Song Ning had no idea how tangled Gu Zheng's thoughts were.
She stood up and said, "I'm heading back! As for you..."
"Let's have lunch together first!"
Gu Zheng reined in his wandering thoughts, stood up, and said,
"We'll keep investigating Li Zekun. Until then, we'll stay near you for a while."
Song Ning nodded.
Since their investigation required it, there wasn't much she could say.
After lunch, Song Ning went to find Zhang Xuemei again. From what she had said earlier, she seemed to have more than one place available.
Zhang Xuemei was delighted to hear that she wanted to rent a room for her "cousin" too.
After hearing her requirements, she thought for a moment and said,
"If you want somewhere close, there's a large single room just a little way from your place. But the kitchen and bathroom are shared. It belongs to a relative of mine too, and the conditions aren't quite as good. Your cousin can take a look first."
Zhang Xuemei was probably the neighborhood's "rental agent." There weren't many privately owned homes in those days, though, so most places rented out for a little extra money rather than left empty were publicly owned housing.
That was why people kept the rentals quiet, and any spare rooms always belonged to a "relative."
When she took Song Ning to see the room, Zhang Xuemei met her "cousin."
She couldn't help looking Gu Zheng over several times and exclaimed,
"Your cousin really is... quite a handsome young man! If you rent it, I can provide bedding! That'll save you having to buy it yourselves!"
Hearing Song Ning introduce him as her "cousin" again, Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow at her.
Song Ning, however, thought, *Well! Being handsome does have its benefits! That's two sets of bedding