The Lin family owning a building in West City was also a matter of luck. Back in the day, Grandpa Lin Aijun seized the opportunity presented by national policies to start a business and made a small fortune. Afterwards, however, he did not continue investing to become a full-fledged merchant. Instead, he used most of the money to build this building and started a rental business.
Although West City was far from comparable to mega-first-tier cities like the capital or Shanghai, it was among the top second-tier cities. In recent years, riding the wave of previously skyrocketing housing prices, it had gradually gained the confidence to compete for a spot among the new first-tier cities. Many migrants came here every year to work and settle down. Grandpa Lin had deliberately chosen a plot of land facing the main street, so they never worried about a lack of tenants, nor about rents being too cheap.
Eight years ago, the old man passed away from illness, and the building was inherited by his only son, Lin Youyu. He and his wife, Wang Xiuzhi, not only continued being landlords but also occupied a shopfront on the first floor, opening a small tobacco and alcohol convenience store.
The couple's daily life was unhurried, neither too busy nor idle to the point of lethargy—the pace was quite steady.
"It's a pity your grandfather's vision wasn't sharp enough," Father Lin muttered regretfully, turning to look across the street. "He should have chosen the plot on the other side when picking the land."
Across the bustling traffic was a high-end residential complex with clusters of garden villas and an excellent environment. Further ahead was a prosperous commercial district and a subway station built less than a year ago, making the location quite prime. At that moment, luxury cars were frequently entering and exiting the heavily guarded main gate of the complex.
In contrast, on the Lin family's side of the street, aside from the row of houses facing the street which looked decent, the area behind was a vast expanse of private residences. All sorts of early low-rise houses and residential buildings were jumbled together. In the crisscrossing alleys and lanes, bicycles and electric scooters weaved chaotically. One could often encounter vendors selling vegetables and meat, their stalls practically blocking the middle of the road. The environment was simply worlds apart from the complex across the street.
For such places, Chinese people have a unified term—urban village.
Fifteen years ago, both sides of the street were the same. Unfortunately, the wonderful policy of demolition and relocation never landed on the old Lin family's side. The neighbors on this side could only watch as their old acquaintances across the street happily became wealthy overnight with demolition compensation and allocated apartments, feeling envious but helpless.
Separated by just one street, their fates were poles apart.
Father Lin felt extremely regretful whenever he thought about it.
"Alright, stop looking," Mother Lin said to him with clear annoyance. "It's been so many years, and you're still hung up on it? Even if the government's planning back then didn't pick our side, the old Lin family's life isn't bad. We're not inferior to those living in those villas across the street either."
"I just can't get over it," Father Lin grumbled gloomily. He took another glance at the high-end complex across the street and turned to Lin Lan, starting his usual spiel. "Lan Lan, let me tell you, if your grandfather had built our building on the other side back then, our family would have at least two buildings now, and that's a conservative estimate. I heard a family named Cheng over there, their traditional courtyard-style house was demolished, and the government gave them four new apartments! If it were our old Lin family, definitely..."
"Aren't you tired of this!" Mother Lin was truly impatient now. She raised her hand and gave her husband a slap on the arm. "Can't you save it for when we go upstairs? Take all of Lan Lan's luggage and bring it up! Mom is upstairs keeping an eye on the pot for me."
With his wife's order, Father Lin dared not say more. Sheepishly, he picked up the large and small bags from the floor, and the family of three headed towards the stairwell entrance. They weren't worried about leaving the store unattended; even without mentioning the surveillance inside, the neighboring shopkeepers would keep an eye on it.
All the items in her hands had been snatched away by her parents. Lin Lan walked empty-handed at the back, watching her parents' hairlines, nearing fifty yet without a trace of gray. The sound of the couple bickering occasionally echoed in the stairwell, making her purse her lips into a smile.
