HSK 3 · Story · 321 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-rent-an-apartment-in-chinese

房子和猫

How to rent an apartment in Chinese

Name: ________________ Date: ________

我wǒ在zài上海shànghǎi找zhǎo房子fángzi，找zhǎo了le一个yígè月yuè。房子fángzi不是búshì太tài贵guì，就是jiùshì太tài远yuǎn。

有yǒu一天yìtiān，我wǒ看到kàndào了le一yí套tào房子fángzi：离lí公司gōngsī很hěn近jìn，有yǒu两liǎng个gè房间fángjiān，每个měigè月yuè才cái三千sānqiān块kuài。

我wǒ马上mǎshàng给gěi房东fángdōng打电话dǎdiànhuà。房东fángdōng是shì一个yígè老太太lǎotàitai，姓xìng刘liú。

刘liú阿姨āyí带dài我wǒ去qù看房子fángzi。房间fángjiān很hěn干净gānjìng，厨房chúfáng很hěn大dà，窗户chuānghu外面wàimiàn还有háiyǒu一yì棵kē大树dàshù。

“太好了tàihǎole！我wǒ什么shénme时候shíhou能néng搬bān进来jìnlai？”

“明天míngtiān就jiù能néng搬bān，”刘liú阿姨āyí说shuō，“可是kěshì，有yǒu一yí个gè条件tiáojiàn。”

她tā打开dǎkāi一yí个gè房间fángjiān的de门mén。床chuáng上shàng有yǒu一yì只zhī很hěn胖pàng的de黄huáng猫māo，正在zhèngzài睡觉shuìjiào。

“我wǒ要yào去qù女儿nǚ’ér家jiā住zhù了le，女儿nǚ’ér家jiā不能bùnéng养yǎng猫māo。它tā在zài这里zhèlǐ住zhù了le八bā年nián，不想bùxiǎng走zǒu。”

所以suóyǐ，房子fángzi是shì我wǒ的de，猫māo也yě是shì我wǒ的de。房租fángzū三千sānqiān，猫māo不用búyòng给gěi钱qián。

我wǒ看kàn了le看kàn那nà只zhī猫māo，说shuō：“好吧hǎoba。”

第一dìyī个gè星期xīngqī，猫māo不bú看kàn我wǒ，也yě不bù吃chī我wǒ买mǎi的de东西dōngxī。每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang，它tā都dōu坐zuò在zài门口ménkǒu等děng着zhe。

第二dì’èr个gè星期xīngqī，它tā开始kāishǐ吃饭chīfàn了le。

第dì三sān个gè星期xīngqī，我wǒ下班xiàbān回家huíjiā，它tā在zài门口ménkǒu等děng着zhe我wǒ。

一个yígè月yuè以后yǐhòu，刘liú阿姨āyí给gěi我wǒ打电话dǎdiànhuà：“我wǒ女儿nǚ’ér说shuō，她tā家jiā也yě可以kéyǐ养yǎng猫māo了le。我wǒ明天míngtiān来lái接jiē它tā吧ba。”

我wǒ看kàn了le看kàn睡shuì在zài我wǒ身边shēnbiān的de猫māo，说shuō：“阿姨āyí……我wǒ能不能néngbunéng每个měigè月yuè多duō给gěi您nín五百wúbǎi块kuài？”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
远	yuǎn	far; distant
离	lí	to leave; to part from
近	jìn	near; close
姓	xìng	surname; family name; to be surnamed
外面	wàimiàn	outside; out
进来	jìnlai	to come in; to enter
打开	dǎkāi	to open
门	mén	door; gate
床	chuáng	bed
走	zǒu	to go; to leave
门口	ménkǒu	doorway; entrance; gate
等	děng	etc.; and so on

I’ve been looking for a flat in Shanghai for a month. Every place is either too expensive or too far away.

Then one day I see one: near the office, two rooms, only three thousand a month.

I call the landlord right away. The landlord is an old lady called Liu.

Auntie Liu shows me round. The rooms are clean, the kitchen is big, and there’s even a big tree outside the window.

“Perfect! When can I move in?”

“You can move in tomorrow,” says Auntie Liu. “But there’s one condition.”

She opens the door to one of the rooms. On the bed, a very fat ginger cat is fast asleep.

“I’m going to live with my daughter, and she can’t have a cat. This one has lived here for eight years and doesn’t want to leave.”

So the flat is mine, and the cat is mine too. The rent is three thousand; the cat comes free.

I look at the cat and say, “All right.”

The first week, the cat won’t look at me and won’t eat anything I buy. Every evening it sits by the door, waiting.

The second week, it starts eating.

The third week, when I come home from work, it’s by the door waiting for me.

A month later, Auntie Liu calls: “My daughter says she can have a cat now. I’ll come and pick it up tomorrow.”

I look at the cat asleep beside me and say, “Auntie… Could I pay you five hundred more a month instead?”