The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Chapter 17 Renting a House

The next day, Xu Nian took Xu Xi out to look at houses.

Upon entering a brand-new residential area, the real estate agent I had arranged to meet was already waiting there for quite some time.

"Hello Mr. Xu, I have found a very suitable property according to your requirements."

The agent extended his hand and shook hands with Xu Nian.

Xu Nian looked around at the environment of the neighborhood.

Every building looked as if it had just been completed, with not a single piece of paint peeling off the exterior walls, giving it a brand-new feel.

Strangely, the entire neighborhood was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Even the fountain, which had already been renovated, was completely dry.

"This residential complex was developed by Daheng Group. It was originally intended to be a high-end project, but it was abandoned and only a portion of the houses were completed."

The agent led Xu Nian to a building, and following the direction he pointed, Xu Nian saw a large area of ruins where construction had stopped.

"Will no more houses be built in that area?"

The agent nodded.

"It's highly unlikely. Daheng's capital chain has broken down, and it owes more than 300 billion yuan. It's pitiful for those homeowners who emptied their wallets to buy unfinished buildings. They haven't even received their houses yet, and they still have to pay back their mortgages to the banks."

"I've gone off on a tangent. Because a large part of this community is unfinished, even the houses that have been built are priced very low, and the rents are also very low."

As they talked, the agent led the two into a building next door and pressed the elevator button to go straight to the fifth floor.

"The owner of this apartment was lucky. Just after the building was completed, Daheng Group went bankrupt. Although the property value has already been reduced by more than half, at least they got to see their own apartment."

Upon reaching the fifth floor, the real estate agent led Xu Nian and Xu Xi into a room.

The house is very large, with three rooms, and the furniture and appliances inside are very new.

The elegant European-style decor feels especially warm and inviting when the warm-toned spotlights are turned on.

"Little Creek, what do you think of this place?"

Xu Xi held Xu Nian's hand the whole time, carefully looking around.

She had never lived in such a nice house before, and she even walked on tiptoe, moving slowly, afraid of getting the carpet dirty.

Xu Xi looked at Xu Nian, her eyes filled with hesitation.

"Brother...isn't it too expensive?"

"How much is the rent here per month?"

Xu Nian turned to ask the agent.

"Normally, this type of apartment would start at 3000-3500, but because the community is severely unfinished and there is no property management for the time being, it is only 1000 per month now, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance."

Xu Nian frowned.

He could afford a monthly rent of 1000, but he couldn't afford to pay three months' rent upfront as a deposit.

"How is it, Mr. Xu? The landlord is also in a hurry to rent it out and recoup some money. If you're interested in this apartment, I can discuss the deposit percentage with the landlord."

"elder brother."

Xu Xi shook her head at Xu Nian.

"I feel... it's a bit too deserted here."

Xu Nian pondered for a while and felt that this place was indeed not suitable for them to live in.

The house is quite nice, and the price is within his budget, but the surrounding amenities are very poor. He has to walk for tens of minutes just to go out and buy groceries.

Most importantly, this unfinished residential complex has no property management company, not even security guards, making it relatively unsafe.

After that incident, Xu Nian placed great importance on safety considerations.

"Excuse me, I don't really like this one. Do you have any other options?"

The agent thought for a moment and said, "Yes, we do, but the price-performance ratio isn't that high. Would Mr. Xu like to take a look?"

Xu Nian looked at Xu Xi and nodded.

"Let's go take a look."

After a long and dusty journey, the group arrived at a rather old residential area.

"This is the neighborhood."

The agent presented his credentials and explained the situation to the security guard for a long time before finally leading the two into the residential area.

Xu Nian surveyed the neighborhood. Although the buildings looked somewhat old, they seemed to have been maintained, and there were few damaged areas.

Beside the pavilion, several children were playing and laughing together, while an elderly man with white hair but a very robust physique sat in the pavilion, watching them play with a smile.

"General! You've lost! It's a decisive blow!"

"Hey Old Deng, why are you still doing these petty thievery tricks, just like you did back in the war?"

"What do you know? This is called feigning an attack on one side while secretly advancing on the other!"

The two old men who were playing chess at the stone table stopped what they were doing when they saw Xu Nian and his group, and looked at them warily.

"Old Deng, do you recognize these people?"

"I don't recognize him. That's strange; we haven't seen any unfamiliar faces in the neighborhood for a while..."

......

"This neighborhood consists of old buildings from decades ago. It used to be a military compound where veterans and their families lived."

"In principle, the houses here are not allowed to be rented or sold because the property rights belong to the military. However, the family member of the head of this household has performed meritorious service and owns the property rights of this house. Therefore, it is one of the few houses in this community that can be rented or sold at will."

The agent led the two into a building and used a key to open the door of one of the apartments.

As soon as you enter, the aroma of wood wafts over you.

Xu Nian pulled Xu Xi inside and looked around the house.

The house has a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, and the entire house is decorated with solid wood.

Wooden wardrobe, wooden bed, wooden floor.

The furniture was covered with the marks of time, yet it was spotless, clearly having just been cleaned.

The interior was arranged neatly and meticulously, and even Xu Xi couldn't help but admire the homeowner's thoughtfulness.

On the wall in the middle of the corridor, there was a picture of a great man.

There was a huge display case in the living room, but it was completely empty.

This place must have once been filled with military medals.

"How much is the rent here?"

Xu Nian was quite satisfied with the house. It was large enough for the two of them to live in, and most importantly, it was a military dependents' home, so the security was relatively high.

"Well..."

The agent hesitated for a moment.

"The rent is 1,500, which is much higher than the rent for the previous apartment."

Xu Nian frowned.

The rent of 1,500 was indeed not cheap; it was the limit of what he could afford.

Moreover, according to his understanding, the rental price of a two-bedroom apartment in this area of Yuncheng is basically around 1,000 yuan.

The price of 1,500 is indeed a bit high.

"Can you make it cheaper?"

The agent shrugged with a wry smile.

"Look, the landlord sets the rent; my opinion doesn't count."

"Okay, if you like this place, I'll contact the landlord. You can discuss it when the landlord arrives."

Xu Nian looked at Xu Xi and asked for her opinion.