The days passed as usual.

Jin Wuduan sells her smile while Siniian sells stringed food, and in passing, they also sell stinky tofu with the old man.

As their business prospered, the bond between the three of them grew stronger.

At the end of the day, Jin Wuduan noticed that the old man had been lingering around, constantly circling around Siniang's small cart. Without much thought, he conjectured that the old man must have something on his mind.

"Hey, old man, why haven't you left yet?" It was getting colder and colder these days. The old man usually went home after selling his stinky tofu, but today he stubbornly waited for Siniang to close up shop without hurrying to leave.

It's simply strange.

The old man paused for a moment when he heard this, scratched his head, and then glanced at Jin Wuduan. He said, "Let's go," turned around and went to push his bicycle.

If you hesitate at every step, you'll never get anywhere.

Jin Wuduan doesn't have much kindness in him, but he takes care of the old man's business because of their long-standing familiarity. However, after spending such a long time together, they can also have a good chat.

Thinking about how this old man was alone and struggling, it must be difficult for someone of his age to come out and set up a stall to make a living. So I called out to him and asked, "Sir, do you need any help?"

In response to the remark, the old man promptly propped up his bicycle and turned around, walking towards Jin Wuduan with a smiling face.

Jin Wuduan, upon seeing his smile, thought to himself, "Oh! He must really have something important."

Actually, it's not a big deal. I just didn't tell you about my situation... The old man sniffed, his face turning red from the cold as he rubbed his hands together, feeling a little embarrassed and hesitant as he spoke.

"Um, what's wrong?" Jin Wuduan looked at him.

"Just...,"

The sky in the capital in December was already very cold. Jin Wuduan watched the old man grit his teeth and not get to the point for a long time, afraid that Sini would be freezing beside him. He smiled and urged him to speak.

"Sir, this ability to speak frankly is a right that only women possess. What kind of performance are you putting on for me? Speak up if there's something you need to tell me! My brother has caught a cold because of you!"

He was used to being unruly, and the old man who had been "teased" eased up a bit when he heard the words. Knowing that Jin Wuduan treasures Si Nian, he didn't dare to be verbose, and went straight to saying,

"I have a shop on Cultural Street. It has been rented out for five years. Now it's the end of the year, and I want to take back the house, but the tenant disagrees..."

Is this encountering a rental bully?

Jin Wuduan muttered in his heart and said, "Is the contract expiring?"

"The lease will expire this October, but they haven't moved out. I can't do anything about it, and calling the police doesn't help either..."

So you want me to resolve this with force?

Jin Wuduan smiled and said, "Sir, seems like you think I've been living quite well these past few days and want me to go back inside and spend a few more days there? Enjoy the coolness, perhaps?"

The old man waved his hand hurriedly and said, "How could that be! I just thought that they must have thought of me, an old man, as an easy target. If you go with me, we can show some presence. Who knows, maybe they'll be scared off..."

This is indeed a big truth.

In this mundane world, people sometimes have to play different roles in order to interact and not be taken advantage of. It is important to strike a balance between being gentle and firm when dealing with others.

Jin Wuduan knew what the old man was thinking, thinking that he hadn't lived for a long time, even if he added up both of his lifetimes. He had encountered quite a lot of strange things.

He had seen tenants requesting to split the demolition costs with the landlord...

I have also seen people who have been renting a house for decades and think that the house is their own, wanting to claim it as their own...

Now, there's another one of these, occupying someone else's storefront and refusing to leave.

The translated paragraph in American English would be: "The world is such a big place, it's filled with all kinds of weird people. Only when you encounter them yourself, that's when you truly open your eyes."

But this is not a big deal anyway. Since there's nothing to do in my spare time, and I have nothing else going on during the day, Jin Wuduan and the old man had agreed on a time, so the next day, he took Siniang with him to meet him and get the house.

During idle chitchat along the way, Jin Wuduan also discovered some other information.

The old man's surname is Su, and his given name is Dongyang. He is a respectable resident of the imperial capital.

When he was young, his family had money and had saved up a lot of dowries for him. However, due to his rebelliousness in studying and having extensive knowledge, he developed some ideas that ordinary people found difficult to comprehend.

For example, non-marriage ideology is one of them.

In those days, Su Dongyang's parents became a laughing stock among relatives and neighbors because of this matter, and they passed away early on.

Jin Wuduan may have been driven to death by his own unfilial behavior.

The old man's relatives obviously shared the same view as Jin Wuduan, so they angrily isolated him.

Only his worthless nephew looked up to him... for his job and money, once he had been deceived enough, he was kicked to the curb again.

In theory, an old man like him would have been capable of disregarding the well-being of his parents and stubbornly sticking to his own opinions. This indicates that he has a thick skin and a black heart. However, unexpectedly...

Jin Wuduan glanced at the bustling small noodle shop, then at the old man who was being kicked out while hunching his neck, pitifully staring at himself. He couldn't help but snicker.

Such a coward.