He has to live for himself this once in his life.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the factory manager's car slowly drove into the factory area.
Su Jianguo rushed over and knocked on the car window.
"Old Su?"
The factory manager rolled down the car window, his brows furrowing slightly.
"What happened?"
"Factory manager, I'd like to request three days' leave."
Su Jianguo was straightforward.
"There's an emergency at home."
The factory manager stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.
"That's rare. Okay, approved. But you'll have to come back and oversee the installation of that new equipment next week."
"Definitely, definitely."
Su Jianguo nodded repeatedly, but in his heart he was thinking that he might not even be working at the factory next week.
Leaving the steel rolling mill, I saw many colleagues riding bicycles to the mill.
Su Jianguo had an idea.
In her past life, in order to buy a truck for her eldest son and to cope with the famine, she saved every penny and couldn't bear to buy a bicycle, so she always walked on two legs.
I definitely can't continue to mistreat myself in this lifetime.
Immediately, Su Jianguo headed straight for Wangfujing Department Store.
On the first floor, in front of the bicycle counter, several brand-new bicycles gleamed under the fluorescent lights.
The saleswoman was a girl with a long braid. She glanced at him indifferently when she saw that he was wearing work clothes, and continued to knit her sweater with her head down.
"Comrade, let me take a look at that Phoenix 18."
Su Jianguo pointed to the most expensive car and said.
The girl with the long braid looked up and sized him up.
"That's the latest model, 385 yuan, you need an industrial coupon."
Without saying a word, Su Jianguo pulled out a stack of ten-yuan bills from his inner pocket.
"Slap"
It was slapped onto the glass counter.
"Issue the invoice."
The girl's eyes widened instantly, and she hurriedly put down the sweater, a smile spreading across her face.
"Please wait a moment, I'll get you the keys for a test drive."
Half an hour later.
Su Jianguo rode his gleaming Phoenix brand bicycle out of the department store.
The dark green body of the bicycle gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and the bells on the handlebars rang out crisply and melodiously.
He took a deep breath, feeling the refreshing breeze on his cheeks.
This is what freedom feels like. In my past life, when I was paralyzed in bed, I dreamed countless times that I could still ride a bicycle.
"Where should we go first?"
Su Jianguo gripped the brakes and stopped the car at the intersection.
In his eyes, Beijing in 1983 was a land of opportunity.
But right now, the safest investment is real estate.
Especially those courtyard houses that will be demolished in the future; if you buy them now, their value can increase a thousandfold in ten years.
He turned his bike around and rode towards Liulichang.
There's a long-established trust store there, and the owner, Old Zhang, is his chess friend of many years and is well-informed.
A wooden sign that reads "Fair Trade" hangs at the entrance of the trust shop, and various secondhand goods are displayed in the glass windows.
Su Jianguo locked the car and went inside. Old Zhang was wearing reading glasses and checking the account book.
"Hey, Old Su!"
Old Zhang looked up, surprised, and pushed up his glasses.
"Why aren't you at the factory at this hour? What are you doing here?"
Su Jianguo took out a cigarette and handed it to him.
"Old Zhang, I need to ask you something. Do you know where I can buy a traditional courtyard house now?"
Old Zhang took the cigarette and squinted his eyes.
"What, struck it rich? Want to buy a yard?"
"No, it's just that I have some spare cash and want to buy some property."
Su Jianguo gave a vague answer.
"Ideally, it should be a detached house with clear property rights."
Old Zhang pondered for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice.
"You've come to the right person. A few days ago, someone asked me to inquire about buyers. There's a courtyard house on Xisi North Street, and the owner is in a hurry to sell."
"How big is the area? What's the price?"
Su Jianguo's heart raced; Xisi was going to be a prime location in the future.
"A three-courtyard complex, with five main rooms, six side rooms, and a small garden."
Old Zhang gestured.
"The landlord is asking for 7000, but it should be possible to negotiate."
Su Jianguo quickly made a mental calculation.
7,000 yuan is equivalent to his salary for seven or eight years.
But considering the exorbitant compensation that will be paid when the area is demolished in the future, this is practically dirt cheap.
"Can you take me to see it? Today is fine."
Old Zhang glanced at him in surprise.
"So urgent?"
Then it dawned on me.
"Oh, I see, you're looking at this on behalf of the boss, right?"
Su Jianguo went along with it.
"Well, it's inconvenient for the leader to get involved."
"Okay, I'll contact the landlord right away."
Old Zhang turned around to make a phone call, muttering to himself.
"These officials nowadays are all very shrewd."
Two hours later, Su Jianguo stood in an alley on Xisi North Street.
The courtyard gatehouse, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, is somewhat mottled, but its overall structure is intact.
The man who showed him the house was a lean, middle-aged man who claimed to be surnamed Ma and worked as a real estate agent. In the old days, the urban management officers called this profession "house bugs".
"Comrade Su, look at this gate, a proper 'bright gate,' something only officials and wealthy families were entitled to use in the past."
Master Ma touched the carvings on the door frame, explaining them with great enthusiasm.
"This courtyard has excellent feng shui; it faces south and is square-shaped, which is auspicious for attracting wealth!"
Su Jianguo nodded calmly, but his heart was in turmoil. He knew this place all too well!
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