Since the three of them intended to go look at the house immediately, there was no point in waiting for the Lunar New Year. What if they viewed it and liked it, but someone else beat them to it? The listing with the agent was set for the next day, and Wang Qiqi had already seen several groups looking for housing when she was at the agency before.

"So, should we go see the house today?" Wang Qiqi asked the other two.

"No problem," Shi Man thought the rent for that place was acceptable, contingent on the actual condition of the property. "I just wonder if the owner will be willing to take us over." Weren't foreigners supposed to be rather detached about family ties? And running a business on top of that—Shi Man genuinely worried the owner wouldn't want the hassle.

Zhang Yan was also impatient, especially since the three of them were crammed into one room with all their luggage. Sharing was one thing, but having zero privacy was another. If they were traveling, fine, but since they planned to rent a place, the sooner the better. "I'll go find the owner." Hahaha, it wouldn't be easy to rent out such a large house, but Qiqi was right; it wasn't impossible that he might find a few people willing to share the rent.

An hour later, Wang Qiqi and the other two stood in front of a house. "Wow, Qiqi, this house is nice." It had a garage, so there would be a place to park a car later, which was great. "And a small garden, perfect for a BBQ."

"There's a porch out front; we can put a chair there and read in the sun." Zhang Yan found the exterior appealing, exactly her style. Even if it was a bit far, it wouldn't matter if they had a car.

Wang Qiqi looked at the small garden and the compact garage. "Is there an attic up top?" She noticed that although it was a two-story building, the roof sloped down, suggesting an attic. She wondered about its size and height. If possible, Wang Qiqi really wanted to stay in the attic, but she suspected there wouldn't be any bathroom facilities up there; they'd have to go to the second floor to use the toilet or shower, which would be inconvenient, especially in winter.

Shi Man saw Wang Qiqi staring at the roof and knew exactly what she was thinking about the attic. "I really don't know why you love attics so much." The place they rented in the US was an attic, and it seemed Qiqi’s affection for attics hadn't waned since Han Tao rented that property. Even the house they bought in the UK, Shi Man felt Qiqi was most satisfied with the attic. She hadn't expected Qiqi to bring this hobby over to England. If there really was an attic, and if it pleased Qiqi, Shi Man guessed she would agree to this house.

Wang Qiqi ignored Shi Man’s question and stared at the owner. Tom, the owner, became a bit embarrassed under Qiqi's intense gaze. "There is an attic, but it's quite dirty." Since his relative didn't have many family members around, the attic had been vacant and slowly turned into storage for things they didn't use. "It's become a storage room now."

Oh, it was the landlord's storage? Wang Qiqi had been about to say that dirt didn't matter and she could clean it up—it would only take a few days, and they weren't homeless. But hearing it was someone else's storage, Qiqi could only sigh. Was she truly fated to be without an attic? Even if the items were unused, they couldn't just dispose of them; that would bring trouble.

Shi Man’s heart immediately settled upon hearing the last part. She had been dreading Qiqi insisting they help clean the attic. Now that it was a storage room, no matter how much Qiqi liked it or how large the attic was, it had nothing to do with them. Shi Man was about to comfort Qiqi, saying it was only for a year anyway and not worth obsessing over an attic, when...

Tom saw Wang Qiqi's face fall. He had intended to imply that it was a difficult topic to bring up, but now the young woman seemed very interested in the attic. Perhaps he could mention something. "If you're willing to clean it, you can go take a look."

Wang Qiqi thought, what's the use of just looking? Isn't that just tempting fate? But considering the implication of his words, Wang Qiqi asked excitedly, "If I like the attic, and we rent this house, are the things up there mine to deal with?" Good heavens, could such a good thing really happen to her?

Tom hummed affirmatively. He wondered if this girl was dense. There were things stored up there for over a decade! "Everything in the attic will be yours to dispose of, even if you find anything valuable." However, Tom thought that possibility was slim. His relative hadn't mentioned losing anything valuable, either at home or elsewhere, and their ancestors were ordinary people for three generations, so...

Shi Man looked at the overjoyed Wang Qiqi and really wanted to shake her awake. Hey, if all that stuff was junk, organizing it would still be a huge hassle. Labor costs weren't cheap abroad! The man was clearly looking for free labor. Couldn't she see the look of expectation on Tom’s face? She wanted to negotiate for Qiqi—they didn't need any of that old junk; just a reduction in rent would suffice.

