"Since I have money now, I'm not worried. Even if we rent a high-end apartment, the money will be enough."
Little Fatty thought that since he had saved up for a car, selling it for a hundred thousand yuan at this critical moment was quite helpful.
In fact, for ordinary people, having a hundred thousand yuan would make life very comfortable. They had lived too well before, which was why they always wished for more money. Now they realized that having some money for emergencies was enough, and too much could easily lead to instability.
"I'm sorry, Little Fatty, I've dragged you down."
"Brother Ye, if you say that, you're being too formal. Don't you understand? I only care about you as a brother; nothing else matters. Besides, this job was introduced to me through you. How long have I been here? I've already earned over a hundred thousand yuan, which I think is pretty good."
"Okay, let's both look on the bright side. You go handle the procedures first, and then we need to go back to your place to pack."
"Right, and we need to find an agent to look at houses. We need to rent a decent place. Although we brothers are down on our luck now, we should try to live well and not let others laugh at us, especially people like that Wang Xiao Niu."
Even though it seemed like they had reached a dead end, Fatty was very confident. This, in turn, made Ye Tiancheng feel that the direction ahead was relatively clear. At worst, they could go to a pure land and live a primitive life, instead of struggling in this city of concrete and steel. As long as they could make a living, why worry so much?
In less than ten minutes, Little Fatty had completed the procedures. Nothing was left except a box of notebooks and such, which were actually useless. They were all related to company business, and after leaving the company, none of it would be of any use.
Little Fatty was quite潇洒 (xiāosǎ - carefree/uninhibited). He directly found a trash can and threw everything away. "To be kicked out of this company for such a trivial matter today shows that the company's culture is not good. Even if they offer me a fortune to come back, I won't return."
"That's so潇洒 (xiāosǎ)! Let's hurry and find a place to move."
Ye Tiancheng also felt exhilarated. Anyway, Fatty still had some money in his pocket. As long as there was money, things could be done. They found an agent who showed them several apartments. They found a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment that they were quite satisfied with and immediately decided to take it.
Regarding the payment, Little Fatty had to sell his car. The funds might not arrive until tomorrow, so they agreed to sign the contract tomorrow. They would have to stay in a hotel for the night.
In the hotel, they ordered takeout steamed buns. While eating the buns, they watched the TV in the hotel. The comedy show eased their moods considerably. They watched TV and joked around, feeling that the future was still bright.
The next day, after selling the car, Ye Tiancheng felt like he had a purpose. After paying the rent, there was still a lot of money left from the hundred thousand yuan. If the key was not wasted, it could last for some time.
With money, things were convenient. The two quickly moved into the small apartment introduced by the agent. The two-bedroom, one-living room layout was good, facing north and south, and the rooms were very bright. Anyway, after moving in, their moods improved significantly.
"Brother Ye, the three thousand yuan rent for this month is well worth it. The environment is good, and it really makes people feel better."
"Brother Ye, it seems the ten thousand yuan agent fee wasn't wasted. I was a bit heartbroken at first, thinking it was too extravagant for us brothers. Ten thousand yuan could have paid for more than ten meals at an ordinary restaurant. But finding such a good place is great. Otherwise, we don't know when we'll be able to move into a new house and might end up stuck in a small motel."
Anyway, they were very satisfied. Little Fatty originally wanted to cook himself, but Ye Tiancheng insisted that they should go out to celebrate.
"We don't have much money in our pockets now. In this big city, we have to be extremely careful with our spending. We can't be too extravagant. Today, you should accompany me to the wet market to buy some groceries. We can buy vegetables, fruits, seafood, and meat. I see that the apartment has a large refrigerator, so we can definitely use it. I'll cook from now on; I cook well, which is both economical and healthy."
He thought he was in a terrible situation, but their lives weren't too bad. As long as they had money, they had the confidence to live. Anyway, Ye Tiancheng had previously worked in the fields with a hoe. This small setback now was nothing. If they gritted their teeth and persevered, everything would be bright afterwards.
"Then let's rest for a while, and then we'll go to the market to buy groceries. The transportation here is quite developed. I see three or four wet markets around. We can just pick one today and go to another one tomorrow to compare prices and freshness, and then we'll know where to buy."
Life had transformed a former entrepreneur into a homesteader. Now Ye Tiancheng had to be meticulous with his finances. He had just wanted to indulge himself, but after Little Fatty's words, he realized more and more that one cannot be too arrogant. If one is too arrogant, misfortune will eventually find them.
"Okay, I heard this large sofa was custom-made in Europe, costing tens of thousands. We brothers should enjoy it properly."
The two lay on the sofa, chatting idly, mostly about their future life plans. When they felt sleepy, they went to sleep.
