Chapter 9 Special Rental Conditions [Seeking Recommendations and Favorites]

"Yes, boss, are you the landlord?" Ge Dongxu nodded and asked.

"Indeed, I am the landlord. However, I only rent rooms to high school students from Changxi No. 1 High. If you're not a student there, I'm afraid I can't rent a room to you," the landlord said.

"I just passed the entrance exam to Changxi No. 1 High this year." Ge Dongxu smiled.

"So you're a freshman this year, that's great. Which township are you from, and how many points did you score on your entrance exam?" the landlord's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

"I'm from Baiyun Mountain Township, and I scored five hundred fifty points on the entrance exam." Ge Dongxu felt a bit puzzled by why the landlord was asking these questions, but he still answered honestly.

"Five hundred fifty points, that's quite high! Good, good." The landlord nodded continuously in praise, looking at Ge Dongxu with much more affection.

At that time, the full score for Jiangnan Province's middle school leaving exam was five hundred ninety points, and the admission score for Changxi No. 1 High was five hundred twelve points, so Ge Dongxu's score was indeed commendable.

"Uncle Landlord, how much is the rent? Also, can you show me the room first?" Ge Dongxu was there to rent a house, not to discuss academic achievements, so naturally, he didn't want to keep circling around on this topic with the landlord.

"Right, right, look at how confused I am. As for the rent, in this area it's generally around one hundred fifty per month, but seeing as you have such good grades and you're from the countryside, uncle will give you a discount, one hundred. As for the room, just wait a moment, I'll get your aunt to come down and watch the shop while I show you around," the landlord said, after Dongxu raised the question, suddenly remembering the actual reason for his visit, he slapped his head and then sized Dongxu up, smiling.

"Thank you, Uncle Landlord." Ge Dongxu's family wasn't wealthy, so any savings on the rent naturally made him happy; he quickly bowed slightly to express his thanks.

"You're such a sensible kid." Seeing Ge Dongxu's polite demeanor, the landlord looked at him even more affectionately and complimented him, then opened the door behind the shop counter that led to the back room and called out inside.

Soon after, a middle-aged woman who looked rather kind and amiable came out from the back room.

"Ah Juan, this young man, oh, what's your name again?" the landlord, while introducing, suddenly remembered he didn't yet know Ge Dongxu's name.

"Auntie, my name is Ge Dongxu, I am here to rent a room," Ge Dongxu said politely, smiling slightly at the middle-aged woman.

"From Changxi No. 1 High?" the woman known as Ah Juan asked.

"Yes, from Changxi No. 1 High, and he scored five hundred fifty points on his entrance exam," the landlord said.

The middle-aged woman's eyes brightened slightly and she nodded, "That's very high, quite a few points above the admission score line."

"Yes, if only he could give a few points to our Lehao, we could save quite a bit of money!" the landlord remarked, then with Ge Dongxu looking somewhat puzzled, led him through the back door of the shop into the rear room on the ground floor.

The ground floor was divided into two rooms, the front one being used as a shop where customers frequently came and went, somewhat like a public space, while the back room, separated from the shop by a wall and a door, became a completely private area.

Inside, there were various items such as cardboard boxes, bicycles, brooms, dustpans, among other things, and the stairs leading to the other floors were also here, with several pairs of slippers placed at the foot of the stairs.

"Just go up with your shoes on, since your aunt is going to thoroughly clean it again in a couple of days!" Seeing Ge Dongxu about to take his shoes off, the landlord waved his hand laughing.

Though Ge Dongxu noticed the stairs were very clean, he still insisted on taking off his shoes to go up.

The staircase was a spiral wooden one, painted in a reddish-brown color, and felt very good to step on.

The spiral staircase was in the middle of the house, neatly dividing it into front and back sections.

"The kitchen and dining room are at the back on the second floor. The side facing the street has the living room and a bathroom," the landlord explained, pointing to either side of the staircase as they reached the second floor.

These areas were for the landlord's use, so he casually mentioned them before leading Ge Dongxu upstairs.

"The floors above the second floor are all bedrooms. The third floor is where your aunt and I live, with the master bedroom at the front and a study at the back. The fourth floor has my son Cheng Le Hao's bedroom and the guest room. The fifth floor is for rent, and each floor has a bathroom," the landlord explained as they climbed the stairs. Reaching the fourth floor, he turned his head to look at the master bedroom, saw that the door was closed, and walked straight over, knocking loudly, "Bang, bang, bang."

"Classes are starting in a couple of days, can't you let me sleep in peace for two more days?" a dissatisfied voice came from the room, followed by the door swinging open, revealing a chubby young man in boxer shorts and no shirt, about the same age as Ge Dongxu.

"All you do is sleep all day. Look at him; he's been up early to find a place to live from Baiyun Mountain," the landlord scolded, seeing the chubby boy's disgruntled grumbling.

"Hey, buddy, you're coming to Changxi High School?" the chubby boy asked eagerly, recognizing the condition set by his father for the tenant. He completely ignored his father's scolding, leaving his dad to shake his head in frustration.

Watching the father and son, and recalling everything that had happened, Ge Dongxu finally understood why the landlord was so specific about the tenant's profile and so concerned about his grades. It turned out he wanted a study companion for his own son to encourage him to study!

However, Ge Dongxu saw that the family was quite nice and didn't mind the additional task.

"Yes, my name is Ge Dongxu!" Ge Dongxu said with a smile, nodding his head.

"Then we'll be classmates from now on. Come on, Dongxu, let me show you your room," Cheng Le Hao said enthusiastically, draping his arm around Ge Dongxu's shoulders.

Seeing that his son seemed to like Ge Dongxu, the landlord's expression relaxed considerably, and while following behind, he said to his son, "Lehao, Dongxu scored 550 in the middle school exam. You were enrolled through a paid seat, and your foundation is weaker than most; you must learn diligently from him. If there's anything you don't understand, ask Dongxu. Aim for a good university."

"I know, I know!" Cheng Le Hao said impatiently, clearly having endured his dad's nagging often.

"You child!" the landlord said, slightly irritated, smacking him on the back of his head.

"Dad, you'll knock me stupid!" Cheng Le Hao exclaimed.

The landlord was about to hit him again but eventually retracted his hand sheepishly, unsure whether he was genuinely worried about harming him or because Ge Dongxu was there.

The layout of the fifth floor was similar to the floors below, with a large master bedroom of over twenty square meters at the front and a smaller bedroom at the back, albeit with a small balcony.

The interior was elegantly decorated and very clean, equipped with necessary furniture such as a desk, bed, and cabinets.