Maturity Makes Mutuality

A couple had moved into the apartment that I was renting.But before long,there were leaks in the room,which had to be fixed.Well,it turned out to be nothing but troubles.

My new tenants had a pretty high EQ.The wife rang me up one day and told me that her husband was attached to the place and didn’t want to move,as looking for a new apartment was such a headache,and she came up with a terrific solution that would minimize my losses.

“We have a ton of stuff,” she told me on the phone,“and moving is such a bother,not to mention the fact that we have to work.”

“I’m just trying to think of what’s best for you guys.But the thing is,you may not be able to use water for a few days.What if you want to take a shower? Or use the bathroom?” I replied.

“No big deal sugar,really.Listen,if push comes to shove we can always just stay at a budget hotel nearby.I think we can suck it up and keep going during the repairs.The only teeny-tiny favor I have to ask would be if you could deduct a bit from the rent for all the inconvenience,and I think that’d work out just fine.Don’t you?”

我出租的房子换了一个新房客。不过，新房客刚住进去没多久，房子就漏水，得维修。总之，各种麻烦。

但我发现这次的新房客情商挺高。一方面，打电话给我说，她老公真不想搬，找房子好麻烦；一方面，和我协商双方止损。

她在电话里说：“我们真的东西多，搬起来麻烦，还要上班。”

我笑了：“我也是为你们着想呀，你看，你们好几天用水不方便，怎么洗澡，怎么上洗手间？”

“没事，大不了去酒店解决。旁边有便捷平价酒店。我们可以克服修补漏水的麻烦，对了，您那边只要减点租，不就可以了吗？”

She was one-hundred percent composed the whole time she was on the phone with me,laughing and asking for “teeny-tiny” favors.“Oh,ya know what? I ran into a plumber in the elevator a few days back,and he told me that he had fixed the leaks for the neighbor living on the 11th floor.And he said it was a piece of cake to fix so I think it really won’t be a problem.By the way,I know a little bit about plumbing,so I can lend him a hand when he fixes the leak.” She said in a reassuring tone.

I never thought to ask what they did for a living,but judging by the way they talked,I guessed that they must be sales reps or customer service agents.

I later posted a message about my smart new tenants on my Weibo microblog,and received a comment by a friend,“Actually,they’re the sort of people who are full of positive energy.When problems arise,they keep their wits about them and try to figure out a solution,rather than just whining or getting emotional.They offer up a variety of constructive solutions,in an effort to find out the best one for everyone involved.I love it when people deal with things that way,and I’m blessed to have lots of friends like them in my life.”

Thanks to my tenants it was all smooth sailing.The matter was much easier to solve,and neither of us had any complaints or grudges towards each other.The agreement we reached kept us from suffering any further losses and trouble.

我发现，她由始至终情绪相当稳定，一直在电话那边笑着求我，顺带安慰我：“你不知道，上次我在电梯里，就看见一个水电工，一问，原来是11 楼的漏水了。其实很好修的，所以真的没啥。对了，我可以帮忙，我也懂点呢，还可以帮忙顺便盯工维修。”

之前，我没问过这两口子是做什么的，估计多半是做销售或客服磨炼出来的。于是，我被说服了。

然后我在微博上感叹，遇到一个很有头脑的新房客。微博上的一个朋友说：“其实这种人就是特别正能量的人，遇到问题，不抱怨、不情绪化，而是想办法解决问题，商量多种有建设性的办法，大家进行选择，适当让别人舒适而达到自己的目标。我特别喜欢这种人，幸亏周围也是这种人多。真幸福。”

Later on,however,it turned out that the leak was due to the damage of the main water pipe,which needed to be fixed by the property management company.

During the repairs,the water supply of the whole building had to be cut off.But they didn’t need to move out,as they could make do without water for the time being.

As a result,the tenants were spared from the trouble of looking for a new apartment.I felt sorry for them nevertheless,so I gave them a 200-yuan deduction off the rent that month.

Neither of us lost much,and everyone was happy.

I think we could summarize the situation in a single word:maturity.

While turning 18 does make one an adult in the eyes of the law,it doesn’t automatically make people mature.Mature people have to conduct themselves properly in their dealings,act rationally,and never act like spoiled children.

(FromI Wish You a Carefree Life Like the Wind,Xi’an Jiaotong University Press.Translation:Zhu Yaguang)

遇到这样的租客，事情好解决多了。这样双方都可以减少损失和麻烦，达成一致，不抱怨，不情绪化。

后来，事情的发展就比较有意思，原来是公共水管出问题了，应该归物业修理。

公共水管修的时候，物业把整栋楼停水了。不过，全程他们都不用搬，对他们的生活影响不大。

就这样，新房客免去找房子的麻烦，我这个房东也觉得过意不去，多多少少，还是减免了200 块钱房租。

大家的损失比较少，也没有什么争执。

最重要的，也许就是三个字：成年人。

不是过了18 岁，就是成年人。成年人得有做事做人的样子，理性地与人打交道，不能再像个任性的孩子。

（摘自《愿你自在如风永少年，山川湖海都走遍》西安交通大学出版社）