Two thousand yuan—the distance to a dream

Wanhe Residence.

As the second property developed in Rongcheng, Ronggao Holdings fought fiercely with a 50% premium and finally secured this piece of land, which would become highly coveted fifteen years later.

To the east, it bordered the Yudong Plaza commercial district; to the west, the Qijiang Baihua Park and Rongcheng University of Construction; to the north, the Huayang Theater and Yudong No. 1 Experimental Middle School.

In terms of both functionality and quality, Wanhe Residence could be said to be the most authentic, integrating commerce, education, culture, and nature—a new kind of living community.

Entering through the east gate, the exquisitely landscaped gardens unfolded in layers, providing a rich visual experience.

Li An was not an art teacher; he couldn’t describe the scene before him, but he summed it up simply in two words.

Very green.

He walked through the community to Building 33, Unit 4. After exiting the elevator on the twenty-fifth floor, he found himself in a not-too-long corridor with seven doors.

“This way, bro,” Xiao Wang called.

Li An’s curiosity grew stronger. What kind of apartment was this, situated in such a prime location, yet left untouched for so long?

Following Xiao Wang to the easternmost door, 2501, Li An felt a peculiar sense of anticipation.

With a beep, Xiao Wang pocketed the key card and pushed open the door.

A wave of dust hit him; Li An covered his mouth and coughed.

Stepping inside, he was stunned.

The four walls of the living room were dull gray.

Everywhere he looked, there were remnants of wood shavings and stone debris from renovation; by the large northeast-facing windows, an uncleaned pile of sand was stacked.

A few toppled beer bottles lay to the left beside an unrolled floral cotton blanket, bearing traces of workers who had lived here.

Looking left, he saw a kitchen counter not yet tiled…

On the makeshift cement counter, barely passing as a kitchen island, there was a discarded white lunch box and a mineral water bottle stuffed with cigarette butts, making him feel nauseous.

Li An understood now.

This apartment was nothing but a construction site abandoned shortly after renovation began—bare walls, bare floors, no appliances or furniture.

No wonder no one was interested, even at two thousand.

Li An walked toward the bedroom, with Xiao Wang and his apprentice following close behind.

The bedroom was relatively clean, empty except for two shovels and an unopened bag of cement placed on the bay window.

Finally, Li An reached the bathroom door and slid open the Changhong glass door.

…Another world separated by a single door.

Inside was a simply decorated, high-end bathroom; outside, the chaos and mess of an unfinished construction site.

Yet.

Yet at this moment, Li An felt a bit tempted.

He stepped around the sand pile to the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, taking in nearly all of Yudong District.

The view was vast; he could see the lively traffic before Hexie Plaza in one glance.

It was only five o’clock, but Li An already felt the allure of Yudong’s bustling night scene.

Looking across the street, he could even spot the window of his west-facing office.

In the distance, the undulating lines of the Yue Ling Mountains were graceful and captivating.

Li An’s heart ached with desire.

To him, moving wasn’t just relocating from one place to another.

It symbolized a new beginning.

A completely fresh start.

He surveyed the living room again; once the dirt pile was cleared, wouldn’t a piano fit perfectly right here?

---

No matter how crude the kitchen counter, it could still serve for cooking.

Placing a table and chairs in the center of the living room would suffice for dining or storing miscellaneous items.

A folding bed in the bedroom, paired with a simple wardrobe.

And a well-finished bathroom.

This setup would be perfectly adequate for living.

Li An enjoyed the experience of living in a space he designed himself.

Combined with the view, the location, and the neighborhood environment, the apartment was nearly flawless for him.

Truly excellent, but…

After a brief thrill, Li An forced himself to calm down.

The imagined space before his eyes reverted to chaos.

If he followed his own design, there were hidden costs everywhere.

Eighteen hundred was the absolute limit he could accept for rent, and only if he could move in directly.

If he factored in the cost of buying furniture and necessities—even at the minimum standard—the total expense would far exceed his budget.

Just like shopping, one must set a clear budget based on their own circumstances before buying.

Sometimes, it’s that single yuan that makes all the difference.

After rational consideration, he knew he couldn’t rent this apartment.

He truly liked it, but he truly didn’t have the money.

Alas.

If he had just two thousand more in his pocket.

Just two thousand.

He might have indulged himself this one time.

Looking out the window again, Li An felt a flicker of disappointment.

Let it be, let it be.

“Let’s go. You two have worked hard all afternoon. Try negotiating with the landlord of Yunting Court again; if they drop the price a bit more, I’ll sign immediately.”

“No trouble at all, bro. I think you were rather interested in this place?”

“The location is convenient, and I can see my workplace.”

“By the way, what do you do for a living?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re in the arts.”

“Do you say that to everyone?”

“No, some clients clearly don’t have the aura. You must be an artist. Your hands are especially elegant.”

“I’m a teacher.”

“Art teacher!”

“Piano teacher.”

At the gate of the school, Li An parted ways with the two and headed home to tidy up before going to Guanshan No. 1 Residence.

Before boarding the bus, he glanced back at Wanhe Residence from afar, spotting the window where he’d just stood.

If only he hadn’t come to see it.

It left him with a pang.

---

...

19:55.

The doorbell rang at Villa 24.

Ji Chengguang was home today. Seeing the nanny bring Li An into the living room, he stood up.

“Mr. Li, I’m Yangyang’s father. I’ll be relying on you to guide him from now on.”

Ji Chengguang extended his right hand with a smile.

Li An stepped forward, neither humble nor overbearing, and shook his hand.

“It’s my duty. Please rest assured.”

After a brief exchange, Hu Rong led Li An upstairs to the piano room.

Ji Yang was already waiting at the piano, bowing playfully to greet him as soon as Li An entered.

“Hello, Ji Yang. How have you been practicing these days?”

“I think… not bad?”

Li An smiled, set down his bag, and took out his notebook, moving to stand behind Ji Yang.

“Sit. Let’s listen.”

Ji Yang sat down, set the metronome to eighty beats.

He was about to lift his wrists high but immediately recalled Mr. Li’s advice.

Adjusting his breath, he began playing with a low wrist.

This detail did not escape Li An’s notice. Hearing the smooth triplets, he realized Ji Yang had spent considerable time practicing hands separately and slowly these past few days.

Not bad, but there were still shortcomings.

For instance, his right-hand pinky lacked strength.

This was precisely the focus Li An had designed for today’s accompaniment lesson—building on Professor Yu’s teaching, he needed to quickly balance the volume across Ji Yang’s right-hand fingers.

If a pianist cannot control the strength of the pinky as well as the thumb, he basically cannot play anything well.

This concept should have been ingrained from the very beginning, but Ji Yang had missed it.

“Ji Yang, let me emphasize again—play with your hand fully opened.”

Now officially the accompanying teacher, Li An felt he could be a bit stricter.

“Come, let’s begin today’s practice.”

As the lesson formally began, Li An gradually adjusted his mood, shaking off the frustration from the afternoon’s apartment hunt.

...

An hour flew by; during the lesson, Ji Chengguang brought in a plate of fresh fruit.

He stayed to watch for a while.

His observations matched Hu Rong’s: though some things were beyond his understanding, he could sense the young teacher’s professionalism and patience.

And during the lesson, Yangyang’s focus—from his eyes to his expression—was especially intense.

Seeing this, all his worries vanished.

After class, Ji Yang went downstairs with Li An and Hu Rong.

At the coffee table in the living room, Ji Chengguang had already brewed tea. The three adults and one child sat together.

Li An picked up his cup, took a sip, and calmly waited.

At a moment like this, the parents naturally had something important to say.