The Lin family lived on the third floor. Passing by the second floor, a woman carrying a bag of garbage was about to walk down. Looking up and seeing them, she immediately greeted with a smile: "Oh, Lin Lan is back from her trip! No wonder you two are hauling so many bags back, Uncle and Auntie Lin. Bought a lot of stuff over there, huh?"
"Auntie Yu, hello," Lin Lan greeted with a smile. This was the family member of Uncle Yu, the driver who had helped her act earlier. Their family was the longest-standing tenant in this building, having lived here since Grandpa Lin's time—genuine old neighbors of over a decade. "It's the weekend today, your Lingling should be on break, right?"
"She is on break. That girl sleeps like a log as soon as vacation starts," Auntie Yu complained offhandedly. "See, I've already made lunch, and she's still lying dead in bed. She's already in her second year of junior high, still has no sense of responsibility."
"Don't say second year of junior high; even in the second year of university, they're still like this," Mother Lin chimed in upon hearing this familiar grievance, glancing back at Lin Lan. "Your Lingling is like this, and mine wasn't much better when she was studying."
Lin Lan immediately coughed forcefully, drawing out her tone: "Mom—"
Her expression amused the adults in the stairwell. Auntie Yu waved a hand: "Ha, young people these days are all like this. Anyway, you go ahead. I need to throw out this trash and then call that little ancestor up for lunch."
With the greeting over, they parted ways, and the Lin family soon reached the third floor.
The third floor of the building was the Lin family's private living space, not rented out. The layout of three suites on one floor had been decided back when Grandpa Lin was still alive: one for him and Grandma Lin, one for Father and Mother Lin, and the remaining one for Lin Lan.
The plan was good, but after he passed away from illness, Grandma Lin didn't like staying alone in the empty room without her husband. She preferred staying with her son and daughter-in-law, sharing daily meals and activities at their place, only returning to her own room to sleep at night. Father and Mother Lin had no objections; it was just a matter of walking a few steps next door, making it very convenient to care for the old lady.
As for Lin Lan? She lived with her parents. Her own suite remained simply decorated and unused to this day. The old Lin family was waiting to properly renovate it once more as a wedding suite for their daughter when she got married.
The three of them, laden with bags, walked to the door of the middle suite. Before anyone could open it, the door swung open from inside. An old lady wearing a thin padded vest stood there, her white hair coiled up but her posture upright and sturdy. Holding a spatula, she smiled at them: "I heard the commotion at the door earlier. You're finally back."
"Grandma!" Lin Lan was the first to rush over, happily hugging the old woman. "I'm back!"
"Good that you're back, good that you're back! Grandma's little treasure, let Grandma take a look at you!" Her beloved granddaughter's return made Grandma Lin grin from ear to ear. Holding her, she looked her up and down, then said with some heartache, "You've lost weight. Your face isn't as full as before."
"Really? I ate so much seafood over in Greece." Lin Lan replied with a smile. "Oh, right, Grandma, the leather jackets and shoes there were especially cheap. I bought a full set for each of you! Besides those, I also brought back lots of local olive oil and olive soap. I'll open them up to show you in a bit!"
"Is that so?" Unlike Lin Lan's mother, who would usually scold her for spending so much money as soon as she heard about the purchases, Grandma Lin simply smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Then I'll have to take a good look later. But first, let's go inside and wait for dinner. You must be starving after such a long journey. There's just one more dish to stir-fry, and then we can eat."
"Don't even mention it, Grandma, I've been hungry for ages! As soon as I walked in, I smelled my favorite braised pork ribs. I'm practically drooling!"
The family happily entered the house. As the front door closed behind them, cutting off all the sounds from inside, only the bright red Spring Festival couplets pasted on the door remained, serene and vivid.
Dragging her luggage into her room, Lin Lan took off her trench coat and changed into more comfortable loungewear. After washing her hands, she helped carry bowls to the table a few times, and soon all the dishes were served.
Sitting down in her usual spot, she let out a comfortable sigh.
