"I'm from Songhai," Zhang Yuanqing replied. "It was written in the information."
The landlady nodded and pointed at the sofa. "Have a seat first."
Then she turned to the little boy, smacked him on the head, and roared, "All you do all day is watch cartoons. Just like your sister, no ambition at all. Go pour some tea."
She picked up the remote from the coffee table and switched off the TV.
The little boy seemed used to being smacked. He slid off the sofa in one smooth motion, ran to the water dispenser to pour Zhang Yuanqing and Annie two cups of water, then scampered into the bedroom and shut the door.
The pressure was immense—whether as a landlady or a mother. Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of water.
The landlady smoothed down her nightgown and sat across from them. Like an HR manager at a Fortune 500 company, she scrutinized them as she spoke.
"To be honest, when I saw you'd brought a foreign woman with you, I didn't want to rent the place anymore. It's not that I'm prejudiced. It's mainly that differences in lifestyle and culture often mean trouble. I'd rather rent to fellow countrymen."
Zhang Yuanqing sensed her emotions. When the landlady said, "It's not that I'm prejudiced," her emotions were clearly filled with prejudice and resistance.
So this was the legendary: I hate two kinds of people—racists, and niggers? Zhang Yuanqing silently mocked.
Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "To be honest, this is my first time in the Free Federation. Seeing all that black chocolate and white chocolate on the streets made me feel uncomfortable all over. Only after coming here did I finally feel at ease, like I'd returned home."
After saying that, he sensed the landlady's irritable emotions ease, replaced by a strong feeling