Zhang Kuang first led the two of them to the place arranged for their accommodation.
The group went downstairs and arrived in front of a building with a rounded design, its exterior covered in cartoon illustrations.
Zhang Kuang pushed open a door in the corner of the first floor and switched on the light.
The room was very clean, furnished with ten small children's beds.
"This is where you'll be staying. Push five of these beds together, and it'll be enough for one person to sleep. The barriers next to the beds are installed to prevent children from falling while sleeping, but you can remove them if needed."
Li Tianming asked, "This bedroom looks pretty new. Has it been used before?"
"It has been used before. But a child suddenly passed away during a nap in this room, so other parents, not wanting to invite bad luck, consider it an ill-fated place and refuse to let their kids rest here."
As he spoke, Zhang Kuang scratched his stubbled chin and glanced at Li Tianming and Qin Siyang, "I figured you two probably don't care about such things, so I assigned this room to you."
"Who says I don't care! I do care!", Qin Siyang immediately protested.
Li Tianming nodded, "This kid is a bit superstitious. He checks the lunar calendar before heading out, and if the day isn't auspicious, he won't travel far. Making him sleep in a haunted house is indeed a bit much."
"Alright then, you can rent an apartment nearby and just come to the kindergarten for meals."
Qin Siyang found this proposal reasonable and asked, "We've got money now. Old Li, since I'm covering all your expenses, you should call me President Qin. Principal Zhang, how much is the rent for an apartment nearby?"
"Around one gold coin per month."
"What the hell?"
Qin Siyang tilted his head in disbelief, staring at Zhang Kuang.
"A single dorm room near Lianrong Academy in Zone 2 only costs one gold coin for four years. How is it that the apartments near this kindergarten are even more expensive than those near an academy?"
Zhang Kuang glanced at Qin Siyang, "Did you think raising a kindergarten kid is cheaper than supporting a university student?"
"Huh? Isn't it…?"
Zhang Kuang chuckled, "I know it sounds strange coming from a kindergarten principal, but we're not as insignificant as you think."
"Let me put it this way. If those students in the academy had been born after the apocalypse, at least half of them wouldn't have been able to afford kindergarten."
"The rent for housing near this kindergarten is one of the highest in the entire Safe Zone. The only places with higher apartment prices are those near hospitals and near the front-ranked Safe Zone exits."
Zhang Kuang offered another option.
"You could also rent a place in a cheaper area, but in that case, free meals wouldn't be included. If you budget carefully, daily meals would cost just under one silver coin."
"What do you two think?"
Li Tianming shrugged, "Doesn't matter to me. After all, I'm President Qin's 'Insurer.' He covers my food and housing, so it's up to him."
"Qin Siyang, are you planning to rent an apartment near the kindergarten or go for a cheaper place?"
Qin Siyang licked his lips, "Principal Zhang, I believe that sometimes superstition is irrational. So, I've decided to stay in this haunted house."
Li Tianming snorted, "Sometimes superstition is irrational? Like when your wallet is empty?"
"Old Li, stop talking with hidden jabs!"
"President Qin, with behavior like yours, it's hard to take you seriously."
The two of them placed their backpacks inside the "haunted house."
Looking at the spacious room, Qin Siyang felt quite satisfied.
"Hey, why is the ceiling height still normal in a children's room? Shouldn't it be lower?"
Zhang Kuang gave him a side glance, "Is it possible that adults also need to enter children's rooms? Like teachers supervising naps or janitors cleaning?"
Qin Siyang nodded, "Makes sense!"
Then, he happily started dismantling beds and assembling them.
The idea of getting a free place to stay, with meals included, made him grin from ear to ear.
He kept smiling like a fool.
Zhang Kuang glanced at Li Tianming, puzzled, and whispered, "This Qin Siyang you brought… is he a bit off in the head?"
Li Tianming whispered back, "Don't worry. He may be lazy, greedy, and slippery in daily life, but he won't mess up when it matters."
The two of them left the kindergarten and followed Zhang Kuang's directions to a car dealership.
Originally, Zhang Kuang and Li Tianming had only planned to rent a car.
But Qin Siyang pointed out that they would need to drive frequently in the future. Especially when they reached South Glory University and had to go outside the Safe Zone to hunt gods. Constantly renting or hailing cars would be inconvenient, so buying one made more sense.
Since Qin Siyang was footing the bill, Li Tianming had no objections and agreed.
As for who would drive, Li Tianming completely let it go after Qin Siyang once again declared his exclusive ownership of the Vine Core.
The two arrived at the car dealership Zhang Kuang recommended.
Through the glass showroom, they saw rows of brand-new vehicles.
Li Tianming asked, "Buying a car isn't cheap. President Qin, do you have enough money?"
"Don't worry. Principal Zhao is a man of his word. He already transferred the rental earnings for the past few days to me."
Qin Siyang had previously saved over a hundred silver coins. Adding the recent rental income of more than three hundred silver coins, he now had close to four hundred—a small fortune.
From having nothing to becoming someone with hundreds of silver coins in just three months, Qin Siyang already felt like he was reaching the peak of his life.
With an air of grandeur, Qin Siyang strode into the dealership.
A well-dressed salesperson approached him with a polite smile.
"Sir, are you here to buy a car?"
Qin Siyang clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his chin, "Of course."
"What kind of car are you looking for?"
"Show me all the cars in the 300–400 silver coin range."
The salesperson paused for a moment before maintaining a polite smile.
"Sir, I'm sorry. We don't sell used cars."
Qin Siyang and the salesperson stared at each other.
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
Qin Siyang clicked his tongue, "If you don't sell used cars, your dealership is losing at least thirty percent of potential business. Whatever, I'll check out other places."
"As far as I know, there are no used car dealerships in Zone 9. Sir, have a good day."
Qin Siyang quickened his pace out of the dealership.
He didn't slow down until he had walked two blocks.
Li Tianming gave him a disdainful look, "President Qin, what's the plan now?"
Qin Siyang scratched his head, "Should we rent a car?"
"Renting requires local identification. President Qin, since you're a stray orphan registered on the outskirts of the Safe Zone, you probably can't rent one."
After being repeatedly called "President Qin," Qin Siyang's face turned slightly red.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he muttered, "...So that means our only option is to hail a car to the Safe Zone exit?"
Li Tianming puffed out his belly, "Since my food and lodging are all covered by President Qin, of course, I'll follow his lead."
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