thank you, Mrs. Caroline."
Chen Lun had been sowhat worried; he had so many things to do, with so little ti, and couldn't take care of Floey much. It was a relief that she could have als at Mrs. Caroline's, saving him quite a bit of trouble.
"I'll pay you additional compensation, Mrs. Caroline."
Mrs. Caroline was about to refuse, but seeing the young man's earnest expression, mature and handso,
"It's a matter of proper courtesy for a gentleman, please don't decline it."
"Well… okay then."
Seeing this, Mrs. Caroline truly couldn't refuse such a kind and handso young man, and her opinion of the siblings rose once more.
"An extra Silver Ducats each week, then it's settled!"
She laughed a few tis, covering her mouth, then turned and left the room.
"Oh, by the way, your next-door neighbor is a young man who lives alone. He might seem a bit cold, but he's actually quite a nice person."
Mrs. Caroline paused at the doorway, said her piece, and then bid them goodbye and left.
After closing the door, Chen Lun took a look around.
He set down his backpack first, then poured a cup of water for himself and Floey and comfortably sank into the sofa.
"It's been a long ti since I've rested like this…"
"What are we going to do next?"
Floey sat opposite Chen Lun, her ethereal voice reaching his ears.
"I'll go out later to buy so stuff. You just stay ho and don't go out, um…"
As he spoke, Chen Lun seed to realize that this might not seem fair to Floey, almost like another form of confinent.
So he continued,
"If you feel bored, you can walk around the neighborhood, but don't go too far… After all, your situation is quite complicated right now."
Floey nodded lightly.
"Okay, I know. I'll just wait here for you to co back."
As she spoke, she paused slightly on the word "ho."
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