My Roommate Lover - Chapter 2 - I'm Not from the Demolition Office, I'm the Landlord

The ancestral house of the Jia Family has a long history, dating back to Jia Simiao’s grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather… even Jia Simiao himself can’t remember how many generations it has been passed down. However, the history of this house is well-documented, as the Jia Family once produced an imperial physician and three Tanhua¹, making it a cultural relic in Nanjiang City.

In recent years, with urban redevelopment, residential buildings and villa clusters have sprung up along Yangjiang Road, but no one dared to touch the Jia Family’s ancestral house. At the entrance stand two intricately carved, lifelike stone lions, a vermilion door, and door knockers shaped like beast heads. The courtyard walls are lined with bamboo, rustling gently in the breeze.

Inside the courtyard, there is a small garden and a pavilion, with the main house and side wings adorned with glazed tiles and flying eaves with octagonal corners, from which bells hang, ringing softly. This ancestral house remains warm in winter and cool in summer. Despite high offers, the elder of the Jia Family has never sold it. It’s not about money; it’s the only legacy left by the ancestors of the Jia Family.

Selling it would be a betrayal to the forefathers of the Jia Family.

After wandering around the city, standing at the entrance, Jia Simiao felt a surge of emotion. On either side of the door hangs a couplet: “One Imperial Physician in Court, Three Tanhua Out of Court.” Directly facing the door is a gently flowing river. As a child, Jia Simiao often bathed and fished in this river.

He gently touched the plaque, where he had once carved the characters “Simiao” with a small knife. His grandfather had given him this name, hoping he would carry on the Jia Family’s legacy and promote traditional Chinese medical science. But what about himself? Just because he lost a medical duel to Wenren the Sage Buddha, he fled abroad and did some foolish things… Sigh, I wonder if Xiao Ya is awake yet?

Jia Simiao knocked on the door a few times and waited for a while. Inside, he heard the sound of slippers shuffling and a girl’s voice saying, “Who is it?”

Xiao Ya was Jia Simiao’s childhood friend, the kind of childhood friends who grew up together. However, he never had any romantic feelings for her, always treating her like a sister. She grew up with her grandmother, and after her grandmother passed away, it coincided with Jia Simiao’s desire to go abroad to clear his mind, so he entrusted the ancestral house to her.

In over a year, he wondered if she had changed at all.

Creak, the door opened, and a little head peeked out, shouting at Jia Simiao, “Who are you? From the Demolition Office? Get lost.”

This was a girl with an oval face, her hair casually tied up, looking sleepy and not fully awake. Ahem, aside from being a bit flat-chested, she was undeniably a beauty in the making.

Demolition Office? Did anyone dare to demolish his ancestral house? Seeing her so righteously indignant, Jia Simiao wondered if he was at the wrong place. He looked around; this was definitely the ancestral house of the Jia Family. He asked, “Who are you? How did you end up in my house?”

“My house?” The girl jumped out, wearing a beige nightgown with a strap slipping off one shoulder, slippers on her feet, and her fair, shapely legs exposed to the air, looking quite adorable.

She pointed at Jia Simiao, glaring and huffing, “Are you leaving or not? Do you want me to let the dog bite you?”

Jia Simiao couldn’t help but laugh, explaining, “Miss, let me clarify, I’m not from the Demolition Office, I’m the landlord.”

“Landlord? You’re the landlord? Can’t you come up with a better lie?”

“Of course I’m the landlord. Oh, by the way, where’s Xiao Ya? Are you her friend? Let her come out and talk to me.”

The girl raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh? You know Ya-Jie²?”

Jia Simiao replied, “Of course, I left this house to Xiao Ya.”

She looked Jia Simiao up and down, a sly glint in her eyes, and said with a smile, “You should have said so earlier. Come in, I’ll call Ya-Jie for you.”

In the prime location of the city center, having a house like this with a small garden was rare. There was a grape arbor nearby, a stone table and benches, surrounded by colorful flowers, with butterflies fluttering about, creating a serene atmosphere.

The girl had already dashed down the gravel path and disappeared in a few steps.

How could Xiao Ya have such a friend? Jia Simiao chuckled, taking a few steps inside when suddenly he heard barking. The girl emerged, leading a completely black Dogo Argentino, charging at him.

Jia Simiao deliberately stepped back, his voice trembling, “What… what are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” The girl shouted, “Don’t think just because you mentioned Ya-Jie’s name that I’ll believe you. This lady is smart, I’ve seen all kinds of people. Are you leaving or not? If not, I’ll really let the dog bite you.”

So she still didn’t believe him? Jia Simiao said, “Fine, go ahead and let the dog loose.”

She warned again, “I’m telling you, this Dogo Argentino is really fierce. If it bites you to death, I’m not responsible.”

