«Room for rent. No cat, with a grandma,» Katya read aloud and stared at her husband. «It’s near your work. Should we go see it?»

«No cat, that’s great. But ‘with grandma’ is a bit off,» Denis muttered without taking his eyes off the screen. «Okay, let’s check it out.»

The room turned out to be in an old Khrushchyovka, with peeling wallpaper and creaky floorboards. The door was opened by a stately old woman with silver hair and a gaze that seemed to pierce through them.

«Come in,» she said. «I’m Lyubov Petrovna. You can move in right now, but I must warn you: no noise after nine, the kettle is strictly off limits after eight, and hot water is only available on Fridays. Also, bring your own slippers, I can’t stand the squeaky ones.»

Katya nervously asked, «What if we want to have a late-night snack?»

«Only if it’s by the schedule. Breakfast from seven to eight, lunch from one to three, and dinner before seven. No midnight sandwiches! And don’t lock the bathroom, what if someone feels unwell?»

Denis turned to leave, but Katya smiled and nodded, «We’re good with it. The room is perfect.»

The room was modest, but soon they got used to it. At first, everything seemed quaint.