Although Wang Qiqi was thrilled, hearing Tom say that suggested the amount of labor required was extraordinary. "But we would have to put in a lot of work, and things stored for so many years are probably just trash. Could we get a discount on the rent?"

A rent reduction? Tom shook his head. "The attic isn't part of the rental in the first place; it's just that you want to stay there..." Tom insisted that the rent wouldn't drop, nor would there be any concessions in other areas.

Wang Qiqi was speechless. Sighing, she looked at the man who seemed easygoing but was actually quite tough to deal with. But he was just playing his cards right; he saw how much she liked the attic. If she hadn't shown so much enthusiasm earlier, maybe he wouldn't be acting so proud now. Wang Qiqi knew the advantage was lost. "Then I'll go take a look first." If the attic wasn't satisfactory, she wouldn't agree to do the heavy labor. Besides, it probably wasn't as nice as the attic Han Tao rented in the US—it didn't have a terrace! This left Wang Qiqi deeply conflicted.

Shi Man noticed the surprise fade from Wang Qiqi's expression and knew she must have thought of something. That was more like it. Renting a house should be about the whole package; they weren't just renting an attic, and that should be the priority.

Tom didn't pay much attention to Wang Qiqi being less cheerful than before; the attic wasn't the main focus. "The attic is actually quite large. If it were tidied up, it could fully function as a room, and more people could share the rent," he added, indirectly explaining why the rent couldn't be lowered.

"But there has to be someone to live in it," Shi Man murmured. Sharing a house with strangers meant finding people they got along with, and cleanliness was paramount—they needed someone diligent. Otherwise, forget it; she didn't want to come home to a situation that felt like a constant battle.

Tom fell silent; he couldn't argue with what Shi Man said. He pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the main door. "Let's go in and have a look."

The view upon entering was a living room, with the staircase to the second floor along the wall near the door. The space under the stairs was enclosed. Wang Qiqi walked over to see that it was cleverly hidden storage for outdoor coats, complete with a shoe cabinet. The living room had a sofa, which looked a bit dated but was in decent condition due to good maintenance. Opposite the sofa was the spot for the TV, and directly facing the front door was a fireplace. By the fireplace were two doors: one leading to the kitchen and dining area, and the other to a bathroom.

"Qiqi, there's a huge oven here!" Shi Man was quite interested in the kitchen appliances and scurried inside to inspect them. The other reason was that the living room was rather plain; although large, it had little furniture and looked quite empty.

Wang Qiqi followed the sound of Shi Man’s voice and found that it was indeed a spacious kitchen, complete with a double-door refrigerator and a large oven. "I'll make pastries for breakfast in the future." Making her own would save money and taste better, Wang Qiqi was very confident in her skills. "And we'll have late-night snacks too." Wang Qiqi thought this kitchen was excellent.

"Qiqi's pastries are top-notch." Zhang Yan hadn't tasted Qiqi's baking, so Shi Man explained on the side, telling Zhang Yan how famous Qiqi's pastries were back in China.

Zhang Yan was shocked to learn that Wang Qiqi had even sold cakes at her sister's shop for money. "Heavens, Qiqi, you're a money-making machine!" Her cake-making skills were good enough to open a patisserie. Zhang Yan wondered what Qiqi couldn't do and was intensely curious.

Wang Qiqi bashfully stuck out her tongue. "I like to eat, so I’ve done a bit of research." Wang Qiqi couldn't very well say that she used to frequently bake for Han Tao to take to his workplace in the US, which is why her skills improved so quickly.

True enough, people who love to eat often enjoy researching related things. "You're very handy too." Zhang Yan thought, didn't she also like to eat? But her skills were lacking. "I'll have to properly sample your baking in the future."

That was certainly no problem. "I'll make the kitchen look beautiful too!" Cooking in such a large kitchen would definitely put one in a better mood and inspire more delicious creations—though that was just Wang Qiqi fantasizing; if you asked her to cook elaborate meals all day, she'd probably go crazy.

"All three of us could be busy in the kitchen at the same time without crowding," Shi Man compared it to Feng Xuanxiang's house, realizing that the kitchen she thought was large suddenly seemed much smaller compared to this one. But it didn't matter; since only she cooked at home, a large kitchen was pointless. Shi Man comforted herself; besides, a big kitchen was more trouble to clean; simpler was better.

