The Landlady and The Amnesiac

10

Chapter 10 – The Huge Inconsistency

Honestly speaking, if Zhao Pianpian was already the wife of the CEO, Luo Bei would not refuse if she wanted to lend her money to pay the down payment. But with the current situation, Zhao Pianpian raising her child alone, there were more things to spend money on. Luo Bei had no choice but to reject her offer.

“That’s enough!” Luo Bei said solemnly. “Don’t talk about lending me money. Even if you are really rich now, think about it, you’re not only caring for yourself now. Also, it’s best to not talk about money between friends, it’s bad. If I really, really need money now, then you can lend me money. But I don’t. I still want to do my best.”

Her family’s debts had not been paid off. Even if she borrowed money to pay the down payment for the new house, even if she skimped and lived frugally every month, she would likely barely have enough to pay back the mortgage. Then when would she be able to return the money, a few years later? Zhao Pianpian was kind, but Luo Bei didn’t want to exploit her kindness.

The down payment wasn’t a small sum. Judging from the current price of housing, even if it was a 30% down payment, buying a small house would set her off hundreds of thousands.

Zhao Pianpian looked at Luo Bei and sighed, “Fine. When you’re ready to buy a house, tell me if you’re short on money.”

Luo Bei’s actions were because she was worried for her.

With such a personality, if she encountered someone harbouring intentions, it would be strange if she weren’t killed.

She finally told Zhao Pianpian repeatedly, “Keep your wealth hidden. Although the people here are very simple and kind, that’s only because they’re not facing a crisis. Don’t let others know you have money, otherwise they’ll set their sight on you and it’ll be very troublesome later on.”

Zhao Pianpian stared at Luo Bei in a daze.

Luo Bei was also speechless. This novel’s inconsistency was too glaring. Zhao Pianpian was not a person living in the ivory tower. She lost her father at a young age and depended on her mother to live. Reasonably speaking, she should be someone who knew very well how society worked. How can her personality be like that of an overprotected young miss from a rich family?

Her heart broke for the female lead, “You will not survive in life unless you are on guard against those would harm you. Point is, don’t make it seem like you’re rich. One more thing, you’re a single mother. The tenants here are from all over the country, we can’t know who’s good and who’s bad. There’s no harm in having your guard up, understood?”

Under Luo Bei’s earnest and well-meaning advice, Zhao Pianpian finally nodded, indicating that she had understood.

Luo Bei had dealt with all kinds of tenants since she was a child. She had seen all kinds of people. It was natural that the grandmother-granddaughter pair, one old and one young, did not have an easy time managing such a building. Fortunately, the landlords of the buildings in the slums mostly came from the same village. Zhan Qi’s grandmother and her grandmother were the best friends when they were young. In this prosperous city, in such a place, the reason why they could live in peace was because someone was protecting them.

A local tyrant is above the law. Take for example the most powerful figure in this shanty town, Brother Cheng. He had a very complicated background, but everyone, young and old, was under his protection. No one dared to cause trouble and no tenant dared to commit crimes. Brother Cheng’s father and Luo Bei’s grandfather used to be good friends, so even if the Luo family was now reduced to an orphan and a widow, no one dared to bully her and Grandma.

Brother Cheng’s father was a drifter, his mother was addicted to gambling. It was a common occurrence for him to starve as a child. Grandma Luo felt sorry for him and often delivered meals to him or invited him over to eat. As a result, Brother Cheng had a deep affection for Grandma Luo. He didn’t call her Aunt Luo like everyone else, but Mother Luo.

When Luo Bei returned home, she saw Brother Cheng carrying Chinese mitten crabs, chatting with her grandma.

She greeted him respectfully, “Uncle Cheng.”