After waiting at the door for a moment, Song Yunshen saw Yan Zhenxia hurrying over through the half-open door.
"Sorry, I was using the bathroom." Looking haggard, Yan Zhenxia gave him an apologetic look as she came forward and opened the door. "You don't need to change your shoes. Just come on in."
"I just mopped the floor..." the girl beside her muttered.
Song Yunshen had come prepared. Following the landlord's rules Song Mingyuan had sent him yesterday, he pulled out a pair of shoe covers and put them on.
"That should do it," Song Yunshen said. "Where's the bathroom? I'll take a look at the water heater."
"All right, all right. Sorry for the trouble." With that, Yan Zhenxia led Song Yunshen toward the bathroom.
Song Yunshen followed her inside, where a short, narrow entryway lay just beyond the door, with a shoe cabinet on the left and the kitchen on the right.
Yan Zhenxia's kitchen was clean and didn't have much in it, but it had all the basic cookware and seasonings.
Farther in was the living room.
The Song family's small, 50-square-meter apartment had one bedroom and one living room, but when Song Yunshen walked in, he saw that the living room had long since been converted into something resembling a second bedroom.
A double bed stood where the sofa should have been, while the sofa and coffee table the landlord had originally provided had been moved to the side closer to the door.
That made the whole space look cramped.
Song Yunshen didn't mind much, though. After all, parents would naturally want their children to have a space of their own; they couldn't share a room with their parents forever.
Song Yunshen only took a quick look around to make sure there were no violations, then spent most of the time admiring the girl beside him.
Yan Zhenxia's daughter was very cute. She wasn't particularly tall, but she had a very good figure.
Though she wore loose-fitting casual clothes at home, she was still full and shapely.
Song Yunshen was a normal man. Unable to avoid looking altogether, he couldn't help sneaking a couple more glances.
"Ningning, isn't there still an unopened bottle of something to drink in the fridge? Go get it for our guest," Yan Zhenxia instructed as she walked.
"Huh?" The girl called Ningning was a little reluctant, and it showed all over her face. "I haven't even been willing to drink it myself..."
"I don't drink that stuff," Song Yunshen said, shaking his head. "Just pour me a glass of water."
"All right, all right." Yan Zhenxia gave him a fawning smile, afraid of offending him. "Ningning, go pour him a glass of water."
"Okay." Yan Zhenxia's daughter nodded and obediently went to pour the water.
By then, Song Yunshen had followed Yan Zhenxia into the bathroom.
The bathroom was designed with separate wet and dry areas.
The sink was outside, while the toilet and the shower stall beyond it were inside the bathroom.
Song Yunshen raised an eyebrow at the four toothbrush cups on the sink and asked casually as he went into the bathroom, "You have a big family?"
"Yes, yes..." Yan Zhenxia swept up her hair in embarrassment. "There are four of us."
In that case, besides the girl nicknamed Ningning, there should be another child.
That was Song Yunshen's guess, but he didn't ask any more questions. He walked over to the electric water heater and began a basic inspection.
His father, Song Mingyuan, worked with the power grid, and Song Yunshen had been exposed to that sort of thing since childhood. He had often enjoyed tinkering with the appliances at home, so he had some experience in this area.
"Judging by your uniform, are you still in high school?" Yan Zhenxia started a conversation to keep things from getting awkward.
Song Yunshen gave an affirmative response and said as he worked, "At Ningjiang Middle School, right nearby."
"Oh, right, no wonder your uniform looked familiar." Yan Zhenxia smiled. "One of our children goes to school there too."
"Really?" Song Yunshen looked toward Ningning, who was outside the bathroom, handing in a cup of water. "She goes to Ningjiang Middle School?"
"No, no." Yan Zhenxia passed him the cartoon cup in her hand. "Ningning's still in junior high."
"Oh, I see." Song Yunshen nodded in understanding. "I won't drink it yet. Just put it over there."
"All right, all right. Tell me if you get thirsty." Yan Zhenxia put the cup outside.
So this girl is still in junior high... Song Yunshen thought.
Do junior high girls develop that well already?
Song Yunshen shut off the inlet valve and unscrewed the inlet pipe connector. After a thorough inspection, he finally found the problem.
He took out the small metal filter screen inside, rinsed the sand and sediment off it, then washed it clean and put it back.
Song Yunshen stood up, clapped his hands, and said to Yan Zhenxia, "The inlet pipe's filter was clogged with sand and sediment, which was why the water kept turning hot and cold, and the flow was weaker too."
"It should be fine now. Try it again tonight, and let me know if there's still a problem."
With that, he walked out of the bathroom, picked up the cartoon cup on the sink, and drank it all in one go.
Ningning stood off to the side, staring at the cup in Song Yunshen's hand. As soon as he finished drinking, she snatched it away, ran back to the kitchen, and scrubbed it vigorously.
She paid particular attention to the spot Song Yunshen's lips had touched.
Song Yunshen didn't think much of it. He had only noticed that the water just now had a faint fragrance and tasted quite good.
"Thank you, thank you. Thanks for your effort," Yan Zhenxia said hurriedly.
Song Yunshen waved it off as a small matter and prepared to head home. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"All right, all right. I'll see you out."
Seeing him out the front door wasn't enough for Yan Zhenxia. She accompanied him all the way to the elevator, closing the apartment door behind her as well.
Just as Song Yunshen was about to press the elevator button, Yan Zhenxia, who had seen him out, finally put on an awkward, embarrassed expression. Twisting the hem of her clothes, she said softly, "Um... Song..."
"Just call me Xiao Song," Song Yunshen said. "If there's something you need, go ahead and say it. But you can't keep a cat or a dog."
"No, no, we definitely won't keep any pets." Yan Zhenxia hurriedly waved her hands, then grew hesitant again. In a humble tone, she said, "Um... Xiao Song, I just wanted to ask about this month's rent..."
"What about it?"
"Could we pay it a few days late?"
"Until when?" Song Yunshen's heart gave a jolt. Could it be that I'll have to wait to get my summer vacation spending money?
"Next month... the twelfth of next month. Oh, no, the eleventh will do!"
That's almost half a month late...
Song Yunshen felt a little troubled. He thought back briefly to some of the messages Song Mingyuan had sent him on WeChat the night before.
[Song Mingyuan]: This family has it hard too. You can help them out if they run into difficulties, but you can't reduce or waive the rent. That's a matter of principle, so don't let yourself be talked into it.
Paying late isn't the same as reducing or waiving it, so it should be fine, right?
Song Yunshen could see that Yan Zhenxia's family was in a tight spot. Her daughter even made a fuss over a single bottle of something to drink in the fridge, so they obviously didn't have much spare money.
"I know the landlord has already helped our family a great deal," Yan Zhenxia said quietly, her head lowered. "Around here, a 50-square-meter apartment goes for 2,200 to 2,500 yuan a month."
"The landlord was kind enough to lower it to 2,000 yuan a month for our family back then, and we're all very grateful."
"This month really is an unusual case. I accidentally injured my leg at work, and I really am a little short of money this month."
"But I definitely won't be late with it next month!"
Listening to her rather humble words, Song Yunshen reached out and pressed the elevator button. "I understand. Then pay it on the eleventh of next month."
As Yan Zhenxia thanked him over and over, Song Yunshen left Building 17 and returned to Apartment 1801 in Building 24 of the East District of Tangning New Residence next door.
After opening the door to his home, he returned to his bedroom and took the letter out of his schoolbag.
Hmm... I'll put the tenant and the rent out of my mind for now. I need to think seriously about how to reply to this letter.