The Mysterious King

Chapter 30 A new beginning

Nos. 2, 4 and 6 Daffodil Street are row buildings with polygonal hip roofs,

an overall gray-blue appearance, and three eye-catching chimneys.

There are, of course, no lawns and gardens, no porches, and the entrance

faces directly onto the street.

Skater from the Tingen City Housing Improvement Company held a bunch

of copper keys and introduced while opening the door:

"Our townhouses don't have entrance halls. You enter into the living room.

There is an oriel window facing Daffodil Street. The lighting is quite good..."

What caught the eves of Klein, Benson and Melissa was a set of cloth sofas

bathed in golden sunlight and a spacious space comparable to their previous

two bedrooms.

"This living room can also be used as a living room. On the right side is the

dining room, and on the left wall is a large fireplace for you to keep warm in

winter." Skart pointed out familiarly.

Klein glanced at it and confirmed that it was a rough open layout. There

was no separation between the dining room and the living room, but it was far

away from the bay window, making it look quite bleak.

There was a small red rectangular wooden table, surrounded by six

upholstered hardwood armchairs, and the fireplace on the left wall was the

same as the foreign movies and TV series that Klein had seen in the past.

"Behind the dining room is the kitchen, but we don't provide any utensils.

Opposite the living room is the small guest room and bathroom..." Scatter

stepped forward and introduced the rest of the layout of the first floor in detail.

The bathroom is divided into two rooms: an inner one and an inner one.

The outer side is the washing area, and the inner side is the toilet, which is

separated by a folding door. The guest room is small, but it is as big as the

cubicle Melissa currently lives in. She was a little stunned when she saw it.

After viewing the first floor, Scutt led the three siblings to the stairs next to

the bathroom:

"Down there is an underground storage room. The air inside is very dull.

Remember to ventilate it before entering."

Benson nodded calmly and followed Scatter up the stairs to the second

floor.

"To my left is a bathroom, and there are two bedrooms on the same side.

To my right is the same layout, except that the bathroom is near the small

balcony."

While speaking, Scat opened the bathroom door and turned his body

sideways, allowing Klein, Benson and Melissa to look at it without any

hindrance.

This bathroom has an extra bathtub than the one on the first floor, and

there is also a folding door next to the toilet. Although there is some dust, there

are no other dirty places, and it is not smelly or crowded.

Melissa stared at this place blankly. It wasn't until Scott walked to the

bedroom next to her that she converged her eyes and followed slowly.

After walking a few steps, she looked back again.

Klein, who has seen the world, is also very happy and looking forward to

this, because even though 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 it in some impatient times.

queue.

The other bathroom is the same as this one. Only one of the four bedrooms

is slightly larger and has bookshelves. The rest are about the same size, with

beds, tables, and wardrobes.

"The balcony is very small, so you can't dry too many clothes at a time."

Scutt stood at the end of the corridor and pointed to a place separated by a door

and a lock. "There are also complete sewers, gas pipes, meters and other

facilities here. It is very suitable for gentlemen and ladies like you to live in. It

only requires a weekly rent of 13 soles and a furniture usage fee of 5 pence. In

addition, a four-week deposit is required."

Before Benson could speak, Klein looked around curiously and said:

"How much would this house cost if I wanted to buy it?"

As a traveler from a big foodie country, the desire to buy a house has always

existed in his heart.

Hearing this question, Benson and Melissa were startled and looked at

Klein with the eyes of a monster. Scutt replied firmly:

"Buy? No, we will not sell the property, only provide rentals."

"I just want to understand, understand? Understand." Klein explained

awkwardly.

Scat hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"Last month, the owner of No. 11 Daffodil Street happened to sell a similar

house. The land lease term was 300 pounds for 15 years. This is much cheaper

than renting directly, but not everyone can afford such a large sum of money at

once. If you want to buy it outright, the owner's price is 850 pounds."

850 pounds? Klein quickly started doing mental calculations:

My weekly salary is 3 pounds, Benson's is 1pound 10 soles... The rent is 13

soles, plus eating well every day, it probably costs close to 2 pounds a week, as

well as clothing, transportation expenses, and interpersonal expenses. Wait,

wait, you can save at most a dozen soles a week, which is about 35 pounds a

year. It takes about twenty years to make 850 pounds... Even if it is only 300

pounds in the form of land lease terms, it will still be at least 8 Nine years...

This does not take into account things like marriage, family separation, having

children, traveling, etc. in the future...

In a world without personal housing loans, most people should have no

choice but to rent...

With some understanding, he took a step back, glanced at his brother

Benson, and motioned for him to negotiate the rent price.

As for Melissa's wishes, you can understand just by looking at her always

bright eyes!

At this moment, Klein had the illusion of "closing the door and letting

Benson go".

Benson tapped his cane without silver, looked around and said:

"We should look at other houses. The lighting in the restaurant here is too

poor and the balcony is very small. You see, only the bedroom has a fireplace,

and the furniture is too old. We have to replace more than half of it when we

move in..."

He spoke slowly and picked out a lot of faults, and in ten minutes he

successfully "persuaded" Skater, allowing him to lower the price to 12 soles for

the rent, 3 pence for the furniture, and the deposit was rounded up to 2 pounds

Without wasting any more time, the three siblings followed Skater back to

the Tingen City Improvement Housing Company, signed the contract in

duplicate, and went to the Tingen City Notary Office to have it notarized by a

notary.

After paying the deposit and the first week's rent, Klein and Benson had a

total of 9 pounds, 2 soles and 8 pence left.

