A day later, the mother and son finally stood inside the Beijing train station.

Beijing in 1984 was a city where the old and the new blended together.

In the alley, the gray-walled and tiled courtyards are scattered in an orderly fashion. The old people play chess under the locust trees while fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, and the children chase each other and kick shuttlecocks. The air is filled with the smell of sesame paste and coal stoves.

On Chang'an Avenue, bicycles flow like a tide, with "28" bicycles being the most common mode of transportation, and occasionally a bright red bus passes by.

In front of Wangfujing Department Store, people lined up to buy enamel mugs and Dacron shirts. In the shop window, there were also transistor radios, Seagull cameras, and 14-inch black and white televisions.

After asking the locals for directions, the mother and son first took bus No. 5 to Qianmen Station, then transferred to bus No. 4 and got off at Tsinghua University West Gate Station.

After searching several guesthouses in the vicinity, they finally found a place where they could stay.

After registering their names, workplaces, and Lin Laosan's admission notice at the hotel, the mother and son booked two single rooms and settled in!

"Mom, I'll go get you some water!"

Lin Li had just entered the room, taken out some milk from her spatial storage, and taken a sip when she heard Lin Laosan knocking on the door.

He opened the door, smiled at Lin Laosan who was covered in sweat, and said, "Come here, have some cold drinks to cool down!"

"Um!"

After Lin Laosan entered the room and closed the door behind him, he saw Lin Li take out a cold drink she had made in Shenzhen from her spatial storage and hand it to him.

After gulping down a few mouthfuls, Lin Laosan finally felt much better!

"I didn't expect Beijing to still be this hot at the end of August!"

Lin Laosan took the second cold drink from Lin Li, took a big gulp, and then sat down on the stool, enjoying the breeze from the fan.

"It should be cooler in the mornings and evenings!"

The weather in the north is good in this respect; it's much cooler in the mornings and evenings, unlike the sweltering heat of Chongqing in the southwest where Lin Li lived in her previous life.

When summer arrives, it's hot every hour of the day!

"Mom, would you like to go out for a walk later?"

As Lin Laosan enjoyed the breeze from the fan and sipped his cold drink, he recalled what Lin Li had told him when she came over: he wanted to visit Beijing and, if given the chance, buy a house there.

"Go for it! I just don't know where there are any houses for sale now."

"I'll go ask at the front desk!"

After putting down the empty bottle, Lin Laosan ran to the hotel front desk and asked in broken Mandarin.

"Hello, comrade, do you have any apartments for sale here?"

"Commercial housing?"

The receptionist spoke fluent Mandarin with a Beijing accent, "You want to buy a commercial apartment?"

Lin Laosan nodded, revealing eight big teeth!

Upon hearing this, the receptionist looked Lin Laosan up and down.

He was wearing a gray shirt on his upper body and the most popular flared pants on his lower body, and a Citizen solar-powered watch on his wrist.

This is a high-end item worth eight or nine hundred.

So she immediately put on a kind and friendly smile.

"There are now commercial housing units, one in Fangzhuang and one in Baizifang. However, the one in Baizifang is already completed, while the one in Fangcun has just started construction, and it may take another two years before people can move in."

"Thank you!" Lin Laosan said, taking out some candy he had brought from Shenzhen from his bag and handing it to them. "Try some, I brought them from Shenzhen!"

"Thanks!"

"Which bus should we take to get to Baizifang and Fangzhuang respectively?"

"To go to Baizifang, take bus 679 (branch line) from Ximen Station to Baizifang South Station, then transfer to bus 19 to reach Baizifang. It takes about an hour. To go to Fangzhuang, also take bus 699 from Ximen Station to Gongzhu South Station, then transfer to bus 300. It takes about an hour and a half."

As the receptionist spoke, she handed Lin Laosan a piece of paper and drew a route map for him.

After Lin Laosan got the directions, he left the front desk and went to Lin Li's room.

The front desk staff and colleagues watched Lin Laosan return to his room and began to whisper among themselves.

"Xiao Li, why did you recommend such an expensive apartment to him?"

The receptionist who had been sitting and registering looked at Lin Laosan's disappearing figure and turned to ask her colleague.

"You didn't see it, his clothes, including the watch he was wearing, are worth at least this much..."

As Xiao Li spoke, he held up his index finger to his colleague and then shook it from side to side in front of her face!

"one thousand?"

The colleague exclaimed in surprise as he watched the index finger waving incessantly.

Good heavens, that's half a year's salary for her!

Xiao Li nodded affirmatively, "His watch alone is worth almost a thousand, not to mention the clothes he's wearing!"

"Oh my god!"

The colleague's eyes lit up. He flipped through Lin Laosan's registration information again, then took a deep breath. "Still a student from Tsinghua University..."

A high-quality man is rich, knowledgeable, and handsome.

I just don't know if he has a girlfriend!

The two women exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw admiration, longing, and a determination to have each other.

"Who is the woman who is with him?"

Suddenly, Xiao Li thought of Lin Li's appearance and asked hesitantly, "If he already has a wife, then some of my ideas can't be realized."

At the same time, he quickly flipped through Lin Li's registered information.

45 years old! Mother and son relationship!

Upon seeing this, the two were immediately relieved!

Then, the two pulled out chairs and began to ponder their approach plan.

Lin Laosan had no idea that his question at the front desk would pique the interest of the two women.

He is currently reporting back to Lin Li the news he has gathered.

"Let's go to Shirako Textile first."

After thinking for a while, Lin Li decided to go to Bai Zifang first. She needed to buy a place to live immediately and make a reservation.

"good!"

Lin Laosan took out the route map given to him by the front desk staff, and the two walked straight out of the guesthouse.

An hour later, the two arrived at Shirakofuku.

In 1984, the commercial housing market in Baizifang was still in its infancy, with scattered multi-story buildings being a "new sight" in the area.

The layout of the community is relatively simple, with large gaps between buildings, and adopts a row-and-column layout.

The two arrived at the sales office in the residential complex. As soon as they opened the door, they saw several staff members standing at the front desk to greet customers who came to inquire.

"Hello! I'm a sales consultant here, my surname is Wang, you can call me Xiao Wang. May I show you around this project?"

A well-dressed staff member surnamed Wang saw Lin Li and her son enter. He glanced at them and knew that a major client had arrived. He immediately brought over a project brochure!

Lin Li and her son nodded and followed him to the sand table, listening to his introduction.

After explaining the current location and future plans, Xiao Wang took them for a walk around the neighborhood and showed them the interior of the house.