At the beginning, we left our hometown to work in other places. Perhaps deep down we were willing to believe that the outside world was wonderful. After many years, we found that the outside world is indeed wonderful. But compared to before, this wonder is close to others but far from ourselves. In an era where clothing, food, housing and transportation are all rising rapidly, the life of professionals working in other places can be described as full of endless bitterness.
51job forum (http://bbs.51job.com) once conducted a survey on the insecurity issues of workers in other places. 27% of the respondents said that they lacked housing security while working in other places, which ranked second among various insecurities experienced by workers in other places. And according to the latest survey data from 51job, 11% of workers in other places spend more than 40% of their monthly salary on rent (see figure). On one side, there are high rental costs; on the other side, the sense of housing security disappears. It seems that for the issue of housing, the efforts and rewards of workers in other places are difficult to achieve balance. On the 51job forum, many netizens wrote about their bitter experiences of finding and renting houses while working in other places.
Figure: The proportion of monthly rental expenses of workers in other places to their monthly income
Data source: 51job
I. The Hardship of Finding Housing
When arriving in another place, everything is unfamiliar. How do workers in other places solve their accommodation problems? If they encounter landlords breaking contracts and being unkindly evicted, where will these workers in other places stay? The hardship of finding housing makes every worker in other places sigh when they talk about their wandering experiences.
1. Arriving in another place with a bag, finding housing is hard everywhere
Narrator: Xiao Lu
Destination city: Hangzhou
During my fourth year internship, I decided to look for a job in Hangzhou. The location of my school was relatively remote, so it was very difficult to find a job. Therefore, I could only look for a new city. Relatively speaking, I was more interested in Hangzhou, so I decided to try my luck there.
After graduation, my financial situation was not abundant, so I bought a hard seat train ticket. After sixteen hours, I finally arrived in Hangzhou. It was 2 o'clock in the morning at the time. In Hangzhou, I had no relatives or friends. After getting off the train, I realized how cold the winter in the south could be. With nowhere to go and feeling that staying in a hotel would cost too much money, I went to an internet cafe. In the internet cafe, I started searching for housing information and recorded it on sticky notes, praying that I could quickly find a house after dawn and have a good sleep.
Because I was carrying cash, a mobile phone, and other luggage, I didn't dare to fall asleep easily. The internet cafe always gave me a sense of insecurity. Although my eyes were already closed, I tried my best to stay awake until dawn. So I waited and endured in the internet cafe, and it seemed like an hour at that time was longer than a day.
As the sky gradually brightened, I felt the awakening of a city for the first time. This city also has a name that inspires yearning - Paradise. Let's make a call, finding a house is currently the top priority. However, tragedy followed immediately. When I called those landlords, they either said the house was rented out or the price I wanted was unavailable, and then they recommended some higher-priced houses. Later, I learned that these landlords would post low-price housing information just to attract renters' attention, but the actual price of the houses they had was never that low. I carried my luggage, changed buses, constantly made calls, and viewed houses. I don't know why, but all the houses the landlords showed me were either on the 5th or 6th floor without an elevator, and I had to carry my heavy luggage up and down.
Starting at 8 am, until 12 noon, I visited six places back and forth. Either the rent was too high or the quality of the room was too poor. Finally, exhausted and both hungry and sleepy, I hastily signed the contract with the landlord. The landlord seemed to have seen through my condition at the time, not only sticking to the quoted price but also requiring me to sign a one-year contract. Eventually, after my insistence, he compromised to two months.
And thus began my life in this 8-square-meter partitioned room in Paradise. After becoming familiar with this neighborhood, I knew that I was taken advantage of by the landlord that day, and this exploitation lasted for 10 months!
2. Rental experience filled with twists and turns, and I even went to the police station for the first time in my life.
Narrator: Wei Lan
Destination city: Shenzhen
I never expected my experience of living in another place to be so bizarre. Now when I talk about it, it's just something I use as conversation material when chatting with newcomers, bringing them laughter while leaving me with a bit of sorrow.
When I first came to Shenzhen, my mother entrusted a relative to contact my cousin who had been married in Shenzhen for many years. Though I call her cousin, I guess even my mother doesn't know how distant this relationship is. However, being able to have a cousin take care of me when I first came to another place was already considered lucky. Cousin arranged for me to stay in her old house. They had just bought a new house last year, so this old house was idle. Cousin said: "This house has poor facilities, but it's closer to your workplace." She added, "Don't mention rent to me. It's not easy for a girl to come to Shenzhen, and this house is idle anyway. You can just live here peacefully!" I thought to myself, my mom is really capable. I don't know what tricks she used, but this cousin is even more considerate than a real sister! However, I didn't like the feeling of relying on others, so I insisted on paying her 800 yuan per month as rent.
A month passed, and while I was still praising this cousin in front of my colleagues and expressing my gratitude profusely, she suddenly issued me an eviction notice. The reason was simple: her husband's younger sister and brother-in-law were coming to Shenzhen, and they needed to live in this house. I said, "Tomorrow is Sunday. I'll move out after I find a suitable place. Thank you for taking care of me this past month." Cousin then seriously told me, "You must move out tonight. They will arrive at 10 p.m. I don't want to quarrel with my husband over this matter, so I won't charge you for utilities. Just move out as soon as possible." I was speechless, not knowing what to say to this cousin who seemed so kind. It was already 3 p.m., and where could I possibly move in such a short time? She didn't mention rent before, but now she was calculating utilities? Seeing her expression, I got angry. Then I took out 200 yuan and threw it on the table, saying, "There's nothing much in this house except for the light bulbs and my laptop. Go check if 200 yuan is enough for this month's utilities. I'll definitely move out before 7 p.m., no need for you to kick me out!" With that, she wisely left.
