#夏日生活打卡季##寻找热爱表达的你##头条创作挑战赛#
Involution, lying flat, mental internal friction, flexible employment...... Here is the series of columns of the Ten Points Portrait "Contemporary Youth Life Record". From employment, marriage and love, to eating and shopping, the happiness and sorrow of the new youth in the 21st century are all here.
"Next to the squatting pit is the bed", young people floating in the big city live in a strange room, ten o'clock portraits, 16 minutes
Interviews and Writings Randy
Edited by Sanjin
Ten Point Character Original
In recent years, the "Gunpowder House" has become popular, and even the intermediary who specializes in introducing the "Gunpowder House" has become an "Internet celebrity" with tens of thousands of fans.
"Skimming gunpowder" is a Sichuan dialect used to describe things or people as "very poor", while "skimming gunpowder house" refers to a house with outrageously poor internal living conditions. Common examples include the kitchen next to the toilet, the toilet on the balcony, and the bed next to the squatting pit.
A strange house type that is often complained about
Many young people who rented houses gathered under the video of "Gunpowder House", ridiculing that "the conditions for surrendering and living are better than here", "lying on it feels like my life is over", and "I don't know how many suicide notes I have written when I live in".
In reality, the "gunpowder house" is often located in the center of the big city, where every inch of land is expensive, the price is between 300 yuan and 500 yuan, and it is transformed from toilets, kitchens, and balconies, or a house is divided into 5-8 single rooms by the limit.
The 49-year-old is an intermediary in Chengdu who specializes in introducing "gunpowder houses". His listing videos often start with the authentic Sichuan dialect "handsome guys and beauties", and the corners of the room are truly restored in one shot.
With a friendly accent and a down-to-earth style, the old generation quickly accumulated a group of young fans, and the "gunpowder house" in his hand has also become the place where these young people's "dreams begin".
In June, we met an old man with a half-pound key and a small electric car in the most prosperous Chunxi Road Square in Chengdu, and chatted with him about the gunpowder houses and the young people living in these houses.
The following is based on the stories of the old generation.
"Skimming the ceiling in gunpowder"
300 yuan a month, very sought-after
My name is the old man, 49 years old this year, I am the intermediary of the "Powder Skimming House", known as the Chunxi Road Chartered Public, and the houses in my hands range from the "Gunpowder House" to the regular set of two, and the buildings are generally more than 50 years old.
Most of these houses are tucked away in the tallest part of Chengdu, under the panda's ass in the IFS International Finance Center.
(Chunxi Road is the most prosperous area in Chengdu, and Panda has become a popular check-in place.) Source: Visual China)
In 2018, I came to Chengdu from Suining, Sichuan Province to join my brother, and this year, I have been in Chengdu for 6 years, and I have been an agent for 6 years.
My brother and I specially looked for the old and dilapidated ones in the downtown area, and collected these "gunpowder houses" from the intermediary office, asked the doorman in the community, or posted small advertisements, and rented them to young people who had just graduated from college and came to the big city to find a way to live.
They don't have much money on them, they can't afford to rent an expensive house, so they will come to the gunpowder house for a while, and when they find a stable job, they will change to a better house.
There are two types of powder-skimming houses that I received.
One is remodeled from a toilet, kitchen, balcony, or terrace. This kind of "ceiling in gunpowder" is the cheapest and most sought-after. The rent is usually around 300 yuan, but the environment is not good, last year's most sought-after one of the most sought-after gunpowder houses, before it was just a balcony, just enough to put a single bed, there is a groove in front of the bed for suitcases.
The ceiling of the powder house: there are windows that allow for a single bed
There is also a kind of gunpowder boarding house that is converted from an old house, this is called "medium gunpowder", 7 to 8 people share a toilet and kitchen, some single rooms have no windows, only a small hole in the wall can be chiseled to let in a little air, some only half a window, even the bedroom is divided into two single rooms, need to be shared with others.
Next to the squatting pit is the bed
"Medium gunpowder" is not so cost-effective, about 500 yuan a month, and often has to be empty for more than half a month to rent out.
I usually don't change the house I received much, and I can rent it out if I have space for a bed. On the contrary, some of the furniture is relatively old, in order to rent it out, I will throw away the old furniture and replace it with new appliances and bedding.
When I was introduced to the Gunpowder Listing, I was always honest about the conditions inside the room.
Some houses are slender and long, and only slender people can live in them; Some toilets have dark floors and smells of squatting pits, so I would advise those who mind the sanitary conditions not to come; There are also some houses with a lot of "oil thieves" (cockroaches in Sichuan dialect) and rats, and girls are generally reluctant to live; If the floor is high, the heart is not good; There is no air conditioning in the room, don't try it if you are afraid of the heat.
The old man has a slender house in his hands
Recently, there was a room that seemed to be finely decorated, the walls and furniture were snow-white, and the price was in the early 1000s.
