210 moved again.
The house is usually kept tidy, so it doesn't seem like there's much stuff. But if you really wanted to organize everything, you could pile it up all over the house.
On Sunday, Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku went out early to buy breakfast. After eating and drinking their fill, they changed into their old clothes and started moving things out.
Around nine o'clock, the neighbors gradually got up, and several more people joined in to help with the move.
We didn't specifically ask anyone to come; whoever was idle at home just called on each other, and they all came over.
It's not about giving anyone face, but rather that after living in this alley for so many years, everyone does this: if someone is in trouble, they'll lend a hand.
When Wu Jiawang arrived, he saw other people carrying the expensive and heavy rosewood desk.
Fortunately, Yuehe didn't listen to him and sell the desk. Otherwise, if Yuehe knew how much such a well-preserved rosewood desk could sell for now, he was afraid she would put a sack over his head and beat him up.
"Don't just look, come and take this bag." Guan Yuehe handed him a large bag of luggage without ceremony, then picked up two bags herself and walked ahead.
"Yuehe, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"That's all, everything's been moved. Thank you."
Everything in the house was cleared out; there was no need to lock the doors. There was nothing to steal anyway.
A crowd of people had gathered in the alleyway outside the courtyard gate. Most of them were old neighbors from Ginkgo Alley, curious about how her courtyard had been renovated and wanting to come and take a look.
The courtyard was small to begin with, and some of the furniture that was delivered was placed in the yard, so there wasn't enough room for all the neighbors to visit. Everyone had to go in in batches, take a quick look, and then come out.
"Yuehe's little courtyard is well-maintained and tidy."
"It's not bad. It's just that the land in the middle is being wasted. The housing authority won't allow building houses, but it could be used to grow some vegetables."
Guan Yuehe thought to herself: If her two mothers heard this, they would have a lot to talk about.
Her two mothers were determined to grow some vegetables in the small yard. They had even chosen a spot: a small open space of about one square meter under the wall to the right of the door. They planned to put some styrofoam boxes in there to grow vegetables.
The new neighbors who lived in this alley also came to watch the moving.
No matter where you are, you'll always find out. As soon as Guan Yuehe bought the courtyard, her neighbors found out everything about her.
Actually, you don't need to specifically ask around; just mention "the female comrade who catches fugitives in Ginkgo Alley," and everyone will know who she is.
After all, we're all from the same area of Changhu Street, so the slightest thing can quickly spread throughout the entire street.
Having learned what kind of person Guan Yuehe was, no one dared to have any ulterior motives. Trying to take advantage of a new neighbor who had just moved in and didn't know the situation? No one would dare even entertain such a thought.
Guan Yuehe walked over and greeted the new and old neighbors. She then took out the fruit candies she had prepared in advance and gave a couple of candies to everyone, regardless of whether they were familiar or unfamiliar.
After all the belongings are moved in, the house will still need to be tidied up.
The large pieces of furniture have all been moved to their proper places; all that's left are the odds and ends that need to be put away one by one.
"Yuehe, where are we moving these books?" Xu Chengcai pointed to several boxes of books on the stone table.
"You have quite a few books here, just like Old Ding's. How come you have so many books?"
“I wouldn’t dare compare myself to him, wouldn’t that be like a small fry compared to a big fish?” Guan Yuehe pointed to her and Lin Yiku’s bedroom, “Put it in that room.”
"You've moved out, aren't you going to invite your old neighbors in the courtyard for a meal?" Ding Xuewen asked.
Guan Yuehe frankly said, "I'll pass on the invitation. The only family I'm close to in the No. 1 courtyard is Sister Hongqi's family, so it wouldn't be right to invite just one. Besides, I feel like I'm losing out if I only invite people without accepting any gifts. If I accept gifts, someone might misunderstand and give too much, which would just cause me trouble. So I'd rather not invite anyone at all."
The main reason is that they didn't move too far. The elders in the family helped pick up and drop off Lin Ting at school. They will still go to No. 3 Courtyard every day and see their old neighbors every day.
"Mr. Ming and I have ordered two tables of food, just my family and you can eat together."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a child bumped into Guan Yuehe's thigh.
Feng Chun looked up and realized she had grabbed the wrong leg. She turned around and rushed to the side, bumping into Lin Ting.
Adults were moving things in and out, children were chasing each other around the crabapple tree in the yard, and the little dog was running around in circles for no apparent reason.
Ye Zhi Qiu walked around the courtyard, inside and out, and liked it more and more the more she looked at it.
"If you like it, then you should buy one too."
Their income was much higher than Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku's. In addition to their regular salaries, they also secretly worked as tour guides to earn extra money.
Every Sunday, Fengchun would be sent to her maternal grandparents' house, and the couple would go out to work.
Guan Yuehe realized that Ding Xuewen and Ye Zhiqi were simply after money.
