Chapter 53

With the stall secured, the next step was to rent a place. The space needed to be large enough to accommodate both their inventory and their living quarters. At that time, few houses were available for rent; every family had children, and many households were still crowded into a single room. Li Xiulan walked along the farmers' market, asking around, until she finally heard of two places that might be available. One was owned by an old lady. Her family background had been deemed unfavorable in the past, so her family members had fled or moved away, leaving her to live alone in the house that had been returned to her. The property was a traditional quadrangle courtyard; the old lady lived in the main house, leaving the side rooms vacant and available for rent.