The old generation likes the comments of the string room
The people who come to me to rent a house are generally young people, who have just come out of society and are easy to be deceived, they haven't made any money yet, and I don't want to trick them into making money, so I can tell the truth.
The glamorous handsome guys and beauties on Chunxi Road
I can't even take out 500 yuan in my hand
80% of the people who rent the gunpowder house are boys, 20% are girls, most of them are 20 to 30 years old, and there are very few people in their 30s. There are many job opportunities in the city center, and it is easy to find a way to live, and they can't afford to rent a regular apartment and bedroom, so they can only rent a gunpowder house.
4 percent of the tenants are delivery workers, and the battery car is very recognizable downstairs.
The remaining part is engaged in catering, and there are many hot pot restaurants and milk tea shops on Chunxi Road, which need manpower at any time, and the flow is also large; Some of them go to "engage in finance", working as operators and sales for online lending companies, and the companies are not very formal; There are also those who have to work night shifts, working in beauty salons, foot washing shops, and night clubs.
In the F&B industry, most of the tenants who find this type of job will immediately move out to live in the staff dormitory. Some "gunpowder houses" do not need to pay parking fees, and the security guards do not charge door opening fees when they come back at night, so I will introduce this to the takeaway brother and the night shift people.
Many of the young people who come to me to rent a house are beautiful and well-dressed, and they also need to work, and some of them take the initiative to ask to be photogenic, knowing that I have traffic, the boss will see it. So later, I opened a series to shoot these young people who just came to Chengdu from a small place, and the words at the beginning changed from "handsome guys and beauties" to "bosses", and also helped them promote and find jobs.
A while ago, there was a little brother who looked like Luo Zhixiang, who lived for a few days "skimming the ceiling in the gunpowder house". Later, I quickly found a job in a hot pot restaurant and moved to the staff dormitory.
The little brother who looks like Luo Zhixiang and the girl who looks like Wang Zuxian
There is a boy who is a photographer, he is talented, the photos posted on the Internet platform are liked by many people, and he suddenly lost his job some time ago and came to live in a gunpowder house for a while. He later sent a video thanking me and helped me take a set of photos.
Photographers take pictures of older generations
There are also some wealthy "rich outsiders" (referring to rich people) who come to the door. A boy who looks quite introverted, his parents sent him over and transferred hundreds of yuan to me, saying that he is usually lazy and not angry, so let him come here to endure hardships. The boy had three apartments and a façade in his house, and he didn't live for a few days in a house with an oil thief and a rat before leaving.
Come and experience the "rich outside" of life
There is also a girl who quarreled with her boyfriend, and she has a villa at home, and she got her boyfriend here to live with her for a few days, and I don't understand what their psychology is, maybe it's to experience life.
Young people who live in gunpowder houses are often in arrears of rent, and half of them do. Some came to live for a few days, didn't find a job and dragged the box in the middle of the night and ran away, some originally planned to live for a long time, but the deposit disappeared when it was full, and some paid the rent several times a month, and they really couldn't get it out, so they begged me for a few days, and I generally agreed, and I would erase the change if I couldn't make it up.
It's not easy for these young people, they usually look energetic, and they whisper when they pay the rent.
"Uncle, I'm sorry, I don't have money this month, I'm in trouble."
"I won't go to work until the 9th, and I'll give you a salary when the time comes, so please give you a few days of grace."
Recently, I met a former tenant on the street who owed me three months of rent, and I grabbed him and asked him to pay me the 1,500 yuan I owed. He said that he had no way ("no way" in Sichuan dialect), his father had a brain tumor and spent 600,000 yuan on hospitalization, "I don't have any money to eat now, otherwise you can send me to the police station."
Some young people have a relatively high spirit, but they can't endure hardship. If you don't choose, it's easy to find a job if you live in the city center, how can you not even pay the rent of 400 yuan? But after a few days of college, they can't let go of their bodies, they can't afford to work in general, they can't find a job, they lie flat in the house, and they don't have to worry until they have to pay the rent.
One of the comments under my video was very well written, "Those glamorous, dynamous men and women on the street may be living in a gunpowder house and can't afford 500 yuan."
My fans are basically young people, they think I am like an elder in the family, the accent sounds kind, I like to joke in the comment area, shouting to help me find a partner, and shouting to black fans to tell them not to bully me.
I think these young people have such a difficult life, some sleep in Internet cafes at night, and there is no place to take a bath, so I arranged a few love huts, and they can come to me when they need it.
95% of the people who live in the love hut are boys, and they are usually full, which is a good thing, but I feel a little conflicted in my heart.
Among the people who live in the love hut for free, some people really encountered difficulties, were deceived into going to other provinces as managers, and secretly ran out to take the train to Chengdu, without a penny, (a) I made a special trip to the train station to pick him up, and bought him a box of instant noodles. He lived in the love hut for three or four days, and when he found a way to live, he would consciously move out.
