HBWnovel Chapter 15 Settling in a Rented Apartment
Chapter 15 Settling in a Rented Apartment
Shen Wancheng and Guo Tao spoke entirely in Cantonese, indicating that Shen Wancheng is from Guangdong Province, so it's quite normal for her to have relatives in Hong Kong.
However, Guo Tao has seen at least several hundred, if not a thousand, people who come to the port city to search for their relatives, but only a hundred have actually found them.
Guo Tao had no hope for Shen Wancheng's search for her family, but he didn't comment on it.
After that, Guo Tao stopped talking to Shen Wancheng.
He drove away from the bustling downtown area and into a neighborhood lined with old buildings on both sides.
After Guo Tao parked the car, he led Shen Wancheng into an old building that was about ten stories high.
There is no elevator; you have to walk up the stairs to the seventh floor.
Guo Tao reached behind his back, took out a bunch of keys hanging from his belt, found one key, and opened the door.
A damp, rotten wood smell hit her face, and Shen Wancheng instinctively frowned.
But upon closer inspection after entering the room, it turned out to be quite acceptable.
The one-bedroom apartment is small but fully equipped. The toilet and kitchen can only accommodate one person standing at a time, but at least there is space.
The room's decor was old, but not dilapidated.
The bedroom also connects to a balcony of two or three square meters, where you can wash and dry clothes.
There were hardly any electrical appliances in the room, but there were furniture items such as a table, sofa, and bed.
Shen Wancheng was fairly satisfied with the room, but instead of asking Guo Tao about the price, she asked Shen Yao if she was satisfied.
After all, the house isn't just for Shen Wancheng, and the money they're using isn't just Shen Wancheng's money either.
Shen Yao blinked a few times, looking completely bewildered. "Sis, as long as you say you're satisfied, I don't know how to read it."
Shen Wancheng chuckled softly before turning to ask Guo Tao.
"Brother Tao, how much is this room per month?"
"One month's rent as deposit, HKD 1500 per month. One month's rent as deposit, HKD 1300 per month. Referral fee is HKD 500 for both."
Shen Wancheng nodded, "This room will do, Brother Tao. We'll pay one month's rent as deposit and one month's rent in advance."
Guo Tao raised an eyebrow and still asked, "Are you really not considering paying a deposit and three months' rent upfront? That would save you HKD 200 a month."
Shen Wancheng smiled sheepishly, "If it's a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent in advance, plus the referral fee, it would cost 5700 Hong Kong dollars at once. My sister and I don't have that much money."
Guo Tao shrugged. "Alright. One month's rent as deposit, one month's rent in advance, HKD 3500 in one lump sum. Have you exchanged enough Hong Kong dollars? There's a bank downstairs."
"I've already exchanged all my money for Hong Kong dollars with Brother Qiang."
"Okay, okay, Qiangzi is a good guy, he won't take advantage of you."
"Brother Tao, you're a good person too. Thank you both."
"This young girl looks quite young, but she knows how to behave well."
Shen Wancheng turned around and whispered something to Shen Yao. Shen Yao took out 1100 yuan from her pocket and gave it to Shen Wancheng. Shen Wancheng counted out 2400 yuan from her own pocket. The two of them made it look like they had pooled together 3500 yuan.
Guo Tao did not accept the money immediately, but instead asked Shen Wancheng and the others to wait inside.
He quickly left the room and returned in less than ten minutes, carrying several pages of documents.
Guo Tao handed the house rental contract to Shen Wancheng.
"Two copies are required. You sign them, and we'll each keep one copy."
In reality, when renting these old houses, especially for short-term rentals, the agreement is often just verbal.
Shen Wancheng didn't expect Guo Tao to go out of his way to get the contract, sign it, and then collect the money.
Of course, Guo Tao was just following the proper procedures, which was like an extra promise to Shen Wancheng and the other two girls who were away from home, putting their minds at ease.
Shen Wancheng thought to herself that she was really lucky to have come to Hong Kong Island this time. Although she couldn't say that Aqiang and Guo Tao were good people, at least she had a place to stay in Hong Kong Island.
After carefully reviewing the contract, Shen Wancheng signed it and handed over 3500 yuan to Guo Tao.
"This area is very convenient. It's close to supermarkets and farmers' markets. If you don't know the way, you can just ask anyone. I'll be going now. You can call me if you need anything."
Guo Tao left after saying those words.
Shen Wancheng closed the door and sat on the sofa.
When their eyes met, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been in this world for half a month, and for the first time, they let down their guard and relaxed for this moment.
Shen Wancheng relaxed, but her thoughts didn't stop.
She's calculating things in her head.
找阿强花2600块换的8450港币，给郭涛的保费给了2000港币，租房加中介费用去3500块。她们手上现在还剩2950港币。
The initial refund from the Shen family amounted to 9950.55 yuan, plus the several tens of yuan that Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao already had, which together made up a total of 10,000 yuan.
From the town to Yue City, a two-day, one-night trip, Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao spent less than twenty yuan on food.
Shen Wancheng gave Master Liu 20 yuan for the fare and 50 yuan for the referral fee.
During their week in Yue City, their room cost 2 yuan per night. To take care of their health, they didn't skimp on food, spending 7 or 8 yuan on breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the two of them, totaling about 10 yuan per day, or 70 yuan per week.
Ah-Qiang brought them to Hong Kong, and the boarding fee was 500 yuan per person. This was the biggest expense, 1000 yuan.
Their total expenses were 1970 yuan plus 2600 yuan in exchange, totaling 4570 yuan.
Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao currently have 5430 RMB and 2950 HKD on them.
It's not safe to carry too much cash, so Shen Wancheng plans to go to the bank later to exchange all 5500 for Hong Kong dollars and then deposit it in the bank.
Now that they have ID cards, these procedures are very simple.
Shen Yao was still looking around their rented house. Guo Tao was gone, and there were no outsiders around. Shen Yao was finally able to say what she had been holding back all the way.
"Sister, this place is so different from my world. I never felt this difference when I was in the village."
"The buildings on the street are all very tall, and there are cars coming and going all the time. When I was in town, I thought cars were a very rare thing."
"And their clothing. How come people here are so daring? I thought it was already outrageous for people to show their arms and legs in town, but just now on the street, I saw several women with fair and tender skin on their slim waists."
Shen Wancheng teased Shen Yao, "If you like those kinds of clothes, I'll go buy you two sets later."
It's still September, and the weather in the south is still very hot, but Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao are both wearing long pants and long sleeves when they go out.
They left the Shen family with practically nothing, only two sets of clothes each, which they would need to buy.
Shen Wancheng glanced around the room to see what was missing, planning to buy it later.
"Shall we rest first or go out to shop now?"
They boarded the ship in the early hours of last night. It's absolutely forbidden to sleep on a ship; it's too unsafe.
It was already 11 a.m., but perhaps because she was a little excited, Shen Wancheng wasn't sleepy at all.
Shen Yao has even more energy than Shen Wancheng.
"You can rest this afternoon. Let's go out now."