His physiological preference

Yang Zhiyan stood at the door of the room, her hand on the door frame, her gaze fixed on the balcony, already thinking that this room could be used as a studio.

Place the worktable by the window and the fabric rack against the wall, so the sunlight comes in from the left and isn't too bright.

"How is it?" Grandma Qin stood in the middle of the living room, her hand resting on the back of the sofa, looking at her.

Yang Zhiyan turned her head, opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wanted to say "That's wonderful," and "That's beautiful," but neither word was enough to describe how good the house was.

She only said one last thing: "Grandma Qin, this house... is too big."

Grandma Qin smiled, walked over, stood beside her, and glanced into the empty little room.

"It's a bit big, but it's better for you to live alone. Girls need their own space."

Yang Zhiyan lowered her eyes and slowly ran her fingers along the door frame.

The wooden door frame is smooth to the touch and has a very good finish.

"Grandma Qin," she looked up, her voice a little nervous, like when she was a child asking a teacher a question, "This house is so big, do you have to share it? I live alone..."

"I don't want to share a place," Grandma Qin interrupted her, her tone decisive. "I don't want to share a place; I'm afraid too many people will damage the house."

Yang Zhiyan was stunned for a moment.

Grandma Qin continued, her tone casual, as if she were talking about something very ordinary:

"This house is for my grandson. He's working out of town now, and I don't know when he'll be back. It's just sitting empty anyway, so I might as well rent it out and find someone to help look after it."

Yang Zhiyan listened, a small knot forming in her heart.

She was well aware of the housing prices in Haicheng. A three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in Shengshi Tianxi, fully furnished with top-brand appliances, would easily cost eight or nine thousand a month in rent in this location.

She only earns eight thousand a month, and after paying rent, she can't even afford to eat.

Grandma Qin seemed to see through her thoughts, patted her on the shoulder, and pulled her to sit down on the sofa in the living room.

The sofa cushions are just the right firmness; sitting on them feels like being enveloped, which is very comfortable.

"Zhiyan, I won't beat around the bush with you."

Grandma Qin took a printed contract out of her canvas bag, placed it on the coffee table, then took a pen out of the bag, unscrewed the cap, and placed the pen next to the contract.

"Your master, Mu Fei, and I have been friends for decades. She told me about you, saying you are sensible, hardworking, talented, and a good kid."

Yang Zhiyan placed her hands on her knees, her fingers unconsciously curling slightly.

"I ran into you on the street that day, and I saw you squatting down to pick up fruit for me. I thought to myself, this girl is nice."

Grandma Qin looked at her gently. "Later, I called Mufei when I got back and we talked about your situation. Mufei said you were looking for a place to live, that your family's financial situation wasn't very good, and your sister-in-law..."

Grandma Qin paused for a moment, not finishing her sentence, but that pause was full of meaning.

"So this house will be rented to you for three thousand five hundred a month."

Yang Zhiyan was stunned.

Three thousand five.

She almost thought she had misheard.

"Grandma Qin, are you sure?" She leaned forward slightly, her voice a little tense. "This location, this apartment type, three thousand five, are you sure it's not eight thousand five?"

Grandma Qin smiled, a very soft smile, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling together like a folding fan opening and closing.

"I'm not short of money, young lady," she said in a flat tone, without any intention of showing off, simply stating a fact.

"My children are all married and I don't have to worry about my grandchildren. I'm an old lady, and I don't even have enough money to spend in my monthly pension. This house is just sitting empty anyway, so renting it to you will keep it lively and prevent it from falling apart."

She paused, looking into Yang Zhiyan's eyes. She also had her own selfish motives. Such a gentle and well-behaved child, if... never mind, it depends on fate.

"Three thousand five hundred, you take good care of the house for me. You'll handle the utilities and property management fees yourself, nothing else. What do you think?"

Yang Zhiyan sat on the sofa, sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and falling warmly on the back of her hand.

She gently clenched her fingers on her knee, her nails digging into her palm, the slight sting confirming that this was not a dream.

"Grandma Qin," her voice trembled slightly, but she enunciated each word clearly, "thank you. Really, thank you."

Her eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. She told herself, "I can't cry, I can't cry in front of Grandma Qin, it'll look too bad." But her nose felt sore, so sore she wanted to rub it, but she raised her hand halfway and then lowered it again.

Grandma Qin looked at her reddened eyes, but didn't say anything to comfort her or offer her a tissue.

She simply reached out and gently patted Yang Zhiyan's hand twice.

"Don't thank me, it's your own achievement," Grandma Qin said. "Mufei taught you for three years and praised you to everyone she met. I was sick of hearing it. But when I saw you that day, you really were a good child."

Yang Zhiyan blinked hard, suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes. She picked up a pen from the coffee table, opened the contract, and read it page by page. The contract was a standard format, neatly printed, with clear terms and no hidden tricks.

The lease term is one year, the rent is 3,500 per month, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance. One of the tenant's obligations is to "take care of the property facilities and keep the property clean," and the rest are standard terms and conditions.

She signed it.

Grandma Qin also signed the papers.

Two contracts, one for each person.

Yang Zhiyan's fingers were still trembling slightly as she put the contract into her bag. She reached into her bag, clutching the contract; the edges of the paper pressed hard against her palm, feeling solid and substantial.

She looked up at the sunlight streaming through the window, at the clean, beautiful spaces that belonged to her—the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, and the small room that could be converted into a studio.

She wanted to make a cheongsam for Grandma Qin, designing it herself for this elegant and kind old lady.

"Grandma Qin," Yang Zhiyan stood up and looked earnestly at the old woman, "I'd like to make you a cheongsam. I'll make it by hand. Please don't refuse."

Grandma Qin looked at her, something flashing in her eyes. That expression was so brief, so fleeting, that Yang Zhiyan thought she had misread it.

"That would be wonderful," Grandma Qin said with a smile. "A woman's wardrobe can never have enough clothes. Make me one, something pretty, so I can wear it out and show it off."

Yang Zhiyan was amused by her. Her red-eyed smile probably didn't look good, but she didn't care.

She put the keys away and went downstairs with Grandma Qin. The two stood at the entrance of the building. The May breeze blew by, carrying the scent of freshly mowed grass, mixed with the mist from the distant fountain, and felt cool and refreshing.

"Grandma Qin, I'll take you home," Yang Zhiyan said.

"No need, someone's coming to pick me up," Grandma Qin said. "You go about your business, there's no rush with the house, you can move at your own pace."

Yang Zhiyan nodded.

Grandma Qin turned and walked away. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped, turned back, as if she had remembered something.

"Zhiyan".

"Um?"

"My grandson," Grandma Qin paused, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into a meaningful smile, "I'll introduce you to him later."

Yang Zhiyan smiled and nodded, not thinking much of it.

Grandma Qin turned around, and the setting sun stretched her shadow long, casting a long shadow across the lawn.