Chapter 11: Renting to Outsiders
Su Tao never expected that posting the advertisement would cause such a huge response.
Her communicator was bombarded with calls in no time.
Frightened, she immediately disconnected the line, pulled together a list of the first hundred people who contacted her, and began the screening process.
No applicants without stable jobs or income, to avoid potential rent-related financial disputes.
No applicants with criminal records or those who had been fugitives.
No addicts or individuals with “special professions.”
It wasn’t that she was being discriminatory; she simply had to be responsible for all her tenants.
If a psychopathic murderer slipped in and hurt other tenants, or if a drug addict lured others into crime, or if someone with a “special profession” persuaded students into dangerous waters, things would spiral out of control.
During this time, Su Tao even spotted the name Su Zhengqing—the eldest son of her scumbag father and his ex-wife, and her half-brother.
Su Tao remembered that Su Zhengqing started dating someone last year, but they hadn’t moved in together because there was no place to live.
So, was he hoping to find a marriage home through her place now?
With a grudge, Su Tao crossed his name off the list.
When they were kids, Su Zhengqing used to bully her a lot. Anything she had in her mouth, he’d snatch away—even if it ended up wasted, he wouldn’t let her eat it.
Hmph.
… After the screening, 20 candidates remained. Su Tao called each one individually to ask more questions, cutting out a few who were evasive or acted suspiciously.
In the end, she confirmed 12 tenants, a mix of men, women, young, and old—all seemingly decent, upstanding people.
She then notified them to pack their belongings and come by within three days to pay and collect their key cards.
Su Tao immediately started cleaning up.
Now that there were more rooms, the public areas she needed to clean had also increased. By the time she finished, the whole afternoon had passed, leaving her exhausted with a sore back.
Xing Shuyu took the rental agreement from Su Tao’s hand, a bit surprised.
She had originally thought that Taoyang’s landlord would be an old man or perhaps a middle-aged person, but she hadn’t expected someone so young—Su Tao even looked underage.
Xing Shuyu was a little confused. Didn’t her grandfather say that the owner of Taoyang had a powerful background?
Noticing the confusion on her face, Su Tao asked, “Hello, is there a problem?”
Xing Shuyu quickly shook her head, thinking that maybe the powerful person was behind Su Tao, and she was just a puppet put forward to do the work.
The “puppet” Su Tao smiled kindly and addressed all the tenants:
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I usually live here—my room is over there. Later, I’ll show everyone around to familiarize you with your rooms and the basic facilities.”
After reading through the agreement, Xing Shuyu nodded to herself. Taoyang actually had quite a solid management approach.
For example, the agreement prohibited using supernatural abilities to cause chaos, stealing, fighting, or any illegal activities.
Bringing outsiders into the premises required registration at the entrance, and violations would result in warnings—three strikes and you’d be expelled from Taoyang.
In a way, this agreement helped ensure the safety of tenants’ personal and property rights, making management more standardized and efficient.
For a moment, Su Tao thought about hiring a cleaner.
But she dismissed the idea—she hadn’t reached financial freedom yet. Better to endure the hardship herself for now.
Soon enough, new tenants began to arrive.
…
Xing Shuyu was sent to Taoyang District by military order to act as a tenant and investigate.
At first, she didn’t want to go. But who could say no when the order came from her grandfather, who was not only her superior but also the most respected elder of the entire Dongyang base?
She had been living comfortably with her parents in a cozy two-bedroom house, but now she had to move into what was essentially a dormitory.
Surely it was a dormitory, right? To have so many rooms available at such a low rent, it had to be a dorm disguised as independent housing.
Reluctantly, Xing Shuyu filled out the application form, hoping Taoyang wouldn’t choose her. Such a valuable opportunity should go to someone who needed it more.
Who could’ve guessed—she’d be the “lucky” one selected.
Under her grandfather’s stern gaze, she had no choice but to drag her luggage to her “new home.”
As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw the sturdy, tall walls with electric fencing, at least three meters high. Unless someone could fly, it would be nearly impossible to break in.
The security… well, it was decent enough.
By the entrance, six or seven people had already gathered—men, women, young, and old. Except for Xing Shuyu, everyone seemed cheerful, introducing themselves and chatting, eager to build good neighborly relations.
“Just look at that electric fence. Taoyang is actually quite nice. In Dongyang, only the wealthy live in places with this kind of protection. Ordinary folks like us could never enjoy that,” said Lu Tao, the chatty man from a young couple.
His wife nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with hope for their future life in Taoyang.
A woman in her fifties sighed:
“Yeah, and the rent isn’t expensive either. I used to live with my daughter and son-in-law in a tiny 30-square-meter place. The rent alone was 20,000 federal credits a month, not to mention the extra contribution points we had to pay. My son-in-law always thought I was in the way, saying I was too old and cramped their space. He kept hinting, sometimes not so subtly, that I should move out. Like I wanted to live with them—if only I could find a decent place…”
Her story resonated deeply with the group.
Everyone there had struggled to find suitable housing—or any livable housing at all. Now that they had the chance to live in such a nice place in Taoyang, they were truly grateful.
Xing Shuyu remained silent, but she couldn’t help but think these people all looked relatively well-off. They probably had decent incomes.
If even they couldn’t find housing in Dongyang, how bad must the living conditions be for everyone else?
Dongyang’s land… was indeed oversaturated, and management was becoming increasingly chaotic.
In that case, Taoyang seemed like a good tool to ease Dongyang’s housing crisis.
“Welcome, dear tenants. Please come in. My master is waiting in the hall.”
Lu Tao chuckled, “Oh, there’s even a smart housekeeper! Haha, this rent is worth it.”
Xing Shuyu was also a bit surprised. Hmm… not bad, a bit of a high-end touch.
Upon entering the hall, Xing Shuyu immediately noticed the clean, brand-new sofa, glass coffee table, and even a large-screen LCD TV.
Hmm… a public lounge area. It did look quite comfortable.
She wondered where the landlord got such new furniture and appliances.
Since the apocalypse, many light industries had shut down. Twenty years later, brand-new items were hard to come by.
Even her own household furniture had been salvaged from ruins and cleaned up for use. Though it appeared clean, it still showed signs of age.
“Welcome, everyone. I am Su Tao, the landlord of Taoyang. Here is a copy of the house rental agreement. Feel free to take a look.”
With this setup, it seemed manageable to stay for a while. Xing Shuyu felt a bit more at ease.
“Alright, if everyone is done reading, please follow me,” Su Tao said. “First, let me introduce this area—this is the public lounge. You’re welcome to socialize, study, and chat here. The TV is on 24/7 and free to use. There’s also a water dispenser here, and the water is free as well.”