The first floor only contained the living room, dining area, kitchen, and one bathroom. They finished the tour quickly. Upstairs, there were four rooms, one bathroom with a shower, and another smaller restroom with only a toilet and sink. Wang Qiqi inspected and realized there was no washing machine. She figured the landlord wouldn't have moved such a bulky item away. "Tom, where is the laundry room?" It wasn't on the first or second floor; surely it wasn't on the third floor—that seemed completely illogical.

The laundry room? Tom thought for a moment. Since it wasn't his own home, he wasn't entirely sure. After thinking for a while, he said, "It's in the garage." Yes, yes, that was right! He remembered now. "It was originally on the first floor, but they expanded the downstairs bathroom, so they moved the laundry room to the garage."

It was in the garage, which was quite close to the kitchen. She resolved to check the garage later.

Upstairs, there were three bedrooms: two facing south and two facing north. However, the north-facing rooms were slightly larger than the two south-facing ones. Wang Qiqi thought this was good: the south-facing rooms would be smaller but cozy in winter, while the north-facing rooms were bigger but colder.

"I want a south-facing one," Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan said simultaneously. They figured Qiqi might choose the attic, so they secured the rooms first. As for the north-facing rooms, they could be left empty or used as studies.

Well, before she could say anything, the two best rooms were snapped up! "Then let's go see the attic first." If the attic was decent, she’d take that; if not, she’d pick one of the north-facing rooms—the west-facing one. Wang Qiqi estimated that since there was a fireplace downstairs, they would spend more time in the living room during winter; heating costs wouldn't be cheap. Hmm, maybe they could even have a pajama party in the living room then.

When the attic door was opened, even though Tom moved slowly, the action stirred up a cloud of dust that made Wang Qiqi, unprepared, cough violently.

Shi Man had intended to follow and check out the attic, but the moment she saw the dust puff out with the opening of the door, she swiftly retreated to the second floor to discuss the allocation of the two south-facing rooms with Zhang Yan.

After a long while, Wang Qiqi finally caught her breath. She lowered her hand and followed Tom into the attic. Although it was cluttered with items, Wang Qiqi estimated the attic was quite large and featured four skylights, so lighting wouldn't be an issue. Of course, in the summer, the sun would likely bake the room hot, as it was quite warm already. But thankfully, summer would soon be over, and they wouldn't be living there next summer anyway.

"It's quite big, isn't it? My relative’s wife originally planned to turn it into a studio, so the lighting underwent some modifications, but for various reasons, it never became a studio," Tom said, noticing Wang Qiqi staring at the skylights, realizing she was pleased with the natural light.

So that explained the numerous skylights! Wang Qiqi figured they were intended for an art studio but went unused, which was a stroke of luck for her. Looking around, the center was high and the sides sloped low, but even the lowest point, Wang Qiqi estimated, was about seventy or eighty centimeters high. She thought she could buy some cabinets or simply cover the low areas with cloth, install a rod inside for a makeshift wardrobe or bookshelf, and place the bed under one of the windows so she could stargaze. Wang Qiqi initially thought this was a great idea, but then she recalled a Feng Shui book suggesting sleeping near a window was bad for health and fortune. Wang Qiqi abandoned that plan; windows could also be drafty.

Tom stood quietly by the door watching Wang Qiqi wander around the attic, not rushing her. He knew that the more closely she inspected and pointed things out as if planning, the more satisfied she was with the attic, and the higher the chance of renting the house.

"Qiqi, Qiqi, are you done?" Shi Man called from the stairs. The other two had already divided the rooms and waited quite a while for Wang Qiqi. Time was getting late; they could discuss things more after returning, but Shi Man was confident they would rent the place.

Wang Qiqi murmured an acknowledgment and took one last look around the attic. While very satisfied, there were still issues, like the cleaning. Wang Qiqi eyed her small frame and considered the date Han Tao was scheduled to arrive; this task wouldn't be easy. Fortunately, there were two spare rooms to help ease the burden, otherwise, Wang Qiqi felt she would have to shamelessly ask to crash in Shi Man's room.

The three sat in a room eating sandwiches, chicken wings, and fries, discussing their day's success. "The house is nice, quite good, and the price is okay too. If we find two people to share the rent, it will alleviate a lot of the burden," Shi Man said, looking at the pile of fast food with distaste, internally complaining that this was the fifth fast-food meal in a row and her stomach was protesting severely. "Let's just rent it and aim to move in soon so we can start cooking for ourselves." Shi Man felt this point was crucial.

Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan wholeheartedly agreed; constantly eating this kind of food would ruin their stomachs. "Can we become sub-landlords then?" Wang Qiqi swallowed her food and pondered. "Or just split the rent directly?" Some people rent a whole place and sublet it to cover living expenses if successful, but if they couldn't find tenants, the loss would be considerable. For Wang Qiqi and the others, money wasn't the main concern; the character of the co-tenants was more important.

"We'll see," Shi Man considered. She thought the first option was acceptable, but the second felt more morally aligned.

Zhang Yan was indifferent. "I won't get involved, but I demand that the people moving in are decent, female, and absolutely cannot bring men back to stay overnight." If it were a trusted boyfriend, fine, but she couldn't accept someone they'd known for a few days staying over. That was simply unacceptable in what was essentially a women's shared living space.

"Right. If a boyfriend visits, he can stay at a hotel outside," Wang Qiqi stressed that this was vital. If it were all women, they could wear lighter clothing without feeling awkward; having an extra man around always felt strange.

Shi Man agreed. She wouldn't let Old Feng stay there when he visited her. If it were just Qiqi and Zhang Yan, everything would be fine; she trusted their character. But would strangers be as upright? If they knew Old Feng's situation, wouldn't they be tempted? For the sake of her own future happiness, Shi Man had to nip this possibility in the bud.

They finalized everything over dinner. Wang Qiqi clapped the dirt off her hands. "In that case, we'll find Tom tomorrow and rent the house." Regardless of whether they found co-tenants, they would secure the contract first. "Sigh, I'll start cleaning the place tomorrow afternoon."

"There probably isn't a bed in the attic, so we can move an extra bed from one of the rooms up there," Shi Man calculated. Since the attic was extra space, the landlord wouldn't provide furniture; Wang Qiqi would have to handle everything herself. "Let's check the other rooms for spare furniture later and take what we need up there."

"There seems to be some furniture in the attic, but I don't know the quality," Wang Qiqi mentioned, having closely observed the space earlier; she saw cabinets, stools, and a lamp. "Okay, I need to get an early rest so I can start cleaning tomorrow. Manman, you and Zhang Yan are in charge of placing the ad with the agent for the two rooms and checking what essentials we need to buy." Even though the landlord left some things, they were still short on items. "I think the living room is empty; we can put in some bookshelves or a table so everyone can study together, especially in the winter."

"I can help you clean," Zhang Yan said quietly from the side. Although the attic was Qiqi's choice, if she weren't living there, the shared rent would be higher for the others. But if things went smoothly, five people sharing the rent would significantly ease the cost of living.

"No need, I'll clean it myself." Wang Qiqi felt awkward asking Zhang Yan to clean; if it were Shi Man, it would be different. "I saw most of it is junk; I’ll just pack it into bags. I might need your help carrying the bags down, though." Wang Qiqi observed that besides some unused appliances and furniture, there were many small items, making the cleaning relatively simple. "I estimate I can finish in two or three days."

"Let's do it together!" Shi Man considered that even if she hadn't seen it, being a storage space for over a decade meant there would be a lot of dusty items. "If you feel bad, you can just cook one extra good meal." Shi Man found this idea increasingly appealing.

Wang Qiqi had thought her friend Shi Man had matured after going abroad, but she hadn't expected the food-loving girl to be the same no matter where she was. "Get lost! I'll clean it myself. Hmph, there might be some good stuff in there!" Wang Qiqi said haughtily. "Haven't there been reports about finding treasures when clearing out long-unused things?" Wang Qiqi said, sounding greedy.

"Good stuff?" Shi Man chuckled. "Maybe if it were a castle, but this isn't a castle, Qiqi, you're dreaming." Hmph, trying to fool her? She wasn't a fool; she wouldn't be easily tricked. "Fine, fine, I'll cook then."

"I'll save the good stuff for you, Qiqi. I hope you find a master's painting and sell it for tens of millions of Euros at auction." Shi Man chuckled as she said this. A masterpiece absolutely required a superb collection environment; that warehouse, even if it held a famous painting, would likely have corroded it almost entirely. "Once the lease agreement is settled, I'll put it up with the agency." That was the real business—renting out the spare room as soon as possible to minimize losses. "I really hope to find a decent housemate." Preferably someone hardworking, kind, and virtuous, and so on. RS