The surrounding environment of this neighborhood was good, and it was convenient for work, so I really didn't want to move elsewhere. Thus, I began searching for rental information within the neighborhood, then immediately made calls and viewed houses. I looked at three places, none of which compared to my cousin's house. At least there, all the lights and sockets were intact, and the toilet was functioning properly. Later, I reluctantly liked a three-bedroom house, though I had to endure being squeezed by the sub-landlord. There was no time to waste, so I paid the monthly rent and deposit, totaling 1500 yuan, and moved into the new place before 7 p.m.
I didn't expect that the two people I shared the apartment with were both running Taobao stores. They didn't sleep late at night and enjoyed playing games with the sound on. They said playing games kept them alert, and turning on the sound made it more exciting. But the piercing sounds certainly affected my rest. Initially, they deceived me by saying they were white-collar workers in office buildings. Tragedy continued, the toilet broke down the next day and remained unrepaired for a whole week. Unable to tolerate such an environment, I had to propose moving out. This process wasn't easy. A 1000-yuan deposit was only partially refunded with 500 yuan returned after I reported to the police. That night, we messed around until 1 a.m., and it was the first time in my life that I sat in a police car and went to the police station.
The next day, I started looking for a house again!
II. The Bitterness of Housing
Finding a house does not mark the end of a bitter life. For workers in other places, the subsequent housing life is even more challenging! To say it's a challenge, it's absolutely an experience that tests personal endurance and ability!
1. Sharing Rent with a Psychotic Male
Narrator: Yu Shu
Destination City: Shanghai
When I first arrived in Shanghai, my salary was relatively low, and the living pressure was immense. Group renting was cheaper, costing 450 yuan per month for a 6-square-meter single room. The room I lived in was divided into five small rooms. The master bedroom housed a young couple, the secondary bedroom housed a female, and the other two rooms each housed a male. We six people lived under the same roof, sharing the washing machine, refrigerator, and bathroom.
Living with strangers of the opposite sex brought many inconveniences, but that wasn't the problem. What I couldn't bear was a man who frequently drank excessively indoors. After drinking, he would start smashing bottles, which was truly terrifying! Smashing bottles wasn't enough; he also liked to slam doors going in and out. His madness alone was bad enough, but worse yet, he liked to knock on my door in the dead of night, which was extremely frightening!
Each time he went crazy and smashed bottles, my heart would race uncontrollably. If this continues, I might get heart disease! I didn't even claim the 900-yuan deposit, and after living there for a week, I decisively moved out!
2. Rats and Cockroaches Running Rampant in the Room
Narrator: Yu Ting
Destination City: Beijing
My living space was only 8 square meters, and the monthly rent was 550 yuan, with water and electricity fees and internet fees calculated separately! This small room was very low, and tall people needed to bow their heads to enter. Since there was no window, the lights had to be on regardless of whether it was day or night. While washing clothes, water would often surge back from the underground channel, making it impossible to hang clothes outside. Even when hung inside, the clothes would mold and not dry.
Since the company was located in the core area, houses close to the company and in good condition were bound to be expensive. Living here at least made commuting convenient, despite the poor conditions, which I could temporarily endure, planning to improve my rental environment after a raise. The summer companionship of rats and cockroaches as year-round friends isn't exaggerated. Luckily, I'm from the countryside, having seen plenty of rats and cockroaches, so I'm less afraid. Still, if something crawls around on my bed in the middle of the night, I wake up startled!
The partitioned room had no soundproofing effects whatsoever. The neighbor's snoring was thunderous, occasionally accompanied by teeth grinding. Fortunately, I became accustomed to all this before suffering from neurasthenia. Seven people lived under the same roof, and mornings often saw competition for the bathroom. We eventually agreed to queue up for the restroom in the morning; evenings frequently encountered hot water shortages during showers. Although I understood that girls living in such houses weren't safe, I currently couldn't afford better accommodations. I could only repeatedly hypnotize myself: "Tomorrow will be better!"
3. Burglars in the Room, Landlords Wanting to Raise Rent
Narrator: Tian Yi
Destination City: Changsha
I remember one year when I rented a house on the top floor. Above the top floor was a large terrace where I often dried my clothes. Once, all the clothes I had dried were gone. After that, even if they weren't completely dry, I didn't dare to hang them outside anymore.
Another terrifying incident occurred one night when I heard the fine sound of someone prying the door. I immediately turned on the light and called the landlord, followed by hearing the thud-thud-thud sounds of someone rushing downstairs. When the landlord came upstairs, I opened the door and discovered that the door had already been pried open. It could be easily pushed and opened. The next day, the landlord replaced the door with a new anti-theft door and mysteriously brought in a small color TV, then told me: "Starting next month, your rent will increase by 200 yuan. Look, I installed a new anti-theft door for you and equipped you with a TV." But I usually didn't need to watch TV, and the anti-theft door was something he should have replaced. He couldn't even come up with a better excuse for raising the rent?
Considering safety and protesting against the landlord's arbitrary rent increase, I settled accounts with the landlord at the end of the month and returned the house.
Sometimes, encountering a good landlord, renting a good house, and meeting good roommates all depend on luck because these three goods are rare, especially for those who are alone and adventuring in foreign lands. The bitter stories about renting houses are far more than these, and the little things in life always leave a sour taste. As netizen Xue Shuang said: "The bitterness of renting cannot be accurately expressed in words, unspeakable and indescribable!" Since you've chosen convenience, you can only keep moving forward through wind and rain. Workers in other places, if your economic conditions are not abundant, since you've chosen to live away from home, please prepare yourself for hardship.