This girl was quite amusing. Jia Simiao stood there boldly and said loudly, “Come on, I’m not afraid of you. If it doesn’t bite me, you…”

“Bite this creep.”

It was clear that this girl had a kind heart. Even so, she didn’t let go of the leash but instead dragged the Dogo Argentino towards Jia Simiao. Who would have thought that the dog, as if gone mad, pulled so hard that it almost knocked her over, howling as it lunged at Jia Simiao.

Wouldn’t it bite him to death? The Demolition Office might be detestable, but it didn’t deserve death.

She quickly steadied herself, and when she saw the scene before her, her mouth formed an “O” shape, unable to close. The fierce Dogo Argentino, which had cost her all her pocket money, buying meat and dog food to win over, was now wagging its tail, rubbing its head against the young man’s leg, looking nothing like its fierce, aggressive self, more like a fawning little lapdog.

Jia Simiao patted the Dogo Argentino and said with a smile, “Xiao Hei, go play.”

The Dogo Argentino barked twice and ran off happily.

Jia Simiao rubbed his hands together, smiling mischievously, “So, where are you going to run now…”

The girl took a few steps back, nervously saying, “You… you want to rob me? I have no money, and as for anything else, that’s impossible. Also, Jun’ao is a police officer, you’d better behave.”

“Who said it’s impossible? Even if you scream at the top of your lungs, it won’t help.” Jia Simiao didn’t care about any Jun’ao, lunging at her. She turned and ran, shouting, “Ziyu, Ziyu, wake up, there’s a creep.”

Reaching the door, she grabbed a broom and shouted, “Creep, if you take one more step, I’ll beat you.”

Jia Simiao laughed, “Try beating me.”

Creak, the door opened, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped out, frowning, “Xixi, what are you yelling about at noon? I’ve been on a long flight, and I’m exhausted.”

Zhang Xixi shouted, “Ziyu, why are you still sleeping? There’s a creep here.”

“Creep…” Tang Ziyu rubbed her eyes and exclaimed, “Oh my, isn’t this Jia Simiao? How… how did you track us down?”

Jia Simiao didn’t expect to run into Tang Ziyu here.

Knowing someone made things easier, Jia Simiao explained, “Tang Ziyu, don’t misunderstand, I didn’t mean to track you. I’m the landlord of the Jia Family’s ancestral house. I went to the United States a year ago and left the house to Xiao Ya. Now that I’m back, let Xiao Ya come out, and I’ll talk to her.”

Zhang Xixi said, “Ziyu, don’t listen to his nonsense, he’s just a big creep.”

Tang Ziyu murmured, “Simiao, Simiao, are you the Jia Simiao who carved his name on the couplet at the entrance?”

Jia Simiao quickly replied, “Yes, yes, that’s me.”

Zhang Xixi pointed at Jia Simiao, then at Tang Ziyu, asking, “Ziyu, are you saying he’s the super handsome guy you met on the plane?”

Tang Ziyu blushed slightly, glaring at her, “Who said he’s handsome? Jia Simiao, there’s something I need to tell you. We believe what you said is true. However, Ya-Jie isn’t in Nanjiang City. Demolition Office people wanted to tear down the house to build a complex, so she went to the United States to find you.”

“What? To find me?”

“Yes, she’s been gone for over a month, not sure when she’ll be back.”

“So you guys are…”

“I, Xixi, and Shen Jun’ao are Ya-Jie’s tenants. To put it simply, Ya-Jie knew Jun’ao, and before she left, she rented the house to us. Now, do you understand?”

Understand? How could he not?

At that time, he was in the United States, no longer involved with Five Continents International Trade, with his funds frozen and even losing his phone card. No wonder Xiao Ya couldn’t find him. She should have known better; the Jia Family’s ancestral house is a cultural relic, who would dare to demolish it? If she couldn’t handle it, she should have gone to Lingnan to find the elder, he would have sorted it out.

However, one thing he couldn’t wrap his head around was that he left the house to Xiao Ya to manage, Xiao Ya went to the United States to find him, and rented the house to Tang Ziyu, this Xixi, and Shen Jun’ao, so what about him? Jia Simiao chuckled bitterly, “Who am I?”

Tang Ziyu giggled, “Who are you? You’re Jia Simiao.”

Jia Simiao said, “Then I’m the owner of this house, can I stay here?”

“Well…”

Tang Ziyu hesitated, but Zhang Xixi jumped in, saying, “No way, when we rented from Ya-Jie, we agreed that no one else could stay here, especially no men. We’re three girls, having a creep like you here would ruin our reputation.”

Footnote:

1. Tanhua(探花):A historical title in Imperial China referring to the third-ranked scholar in the highest imperial examination.
2. -Jie(-姐): In Chinese culture, using “xx姐” (pronounced as “xx jie”) to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “jie” means “older sister” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “sis” or “big sister” in English.