Chapter Three Stinky Melon Seeds

The more Mother Ning thought about it, the more sensible the idea seemed. She stood up, changed her seat, and sat down on the sofa next to Huo Yan.

"If you move in, of course your uncle and I will be more than happy!" she said warmly to Huo Yan. "You're Shuyi's colleague, which makes you just like one of our own children. Just pack up and move right in. Anything is going to be much more comfortable than staying in the dormitory!"

Father Ning also nodded readily, echoing his wife's sentiment right away: "That's right! If you come to live here, there's no need to talk about rent! Both of us have our pensions; we don't rely on a bit of rental income to get by! I'll have your uncle help you clean up the upstairs place later, lay down some new flooring, and get some furniture. Just let me know whatever you need, and don't be a stranger."

"The rent should be whatever it normally is, and there's no need to buy any new furnishings," Huo Yan shook his head. "I spend most of my time at the unit anyway, and I'll really only be back to sleep at night."

"Those are all easy matters to discuss as we go! It's settled, then!" Father Ning made the decision with a decisive wave of his hand, taking the opportunity to glance at his eldest son-in-law, Nie Guang. "Look at that, wasn't this problem just solved? Xiao Guang, alright, there's no need to bother your friend at the real estate agency anymore. I'll clear out the upstairs place and let Xiao Huo stay there first! As the old saying goes, when you reach the mountain, there's always a way through! This problem has just solved itself!"

Nie Guang looked somewhat dumbfounded. He probably never expected Huo Yan to suddenly burst into the picture like a bolt from the blue. Although his expression darkened slightly, he didn't say anything.

After a moment, he even managed to squeeze out a smile, nodded, and said, "Yes, Dad, you're so right! You and Mom are truly blessed! Could this be a blessing in disguise, just like the old story of the old man losing his horse?"

Ning Shuyi had also not expected Huo Yan to propose renting the apartment directly above her family's place at this exact moment.

She knew the dormitory conditions at the bureau were terrible and originally assumed Huo Yan wouldn't stay there for long, figuring he would sooner or later move out to find a more comfortable living environment. Yet lately, he had never once brought up the comfort level of the dormitory, not even half a word, giving Ning Shuyi the mistaken impression that this guy might just keep living in those conditions indefinitely.

Upon hearing Huo Yan and her parents finalize the agreement for him to rent the upstairs apartment, she subconsciously glanced at her sister Ning Shuyue. She saw her sister sitting there with her lips pursed, an entangled expression on her face that made it hard to tell whether she was pleased or worried.

Sensing her younger sister looking at her, Ning Shuyue snapped back to reality with a start and managed a smile at Ning Shuyi. Ning Shuyi calmly looked away without making any response.

Whether because they failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion on whether the upstairs apartment should be rented out or sold, leaving Nie Guang in a sour mood, he and Ning Shuyue sat for just a little longer before standing up to leave first.

After the couple left, Huo Yan and Ning Shuyi helped Father Ning and Mother Ning finish clearing away the remaining odds and ends in the apartment.

Once everything was more or less tidied up, Father Ning solemnly asked Huo Yan once more, "Young man, were you serious just now? Are you really going to move in? I'm a practical man; if you're certain you want to move, I'm going to get right to work fixing up upstairs!"

"I'm certain." Huo Yan nodded. Seeing Father Ning heave a sigh of relief, he added, "I'll pay the regular rent. If you want to give me any preferential treatment, just occasionally let me share a meal here."

Hearing this, Father Ning burst into a wide smile: "No need for occasionally! From now on, you'll come eat at our house every day! I've got a real knack for cooking, and I've been fretting that I don't have an audience to appreciate it or any sense of accomplishment!"

Although it was settled that he would move into the upstairs apartment, the place hadn't been cleaned out yet, meaning he couldn't move in immediately. Since it was getting late, Huo Yan still had to head back to the dormitory.

Under her parents' orders, Ning Shuyi went downstairs to see Huo Yan off.

"Why did you suddenly bring up renting the apartment right above my place?" Ning Shuyi asked Huo Yan with some confusion as they descended the stairs. "You didn't just step forward because you saw how difficult things were for my parents, did you?"

"Just a matter of mutual benefit." Huo Yan did not deny that he had indeed noticed Father Ning and Mother Ning's predicament. "I genuinely need to find a place anyway."

Ning Shuyi nodded.

They walked on a bit further.

"Did the thing you were waiting to observe yield any results?" Huo Yan asked.

Ning Shuyi smiled. "Didn't you see it all with your own eyes just now? The dagger was revealed from the map; thinking the plan was going smoothly, he blurted out all his little ulterior motives without even bothering to put a gloss on them."

"You don't like your brother-in-law." Huo Yan used a declarative statement, leaving no room for question.

Ning Shuyi didn't deny it, turning the question back on him instead: "You've met him twice now. What's your impression of him?"

"He's very good at playing the game of people," Huo Yan thought for a moment, then modified his wording, "Too good at it."

"As expected of an ace sniper; your eye for people is certainly sharp." Ning Shuyi gave Huo Yan a mock thumbs-up with a grave expression. "Your summary is extremely insightful! He is indeed far too good at playing people. Previously, whenever my parents rented out that apartment, it always went smoothly without a hitch. But this time around, after he hinted in conversation that he wanted to start a business with someone else, my parents suddenly couldn't rent the place out at all. The phone numbers on the advertisements we posted kept getting covered up, and just when everyone was driven to anxiety, suddenly out of nowhere pop up a few tenants with shady backgrounds but abnormally eager attitudes."

Thinking of those stubborn, ruffian-like young men, Ning Shuyi couldn't help letting out a cold hum. "Knowing full well the landlord lived right downstairs and that there was a security deposit involved, they deliberately caused trouble and harassment like an act of provocation, as if they were terrified the landlord wouldn't fully experience what a miserable tenant living upstairs is really like. So earlier, I didn't let Luo Wei and Zhao Dabao step in for my parents; I just wanted to wait and see to what extreme those people would take things, and whether Nie Guang would seize the moment to bring something up. And sure enough, there were zero surprises—he didn't let me down, and every single thing he said fell right into my expectations. My brother-in-law has always felt that working a standard routine job stifles his talents, and that only by becoming his own boss can he save face and gain substance at the same time. If he wants to start a business, he first has to figure out where the startup capital is coming from. Going in such a huge circle, it was all just to pave the way for suggesting selling the house today."

Huo Yan frowned, feeling some aversion to Nie Guang's behavior, but not knowing what to say, he chose to remain silent.

Ning Shuyi hadn't expected Huo Yan to chime in on such a topic. She sighed and joked, "So you see, everything has its pros and cons. Relatives aren't only the kind who bring warmth; occasionally, you run into these rotten apples!"