"Home is best, isn't it?" Lin Lan's mother smiled at her daughter, the unspoken words that followed—"I told you back then to find a job in our hometown, but you insisted on being stubborn and going to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou to seek your fortune. How's that working out for you now?"—were cut off as she placed a piece of braised pork rib into Lin Lan's bowl.
Lin Lan didn't directly respond. Mumbling noncommittally, she glossed over her mother's implied message and looked around, changing the subject: "Where's Snowflake? I haven't seen her."
"She went out wandering this morning and hasn't come back yet," said Grandma Lin. The old lady pointed her chopsticks towards the cat food bowl in the corner. "I put out a big bowl of food for her this morning, and she ate every last bit. It's been raining constantly over in the west part of the city recently. These past couple of days it finally cleared up. She must have been cooped up and bored, so she ran out. Who knows which sunny spot she's found to curl up and nap in now."
"Looks like I won't get to see her today." Lin Lan was a bit disappointed. Her big white cat was the type that either didn't go out at all, or once she did, she'd be out all day, not returning until late at night.
Snowflake was a little stray kitten Lin Lan had found by chance one day close to Lunar New Year's Eve four years ago. At only three months old, she was half-dry, half-wet, hiding under a broken pipe in the icy snow. Leaving her there would have meant certain death from the cold. Unable to bear it, Lin Lan brought her home. It took considerable effort to warm her up and clean her. Since it was almost New Year's, the family, who originally didn't keep pets, didn't suggest getting rid of her, and so she stayed.
That's how she got the name Snowflake.
Before having a pet, they didn't know the joys. But once a cat was living in the house, the Lin family discovered that the pleasures of pet ownership truly couldn't be understood just by hearsay. It even gradually changed the attitudes of Lin Lan's parents, the landlords, towards tenants who wanted to keep pets in their rentals. Over these four years, the number of pet-owning tenants in their building had slowly increased.
"You'd better think about what 'welcome gift' she'll bring you tomorrow," Lin Youyu teased his daughter. "Every time you come home, she gives you a little something special. You're the only one in the family who gets them."
Although it was said in jest, Lin Lan swore she saw a flash of jealousy on her dad's face.
"If you like it, Dad, I'll give it to you," Lin Lan replied with perfect composure, very calmly. "Just remember to eat it all in front of her."
Lin Lan's mother and Grandma Lin at the table burst out laughing. Snowflake's "gifts" were indeed a kindness not everyone could appreciate.
Lin Youyu naturally conceded defeat. The head of the household immediately straightened his expression and changed the subject: "Let's not talk about Snowflake for now. Lanlan, now that you're back this time, you won't be leaving again, will you?"
Lin Lan's hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment. "Probably not." Her voice still held a trace of uncertainty. Back then, furious after being cheated on by Shao Xiuye, she had quit her job in a rage and spent a great deal of time planning that act of revenge.
Now the revenge was done, and she had traveled to unwind. After all these days, it wasn't true to say she had no regrets at all about throwing away her job like that. But what's done is done, and it's too late for regrets now.
"We'll see," Lin Lan said, picking up some vegetables and lowering her head to eat her rice. "I'll rest for a few days first, but I'll still need to find a job afterward." She knew that with the rental income from this building, not only would she have no worries about food and clothing, her spending money might even be more ample than when she was working. But that would make a person lazy. Lin Lan felt it was better to find something to do.
On this point, the Lin family was supportive. Even though they had the building providing income, the thought of just eating and sleeping all day without doing anything made them uneasy. Otherwise, the couple wouldn't have started that little cigarette and liquor shop—they were afraid of being too idle.
After the meal, she helped clear the table. Then Lin Lan eagerly brought out all her Greek spoils. Besides the local specialties she had mentioned to Grandma Lin earlier, she had also bought two hand-woven local rugs with an exotic flair, one large and one small. The large one could be hung on the wall or spread on the floor. The small one was for the family cat, Snowflake.
