**The Landlord**

Fifteen minutes had passed since they finished shopping. Seeing the shopping bags in Li Tao's hand, Jack asked in confusion, "That's all you bought?"

Li Tao, slightly embarrassed, explained, "Yeah, I don't need much and didn't want to take up too much of your time."

Jack seemed surprised that Li Tao took his words so seriously. "It's okay. My rush is just a habit; you don't need to mind it," Jack said.

Li Tao got into the car and smiled at Jack. "Let's go."

After driving for ten minutes, they entered a neighborhood. It was nighttime, and aside from the streetlights, only a few windows were lit. Jack drove slowly, saying, "Where's number 20? It's so dark, I can't see the house numbers." Li Tao was just staring out of the window. There were trees lining the sides of the road, their shadows illuminated by the dim streetlights, making the street feel both quiet and eerie. Li Tao thought to himself: This is so different from neighborhoods in China.

Jack continued driving slowly and said, "Honestly, this neighborhood is great. You're getting this house for just 650 CAD a month, and it's not even a basement. That's a steal."

"What's the usual rent for a place like this?" Li Tao asked.

"About 1,000 to 1,500 CAD, including utilities and internet," Jack replied.

Li Tao immediately felt a sense of foreboding. In his country, there's a saying: when something seems off, there's usually a catch.

"Could there be something wrong with the house?" Li Tao thought. A rent that's almost half the usual price was unusual—maybe it was old, leaking, or… Li Tao's mind started wandering. He wasn't sure when he picked up the habit of talking to himself in his mind, but maybe it started after he moved to a new city and began teaching at a university. At a party, he met a construction company owner who appreciated how Li Tao remained silent when alone but could talk endlessly once engaged in conversation. The owner invited him to join his international business. Driven by money and freedom, Li Tao quit his teaching job and started traveling across Southeast Asia, dealing with people of all kinds. But deep down, he knew he was always alone. To ease his loneliness or perhaps because of anxiety, he gradually developed the habit of talking to himself.

Five or six minutes passed, and they still hadn't found house number 20. Jack was getting anxious. "This is weird. Usually, house numbers alternate on each side of the road—like odd numbers on one side, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and so on, and even numbers on the other, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. But now, all I see is 18 and 22. Why don't you call the landlord?"

Li Tao's face grew tense. He had already paid six months' rent and a deposit a week ago. If there was no house number 20, losing his money would be the least of his worries. It was late at night, and without a house, what would he do? Stay in a hotel? That would cost at least 100 CAD per night, and he wouldn't be able to rent another place immediately. Without hesitation, Li Tao called the landlord, not caring about the high cost of using his Chinese SIM card to make a call to Canada.

Thankfully, the phone connected after two rings, and a slightly hoarse voice answered, "Hello?"

Jack signaled Li Tao to put the call on speaker. "Hi, I'm Jack, the driver for Li Tao. We're on Claire Street, but we can't find house number 20. We see 18 and 22."

There was a brief silence on the other end before the voice responded, "There's a small path between 18 and 22. You can drive in."

Jack followed the instructions, turning slightly left between 18 and 22, and indeed found a narrow path. Jack said, "Damn, how did I miss this before? It's probably just too dark. Thank you, sir. We'll be there in about a minute."

"Alright, I'll meet you at the door," said the voice on the phone.

After driving down the path for about 20 seconds, they came upon a standalone house. Unlike the others, it stood alone, fenced off on a patch of grass. However, its appearance was similar to the other houses—a typical two-story house with a small basement window indicating there was likely a basement level.

As they approached, they saw a figure standing at the door from a distance. The person appeared tall, around 180 cm, making the 175 cm Li Tao feel a twinge of envy. "Why am I only 175 cm?" he thought, wishing he could go back to his childhood, drink more milk, or take up swimming.

Before he knew it, the car had stopped at the entrance. Li Tao unbuckled his seatbelt and said to Jack, "Thanks, I've already transferred the fare to your account."

Jack smiled, and that smile reminded Li Tao of the young black guy from the airport earlier. Ever since he started working, Li Tao noticed that people only seemed to genuinely smile when they received their due payment. This is the adult world, Li Tao thought.

