Chapter 86 Renting
Becca Community.
Grandpa Luke lives here, only ten minutes' drive from the Eno community.
Harley stopped in front of a white villa, and a tall white old man was working on a barbecue grill. It was Luke's grandfather Robert Sullivan.
"Whoa, Luke, glad you remembered where my house was, thought the next meeting would be at my funeral."
"Grandpa, I've wanted to come here a long time ago, but there are always some bad things in the police station, you know." Luke took out a bottle of whiskey from under the car seat, "A little gift for you."
"Don't think that a bottle of wine can..." Robert took the whiskey and said halfway, "Oh, this wine is not cheap."
"As long as you like it."
"You are welcome to the party."
"Hey, isn't this Luke?" A fat white man with a beard came out of the room, shaking his head as if he had drunk too much.
"Hi Val, long time no see."
The person who said hello was Luke's uncle Val Sullivan.
"A beer?"
"OK."
Beard throws Luke a bottle of beer.
"Where are my dear sister and little fat man?"
Luke took a sip of beer, "Should be on the way."
The bearded man nodded, and sat down on the white chair next to him, the legs of which were sunk deep into the mud.
Luke walked to the barbecue grill, "Grandpa, do you need help?"
"Unless I die, no one will touch my barbecue grill."
"OK, you are the boss." The old man refused to help, and Luke was happy to relax.
"Woooooooooooo..."
A car drives into the yard and pulls up next to the garage.
Luke's grandpa's house is bigger than his mother's house, and it doesn't feel crowded when two cars are parked.
Linda and the little fat man got out of the car.
"Dad."
"Grandpa."
Robert snapped his fingers, "OK, everyone is here, and the family dinner has officially begun."
The little fat man exaggeratedly said, "Wow, Uncle Val, long time no see."
"Yeah, the last time we met was Christmas, and I gave you a DVD of The Lion King."
The little fat man shrugged, "You are so sweet, the Lion King disc was the birthday present I wanted the most when I was 7 years old, and I am 13 years old now."
"Late surprises are nice too, aren't they?"
Linda stared at her younger brother, "Why are you here?"
"Today is FamilyDay, and I am also a part of this family."
"to be honest."
The bearded man sighed, "Listen, I broke up with my girlfriend, and I actually dumped her, so... I need to rely on my dad for a while.
He is quite lonely by himself, but it is good to have someone to accompany him. "
Robert retorted, "I don't need it, I'm fine on my own."
"No, Dad, you need it."
"Shutup!"
Linda sighed, and said to her younger brother, "Val, you are in your thirties, and you should be a mature man.
I don't want to be the same again...correct you.
But you should be independent, like a real man, and set a good example for your nephew.
Instead of messing around all day, understand? "
The bearded man gestured with a beer bottle, "yes, Mom."
Looking at this sloppy younger brother, Linda was also a little speechless. Luke was influenced by him before, but fortunately he has matured now.
But when Val will mature, she doesn't know.
"The barbecue is ready!" Robert greeted.
Linda played a piece of music.
Luke brought the plate.
Val holds a poke of cold beer.
The little fat man couldn't wait to pick up a piece of barbecue and ate it, grinning his teeth as it was hot, causing Robert to burst into laughter.
"Haha, what a gluttonous kid, I like it."
Barbecue serving steak, sausage, chicken wings, pork ribs, lobster, potatoes
"Wow... very rich." Not to mention the little fat man, Luke was a little hungry.
Robert sat on the main seat and glanced at everyone, "The dishes are not only rich, but also delicious, but there are fewer and fewer people eating.
The family needs to be multiplied and expanded, and the vitality of the family can only be maintained by the constant addition of new members.
Looking at our family again, there are fewer and fewer people.
Linda is divorced.
val…
Luke, Jack, don't learn from us, this family depends on you.
I hope to live to see this table full, even once. "
Robert raised his glass, "Let's toast our future family members together."
"To the family in the future." Everyone raised their glasses as well.
