Chapter 82: Getting Something for Nothing
“Hello, I’m a local resident. My name is Li Quan. I’d like to talk to you about this house.”
The man who introduced himself as Li Quan spoke gently. His smile was simple and honest, though there was a trace of nervousness in his expression.
As he spoke, Ning Xiyue observed the young man across from her with emotionless eyes. He looked refined and a little shy.
Polite words and a pleasant appearance alone told her nothing about his character. When it came to strangers, caution was always necessary — appearances were the most deceptive thing of all. She wasn’t about to be fooled by them.
What’s more, she had barely stepped inside when this man had already been waiting outside. Who knew if he had been coveting this house all along?
And now, here he was wanting to talk about the property — Ning Xiyue was indeed curious to hear what he had to say. Better to know his intentions and size up the situation.
Keeping her face cold and unreadable, Ning Xiyue showed no response to his polite smile. “There’s no one else here, so just say what you came to say. I’m in a hurry.”
Li Quan didn’t seem discouraged by her coldness. He still wore that honest smile as he spoke bluntly:
“To be honest, my family is quite large, and we don’t have enough space. I’ve been looking for a place to live for a while now. I noticed your house has been empty for some time. I couldn’t find you before, but now that I’ve finally met you, I wanted to ask if you’d consider renting it out. I’d like to move my family here.”
“I don’t rent or lend out my family home.” Ning Xiyue rejected him flatly, still watching him with suspicion.
A bad person never had the words “bad person” written on their face.
Li Quan lowered his voice until only he and Ning Xiyue could hear, still smiling. “Please think about it. I’m willing to exchange it for supplies, or we can negotiate some other way. I just ask for your help — my wife is about to give birth, and we don’t have a place to live. I’m desperate.”
“Do I look like someone who meddles in other people’s business?” Ning Xiyue replied with an impenetrable smile. “How can I trust a complete stranger?”
She wasn’t about to fall for a sob story. Who knew what scheme he was plotting? The timing was too coincidental — she couldn’t help but suspect he was up to no good.
Li Quan’s smile never faltered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. “Please don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. This is my work ID — I’m a procurement officer at the Supply Station. You don’t have to worry that I’m a scammer.”
Ning Xiyue locked the door and glanced at the ID card in his hand. It bore the official stamp of the Supply Station — genuine. Not a scammer. That made her reconsider the idea of renting the house out.
As she repeated his name to herself, something clicked in her memory.
In the original trashy “script,” there was a section that mentioned him:
Li Quan — a procurement officer at the Supply Station and one of the black market boss’s main suppliers. After the reform and opening-up, he switched to selling home appliances and became one of the first wealthy people in the area — a recognized ten-thousand-yuan household in Yongchuan Commune. Later, he entered the real estate business and became a real estate tycoon.
In that story, Ning Xiaoxiao (the original female lead) went into the home furnishings business — the same field as the real female lead, Chen Yechu.
And this real estate tycoon, Li Quan, was precisely the big shot Ning Xiaoxiao had been trying everything to get close to.
Who would have thought that she, Ning Xiyue, would meet him here — and that he would be the one begging to rent her house?
Ning Xiyue calmly lifted her gaze to the man in front of her. “I can rent you the house, but it’s been sitting empty and neglected for a long time. Inside, it’s practically uninhabitable. If you want to live here, you’ll have to help me fix it up — build a kitchen and everything. I’ll deduct the cost of repairs from the first few months’ rent. Also, the house can only be used for your family — no outsiders. And the small, separate room on the right side, I’m keeping for myself. If you can agree to that, we’ll discuss details. If not, then this conversation is over.”
“Alright. I can agree to that,” Li Quan said seriously with a nod.
Ning Xiyue opened the main gate, signaling that she trusted him. “Alright, come in. Let’s discuss the details. You can take a look inside as well.”
She had both her physical strength and her trusty brick for protection — she wasn’t afraid of anyone, and she also knew exactly who she was dealing with.
Li Quan liked Ning Xiyue’s straightforwardness. Her no-nonsense attitude reassured him — if his family lived here, there would be no problems. He was glad he had swallowed his pride and asked.
After everything was laid out, they finalized the rental details.
Aside from the room Ning Xiyue was keeping, the rest of the property was rented to him for 5 yuan a month. During the first month — while repairs were ongoing — the house could be partially occupied, and he would pay half a month’s rent. Repair costs would be deducted from the rent until fully covered. Finally, a 10-yuan deposit would be paid.
“Comrade Li Quan, if I may give you some advice — next time you meet a stranger, show your work ID first. You appeared out of nowhere talking about renting a house. Of course, I didn’t believe you — I thought you were a criminal.”
“Thank you for the advice. That was my mistake. I’ll keep it in mind next time.” Li Quan nodded sincerely.
He really couldn’t find a better or more suitable place than this. The courtyard was not only close to his workplace but also big enough to house his entire family — and there was even space to grow vegetables.
He had actually noticed this property long ago but could never find the owner. No one in the area seemed to know anything about it. Today, he happened to stroll by and was lucky enough to run into the owner returning home.
That’s why he had rushed forward to ask — perhaps a bit too abruptly, which had startled her.
And so, Ning Xiyue signed her first rental agreement and rented out her very first property, officially beginning her career as a landlady.
She was very pleased — not only would someone else renovate the place for her without costing her a cent, but she would also build a connection with a future big shot — currently a “small shot” — the highly sought-after procurement officer of the Supply Station. That was networking.
And to top it all off, she even pocketed a large banknote — truly a case of “getting something for nothing.”
After showing him the property deed and land certificate and signing the contract, their transaction was officially complete.
Li Quan smiled and nodded at her. “Comrade Xiyue, if you ever need to buy anything, come find me. I’ll help if I can.”
“Alright, I appreciate that. Here are the keys — I’ll be on my way. I’ve got something to take care of.”
Ning Xiyue pulled out a large keyring and removed four keys. “The big one is for the main gate. The other three are for the row of rooms — try them and see which is which.”
Luckily, the system had given her two sets of keys, so she could keep one for herself.
“Alright then, I’ll check back in a few days.” Ning Xiyue waved casually and left without a trace of reluctance.
Watching her confidently hand over the keys and walk away deeply moved Li Quan. “It’s been a long time since someone trusted me like this… I’m really touched. Next time I procure something good, I’ll save some for this young comrade.”
What he didn’t know was that anyone who dared to cheat Ning Xiyue or try to scam her would end up beaten half to death.
Meanwhile, Ning Xiyue — who had simply handed over the keys in a hurry to go deliver grain and meet up with the aunties — had no idea that she’d left such a deep impression. Nor that someone was now planning to save good things for her in the future.
She was now heading to her next destination when, halfway there, she ran into Chen Yechu and Liu Yao — both back in disguise — walking together. Liu Yao was even pushing a nearly brand-new “28-bar” bicycle and waved at her with a bright smile.
