The sun was dipping low, shadows growing long across the alleys as Gu Mianmian dragged her cart through the winding backstreets of West Lane Market.
Her boots were wet. Her arms ached. And every place she'd inquired at had either been far too expensive, far too cramped, or worsenowned by landlords who looked her up and down like she was a beggar with audacity.
She hadn't even eaten since morning. Her hands were still cold from counting coins outside the pawnshop.
"This city.." she murmured.. "charges gold for a cracked bowl."
She was just about to turn back when she caught sight of it, a faded red sign swinging gently above a noodle shop that had clearly seen better years. The paint was chipped, the window dusty, but it stood alone on the corner with a soft golden light glowing inside.
And more importantly, a 'For Rent' notice was taped to the front.
She squinted. Two floors. A wide open storefront with a counter still intact. And tucked beside the main door, a narrow staircase that led upward.
Her heart kicked.
She stepped inside.
The woman behind the counter looked up, surprised. She was maybe in her fifties, with laugh lines and salt-and-pepper hair pulled into a bun.
"You here for the sign?" she asked.
Mianmian nodded. "Is it still available?"
The woman sized her up. "Depends. You cooking or just selling?"
"Cooking.." she said firmly.
The woman cracked a grin. "Good. Come on. I'll show you."
They went upstairs. The staircase creaked but held firm.
The second floor opened into a tiny apartment, just as old as the shop, but clean. A narrow hallway led to:
A small sitting area with a low wood table and a battered armchair.
A kitchen nook with a gas burner, old but still working, and a small cabinet painted mint green.
A sleeping corner, just enough space for a bedroll or cot, tucked beneath a single square window.
And best of all, a private bathroom. Tiny, yes. But with a Western-style sitting toilet, a corner sink with a rusted faucet, and a little wire rack for soaps. No water heater, but the woman pointed to a dented aluminum basin under the tap.
"You can boil water for a bath in winter.." she said. "It drains well. And no squat toilet, don't worry. My daughter used to live here. Western-style, just like she wanted."
Mianmian let out a quiet breath. Relief and something dangerously close to joy bloomed in her chest.
"How much?"
The woman gave her glance and smiled "How about 280? 200 for the restaurant and 80 for the apartment. My daughter said in shouldn't raise the rent for the tenants after her, her rent was 80 yuan when she lived her.."
Mianmian nodded, removing 280 from 380 would leave her with 100 yuan. It should be enough for her to fix some things around the shop and she still had some savings as well.
"Take good care of the place," the woman said. "It's old. But it's steady." the lady counted the cash as she walked down the stairs.
Gu Mianmian nodded. "I will."
She looked around one more time. Her new world was barely the size of a teacup.
Mianmian placed her suitcase down, everything in the apartment was old. She needed to buy cleaning materials and get to work. She couldn't afford to pay cleaners so she had to clean both the apartment and the shop by herself.
"Alright. Let's do this!"
She locked the doors, wrapping the scarf around her neck tightly before walking down the stairs.
***********************************
The room was dark, when someone banging on the door, startling the man inside.
He sighed and told them to come in.
It was his mother.
"Yanchan, aigoo..why is the room so dark.."
She walked to the windows and opened the curtains for light and then opened the windows.
The man winced at the sudden appearance of light and turned his face the other way.
"Aigoo, you silly boy..why are you hiding from your mother? You're 30 and you finally got back from the military, why not find a wife?"
-_-
Yanchen sighed, he had been hearing the same thing since he got back.
"Mother I don't need a wife. When I do I'll find a woman I like.."
Madam Lu gave him a harsh look as she crossed her arms.
"You're my eldest son, your siblings are all married. You better find a woman to get married before the end of the month or I will find one for youn. Auntie Zhi is a good matchmaker.."
Yanchen sighed, she made his leg ache the more.
He grabbed the cane and got up from the bed. Madam Lu watched him get to the closet for a change of clothes.
-_-
"Where are you going to?"
Yanchen didn't answer as he leaned against the closet, wearing the cream shirt.
"Somewhere away from you..."
-_-
"You silly boy! Don't make you use my feather duster.." she gave him another harsh look before leaving the room. Muttering angrily to herself.
Yanchen sighed and slipped on his pants, he wore his wristwatch, a belt to match the look and a pair of brown shoes.
He pushes his hair back and limped out of the room, the cane tapping against the floor softly.
His father wasn't home and his mother had probably gone to vent to the auntie next door so he could sneak out for a bit.
Yanchen beaconed at one of the maids, she quickly rushed to his side.
"How can I help you sir?" she smiled while saying this.
"Get Mr Wei for me, tell him I want to head out for a stroll.."
The maid nodded and rushed to call the driver, they appeared within seconds making Yanchen sigh, he wouldn't complain if they walked back, it made no sense to him for them to run back.
"Good evening sir.. where would you like to go?" he bowed as he said this.
"Let's just go for a stroll, somewhere away from all this drama.."