No. 2, 4 and 6 Narcissus Street are terraced houses with polygonal four-slope roofs. The overall appearance is greyish blue, and three chimneys stand out prominently. Of course, there are no lawns or gardens here, nor are there any porches. The entrance directly faces the street. Skate of the Tingen City Housing Improvement Company held a string of copper keys and opened the door while introducing: "Our terraced houses have no entrance hall. You enter directly into the living room, which has a bay window facing Narcissus Street and gets quite a lot of light..." What caught Klein, Benson and Melissa's eyes was a set of fabric sofas bathed in golden sunlight and a spacious area comparable to their previous two-bedroom apartment. "This living room can also be used as a parlor. To its right is the dining room, and on the left wall is a large fireplace for you to keep warm in winter," Skate pointed out familiarly. Klein glanced around and confirmed that it was a rough open layout. The dining room and living room were not separated at all, but were far from the bay window and thus rather dim. There was a small red rectangular wooden table in the dining room, surrounded by six soft-padded hardwood chairs, and the fireplace on the left wall was just like those in the foreign movies and TV series he had seen before. "Behind the dining room is the kitchen, but we don't provide any utensils. Opposite the living room is a small guest room and a bathroom..." Skate took a step forward and introduced the rest of the first floor layout in detail. The bathroom was divided into an inner and outer room. The outer room was for washing, and the inner room was the toilet, separated by a folding door. The guest room was said to be small, but it was as big as the compartment Melissa was currently living in, which made her a little stunned. After seeing the first floor, Skate led the three siblings to the staircase next to the bathroom: "Downstairs is a basement storage room. The air inside is very stuffy. Remember to ventilate before entering each time." Benson nodded silently and followed Skate down the stairs to the second floor. "On my left is a bathroom, and on the same side are two bedrooms. On my right is the same layout, but the bathroom is near the small balcony." As he spoke, Skate opened the bathroom door and stepped aside so that Klein, Benson and Melissa could look inside without any obstruction. This bathroom had a bathtub in addition to the toilet. There was a folding door beside the toilet, and although it was a bit dusty, there were no other dirty places and it didn't smell bad or feel crowded. Melissa stared at it blankly until Skate walked towards the adjacent bedroom, then she gathered her gaze and followed slowly. After a few steps, she turned her head to look back. Klein, who had seen the world, was also quite delighted and excited. Because even though the landlord often supervised everyone to clean, the public bathroom was still not clean enough, often making people feel like vomiting, not to mention that it was easy to encounter queues when in a hurry. The other bathroom was the same. There was only one slightly larger bedroom with a bookshelf, and the rest were about the same size, with beds, desks and wardrobes. "The balcony is very small. You can't dry too many clothes at a time," Skate said, standing at the end of the corridor and pointing to the area separated by a door and lock. "There are complete sewer, gas and metering facilities here. It's very suitable for gentlemen and ladies like you to live in. The rent is only 13 schillings per week and 5 pence for furniture usage. Additionally, a two-week deposit is required." Before Benson could speak, Klein curiously looked around and asked: "If I want to buy it, how many pounds would this house cost?" As a traveler from the Great Eating Country, the desire to buy a house and settle down had always been in his heart. Hearing this question, Benson and Melissa were both startled and looked at Klein as if he were a monster. Skate, however, answered firmly: "Buy? No, we don't sell properties. We only offer rentals." "I just want to know, understand? Just to know," Klein explained awkwardly. Skat hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Last month, the owner of No. 11 Narcissus Street sold a similar house on a leasehold basis for 300 pounds for 15 years. This is much cheaper than renting directly, but not everyone can come up with such a large sum of money at once. If you want to buy it outright, the owner's asking price is 850 pounds." 850 pounds? Klein quickly started mental arithmetic: My weekly salary is 3 pounds, and Benson's is 1 pound and 10 shillings... The rent is 13 shillings. If we eat well every day, we'll probably spend nearly 2 pounds a week. There's also the cost of clothing, transportation expenses, socializing expenses, and so on. We can save at most a dozen shillings a week, which is about 35 pounds a year. It would take about twenty years to save up 850 pounds... Even if it's just the leasehold for 300 pounds, it would still take at least... This doesn't even consider future marriage, separation, having children, traveling, and so on... In a world without personal housing loans, most people should only be able to choose to rent... Realizing this, he stepped back and glanced at his brother Benson, indicating that he should negotiate the rent price. As for Melissa's wishes, it was clear from her bright eyes all along! At this moment, Klein had a strange feeling of "Close the door, let Benson in." Benson tapped the ground with his un-silvered cane, looked left and right, and said, "We should go and look at other houses. The dining room here has poor lighting, and the balcony is too small. Look, only the bedroom has a fireplace, and the furniture is all too old. We'll have to replace more than half of it if we move in..." He pointed out a bunch of problems at a moderate pace and successfully "convinced" Skat to lower the price to 12 shillings for rent and 3 pence for furniture usage fees. The deposit was rounded up to 2 pounds. Without wasting any more time, the three siblings followed Skat back to the "Tingen City Housing Improvement Company", signed a two-part contract, and went to the