Except for some unpleasantness at the beginning of the party, everyone still chatted happily afterwards.
Robert’s barbecue is delicious, rich in experience, and humorous.
Val is unreliable. He got drunk not long after the party started, and told a lot of embarrassing things about himself, which made everyone laugh.
Overall, the family gathering was not bad.
…
Early the next morning.
After eating the breakfast made by Daisy, Luke went out on a Harley.
Today he contacted a real estate agency to look at the house.
The person who took him to see the house was Liu Wei, a Chinese.
Luke felt that the real estate agency should have read the application materials he submitted and knew that he had Chinese descent, so he arranged a Chinese agent.
Luke rarely has the opportunity to speak Chinese except to speak a few words of Chinese with the little fat man, so he happened to find a fellow villager to chat about his native dialect.
The real estate agent took the initiative to say hello, "Mr. Li, nice to meet you, I am your real estate agent Wei Liu."
"Mr. Liu Wei, just speak Chinese."
"Your Chinese is really standard, I feel ashamed." Liu Wei showed a surprised look, and he spoke with some dialect accents.
"I have selected 5 houses according to your requirements. If there are no other requirements, let's go now."
"Let's go."
In the application materials, Luke proposed several clear rental conditions.
In terms of transportation, it should not be more than half an hour's drive from the police station.
Budget, no more than two thousand dollars.
His stable salary is only 6,500 US dollars, which is less than 5,000 US dollars after deducting taxes. If it weren't for the oil painting bonus and the detective system, he would be reluctant to spend 40% of his income on renting a house.
The living environment, the security of the community is relatively good, single-family, fully functional and furnished.
After such a summary, he discovered that his rental requirements are not low.
Not long after, the two drove to a two-story single-family villa.
Liu Wei got out of the car and led Luke into the yard, "Mr. Li, this villa has two floors, three bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, a basement and a garage.
The monthly rent is two thousand dollars, about half an hour from the police station, and a ten-minute drive from the nearest shopping center, which is more convenient. "
"Can I go in and have a look?"
"Of course, please follow me." Liu Wei opened the door and took Luke into the villa.
After entering, Luke was somewhat disappointed. The interior decoration of the villa was average, and the facilities were relatively backward. Although there were two toilets, the toilets were not large in size.
Luke just turned around and came out.
"Let's look at other houses."
"Mr. Li, what aspect are you not satisfied with, can I help you choose a more suitable house?"
"The house is a bit old, the toilet is a bit small, but everything else is fine. In addition, I usually live alone and don't need too many rooms."
Through the actual experience, Liu Wei can more accurately grasp Luke's rental needs.
Usually, for the first time, he will not show the client a house that is too good, because it will raise the client's expectations.
Soon, bring Luke to see the second listing.
The house is in the Redu community.
It is a white single-family bungalow with two bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, a complete kitchen and garage, and a large yard.
Luke went into the house to check. The decoration of the house is not luxurious, but it is neat, clean and well-furnished.
The toilet with bathroom is larger, and Luke can take a bath in it.
Luke walked around the house a few times, and then looked in the yard.
Liu Wei didn't bother Luke, nor took the initiative to explain, but just followed silently, and he answered Luke's questions. From his experience, Luke felt good about this house.
There is drama.
Luke looked at the house and asked, "How much is this house?"
"$1800.
Because it is a flat floor, the area of the villa is slightly smaller than that of the previous villa, but the occupied area is not small.
In addition, this community belongs to the Chinese community. There are Huaguo restaurants and shops in the community square. I often come to the restaurants in this community to eat. As long as you order in Chinese, you can eat very authentic Huaguo dishes. "
Luke asked back, "What if you use American English?"
"That's an improved version, more suitable for foreigners' tastes."
"Sounds good, I'll try it."
Afterwards, Luke looked at three other houses, all of which were not bad, but in general, the one-story single-family house in the Redu community was more suitable for his needs.
In the end, he decided to rent the house.
I have my own home in Los Angeles.
(end of this chapter)