Li Tao got out of the car, and Jack opened the trunk. Li Tao greeted the man standing at the door. Under the porch light, the man's face appeared blurry. As he approached, Li Tao saw that he was about 35, with a high nose bridge, black hair, and brown eyes, giving him a mixed-race appearance. He looked a bit disheveled and unkempt, with stubble covering his face, but spoke fluent Mandarin.

"Li Tao, right? My name is Chen Feng, but you can call me Alex. We've chatted online before." Alex greeted him and walked around the car to help with the luggage.

"Your luggage is heavy," Alex said while struggling to lift a suitcase. "Did you have to pay extra for it on the flight?"

Li Tao quickly grabbed his luggage and said, "No, I weighed them carefully, and they were all within the limit."

After a brief pause, Li Tao added, "Just call me Danny."

Alex chuckled, "Looks like you've already given yourself an English name. That's great; it's your first step in an English-speaking country. When you introduce yourself to your roommates, you can use your English name directly."

"Roommates? You mean my roommates aren't all Chinese?" Li Tao's unease returned.

Alex put down the last suitcase, panting. "There's one Chinese person. This house has six tenants, including you."

"That's quite a crowd!" Jack couldn't help but interject.

"It's not as crowded as you think," Alex lit a cigarette, gesturing with his eyes toward Li Tao, who nodded, and Alex offered him a cigarette from his pack. "Some houses have over a dozen people living in them. Here, we have six bedrooms—three on the second floor and three in the basement. The first and basement floors each have their own kitchen, so there are basically two separate areas. Normally, only three people share a kitchen. It's legal and compliant."

"Haha, when you put it that way, it's true," Jack laughed, then started the car and said to Li Tao, "Danny, I'll head off. If you need help buying furniture, opening a bank account, or getting a SIM card, just let me know."

Li Tao, savoring his first cigarette of the day, felt a bit dizzy after the first puff but forced himself to stay focused. "Alright, I'll get in touch. Safe travels."

Alex looked at Jack with a smile but with an unreadable expression in his eyes. He said to Jack, "I'm here; I'll take care of him. Good luck."

Jack laughed heartily. "You really are a good landlord!" With that, Jack drove off.

With the engine noise gone, the surroundings suddenly felt too quiet, making Li Tao a little uneasy. He wanted to go inside quickly but still had half a cigarette left. Sensing Li Tao's unease, Alex said, "Let me show you around the house."

Li Tao nodded, and Alex continued, "As I mentioned, there are six people living in the house. On the upper floors, there are three people: you, a woman from China, and a Black American guy. In the basement, there's a brother and sister from India and a guy from France. But tonight, only you and the Chinese girl are here; the others will arrive tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So we're all new tenants?" Li Tao was surprised.

"Yes. This is the first time I'm renting out this house because I'm returning to China to visit my grandmother. I also have some business in China, and I'll be away for at least a year," Alex explained.

"I see. I heard from Jack that your rent is very low. Can I ask why? Sorry, I'm just curious," Li Tao voiced his doubts.

Alex's eyes briefly showed a hint of unease. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, do you remember when we chatted online? I asked if you were okay with pets."

Li Tao nodded, "I remember. I said I didn't mind because I used to have an Alaskan Malamute."

"As you know, I'm going back to China, but I have a dog I can't take with me. So I'm leaving it here in the house and hoping you and the Chinese girl can take care of her. That's why the rent is lower," Alex explained.

Li Tao thought for a moment and finally understood why the rent was so low—it all made sense now. He didn't mind the dog; in fact, he missed his pet back home. "Is it a big dog?" Li Tao asked.

Alex hesitated briefly before answering, "Yes, it's a rather large dog, but don't worry, she's gentle and well-behaved. She's used to living here and won't cause any trouble. On the contrary, if you ever encounter danger, she'll protect you."

What kind of danger could we possibly face? Li Tao couldn't help but chuckle and then asked his next question: "Why just the two of us?"

Alex gave him a knowing look. "I'm going back to China, but due to certain restrictions, I won't be able to use messaging apps from here. I'm leaving her with you because we're all Chinese, and we can keep in touch using Chinese messaging apps. I've mostly entrusted the dog's care to another Chinese girl. I just hope that when she's busy, you can help walk the dog. Also, please help me take care of the house, like taking out the trash on garbage day."