"It fits perfectly on the bed of the cat tree." Laying the handkerchief-sized blanket on the highest platform of the cat tree, Lin Lan was very satisfied with the perfect fit. "I specifically checked the measurements before buying it."
This way, both the people and the cat in the family had gifts.
"Careful she doesn't use it to sharpen her claws on," Lin Youyu said, rather petty.
"She won't!"
The meal was eaten, the gifts received. Someone needed to go downstairs to mind the shop. As per the usual routine, Lin Lan's mother would go to tend the store, as it was convenient for her to watch her TV dramas later. Lin Youyu would go to the street behind theirs to play chess under the plane tree.
Lin Lan walked Grandma Lin downstairs to the senior activity center. The old lady had her own hobbies too. Their senior center was currently rehearsing some "Sunset Glow" fan dances and Errenzhuan performances, and they were practicing with great enthusiasm.
"Lanlan, don't rush about finding a job. It's fine to rest for a while longer," Grandma Lin said at the entrance of the activity center, patting her granddaughter's hand with a look of affection and concern. "Grandma knows you've been hurt recently. I won't bring up other things. Anyway, you're still young. You'll definitely meet someone better."
"Grandma, I've made you worry. Don't worry, I'm fine now." Lin Lan smiled at her grandmother. "That scoundrel won't come to a good end. The rich girl who stole him away is just toying with him at most. I can't even be bothered to fight over him with her now. I imagine she'll lose interest and toss him aside very soon." Just like a toy in a child's hand—it's only a treasure if another child wants it. If no one else pays it any attention, the child gets bored with it quickly on their own.
Just as preferring wealth over poverty has never been a patent exclusive to women, abandoning someone after leading them on has never been a talent exclusive to men either.
Grandma Lin looked at her clever, lovely granddaughter and sighed softly. "You've always had a mind of your own since you were little. Grandma has always been confident in you. Now that you're home, you can think carefully about your future path. Even if you don't want to do anything, your parents and I won't object."
"I'll think it over seriously."
After seeing Grandma into the community center, Lin Lan turned and headed back. She had absolutely no desire to face the crowd of elderly folks inside; their questions would make her head spin.
Walking alone along the curb, Lin Lan surveyed her surroundings. Compared to her last visit, the neighborhood hadn't changed much. A row of plane trees planted by the roadside occasionally shed yellow leaves with the breeze, and stepping on them sometimes produced a faint, crisp sound.
Just as she was letting her gaze wander aimlessly, a familiar shout and the frantic patter of dog paws rushing along the bicycle lane came from behind her.
"Yeah! That's it, Ke Le! Charge! We're almost home!" The young man shamelessly bellowed at the top of his lungs, drawing the attention of many passersby. Lin Lan, unsurprisingly, also turned to look.
She saw a Husky sprinting with its mouth open, followed by a man in casual sportswear holding the leash with one hand and skillfully steering a skateboard with his feet.
One dog, one man, one skateboard—it was hard to tell who was walking whom.
"Hey, hey, Ke Le, why are you veering off? Don't run onto the sidewalk!" The Husky suddenly changed course, charging toward the sidewalk and throwing the young man into a fluster. Fortunately, the darn dog gradually slowed down and even came to a stop, which eased his panic considerably.
When he finally looked up and saw the troublemaker pouncing on a pedestrian, his face first flashed with alarm and annoyance, then lit up with recognition and delight. "Well, if it isn't the young landlady! What brings you back all of a sudden?"
Lin Lan, who was patting the enthusiastic dog's head, smiled wryly. "I've told you not to call me that, Comrade Xu Xiangfei."
"No problem at all! I rent from your family. You're the landlord, I'm the tenant. 'Young landlady' fits perfectly," he said, picking up his skateboard and walking toward Lin Lan, leash in hand.
He was a tenant living on the fourth floor—a single young man who owned a Husky named Ke Le and had been renting here for two years. Rumor had it he worked at a big company downtown, with a standard nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday schedule and weekends off. His single life seemed carefree and unrestrained.
