average american beauty

"So, do you have any recommendations for work? Please help me think about it, please."

Caroline stood in the middle of the lounge, surrounded by female colleagues from Meisi Department Store.

In order to brainstorm, Caroline specially asked colleagues on the first floor to wait in the lounge after get off work during the day.

She briefly talked about the situation, omitting the details, and only mentioned that her brother-in-law is busy with work, and her sister now has to take care of the children at home, and hopes to work at the same time to subsidize the family. She didn't have any suggestions after asking everyone.

The girls and the women looked at me and I looked at you, and they all seemed to have nothing to say.

"Do you have any relatives and friends who have similar situations?" Caroline sighed.

"To be honest, Caroline, I can't figure out why your sister has to go to work." Mrs. Wade at the shoe counter shook her head and said, "If my husband is willing to make money to support me and let me stay at home, I'd rather what about work."

"It's not that we don't want to help you, Caroline," said Mrs. Anderson, who was at the same counter as Anne. "Even my own little Henry is being taken care of by my sister. From what you've just said, your sister probably can't help you." Someone else came to help her."

Caroline had also heard about the situation at Mrs. Anderson's house, where she continued to work after her husband's death.In other words, the women who work in the Meisi shopping mall actually have to go out to work because their husbands cannot support the family.

Mrs. Anderson continued, "My sister is going to get married next year, and I am also worried about this issue. Maybe then I can ask my neighbor and pay her a little. Anyway, she has two children herself, and she will bring one more It won't make much difference."

In fact, Caroline also knew in her heart that women from decent families would not show their faces outside.

Parents with conditions will usually send their daughter to school or find a tutor for her, and then find her a husband who is well-matched at the right age.After marriage, the center of these women's lives turns to the family, or they go to dances, theaters, and shopping every day, and in short they don't go out to work.

"Apart from helping others with sewing, washing clothes, etc., have you never heard of other jobs that can be done at home?" Caroline asked a little desperately.

Everyone talked and discussed for a while, but unfortunately there was still no result.

"If your sister is skilled, why don't you set up a store to sell something?" Mrs. Anderson suggested before everyone left.

But Caroline couldn't think of any skills that Minnie could show. She had to admit that in this era without the Internet, there are really only a handful of jobs that can be done at home.Among them, she really couldn't find any suitable for Minnie.

Soon Caroline was the only one left in the lounge. She sat down on the chair in distress, not knowing what to say to her sister when she got home.

"It's broken, I have an appointment to see that house today!"

After Caroline remembered, she quickly put on her hat and gloves and left the lounge.

Although she knew that the landlord might not take her note seriously, Caroline still took the tram.

At the end of November, it was getting dark earlier and earlier.

When Caroline arrived at her destination, it was probably just after six o'clock, but it was already dark.Gas lamps stand on both sides of the street, lighting the way for pedestrians with warm yellow lights.

The lampshade blocked the early winter wind from intruding, so the ball of light would not shiver in the cold wind like Caroline.

Caroline wrapped her body tightly with a coat, folded her arms, and ran all the way from the station to the apartment at No. 31 Wellington Avenue, ignoring the gazes of passers-by.

The difference from yesterday was that the door opened as soon as Caroline put down her hand knocking on the door.

The person who opened the door was a young woman with a pale complexion. She was wearing a dark blue flannel dress and a light-colored apron. She probably felt that the weather was a bit cold, and she casually put on a shawl on it.

The shawl fell over one shoulder as she opened the door, and the woman raised her arm and pulled it, greeting Caroline.

"Hi, are you Caroline? This is Isabella, please come in."

"excuse me."

Caroline noticed that Isabella had a handkerchief rolled up in her left hand with a charcoal pencil stuck in it.

"Excuse me," Isabella looked at her hands following Caroline's gaze, quickly stuffed the handkerchief and charcoal into the pocket of the apron, and wiped her hands on them.

Caroline followed her down the short porch and into the interior of the house.

The inside of the house was completely different from what she had imagined before coming here.

The entire living room was empty, with dark brown wooden floors on the floor.In one corner of the room stood a rocking chair, and beside it was a small dining table with a plate of dried-out bread.

The wallpaper on the walls is brick red, and an Indian-style tapestry hangs on one of the walls. The bright colors are very eye-catching.

Through the milky white window screen, you can also vaguely see the window frame of the same color and the lights on the street outside.

In addition, there is no piece of furniture in this living room of about 30 square meters.

"Excuse me... are you a painter?" Caroline asked looking at the two easels in front of the window.

One of the easels was covered with a cloth, and on the other was a wooden board sandwiched with drawing paper, on which the outline of the building was drawn.

Between the two easels is a small radiator and a half-person-high double shelf filled with art paraphernalia such as paints, brushes, brushes and scrapers.Their owners probably didn't want to stain the floor, so they put a cloth under the easel.

"No, don't count, I'm just a painting teacher."

"Teacher?" Caroline became interested when she heard the word, "May I know what school you teach in?"

"It's a girls' school sponsored by Mrs. Walker. You may not have heard of it." Her voice was a little low, and she had to listen carefully to hear what she was saying.

Caroline had never heard of it, but she didn't know many schools.After Isabella introduced the school where she worked, Caroline also briefly introduced her work and hobbies.

The teacher in Isabella’s impression was very different from Caroline’s. She neither introduced the apartment nor spoke. She almost answered every question, and she would blush when she talked too much.

Different from the small apartment originally envisioned by Caroline, this house has a large area, the living room is connected to the kitchen with dining room, and there are two double doors that push inward on the left and right sides. Room.

