Chapter 6 - Laundry Day! (1/2)

Sunday.

Morning, 7+A.M.

Zhang Ye could not sleep from the excitement. He kept tossing and turning in bed, imagining a better future. However, he heard a knock at the door. Only he and the landlady had his rental apartment’s keys. Even his parents did not have it. Without question, it was definitely the landlady inviting herself in.

The small room did not have a hall. The bed could be seen the moment that the door was opened.

He heard Rao Aimin’s mature voice floating over, “Kid, are you sleeping?”

Zhang Ye touched his nose and rolled over, “I’m awake. Are you looking for me?”

Rao Aimin sat by the bedside and smiled. “You have been accepted by the Radio Station and are reporting to work tomorrow. Shouldn’t you be returning the rent you owe to this big sister?” Saying that, she seemed to conjure a magic trick by pulling out a calculator and smacked on it a few times, “This month’s internet fee is also due. You need to add another 80.”

Zhang Ye yawned, “What are you saying?”

Rao Aimin repeated, “You didn’t catch that? I’m telling you that your rent is now a total of 2,662.”

Zhang Ye, “No, what was the first line you said?”

Rao Aimin blinked her eyes, “First line? Kid, are you sleeping?”

Zhang Ye immediately covered his head with a blanket, “I’m sleeping!”

“Heh, you d.a.m.n rascal!” Rao Aimin finally got around and smacked on Zhang Ye’s thigh according to the contours of the blanket, “Do you want a beating? Get up! Stop playing dead in front of me! Wake up quickly! If you can’t pay the rent, then do some housework, like cleaning the place! Return it bit by bit!”

Zhang Ye shamelessly said, “I’m still sleeping.”

“I’ll give you half an hour! I’ll be waiting at home at eight!” Rao Aimin said with her face darkened.

Encountering a landlady who valued money as if it was her life made Zhang Ye suffer in silence. However, he really did not have any money this month. As such, he could only struggle to crawl out of bed to brush his teeth and wash up.

Right, let’s see what the game ring is like now. This was the greatest thing he could rely on in his future bid to become a superstar.

When he tapped it open, he realized that his Reputation had increased. Yesterday he had spent 100,000 points for the lottery, leaving behind 99,983 Reputation points. However, it had now increased to 99,999. He did not need to think to know that this was related to his interview. He had been so outstanding and he had even used Gorky’s most famous “The Song of the Stormy Petrel”. It was no surprise to have his Reputation points increased. Now he was just one Reputation point short of having another attempt at the draw.

Reputation is commonly a very general concept. From a game’s perspective, it was a very vague word.

Right, now that he had figured out how Reputation points were obtained, he needed to do some household ch.o.r.es for the landlady. He wanted to see if he could add a Reputation point by doing this!

Suddenly, a loud voice erupted from the corridor, “Little Zhang!”

Zhang Ye realized that it was eight as he quickly wore his slippers and went to the landlady’s house.

Commercial and residential apartment buildings had long corridors. This corridor was almost all Rao Aimin’s property. It was quite obvious what having 20+ apartments in Beijing, with extremely expensive property prices, meant. Rao Aimin could be considered a rich woman. But it was strange that despite staying here for so long, along with the other renters, he had never heard of Sister Rao having any relatives or friends. She was not married and was also childless. They had also never seen Sister Rao work at a job, so everyone found this beautiful landlady mysterious. No one knew how she was so rich.

Rao Aimin’s house was on the same level. It was the biggest loft apartment on this floor. It was the kind where the upper and lower floors added up to more than a hundred square meters in area.

The door opened and Zhang Ye walked straight in. “Landlady, I’m here.”

Rao Aimin sarcastically quipped, “Was your Chinese Zodiac sign a pig in your previous life?

Why are you so slow getting out of bed!?”

Zhang Ye explained, “I was too happy last night and didn’t sleep all night. I’m still tired now.”

“You just got hired to be a radio host; do you need to make it such a big deal?” Rao Aimin hit him at where it hurt the most, “Now, the radio profession is no longer like what it was 20 years ago. There is the television and there is the internet. How many people still listen to radio?”

Zhang Ye also knew that the radio profession was a thing of the past as he said sadly, “Hai, if only my mom gave birth to me 50 years earlier, then I might be able to grab an opportune time.”

Rao Aimin sarcastically said, “Your mom is just 50 years old; how is she to give birth to you 50 years early? Do you think your mom is a snake spirit!?”

Zhang Ye, “…”

See how venomous her mouth is!?

Rao Aimin ordered, “Cut the c.r.a.p and get to work!”

Zhang Ye rolled up his sleeves, “Alright, tell me where to clean. I’ll do all your house ch.o.r.es today.”