The heavens set sail from the courtyard

Chapter 110 Homestay
Stanford University, full name Leland Stanford Jr., or "Stanford" for short, is located in Palo Alto, south of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, about 22 miles from San Francisco Airport.

Hu Dawei took Wang Gang to the parking lot and got into a Chevrolet SUV.

The United States is a country with a lot of cars. On average, every family has one or two cars. Chevrolet is a national brand of the United States, known for its cost-effectiveness.

After chatting with Hu Dawei, Wang Gang found out that he is also an international student. He has stayed in the United States after graduation and has been engaged in the study abroad agency industry for almost five years.

"How is the country now? I haven't been back for more than ten years. I used to be from Shanghai." Hu Dawei is an enthusiastic person, which may be related to the industry. He chatted with Wang Gang as soon as he got in the car, and his mouth never stopped.

"The country is developing very fast now, especially the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Pengcheng, and Yangcheng, which are no worse than foreign countries." Wang Gang chatted one after another.

"Really? I really want to go back and have a look." Hu Dawei said.

"Do you have no relatives in China? Why don't you go back and have a look?" Wang Gang asked.

"Hi! My father is in China, and my mother has passed away. Originally, I wanted to take my father to live with me, but he didn't want to come to the United States." Hu Dawei sighed:
"Life in the United States is very stressful. The monthly mortgage and car loan are so overwhelming that I dare not ask for leave, let alone return to China."

Wang Gang said unconcernedly: "The momentum in China is good now, especially for international students. The environment is not worse than that of the United States. You should go back and have a look if you have the opportunity."

Hu Dawei wondered: "It's really like what you said, why do you still come to America?"

Wang Gang hesitated, and said: "I came to study abroad, and I will return to China after I get a diploma. You also know that a diploma from a famous American university is still very popular in China."

Hu Dawei nodded and said, "Yes! Stanford is a good university, ranking third in the United States, second only to Massachusetts and Harvard. You will definitely be able to find a good job when you return to China after graduation."

Looking at the scenery outside the car window, Wang Gang said, "I heard that America is a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor. Is it true?"

Hu Dawei said with a smile: "It's not that exaggerated. In the United States, with a diploma from a prestigious university, finding a job is not a problem. After working hard for a few years to become a middle class, it is easy to buy a house and a car."

While the two chatted, the car drove for more than an hour and slowly entered Palo Alto. Wang Gang could already see the Stanford campus from a distance.

Hu Dawei drove the car to the side of the school, on the driveway next to a garden villa.

The villa is an obvious American-style building, divided into upper and lower floors, and there is a large garden in front of the house with some flowers and plants, which looks very beautiful.

"The host family has arrived. I have notified Ms. Susan in advance that she should pack up your room and you can check in directly with your bags."

Hu Dawei got out of the car, helped Wang Gang carry his luggage, led him to the door, and knocked lightly on the door.

The door opened and a woman in her 40s with blond hair and blue eyes stepped out.

"David, you came very quickly. I thought the plane would be late."

The woman warmly hugged Hu Dawei.

"Ms. Susan, let me introduce you. This is Su Mingzhe. He will be entrusted to you for the next three years." Hu Dawei pointed to Wang Gang and said.

"Su, nice to meet you." Ms. Susan also wanted to give Wang Gang a warm hug, but Wang Gang avoided it.

Wang Gang stretched out his right hand, motioning for Susan to shake hands.

Susan may not be used to it, but she still extended her hand friendly.

"Hi, my name is Susan Tweer, you can call me Susan directly from now on."

"My name is Su Mingzhe, and you can call me Jack in English." Wang Gang said as he entered the country.

"Jack Su?" Susan laughed.

"Our Chinese people's names come first and last, you can call me Su Jieke, or just Jack." Wang Gang said.

"Let's stop chatting at the door and put the luggage in the room first." Hu Dawei laughed.

Susan warmly invited Wang Gang into the room, and then walked to the second floor.

"Your room is on the far left on the second floor. Let's put our luggage down first, and then I will show you around the house and tell you the precautions for living here."

On the way, Hu Dawei explained to Wang Gang that Wang Gang is not the only foreign student in the host family, and Wang Gang’s $800 per month is equivalent to renting only one room, and the toilet, bathroom and kitchen are shared.

It is difficult to get along well and live together, so the owner Susan made some rules, which Wang Gang must know.

Wang Gang's room is on the far left of the second floor. It is a south-facing room with a window. The furniture in the room is very simple, just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. There are no bookshelves, so it is very simple.

A room like this is worthless in China, not to mention 800 US dollars, even 800 Huaxia coins.

It's a pity that this is the United States, and $800 is already a very reasonable price.

As soon as Wang put down his luggage, Susan showed him around the house.

This is a typical American villa with two floors, a basement and an attic.

The basement is currently used as a utility room, and the attic has been rented out to Susan at a relatively cheap rent. The tenant is also an international student, but he is Korean, surnamed Park.

I don't know if this surnamed Pu lived in the attic too much, he was a bit withdrawn, and he didn't say hello to Wang Gang.

There are three rooms on the second floor of the house. Susan lives in the largest room with her own independent bathroom.

There is another tenant opposite Wang Gang's room, who came a year earlier than him. I heard that she is also from China, and she is also a woman, but she has class today and hasn't come back yet.

The first floor is the living room and kitchen, and there is a small room, but it has not been rented out yet.

All the electrical appliances in the house are shared, the water and electricity bills are shared among everyone, and all the food packages in the refrigerator are written with their names on them to prevent others from eating them by mistake.

Susan also introduced some precautions to Wang Gang. For example, the house uses a storage-type electric water heater, and the hot water is easy to run out, so take a shower as soon as possible, and the last person may take a cold shower.

The kitchen utensils and utensils are used casually, but whoever uses them has to clean them up.

Susan will be on duty every week, and everyone will take turns to do housework, and no one can escape.

After chatting, Wang just learned that Susan had only been in a host family for a few years, her husband died early, and she was the only one who raised the child.

Later, when the children got married and moved out, Susan had nothing to do, so she took early retirement, and then rented out all the rooms at home, focusing on homestay. The annual rent was [-] US dollars, which was enough for her alone.

Susan is very enthusiastic and chatters endlessly, but Wang Gang doesn't hate it either.

She looks only in her 40s. In fact, Susan is 53 years old this year. Among Caucasians, she is very old.

After introducing the house, Susan asked Wang Gang to go back to the room to clean up, and Hu Dawei also drove away, saying that he would pick him up early tomorrow morning and go to school to apply for student status.

Wang Gang packed his luggage, and it was already around eight o'clock in the evening. Counting the time difference, his parents should all go to work, so he didn't call back to report that he was safe, but just sent a message to leave a message.

Then he took the toiletries and walked to the bathroom on the second floor.

Wang Gang opened the door of the bathroom, and a puff of smoke hit his face. He vaguely saw a graceful figure standing under the shower.

"Ah!" A sharp cry quickly spread throughout the second floor.

(End of this chapter)