Li Tao sighed inwardly; there really was no free lunch in the world. But Alex had a point—once he was back in China, it would be hard to use some of the apps here, making communication with tenants difficult. Having another Chinese tenant would make staying in touch much easier.

"Aren't you worried I might be a bad person and mess up your house?" Li Tao joked.

Alex shrugged indifferently. "It's fine. I found two Chinese tenants, so the chances of both of you being bad are low. Plus, before renting, you also sent me a photo of your passport."

Li Tao took a final drag of his cigarette, then flicked it to the ground and stubbed it out with his foot. "Thanks for trusting me."

So, Li Tao and Alex each grabbed some luggage and struggled up the steps to the entrance. Alex told Li Tao, "The code for the front door is 4355. Keep it in mind—there are a lot of tenants, and using keys would be inconvenient, so I switched to a combination lock."

Li Tao opened his phone's memo and quickly jotted down the code while struggling to drag his luggage inside. "Got it."

Once inside, Li Tao noticed that only the hallway light was on; the kitchen and dining area at the back were dim, and the staircase to the second floor was right by the entrance. Alex put down the luggage and said, "Your room is the middle one on the second floor. The key is on the door. You can take it off and use it. I have to leave now."

"You're leaving now?" Li Tao asked, puzzled, thinking that Alex would at least show him around the room.

"Yes, I have to go." For some reason, Li Tao noticed that Alex's eyes were slightly red, making his already disheveled demeanor seem even more worn out. "I have a flight tonight, so I'm in a hurry."

Li Tao was momentarily speechless. Alex handed him a car key, saying, "This is my car. If you have a driver's license, you can drive it. If not, just start it up every couple of weeks to keep it running. You can also lend it to the other tenants if they need it."

Li Tao grew even more suspicious. CAD 650 a month, including utilities and internet, plus access to a car—but seeing the sincerity in Alex's eyes, Li Tao accepted the car key and said, "Don't worry. Since you trust me this much, I'll make sure to take good care of your house, your pet, and your car."

Alex stared at Li Tao for a moment and sighed softly. "Thank you. You should rest now. The Chinese girl upstairs is probably already asleep, and the dog is in her room, so try to keep it down."

Li Tao nodded, and his voice instinctively softened. "Alright."

Alex turned to leave, but as he stepped outside, Li Tao thought he heard Alex quietly say, "Good luck."

Li Tao wanted to chase after him and ask what he meant, but Alex had already disappeared into the darkness, his figure fading away, looking somewhat lonely and desolate.

Li Tao scratched his head, wondering if he had misheard. Gazing at the quiet scenery outside and the car key in his hand, that surreal feeling returned.

Gently, Li Tao closed and locked the door before carefully carrying his luggage up the stairs. The staircase was dark, and Li Tao used one hand to carry his luggage while the other felt along the wall, hoping to find a light switch. Sure enough, as he reached the top step, he felt a switch-like object. He turned it on carefully, and the second floor was instantly bathed in light, so bright it nearly made him stumble. After adjusting to the brightness, he finally took in the layout of the second floor.

Dark brown wooden floors and white walls—everything looked so clean and pristine, as if newly renovated. There were four bedroom doors in sight; one was slightly smaller, and two doors had keys hanging on them, while the innermost door did not. Li Tao guessed that the room at the far end probably belonged to the Chinese girl he had yet to meet. Without dwelling on it, he took the key from the middle door and pushed it open.

Inside, he turned on the light and couldn't help but be impressed. If the second floor looked new, then the bedroom looked even newer. There was a queen-sized bed, a white desk by the window, a matching nightstand with a black lamp, and a built-in wardrobe opposite the bed. Next to the wardrobe was a small bathroom with a simple wet-and-dry separation setup, a mirror, a sink, and some hooks.

Li Tao felt a surge of emotion, and fatigue from his long journey finally caught up with him. He grabbed the blanket from the bed and collapsed onto it without even bothering to look around further.

As he lay down, he noticed a faint musty smell coming from the blanket and pillow, likely from being unused for too long. "At least it's something," Li Tao mumbled to himself. Better this than nothing at all. As he recalled the evening—from the airport encounter with the young Black man to meeting Jack and finally Alex—everything still felt like a dream. Had he really made it to Canada? As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Li Tao drifted off to sleep, just barely conscious of hearing Alex's raspy voice once more: "Good luck."