Tingen City Notary Office to have it notarized. After paying the deposit and the first week's rent, Klein and Benson had 9 pounds, 2 shillings, and 8 pence left. Standing at the door of No. 2 Narcissus Street, they each held a set of copper keys and couldn't take their eyes off them, their emotions swirling. "It feels like a dream..." After a while, Melissa raised her head and looked at the future "Moretti House", her voice low and dreamy. Benson let out a breath and smiled, "Then don't wake up." Klein wasn't as touched as them. He nodded and said, "We need to change the locks on the front door and balcony door as soon as possible." "Don't worry about that. The Tingen City Housing Improvement Company has a very good reputation. The rest is the cost of your formal clothes. But before that, we need to go to Mr. Franchi's place." Benson pointed in the direction of the apartment. ... After having a hasty meal of rye bread at home, the three siblings headed to the row house on Iron Cross Street and knocked on the landlord's door. "Surely you know my principle. I absolutely won't tolerate rent arrears!" Mr. Francy, a short man, declared with an imposing air while sitting on the sofa. Benson leaned forward and smiled as he spoke, "Mr. Francy, we've come to terminate the lease." So direct? Is this really a good way to negotiate? Klein was quite surprised as he listened from the side. On the way over, Benson had said that his bottom line was to pay 12 schillings as compensation. "Terminate the lease? No! We have a contract. There are still six months left!" Mr. Francy glared at Benson and waved his arms. Benson looked at him seriously and waited until he calmed down before speaking calmly, "Mr. Francy, you should be clear that you can earn more." "Earn more?" Mr. Francy touched his thin face and asked with interest. Benson sat up straight and explained with a smile, "You rent a two-bedroom apartment to three people for 5 schillings and 6 pence. But if you rent it to those people, a family of six, with two or even three working and earning salaries, I think they would be willing to pay more rather than go to the very unsafe area down the street. 5 schillings and 10 pence, or 6 schillings, I think that's a reasonable price." Seeing Mr. Francy's eyes light up and his throat move, he continued, "Moreover, you must know that in recent years, the rent for houses has been on the rise. The longer we stay, the more you lose." "But... I need time to find new tenants." Mr. Francy, who had inherited the apartment, was clearly tempted. "I'm sure you'll find one soon. You have the ability and resources. Maybe in two days, maybe in three... We'll compensate you for this period of time, using the deposit we paid, 3 schillings. That's fair!" Benson immediately "decided". Mr. Francy nodded in satisfaction, "Benson, you're a young man with a good conscience and honesty. Alright, we'll sign the 'Termination Agreement'." Klein was stunned as he watched from the side and finally understood why Mr. Francy was so easy to "persuade". This is too easy to persuade... After resolving the issue with the previous contract, the three siblings first went to buy formal wear for Klein and then began to busy themselves with moving. They didn't have any heavy or large items, as those belonged to the landlord. So, Benson and Melissa jointly "rejected" Klein's idea of hiring a carriage and did it themselves, making multiple trips between Narcissus Street and Iron Cross Street. The sun was setting in the west, casting a golden glow with a hint of burning smell through the bay window, spilling onto the desk surface. Klein looked at the neatly arranged books and notes on the shelf and gently placed the ink and pen on the already wiped clean table. Finally done... He let out a breath and felt his stomach rumble. As he rolled down his sleeves, he walked towards the door. He now had a bed all to himself. The sheets and quilt were 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 open simultaneously, revealing Benson and Melissa. Looking at the gray dust and dirt on each other's faces, Klein and Benson suddenly laughed, laughing very freely. Melissa bit her lip lightly and was gradually infected, expressing her laughter in a soft voice. ... The next morning. Klein stood in front of the crack-free dressing mirror, carefully adjusting the collar and cuffs of his shirt. This outfit, which included a white shirt, a black tailcoat, a half-high silk top hat, a black waistcoat and trousers, leather boots, and a bow tie, cost him a total of eight pounds, which made him feel extremely reluctant to part with the money. However, the effect was good. Klein felt that the scholarly air in the mirror was even more pronounced, and he seemed a little more handsome. Click! He closed his pocket watch and put it in his inner pocket, then took his cane, hid his revolver, and took the tram to Zottan Street. Just as he was about to enter the "Black Thorn Security Company", he realized that he was so used to his previous lifestyle that he hadn't given Melissa extra money this morning, leaving her to walk to school. Shaking his head, he noted this down and entered the "Black Thorn Security Company", where he saw the brown-haired girl Rosan brewing coffee, filling the air with a rich aroma. "Good morning, Klein. The weather is nice today," Rosan greeted him with a smile. "To be honest, I've always wondered, in such weather, don't you gentlemen feel hot in formal wear? I know that the summers in Tingen can't compare to those in the south and aren't as hot, but it's still summer." "It's the price of elegance," Klein replied humorously. "Good morning, Miss Rosan. Where's Captain Smith?" "Same place as always," Rosan pointed inside. Klein nodded slightly and knocked on Dunn Smith's office door through the partition. "Come in," Dunn's voice and tone were as deep and gentle as ever. Seeing that Klein had indeed changed into a decent suit, he nodded slightly, his gray eyes smiling and said, "Have you made up your mind?" Klein took a deep breath and answered solemnly, "Yes, I've made my choice." Dunn sat up straight slowly, his expression quickly becoming serious, and his gray eyes remained deep as he said, "Tell me your answer." " "Diviner!"