“The small courtyards near our two workplaces are too expensive, so we plan to save the money for something else.”
There were only a few of his childhood friends and their families in the courtyard, so Ding Xuewen didn't keep them in suspense.
"Zhi Qiu plans to resign and start her own travel agency."
What?
Everyone else stopped what they were doing instantly. Xu Cheng was a little uncertain. "Should I resign or take unpaid leave?"
“We’ve discussed it. She’ll resign and start her own business, while I’ll continue working. This way, we can provide some security for our family.”
Since the couple had already discussed it, as childhood friends, they naturally had no choice but to support them.
Besides, their decision to start a business wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. They'd been tour guides for several years and had already figured things out. They might be able to make a name for themselves in their own business.
Ye Zhi Qiu waved his hand modestly, "I'm not thinking about doing anything big. I'm not too keen on staying in a company, but I can't just quit, can I? I figured the only option left was to resign and start my own business."
“We were the first batch of college students after the college entrance examination was reinstated. We had to accept job assignments, unlike today’s college students who can choose to go to their assigned unit, a foreign company, or start their own business after graduation.” Ye Zhi Qiu said, “Ten years after the college entrance examination was reinstated, talents in all walks of life have gradually filled the gap. Now the country encourages cadres to go into business, and I can be considered to be responding to the country’s call.”
Of course, there were other reasons as well. Her career development at work hadn't met expectations, and if she stayed, according to her superiors, she would need to hone her skills for a few more years.
But she felt that it might be better to change her path and perhaps she could "toughen up" herself.
Guan Yuehe gave her a thumbs up, "Starting early gives you an advantage. I really admire people like you who have ideas and drive."
Xu Chengcai agreed with her, saying, "Starting earlier means earning more money than others sooner."
His mother-in-law was among the first to start her own business. Except for the year of the crackdown, when she was slightly affected, she earned more and more money every year. By the time others realized they also wanted to open tailor shops and get a piece of the pie, his mother-in-law's tailor shop had already built a good reputation and retained a stable customer base.
"To be honest, if we hadn't been so attached to the factory, and if the wages weren't so low, we might have opened a tailor shop too," Xu Chengcai said with emotion. "Look at the melon seed king in the alley, he's bold and made a fortune early on."
Goodness, living in such a huge courtyard house and driving a car, I wonder how wealthy they are.
"However, they must have taken other shortcuts as well, so don't follow their example. We ordinary people still have to earn money honestly."
Guan Yuehe nodded, waited a while, but didn't hear anything more. She patted Xu Chengcai on the shoulder and asked, "What shortcut? How come I don't know about it?"
"I don't know either." Lin Sitian's eyes widened. What? Had they missed a chance to make a fortune?
"...I thought you knew!" Xu Cheng was speechless. "You used to live in the same alley as the Wang family, and you didn't know such big gossip?!"
It's understandable that Sitian didn't know, since she was busy with work in the years after getting married and couldn't often go back to Ginkgo Hutong.
"Everyone's guessing that the Wang family made a lot of money by speculating on clivia. Otherwise, how long would it take them to buy a large courtyard house in the Dongcheng District if they only relied on selling roasted melon seeds and running a general store?"
Guan Yuehe nodded knowingly. "Oh, so that's what it is!" The craze for clivia was at its peak in 1984. Back then, the old folks in the alley were studying it with newspapers in hand. She thought it was unreliable and didn't get involved at all.
Several of her elders were tempted, but dared not get involved. After all, several of them were government employees, and if this was illegal and they got arrested, it would affect the child, and they would have nowhere to turn for help.
Xu Chengcai continued, "I heard that some people resold them and made a hundred or two hundred yuan, and others made a thousand or two thousand yuan. When the speculation was at its peak in 1984, some people even made ten or twenty thousand yuan."
"Some people saw the couple, Guazi Wang and his wife, collecting clivia with others, and guessed that they must have made a lot of money."
After saying that, Xu Cheng added, "This kind of thing is just speculation. We don't have that kind of ability. It's better to make money honestly and steadily."
That's definitely the truth.
Guan Yuehe glanced at him sideways, "Then what are you jealous of?"
"It's only natural that I'm envious when such a great thing happens to me." If given a choice, who wouldn't want to live in a large courtyard house and drive a car?
"That's true," Guan Yuehe sighed. "Why didn't we think of getting involved?"
The others couldn't help but sigh as well.
Chen Lizhong sighed the most, "My relatives asked me to work with them back then, but the factory was busy breaking through a technology and didn't have time, so I missed it."
After a few seconds of sighing, someone started to chuckle, and then the others joined in.
"What are you standing there for? Is there anything else you haven't finished cleaning?" Jiang Guiying came over and saw that several children were gathered around the doghouse outside the storage room, while eight adults stood there dumbfounded, some with their hands on their hips, others staring at the sky and the ground.
It's really incomprehensible.
