The journey was uneventful. After buying a backpack, Su Jin studied the information Fu Qingdai had given him while taking a taxi to the outskirts of Rencai Community.
There were no high walls around the community. Standing by the roadside, Su Jin could see the drab, gray, six-story old buildings inside at a glance.
The buildings weren't too close together, and their facades were streaked with fine, dark gray cracks, showing their age.
Aside from being old, there was nothing special about them, but at least the building numbers were clearly marked.
Building Seven, where Fu Qingdai lived, was visible from outside the community.
After scanning the area for a moment, Su Jin didn't rush in. Instead, he took out the map Fu Qingdai had drawn and began to circle the perimeter of the community.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
About thirty minutes later, he returned to the community entrance.
That girl, Fu Qingdai, was remarkably meticulous. She had hand-drawn the community map, using a ruler for every line.
The nearby supermarkets, print shops, and other stores were also drawn to a relatively accurate scale.
It seemed he wouldn't have to spend too much time studying the map.
He strode into the community. There was no access control, and the security booth at the entrance was merely for show.
Standing below Unit Two of Building Seven, he was hit by the smell of swill.
Besides the normal entrance, there was a forty-centimeter square opening to one side of the building's doorway.
Food scraps, soupy liquids, and plastic bags had been tossed down it.
A low concrete wall stood next to it, separating the opening from the main door.
He had seen this design before in the community where he lived as a child—a garbage chute.
Each household had a corresponding opening, allowing them to throw their trash down from the hallway.
But they smelled terrible and clogged easily... Few buildings still had this design, aside from some very old ones.
An old tree stood in front of the building.
Su Jin quickly walked over to the tree and circled it. Sure enough, near the roots, he found a red dot. It was faded but still clear.
This must be where Fu Qingdai buried the money!
He glanced around. Seeing no one, Su Jin took a pair of gloves from his bag and started digging.
After digging about ten centimeters down, a tin cookie box with a faded pattern came into view.
He pulled out the box and opened it. Inside were rolls of small bills and coins.
He didn't have time to count it, but he couldn't help but praise Fu Qingdai again in his mind.
Su Jin quickly put the cookie box away and kicked some dirt back into the hole to fill it.
Then, his gaze shifted to the glass windows of the floors above, a look of delight in his eyes.
Fu Qingdai lived on the fifth floor, and there were 'For Rent' signs with phone numbers on both the second and fifth floors.
If everything went smoothly, he might be able to live right across the hall from Fu Qingdai... That would make dealing with problems much more convenient.
I'll rent it now!
Having made up his mind, he memorized the phone number and looked around.
He spotted a middle-aged woman and walked decisively over to her.
"Ma'am, could I borrow your phone? Mine is dead."
....
Thirty minutes later, at the door of a fifth-floor apartment.
A middle-aged man in a gray short-sleeved shirt was unlocking the door with a key, Su Jin standing right behind him.
"Little Su, you've got a good eye. Don't let the age of this building fool you. Back in the day, when housing was assigned by work units, this place was for important people—professors, cadres, old veterans, all of them."
The door opened, and the landlord gestured for him to enter. "Old Fu across the hall, and Little Cheng, the security captain at the gate—they're both retired from the military. The environment might be a bit lacking, but it's safe and comfortable here."
"My son used to live downstairs. If he hadn't begged me to move out, I wouldn't have wanted to leave. I've kept the place in great shape. What do you think?"
"Your son is so filial, and successful too. If I were that capable, my parents would be overjoyed. So many people must envy you!"
"He's alright, he's alright! You're not so bad yourself, young man!" the landlord said modestly, but a proud smile touched his face.
Su Jin said no more and went inside, beginning to inspect the rooms one by one.
Two bedrooms, one living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Aside from the lack of appliances and a modern toilet, it was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and the like... The total area was about seventy-something square meters.
The landlord followed behind him, explaining, "It has all the basic furniture, enough to live on, but you'll have to get your own appliances. For cooking, there's a gas station outside the community where you can get a propane tank. Sixty for a canister, with a hundred deposit. The morning market is just a street away... So, what do you think?"
They both stopped in the living room.
Su Jin got straight to the point. "It's nice. How much a month?"
"Five hundred. For the deposit... I can see you're a decent person, Little Su, so let's just make it one month's rent."
"Okay, no problem." After agreeing, Su Jin paused, then changed the subject. "Brother, you mentioned your son moved out from downstairs. Is that apartment empty too?"
"Yes, it's empty. But that's my son's place. He never planned on renting it out before, so it's just been sitting empty."
"So, is the one downstairs for rent?"
"Huh?" The landlord was taken aback for a second, then nodded. "The condition is about the same as this one. If you want to rent it, that's great. I can make the call on that. But how many people will be living here?"
Su Jin thought for a moment. "Brother, like I said, I came to Longshan from out of town to find a job. I'll be living in this apartment alone, but I have a friend, a girl, who's thinking of coming over... I thought I'd get a place ready for her in advance, you know, to make a good impression! I promise you, it'll be one person per apartment, nothing shady."
"Ah... so you're trying to woo a girl," the landlord chuckled. "Alright then, no problem!"
Su Jin gave a sheepish smile and a word of thanks, then said, looking a bit awkward, "But Brother, there's one more thing... I just got here, so renting two places at once is a bit tight. My friend is coming in a couple of days, and my expenses might go up."
"I can pay the first month's rent for both apartments now. For the security deposits, you can come collect them in half a month. We can even write it into the contract. That way, you can come check on the places. If I've made a mess or damaged anything, you don't have to take the deposit—you can just kick me out. How does that sound?"
The landlord hesitated for a moment, then clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "You're a straightforward young man. I can't let a small thing like this get in the way of your romantic pursuits! Alright, it's a deal!"
.....
An hour later, in the quiet of the rented apartment, Su Jin stood alone by the window, chewing on a bitter, unidentifiable vegetable leaf as he stared melancholically outside.
The sun was setting before him, its last rays bathing everything in a golden glow.
In the span of a single day, he had gone from his home to a strange world, visited a mental hospital, and finally rented two apartments... He had settled down.
While he was busy outside, the tension and helplessness had been forcibly suppressed by the unfamiliar environment and his own reason.
But now, in the safety of his own place, all alone, his body and mind relaxed... It all felt like a dream, yet it was terrifyingly real.
Su Jin leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the glass. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
The bitter taste in his mouth grew stronger, and the panic and confusion pent up inside him began to surge violently.
A job forced upon him, and he had to prepare for the apocalypse...
How did I get transmigrated... How is it the end of the world?!
How could something like this happen to me!
I'm just an ordinary person! I don't want any part of this!!
Su Jin clutched his chest, his mind a tangled mess.
Proofreader: Peter Pan