Standing at the door of No. 2 Dattodil Street, they each held a bunch of

copper keys. They couldn't take their eyes away for a moment, and were

overwhelmed with various emotions.

"It feels like a dream..." After a while, Melissa raised her head and looked at

the "Moretti House" behind her, and said in a low and floating voice.

Benson exhaled and smiled:

"Then don't wake up."

Klein was not as impressed

COMMENT

dded and said:

"We need to change the locks on the main gate and balcony door as soon as

possible."

"Don't worry about this. The reputation of the Tingen Housing

Improvement Company is very good. The rest is the cost of your formal attire.

However, before that, we have to go to Mr. French's place." Benson pointed in

the direction of the apartment.

After going home and eating some rye bread, the three siblings went to the

townhouse on Iron Cross Street and knocked on the landlord's door.

"You should know my principle. Rent arrears will never be allowed!" Mr.

French, a short man, declared grandly while sitting on the sofa.

Benson leaned forward, smiled and said:

"Mr. French, we are here to cancel the lease."

So direct? Is this really a good negotiation? Klein was surprised when he

heard it.

On the way here, Benson said that his bottom line was to pay 12 suler in

compensation.

"Retire? No! We have a contract, and we still have half a year!" Franky

glared at Benson and waved his arms.

Benson looked at him seriously and waited until he calmed down before

saying calmly:

"Mr. French, it should be clear to you that you deserve to earn more."

"Earn more?" Frankie touched his thin face and asked with interest.

Benson sat up straight and explained with a smile:

"A two-bedroom apartment rented to the three of us for 5 soles and 6

pence, but if you rent it to a family of five or six people with two or even three

people working and getting paid, II think they must be willing to pay more for

it instead of going to aplace like Lower Street where security is very poor. 5

soles and 10 pence, or 6 soles, I think is a reasonable price."

Seeing Franky's eyes shining and his throat moving, he continued:

"And, as you're certainly aware, the rents for houses have been on the rise

in recent years, and the longer we stay in them, the more you lose."

"But... I need time to find a new tenant." Mr. French, who inherited the

inheritance and got the apartment, was obviously moved.

"I believe you can find it soon. You have the ability and resources.Maybe

two days, maybe three days... We will compensate you for your losses during

this period. We will use the deposit we paid, 3 sulers. This is very fair. !" Benson

immediately "decided."

Frankie nodded with satisfaction:

"Benson, you are really a conscientious and honest young man. Okay, let's

sign the 'suspension contract'."

Klein looked on in a daze, completely understanding Mr. French's ease of

"persuasion".

This is too convincing...

After settling the issues with the previous contract, the three brothers and

sisters first went to buy formal clothes for Klein, and then started busy moving.

They didn't have any heavy or bulky items. Those belonged to the landlord.

Therefore, Benson and Melissa jointly "dismissed" Klein's idea of hiring a

carriage and did it themselves, traveling back and forth between Daffodil Street

and Iron Cross Street. Trip after trip.

The scorching sun was setting outside the window, and the golden color

with the smell of fire passed through the oriel window and sprinkled on the

surface of the desk. Klein looked at the neatly arranged books and notes on the

shelf, and gently placed the ink and pen on the shelf. Wiped down table.

Finally he was done... He let out a breath and felt his stomach growl. He put

down his rolled up cuffs and walked towards the door.

He has a bed that belongs only to him. The sheets and quilt are all white,

old but clean.

Klein turned the handle and walked out of the bedroom. Just as he was

about to speak, he saw the two doors opposite opening simultaneously,

revealing Benson and Melissa.

Looking at the gray dust and dirty stains on each other's faces, Klein and

Benson suddenly laughed, laughing extremely happily.

Melissa bit her lips lightly, gradually being infected by them, and expressed

a smile in a low voice.

Early the next morning.

Klein stood in front of the c***k-free full-length mirror, carefully

adjusting the collar and cuffs of his shirt.

This set included a white shirt, a black tuxedo, a half-high silk top hat, a

black vest and trousers, leather boots, and a bow tie. It cost him a total of 8

pounds, which made him extremely distressed.

However, the effect was also very good. Klein only felt that his bookish

temperament in the mirror was stronger and he seemed a little more

handsome.

Snap!

He closed his pocket watch and put it in his inner pocket, then took his

cane, hid the revolver, and took the railway carriage to Zotland Street.

When he was about to enter the "Blackthorn Security Company", he

realized that he was used to the previous lifestyle, so he didn't give Melissa any

extra money this morning and allowed her to continue walking to school.

After shaking his head and writing this down, Klein walked into the

"Blackthorn Security Company" and saw the brown-haired girl Roxanne

making coffee there, making the aroma overflowing.

"Good morning, Klein, the weather is nice today." Roshan greeted with a

smile. "To be honest, I have always been surprised. In such weather, don't you

men feel hot wearing formal clothes? I know, it's summer in Tingen. It can't be

compared with the south, it's not hot enough, but it's still summer."

"This is the price of grace." Klein replied humorously, "Good morning,

Miss Roxanne, where is Mr. Captain?"

"Old place." Luo Shan pointed inside.

Klein nodded slightly, walked through the partition, and knocked on the

door of Dunn Smith's office.

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

Seeing that Klein had indeed changed into a nice formal suit, he nodded

slightly and said with a smile in his gray eyes:

"Have you considered 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, his

gray eyes were deep and unchanged as he said:

"Tell me your answer."

Klein answered without hesitation:

"Soothsayer!"