But there are also people with a more arrogant attitude, someone asked me to borrow money, borrow 500 and I will give 300, he was still angry, and then I directly refused. There was a takeaway brother who lived in for free for half a month, and wanted to stay for half a month more, so I told him that the love hut should be left to those in need, and you will move out when you find a way to live.
Bustling CBD with dumps of garbage
The city folds here
Before I came to Chengdu, I set up a stall in my hometown Suining Anju District, doing a small business, selling pepper fungus, pots and pans for 10 yuan and 3 pieces of daily necessities.
When I first came to Chengdu, I had no resources at hand, I couldn't do business, I pressed more than a dozen empty houses in my hands, and my wife who had been married for 15 years played mahjong to meet a new good friend and ran away. I raised my daughter alone, and now my daughter is working in Zhejiang, and I have become an old bachelor again.
I myself live in a powder-skimming house next to Chunxi Road, occupying 2 of the 5 rooms, and the remaining 3 rooms are occupied by young men.
My usual life is also very simple, when someone comes to ask, I take people to see the house, chat with fans, introduce the gunpowder house, and occasionally sing sad songs.
Every once in a while I have to go to the rental house to throw out the garbage, the young people are busy with work during the day, and they don't bother to clean up when they come back, the toilet paper in the toilet is emptied, and the flies are flying everywhere, and it stinks. Sometimes people have to clean up by themselves when they check out, and generally the tenants who pay the deposit and check out on time will clean up before leaving, and the most disturbing kind of people disappear when the deposit is full.
I met a female tenant who usually used expensive cosmetics, high-end perfumes, and a set of high-end audio equipment on the computer desk, and ran away owing me 20 days of rent. Her room was a loft type with two floors, and when I walked into the room, I couldn't find a place to stay.
From the living room to the stairs, there was rubbish piled up on sofas, computer desks and floors, H&M's shopping bags, winter bedding, colorful plastic bags and bottles, some filled with yellow liquid. It stands to reason that "iced tea" will appear in the room where the boy lives, and the person who shares the room is too lazy to go out to grab the toilet, so he pulls the urine into the bottle.
Girl in a house full of garbage
In fact, it's not just boys, it's also girls. There are such stories in the corners of big cities, and the female tenants like that above, which of us as second landlords has never seen them? There are also girls who pull urine in the kettle, but everyone didn't know about it before.
When I went to clean, I saw a takeaway guy, everyone else went out, he was lying in the house and didn't go out, I guess he was the young man lying flat on the Internet, delivering takeaway for a day and playing for three days, and then sending it when the money on hand ran out, he was not self-motivated, or he had been.
I often advise young people not to lie flat, don't gnaw at the old, just out of work to be able to endure hardships, the common kitchen has a gas stove, usually after work to cook by yourself, both nutritious and hygienic and save money, "thrifty, saving money is your last confidence, don't easily squander the gold coins you get in exchange for life."
Every year, the tenants who live in the "gunpowder house" have a crush on the object, and this year there are several pairs, the female tenant and the male tenant play friends, asking me if I can leave a room and come out, and the two of them live in a room, so as to save money. I said, "No problem." But in fact, living together may not be able to save money, Chengdu is hot in summer, two people can't live without air conditioning, and the electricity bill is also an expense.
Last year, there was a tenant who seemed to mix well. When he first came, he was so poor that he couldn't afford to drink porridge, but later he "engaged in finance" and made a lot of money, and became a "rich outsider". At first, I lived in a single room for 300 yuan a month, and later moved to a house where the monthly rent was enough for half a year. But the man came back soon after, and now he still lives in a single room for 300 yuan.
Chengdu is so big, I beg for a living in the most prosperous part of the city every day, some of the powder rooms, just stand by the window and you can see IFS's panda butt, PRADA store, 3D big screen, but I don't think it has anything to do with me.
Young people often comment under my videos, "I live in this kind of house now, what else do I visit in Taikoo Li Chunxi Road". In a way, that's how I feel.
Underneath the panda's butt, people in the city live different lives.
Source: Visual China
Recently, a male fan who does advertising design helped me write a rap, saying that I sang this must be popular, and the beginning was "This is the AKA skimming powder that rents a house under the ass of the IFS panda", and there are a few lyrics in it that are also my heart:
Money desires, fame and fortune are those hypocritical surfaces
Reality is unforgettable
Spend your youth to monetize
Sometimes it's hard work
In the end, it was all for nothing
The same old man who lives in a house with gunpowder
Housing prices are so expensive, young people can't afford it, and I, a chartered man who is almost 50 years old, can't afford it, if I want to say what I have plans for my future life, I can receive the rent on time every day, and the house in my hand is inhabited, it is happiness for me. If I have spare energy, I hope to have a twilight relationship, preferably the other party (the child) is also a daughter, so that we can live a small life for the two of us, and we don't have to worry about buying a car and a house for the child. （Randy）
(Excerpted from the WeChat public account Ten Point Character Chronicles)