"Xiaobai, if you eat this fruit, will you become a spirit?"

Xiaobai glanced at her, walked leisurely under the tree, and lay down to sleep.

"Huh? Who gave you the guts to defy your master? Be careful or I'll take your fruit away."

"Meow."

"If you don't understand, hurry up and practice here. I will allow you to become a spirit. After you become a spirit, I will allow you to speak."

"Meow."

"I don't understand, speak human language!"

"Meow."

"I'm so pissed off."

Zhou Xiang felt that he was bullied by the cat, so he quickly went to the chicken to seek balance.

"Lay eggs well, otherwise, I will eat chicken."

After catching up and scolding the hens with the smallest brain capacity, Zhou Xiang finally recovered from the discomfort of meeting that man.

Something is so wrong. Could he be my enemy from several lifetimes?

Shake your head to get rid of the ridiculous thoughts in your mind, wipe your body, and go to sleep.

The next day, Zhou Xiang left the space early and checked out of the room while the sky was still hazy.

I took out the white watch from the space and looked at the time. It was almost six o'clock and the first bus should be here.

Find the bus stop. Although the subway is faster, the bus allows you to see the roadside and take a closer look at the capital in the 1980s.

The bus conductor still had a condescending attitude, shouting in a rather aggressive tone: "Buy a ticket if you want to get on the bus."

Zhou Xiang took out fifty cents and said, "Jiaodaokou South."

The conductor tore up two tickets, one worth one cent and the other worth two cents, and handed them to Zhou Xiang along with the two cents in change. "Here are your tickets and money!"

Zhou Xiang put the ticket in his pocket and found a seat to sit down.

Ten stops later, the conductor called out, "We've arrived at Jiaodaokou South. Passengers getting off, please show us your tickets."

Zhou Xiang walked to the back door, waved the ticket in his hand, and only took it back when the ticket seller nodded.

After getting off the bus, I walked north about twenty meters and turned left into an alley.

The strong smell of the times hits you in the face. Although these places are still there after 30 years, the flavor and the breath of life have disappeared.

Only the quiet buildings and the crowds of people visiting quietly remain.

There are no more aunties with red armbands patrolling the alleys with loud voices, and no more children running and laughing while pushing hoops.

Only silence remains. Even though many people still live here, the warmth and intimacy is gone forever. What about the basic trust between people? Who took it away?

This alley is about 400 meters long. Zhou Xiang wandered around it for more than half an hour, but unfortunately he couldn't take out his mobile phone to take pictures.

After exiting the alley and turning right, the courtyard house that was once listed on the judicial auction website with a starting price of tens of millions is Zhou Xiang’s first target today.

Others bought it for more than 20,000 yuan with just one courtyard. Can you buy this three-courtyard house worth hundreds of millions of yuan in the future with just 100,000 yuan of your own?

Seeing the courtyard house still being used as a slum, Zhou Xiang's dream bubble burst and turned into foam.

I left in grief and anger. The atmosphere of life, the atmosphere of the times, and the atmosphere of culture have nothing to do with me.

Anyway, this area is full of alleys, so just wander around. There are more than a dozen alleys, and Zhou Xiang got dizzy in no time.

I quickly got out of the small alley and entered the big alley, and then I slowly figured out the directions.

There are many small courtyards in the alleys, but unfortunately they are all occupied and there is no red paper pasted on them.

At the end of the year, none of these former residences of so-and-so are open, which is a pity.

It was not until he reached the west side and was about to exit the alley that he finally saw a big red door with the word "For Sale" written in large red paper pasted on the gray bricks. Zhou Xiang was ecstatic.

On the five-step staircase are two red doors that open opposite each other. On the door frames are two green hexagonal door pins with the word "Ruyi" written on them.

The two square doorposts next to the door are carved with patterns of auspicious clouds.

There is a bare tree at the door, and it is impossible to tell what kind of tree it is. To Zhou Xiang, he doesn't recognize any tree without clothes.

Good, it’s just two doors, one of which must lead into the yard. It suits me very well.

He walked up the steps, lifted the black knocker on the door, and knocked gently. This was his own door from now on. If he knocked too hard, it would damage the door.

After knocking for a long time, no one came to open the door, but the door next to it opened instead.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Hello, Auntie. I saw the red paper and wanted to go in and take a look."

"The head of the household has left. Come back after the New Year! The seventh or eighth day of the first lunar month is almost done."

After the aunt finished speaking, she was about to close the door.

"Wait a minute, Auntie, do you have any small courtyards like this for sale around here? How much do courtyards like this cost? I'll have money ready next time I come."

The aunt looked her up and down and asked, "You are so young, where will you get the money to buy a house?"

"No, I came here to take a look. My parents asked me to come and see it. After the New Year, the parents came together."

The aunt nodded and said, "That's right! Who would let a ten-year-old child buy a house?"

"There are quite a few families in our alley who are looking to sell their courtyards. There are several in Jingsha Hutong and Zhima Hutong in the back. As for the price, a small courtyard like this would probably cost around 20,000 or 30,000 yuan! It also depends on the owner's asking price."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you!"

The aunt waved her hand, went into the yard and closed the door.

Zhou Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he could at least buy two yards.

I went to the alley that the old lady mentioned, and there were indeed a few houses with red paper pasted on them. However, it was almost New Year, so not to mention the transaction problems, they couldn’t even get the property deeds!

Zhou Xiang was depressed because he had 100,000 yuan but couldn't spend it.

When they arrived at the bus stop, a bus heading to Qianmen came by. Zhou Xiang jumped on the bus and got off at Dazhalan.

I strolled along, entering every alley I saw. After walking through a few alleys, I saw places where red paper was pasted. Great, I took note of several places. Next time I come, I can take a look at them all and buy the ones I like.

As I walked around, I walked back to Qianmen. Facing north, I looked at the monument in the center of the square, and thought that when people visit it in the future, they will be separated from it by railings from a distance.

Zhou Xiang simply walked around the square and went forward to touch the four reliefs in front and behind the memorial hall. He felt a little regretful that he could not touch them because they were separated by railings.

After climbing up the steps of the monument and touching the base of the monument with his own hands, Zhou Xiang felt that the little regrets of his previous life had been made up a little.

Standing on the south side of Chang'an Avenue, looking at the gate of Tiananmen Square and then at the street lights that began to light up in the twilight, Zhou Xiang suddenly realized that he had been strolling all day and had not yet had lunch.

Bright streetlights in the twilight illuminate the way home for pedestrians. The bicycles and buses coming and going are all carrying people going home. But where is their home? Where is it?

Weir Town? That was just a regret that I was trying hard to make up for. It would be the home of my eldest and third brothers in the future.

Home is where my heart is, but where is the place where I can feel at ease?

In this vast sea of ​​people, among these hurried pedestrians, who is my passerby? And whose passerby am I?

On Chang'an Avenue, in a black car, the man glanced at the little girl who seemed to be lost and couldn't find her way home.