"You said in the advertisement in the newspaper that the rental is a suite?" Caroline asked with some doubts seeing that Isabella only showed her the front hall and the kitchen of the restaurant.

"Ah, yes, it's a suite. Over here, please follow me."

Isabella turned around and took a few steps, and pushed open the door on the right.Caroline followed her in.

The rooms inside are spacious, simply decorated, clean and tidy.

The ground is the same floor as the front hall just now. The window is a sliding window with a white grid pattern, with a latch inside. There are three sides in total, connected to form a semicircle with corners. There is also a small desk and a wooden door next to the window. Chair.

In addition, a single bed is placed in the center of the room, with a round carpet under it, and a black walnut wardrobe with three doors is placed against the wall on the other side.

Going further inside is an independent washroom with light-colored tiles on all four walls.

When she saw the familiar toilet and bathtub, Caroline's heart beat violently twice. When she heard Isabella say, "There will be two hours of hot water every morning and evening, so you can take a bath", she Already starting to imagine myself living in this room.

Caroline and Isabella returned to the same drawing room as the studio just now.

"So, you don't want to rent out the whole apartment, but this one room" Caroline asked, frowning.

"Yes, I live on the other side. It's the same structure as this side," Isabella added.

"So let's say you're actually looking for a roommate?"

"Yes, that's right," Isabella nodded.

"I don't know that you sublet the room to others, does the landlord know?" Caroline must ask this question clearly, she doesn't want to cause unnecessary trouble in the future.

"The house is mine," said Isabella.She watched Caroline staring at her with wide eyes, thinking that Caroline hadn't heard clearly, so she raised her voice slightly and said it again.

"I am the landlord."

Caroline heard it clearly the first time, she was just shocked and... envious.

When I saw Isabella's cautious appearance and planned to rent out the room, I preconceived that the person in front of me was also a tenant. It turned out that she was the landlord herself.

Back then, Caroline also had her own house, although she only lived there for one day.

"Last question, how much rent do you plan to charge?" Caroline had a good impression of this room.

"Eighteen yuan." Isabella said.

"18 yuan?!" Caroline couldn't control her volume.

"One month, including bills."

"Then I'll rent it." Caroline blurted out, and immediately regretted it a bit. She felt that she still had a lot of things to decide.

After thinking about it for a while, I quickly added that I need to see the owner's certificate.

"So, you are satisfied with this suite?" Isabella immediately cheered up when she heard Caroline's words.

"Then I have some questions to discuss with you." She went back to her room to get the certificate that Caroline wanted to see, and two pieces of paper, which she handed to Caroline.

Caroline looked at the certificate carefully, and there should be no problem.She also saw it at other homeowners yesterday. Although the format was different, she mainly looked at the information and the seal on it.

Then she began to read the information on the paper.

"Agreement

1. Tenants are not allowed to take others home without asking, and the same is true for landlords;

2. The tenant is not allowed to enter the landlord's private room without permission, and the landlord is no different;

3...."

The two pieces of paper have the same content, and there are more than ten similar "promises" written on them, each of which is nothing indisputable, but many of them are very much in line with Caroline's wishes.

The last line marked the general situation and rent of the room, which should have been added just now, and the ink was not dry yet.

"18 yuan per month (including bills), paid in advance on a monthly basis, and one month's notice in advance for rent cancellation."

The landlord's signature has been written below.

"Isabella Corey"

Caroline borrowed a pen and signed her name on these two "contracts".After signing, she couldn't help asking,

"Isabella, you let me in as a stranger at the beginning, and then agreed to me as your tenant in a short time. Didn't you worry that I was a liar?"

"Caroline, you came to a strange apartment by yourself from the very beginning, and immediately decided to rent it after seeing it. Have you ever worried that I'm a liar?" Isabella asked in imitation of Caroline's tone, With a smile in his eyes, his voice is still thin.

Caroline wanted to laugh, too.

Today, she planned to ask her co-workers about intermediaries and shared roommates first, but she was confused by the result of asking about work for Minnie, and now she signed a contract with a person she had just known for less than an hour for no reason. Not a formal "rental agreement" at all!

"I'm going to move in this Sunday, okay?" Caroline finally confirmed with Isabella.

The weather was getting colder, and Caroline didn't want to live in the front hall of Minnie's house any longer.And Christmas is less than a month away. The shopping mall has become more and more busy recently. This place is closer to Meisi Department Store, so she wants to move here sooner.

"Okay, then count from this Sunday. I'm usually at home after five o'clock, and you can come and deliver your luggage in advance. But it will take a few days for me to pack up the living room."

When Caroline thought that she would be able to live in the small apartment just now, she felt as if she was wrapped in soft feathers, and she was a little bit flustered.But thinking about the result of asking about work for Minnie before, my heart sank again.

If Caroline directly admitted to Minnie that everyone thought she had no chance, and she was about to move out to live independently, would it be a double blow to Minnie?

Wait, there may be a chance, but I don't know if Minnie is willing...

The author has something to say:

PS,

At that time, the homeowner built a multi-storey multi-family apartment and rented it out more often, and the apartment sold to individuals would be more like the small townhouses now, and I remember that only expensive apartments and hotels had double water pipes.

There is also a lot to consider when renting a house in the past or now. It is not that simple. If you have never rented a house before, please find a regular intermediary if you are renting a house by yourself. Take a good look at the real estate certificate and the head of the household, follow the formal contract, and beware of being deceived.

And... (a lot omitted here)... In short, let's have fun watching~

Caroline: Anyway, you are making up every chapter, why can't you give me my room back?

Codewriter: That’s so boring. Didn’t I find you a roommate with a house to give you more motivation?

Caroline: you go