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?”

我出租的房子換了一個新房客。不過，新房客剛住進去沒多久，房子就漏水，得維修。總之，各種麻煩。

但我發現這次的新房客情商挺高。一方面，打電話給我說，她老公真不想搬，找房子好麻煩；一方面，和我協商雙方止損。

她在電話里說：“我們真的東西多，搬起來麻煩，還要上班。”

我笑了：“我也是為你們著想呀，你看，你們好幾天用水不方便，怎么洗澡，怎么上洗手間？”

“沒事，大不了去酒店解決。旁邊有便捷平價酒店。我們可以克服修補漏水的麻煩，對了，您那邊只要減點租，不就可以了嗎？”

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.

我發現，她由始至終情緒相當穩定，一直在電話那邊笑著求我，順帶安慰我：“你不知道，上次我在電梯里，就看見一個水電工，一問，原來是11 樓的漏水了。其實很好修的，所以真的沒啥。對了，我可以幫忙，我也懂點呢，還可以幫忙順便盯工維修。”

之前，我沒問過這兩口子是做什么的，估計多半是做銷售或客服磨煉出來的。于是，我被說服了。

然后我在微博上感嘆，遇到一個很有頭腦的新房客。微博上的一個朋友說：“其實這種人就是特別正能量的人，遇到問題，不抱怨、不情緒化，而是想辦法解決問題，商量多種有建設性的辦法，大家進行選擇，適當讓別人舒適而達到自己的目標。我特別喜歡這種人，幸虧周圍也是這種人多。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)

遇到這樣的租客，事情好解決多了。這樣雙方都可以減少損失和麻煩，達成一致，不抱怨，不情緒化。

后來，事情的發展就比較有意思，原來是公共水管出問題了，應該歸物業修理。

公共水管修的時候，物業把整棟樓停水了。不過，全程他們都不用搬，對他們的生活影響不大。

就這樣，新房客免去找房子的麻煩，我這個房東也覺得過意不去，多多少少，還是減免了200 塊錢房租。

大家的損失比較少，也沒有什么爭執。

最重要的，也許就是三個字：成年人。

不是過了18 歲，就是成年人。成年人得有做事做人的樣子，理性地與人打交道，不能再像個任性的孩子。

（摘自《愿你自在如風永少年，山川湖海都走遍》西安交通大學出版社）