To prevent the Husky from destroying the apartment, he had come up with this skateboard-walking method, inspired by the internet. Every day after work and on weekends, he'd take the dog out with the skateboard to enjoy the thrill of "cruising."
From his words and actions, it was easy to tell he absolutely belonged among the ranks of today's quirky, fun-loving youth.
Though both the man and the dog were a bit goofy...
Lin Lan looked down at the Husky wagging its tail and panting happily before her. It was a beautiful large dog with a light gray coat—gray here, off-white there—its fur exceptionally handsome. Especially striking were the heart-shaped marking on its face, its almond-shaped eyes, and even its long, distinct eyelashes.
She had to admit, these days even dogs could be strikingly good-looking, so handsome that one couldn't help but forgive the fact that it seemed to have traded all its intelligence for looks.
Just as she was about to reach out and give the dog's head another pat, the Husky suddenly leaped up as if possessed, dashed to a plane tree, and started barking its head off.
"Ke Le, what are you doing?!" Xu Xiangfei was pulled a few steps in that direction by the dog.
Following the dog's line of sight, Lin Lan noticed that a stray cat had climbed up the plane tree it was staring at. Clinging to the trunk with all four paws, its fur puffed up, it hissed and let out sharp, angry meows at the dog below.
"Ke Le, stop! You're scaring the kitten!" Xu Xiangfei struggled to drag the Husky away, feeling a bit awkward as he glanced at Lin Lan beside him. This darn dog was making him lose face in front of a beautiful woman.
But Lin Lan wasn't paying attention. She was staring in astonishment at the cat in the tree. Although her ears registered the sharp meows, her mind was automatically interpreting and translating them into understandable human speech.
"Meeeowww—Hsss—!" ("Get lost, you stupid dog! Come any closer and I won't be polite!")
"Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof!" The Husky Ke Le's barks continued, but to Lin Lan, they remained just ordinary dog barks.
But when it came to the stray cat above: "Hsss—!" ("Don't come any closer! Last warning, don't come any closer!")
The cat had shifted its posture, going from defensive escape to a fierce stance ready to pounce on the dog at any moment. Lin Lan instinctively reached out to help Xu Xiangfei pull the leash, forcibly dragging away the provoking silly Husky.
Sure enough, once the dog was farther away, the cat calmed down considerably. Seeing it was still startled and keeping a wary distance from the dog, Lin Lan couldn't help but speak to it: "It's okay, it can't chase you now. You should run!"
The stray cat immediately looked up at her. Just as Lin Lan expected it to meow a couple more times, it turned and scampered away.
"This darn dog, always picking fights with cats and other dogs!" With the stray cat gone and the Husky calm again, Xu Xiangfei gave the dog's head a firm pat, forcing a dry laugh to fill the awkward silence.
Lin Lan looked down at the Husky, then at Xu Xiangfei, and suggested earnestly, "I think Ke Le still has a bit too much energy. Maybe you should take him for a couple more laps?"
Makes sense!
The quirky young man and his Husky rode off on the skateboard again, while Lin Lan continued her leisurely walk. Before long, she arrived at the front of her family's small building.
The ground floor of the building was divided into six shops. Besides her parents' tobacco and liquor convenience store, there was a clothing store, a snack shop, a milk tea shop, a small eatery, and a pet clinic. Business varied for each, and having seen many shops come and go over the years, Lin Lan refrained from passing judgment.
This time, she only gave them a quick glance, her mind still preoccupied with the cat meows she had heard earlier.
Just as she was about to go upstairs and head home, another rather distressed series of cat cries reached her ears.
"Meeoowww— Meeowww-oooww—!" ("Help! Help! My human is taking me to get shots again!")
Following the sound, Lin Lan saw a passerby nearby carrying a pet carrier, walking straight toward the door of the pet clinic.
Staring at the furry paws desperately clawing through the air vents of the carrier, Lin Lan was stunned. Then, she lowered her head, lost in thought.