Before falling asleep, Ye Tiancheng was pondering something. He had been with several women, but he never expected to get along best with Little Fatty. It seemed that men together were more harmonious. While being with women could be fun sometimes, it also brought a lot more trouble.
"Brother Ye, wake up. It's almost time. If we don't go to the market soon, it'll close. Let's go quickly, we can still buy some seafood. I suddenly want to eat some shrimp today."
"Okay, I'm getting up now. Let's go."
Ye Tiancheng was also very good-tempered and didn't get angry when woken up. Instead, he went to the market with Little Fatty.
There were many delicious things in the market. The two decided to celebrate properly and not save money today. They thought that even if there were leftovers, they could be stored in the refrigerator and eaten slowly, so they bought a lot. In the end, they found they had bought nearly a thousand yuan worth of food, which was an extreme luxury.
They took their bags and took a taxi home. Then Fatty went offline on WeChat and became a homemaker. "Brother Ye, I bought snacks. Feel free to eat some. I'm fast at cooking. It'll take at most half an hour, and I'll have the meal ready. We'll eat in the kitchen."
"Okay, it's settled then. Thank you for your hard work, Little Fatty."
At the lowest point of his life, having a brother accompany him felt like a dream to Ye Tiancheng. Sometimes, when he came to his senses, he felt he didn't deserve it. Little Fatty was truly a reliable brother. Smelling the aroma of cooking oil from the kitchen, Ye Tiancheng felt a sense of domestic happiness.
It seemed that no matter who abandoned you, there would always be someone behind you. Such a person was no longer just a friend; sometimes, they played the role of family.
"Brother Ye, the food is ready. Wash your hands and prepare to eat."
Perhaps Ye Tiancheng was too focused on watching TV and didn't notice the passage of time. It felt like less than half an hour had passed, and the meal was ready. He was amazing.
"Alright, I'll go wash my hands right away."
Ye Tiancheng's life suddenly seemed full of hope. Even when washing his hands, he was very meticulous, washing each finger thoroughly. After washing his hands and just coming out of the bathroom, he heard the doorbell ring outside. Ye Tiancheng naturally walked over to open the door, thinking it was the landlord or property management. However, what he saw was a tall woman.
This woman was dressed head to toe in designer brands. It was like Chanel, which Hou Mingzhu used to wear often, so Ye Tiancheng was somewhat familiar with it.
The woman's hair was neatly styled, and she exuded the aura of a professional woman.
"Who are you?"
"I'm looking for Mr. Yan Dazhuang. Does he live here now?"
Ye Tiancheng was stunned. He hadn't called Fatty by his real name in a long time. To have it brought up so suddenly, Ye Tiancheng was a bit slow to react, completely astonished.
"Yes, he's cooking now. Are you his friend? Then please come in."
If it had been a rough man, Ye Tiancheng might not have let him in directly. But a delicate and beautiful woman posed no threat, so Ye Tiancheng let her in immediately.
Ye Tiancheng hadn't met this woman before, but she seemed a bit familiar. When Little Fatty saw the woman, he also seemed a bit reserved and shy.
"Yu Qing, how did you know I live here?"
If she hadn't called him by this name, Ye Tiancheng might not have reacted. Now that her name was called, Ye Tiancheng immediately realized. This woman was Little Fatty's ex-girlfriend, who had a brief relationship with him and then dumped him without any reasonable explanation, saying they weren't compatible. So she was a gold digger! Ye Tiancheng's impression of this elegant beauty dropped significantly.
"I found out by accident. Don't you want to see me? I just missed you a bit, so I wanted to come and see you."
"No, no, Yu Qing. Actually, I miss you too. But last time you said you wanted to break up and didn't want me to bother you anymore, so I didn't. Actually, I've never forgotten you."
Hearing Little Fatty say this, Ye Tiancheng knew he was a simp. Although Ye Tiancheng was a straightforward man, from an outsider's perspective, it was clear that this Wang Yu Qing was a bad woman. It seemed that bad women were quite charming, otherwise, she couldn't have made Little Fatty so flustered and confused.
"We've broken up, and I feel embarrassed to come and eat with you. I'm very happy that you're willing to see me."
This tactic of retreating to advance was very clever. Little Fatty immediately scratched his head sheepishly.
"I don't think our relationship is that exaggerated. I'm quite happy you came. I'd be even happier if you stayed for dinner. We can be ordinary friends from now on."
Ye Tiancheng watched from the side, feeling that Little Fatty was truly smitten this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so humble. Little Fatty's conditions weren't that bad; why be so devoted to a woman? This Wang Yu Qing was clearly a gold digger.
"Little Fatty, I'm going out for a bit to buy some water. You guys chat first."