Numbers 2, 4, and 6 Daffodil Street were terraced houses with polygonal hip roofs. Their overall appearance was grayish-blue, and three chimneys stood prominently.
There was, of course, no lawn, garden, or porch. The entrance faced the street directly.
"Tingen City Housing Improvement Company's Scat, holding a key ring of copper keys, opened the door while introducing: "Our townhouses don't have a foyer. You enter directly into the living room. There's a bay window facing Daffodil Street, so the lighting is quite good..."
What met Klein, Benson, and Melissa's eyes was a set of cloth sofas bathed in golden sunlight and a spacious area comparable to their previous two-bedroom apartment.
"This living room can also serve as a parlor. To its right is the dining room, and on the left wall there's a large fireplace for you to keep warm in the winter." Scat pointed out expertly.
Klein swept his gaze around, confirming it was a rough open-plan layout. The dining room and parlor had no separation at all, but being far from the bay window, they were quite dim.
A small rectangular red wooden table stood there, surrounded by six cushioned hardwood chairs with high backs. The fireplace on the left wall looked exactly like the ones Klein had seen in foreign movies and TV shows.
"Behind the dining room is the kitchen, but we don't provide any utensils. Opposite the living room is a small guest room and a washroom..." Scat strode forward, detailing the rest of the ground floor layout.
The washroom was divided into two rooms: the outer one for washing up, the inner one for the toilet, separated by a folding door. The guest room was said to be very small, but it was the same size as the cubbyhole Melissa was currently living in, leaving her momentarily stunned.
After seeing the ground floor, Scat led the three siblings to the staircase next to the washroom: "Downstairs is an underground storage room. The air is very stuffy inside. Remember to air it out before going in."
Benson nodded calmly and followed Scat up the stairs to the second floor.
"On my left is a washroom and two bedrooms on the same side. On my right is the same layout, but the washroom is near the small balcony." As he spoke, Scat opened the washroom door and stepped aside so Klein, Benson, and Melissa could look inside without obstruction.
This washroom had a bathtub compared to the one downstairs, and there was also a folding door next to the toilet. Although it had gathered some dust, there were no other dirty areas—it wasn't foul-smelling or cramped.
Melissa stared blankly at this, only looking away when Scat moved toward the adjacent bedroom, slowly following behind.
After a few steps, she glanced back again.
Klein, who had seen a bit of the world, was also quite delighted and full of anticipation. Even when the landlord frequently made everyone clean, the public washroom was still not clean enough and often made him want to throw up, not to mention having to queue up when he was in a hurry.
The other washroom was the same. Of the four bedrooms, only one was slightly larger, equipped with a bookshelf. The others were roughly the same area, each having a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.
"The balcony is very small. You can't dry too many clothes at a time." Scat pointed to a place separated by a door with a lock at the end of the corridor. "It also has complete drainage, gas pipes, and a meter. It's very suitable for gentlefolk like you to live in. The rent is only 13 soles a week and a furniture usage fee of 5 pence. You also need a four-week deposit."
Before Benson could speak, Klein looked around curiously and asked, "If we want to buy it, roughly how many pounds would this house cost?"
As a transmigrator from a great nation of foodies, the desire to buy a house and settle down always existed in his heart.
Hearing this, Benson and Melissa were taken aback, staring at Klein as if he were a monster. Scat, however, answered firmly: "Buy? No, we don't sell property. We only offer rentals."
"I was just checking, you know? Just checking." Klein explained awkwardly.
Scat hesitated for a few seconds before saying: "Last month, the owner of No. 11 Daffodil Street just sold a similar house on a leasehold basis. Three hundred pounds for fifteen years. It's much cheaper than renting directly, but not everyone can come up with that much money at once. For a full purchase, the owner was asking eight hundred and fifty pounds."
Eight hundred and fifty pounds? Klein quickly did the math in his head: "My weekly salary is 3 pounds. Benson's is 1 pound 10 soles... Rent is 13 soles. Plus eating well every day, I need close to 2 pounds a week. Add in clothing, transportation, socializing, etc., etc... At most, I can save a dozen soles a week. A year... around 35 pounds a year. 850 pounds would take more than twenty years... Even if it's just the 300-pound leasehold, it would take at least eight or nine years... And this doesn't even consider getting married, splitting the family, having kids, traveling..."
In this world with no personal housing loans, most people probably could only choose to rent.
With this realization, he took a step back and glanced at his older brother Benson, signaling him to negotiate the rent.
As for Melissa's wishes, just looking at her gleaming eyes was enough!
At that moment, Klein had the illusion of "close the door, let Benson loose."
Benson tapped his cane—the one without a silver inlay—looked around, and said: "We should go see other houses. The lighting in the dining room here is too poor, and the balcony is too small. Look, only that bedroom has a fireplace, and the furniture is too old. We'd have to replace more than half of it if we move in..."
He listed a bunch of flaws at a steady pace, successfully "convincing" Scat to lower the rent to 12 soles and the furniture fee to 3 pence, with the deposit rounded up to 2 pounds.
Without wasting any more time, the three siblings followed Scat back to the Tingen City Housing Improvement Company, signed a contract in duplicate, and went to the Tingen Notary Public Office to have it notarized.
After paying the deposit and the first week's rent, what was left of Klein and Benson's combined money was 9 pounds, 2 soles, and 8 pence.
Standing at the entrance of No. 2 Daffodil Street, they each held a set of copper keys, unable to look away for a moment, their minds churning with various emotions.
"It feels like a dream..." After a while, Melissa looked up at the future "Moretti residence" and said in a low, drifting voice.
Benson let out a breath and smiled: "Then don't wake up."
Klein wasn't as touched as they were. He nodded and said: "We need to change the locks on the front door and the balcony door as soon as possible."
"No rush. The Tingen City Housing Improvement Company has a very good reputation. The remaining expense is for your formal suit. But before that, we need to go to Mr. Franky's place." Benson pointed in the direction of their apartment.
…………
They made do with rye bread back home, and the three siblings headed to the connected apartment on Iron Cross Street again, knocking on the landlord's door.