Jiang Guiying urged again, "Hurry up and pack, I'll go tell Lao Ming that the vegetables can be delivered."
When it comes to eating, everyone gets very enthusiastic and their hands move quickly.
Once everyone else in the family had arrived, the first meal in the new house began.
When Guan Yuehe took Ye Zhiqiu to get the wine, Ye Zhiqiu was shocked.
"Senior sister, what are you planning to do with all this wine?"
The price of Moutai liquor outside is getting more and more expensive every year, especially this year, when it suddenly skyrocketed to over 120 yuan a bottle. Keep in mind, Moutai only cost seven yuan a bottle in 1981!
Guan Yuehe, fearing that she might overthink things, quickly explained, "I'm not speculating on Moutai liquor like I'm speculating on clivia. I just like to have a drink or two. I bought a lot before, but I haven't finished it yet."
I bought quite a lot before, but I haven't bought any more in the last two years. They're just too expensive, over a hundred yuan a bottle, too pricey!
Actually, the half-box left in the house wasn't much. She asked Gu Mannian to help sell half of it, and with the money she got, she's already paid back the money she borrowed from her two mothers ahead of schedule.
Otherwise, she would have even more Moutai liquor at home.
Last month, Mr. Lin and Mrs. Fang went to apply for individual business licenses, preparing to open a general store at the entrance of the alley.
The elderly couple thought that since the house was quite spacious, they might as well make the window at the back of the small room bigger, so that the shop would be bright enough and customers could see the items in the shop clearly.
We've already found workers, and we're planning to go and modify the windows and build the shelves in a couple of days.
Guan Yuehe figured the elderly couple probably didn't have that much savings, so she paid back the 1,500 yuan she had borrowed ahead of schedule.
She's a fair person; if she's paid back the money to one mother, she can't leave out the money to the other. She already had some money left from borrowing from friends, and after selling half of her Moutai liquor, she had more than enough to pay back the three thousand yuan.
Ye Zhi Qiu pondered for a while and felt that the price of Moutai would continue to rise, so she reminded her not to sell all the remaining bottles. She also planned to go to the store in the afternoon to buy some to stock up at home.
Guan Canghai, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Guan Yuehe and Ye Zhiqi each had a bottle of wine. He exclaimed happily, "This wine is burning hot to drink right now!"
A small cup can cost several dollars, which would have been enough to buy a whole bottle in the past.
Gu Mannian also said, "Yuehe, your family's banquet today is quite high-class."
"Stop talking, or Yuehe will take the wine back." Lin Sitian laughed.
"That's right, it's rare for Yuehe to be so generous, I have to have a couple of drinks today."
Guan Yuehe was speechless. Although the wine was expensive now, she really couldn't bear to spend the money on it. She'd bought it for a few yuan a bottle; no matter how much it cost elsewhere, it was only seven yuan now!
The next second, Guan Yuehe said, "One bottle per table, that's all we have."
After she finished speaking, she laughed at herself.
People just can't say things they don't mean. She was still a little heartbroken; the two bottles together could sell for 250 yuan!
But despite feeling sorry for them, he said, "It's just that today is a special day, with family and friends all here, so we should treat everyone to good wine."
Guan Yuehe told Lin Yiku to go pour wine at the family's table, while she stayed at her friends' table to pour wine.
At this table are her and Lin Yiku's childhood friends and their families. When the couple bought a house, their childhood friends lent them money without hesitation; it was all a testament to their deep friendship.
"Just a little bit is enough, I'll only take a couple of sips at most." Ding Xuewen stared intently at the bottle and quickly moved the glass away.
“I’m a bit better than Lao Ding; I can drink four sips,” Chen Lizhong said smugly.
Zhong Sheng can drink, but he has to go back to his unit to deliver goods later. "I'll come another day, another day I'll have a few more sips."
See? It's not that she's unwilling to bring out more wine, it's just that these people can't hold their liquor!
"Come on, come on, wishing Yuehe and Yiku a speedy move to a large courtyard house!"
"Next time I move, it should be to a large courtyard house."
Guan Yuehe hissed. They really dared to dream! But life always needs a carrot to dangle in front of you, otherwise life would be so boring.
"Okay! Next time, let's get a five-course meal!" Guan Yuehe said cheerfully, urging her friends to eat. She looked up and met the gaze of Lin Yiku at another table.
The two raised their enamel mugs to each other from a distance.
Together, they made their lives more and more prosperous.
They all turned to look at Lin Ting, who was among the children. Lin Ting was eating attentively and skillfully scooping vegetables from Gu Yu's bowl.
"......"
Guan Yuehe turned around and complained to Guan Yuehua: "Guyu is being picky about food again."
—
However, in the decades that followed, Guan Yuehe was still unable to turn her boast of "changing to a five-courtyard house" into reality.
Author's Note: [Cat's paw]
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