Sun Zhou patted his chest and said, "Don't you trust me to handle things? You can move in empty-handed! Knowing you were coming today, I asked the old lady next door to take out the sheets and blankets and wash and air them out the day before yesterday before putting them on the bed."
"The five hundred coal briquettes we just bought, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, were all brought in this morning, so we can start cooking right away."
Gu Zhiyuan knew that although Sun Zhou was a bit talkative, he was reliable. Since he said he had everything arranged, he turned the car around and headed to the new house.
Mao'er Hutong is not too far from Chang'an Avenue, where he works; it only takes about ten minutes by bicycle to get there.
Not far from here is the Fukui Department Store, the most famous department store in Beijing, a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle.
As soon as you enter the alley, towering trees in the courtyards on both sides peek out, providing shade for the narrow alley and instantly relieving much of the summer heat.
It was nearing evening, and cicadas were still chirping in the trees. Most of the courtyard gates were open, and there were sounds of children chasing and playing inside. There were also elderly men and women wearing T-shirts, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, sitting under the trees in the middle of the courtyard to cool off.
And the sound of revolutionary model operas playing on the radio could be heard, crackling and creaking.
As the car drove into the alley, it attracted many children who came out of their yards and followed behind to watch.
The small courtyard that Gu Zhiyuan bought is located in the middle of the alley, not too far or too close, in a pretty good location.
As soon as the car stopped, Sun Zhou jumped out, unlocked the door to the yard, and opened it, which startled the neighbors next door.
Upon coming out and seeing the three people carrying things, he warmly went up to greet them.
Although it was Gu Zhiyuan who bought the house, everyone was more familiar with Sun Zhou because he had been looking after it these past few days. "Little Sun, are you moving in? And who are those two?"
Sun Zhou hurriedly introduced, "Uncle Ma, this is my colleague Lao Gu, you can just call him Xiao Gu. This house is his! He's busy with work and was away on a business trip recently, so he asked me to look after it for him. That's his girlfriend; she just got back from out of town. They're young and don't know much about things, so I'll have to keep an eye on things for them, Uncle."
Grandpa Ma chuckled, "Don't worry about that! Don't you know the people in Cat Alley? They're all honest and upright old Beijingers. If you need anything in the future, just let Xiao Gu ask!"
Gu Zhiyuan carried everything into the yard before coming out, nodding to Grandpa Ma, and offering him a cigarette.
When Grandpa Ma saw it, his eyes lit up. He held it to his nose, took a sniff, and closed his eyes in ecstasy. He didn't even want to smoke it, so he tucked it behind his ear.
Then, patting his chest, he said, "Little Gu, right? You and your partner can stay here without worry! If you need anything, just come find Uncle Ma! We live next door. My wife is home every day. If your partner is free, go chat with my wife, Aunt Wang. Have her show your partner around the alley and let them get to know the old neighbors!"
"We've all been neighbors in Cat Alley for decades, we know each other inside and out! They say a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, you'll see soon enough!"
Then he turned back and shouted into the yard, "Guodong's mother, come out quickly—"
A voice answered from inside the courtyard, and after a short while, an elderly woman with neatly combed hair and clean clothes came out. She had a kind face and looked very approachable.
She looked up and saw Gu Zhiyuan, and couldn't help but laugh, "Oh my, when did such a dashing young man come to our alley! He's really handsome! Young man, do you have a girlfriend yet? Would you like me to introduce you to one?"
Grandpa Ma quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't try to set up dates with every young man you see! He already has a girlfriend! This is Xiao Gu, our new neighbor, and this is your Aunt Wang. Tell your boyfriend to come visit her often. Everyone in our Cat Alley knows her—"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded to Aunt Wang and said apologetically, "We just got back, and we haven't unpacked all this stuff yet. We'll come visit you after we've packed everything up!"
Grandpa Ma and Grandma Wang quickly replied, "Then you must go, no matter how busy you are. If you need any help, or if you're missing anything, just let us know—"
Gu Zhiyuan and Sun Zhou then managed to escape and enter the courtyard.
Grandpa Ma and Grandma Wang exchanged a glance and then returned to their own courtyards.
Aunt Wang couldn't help but say, "My goodness, although that young Gu is handsome, his face is a bit dark. Standing in front of him makes me feel like I owe him money and I feel a chill in my heart."
Old Ma, being more knowledgeable, said, "That Comrade Gu is clearly not from an ordinary family. Otherwise, how could he have bought a house in our alley? Many people have come to look at the house next door, all wanting to buy it! We've met those people, and they're not ordinary either. Yet, this young Comrade Gu succeeded. He can't be a simple person. Just watch, a respectable person has come to our alley—"
The elderly couple muttered to themselves as they went back into their house.
While Gu Zhiyuan and the others were exchanging pleasantries with their neighbors, Xu Ningyan took a look around the small courtyard.
It's a typical courtyard house with three main rooms, east and west wing rooms, and the kitchen and storage room on the side facing the alley.
Two pomegranate trees, tall and large, are planted under the windows on both sides of the courtyard. They look like they've been there for many years, and now they are laden with fruit, their green skins tinged with red, nestled among the leaves.
There were two deck chairs under the tree.
A grape trellis stood at the entrance of the side room. In August, the grapevines and leaves covered the entire trellis, with bunches of green grapes hanging from it, far from ripe.
Under the grape trellis are stone tables and stools.
There are two empty jars by the kitchen door, and next to them is a small flower bed with a few rows of scallions and vegetables planted by the previous owner.
The doors and windows were all old-fashioned wooden windows. Nowadays, the popular style in Beijing is paper on top and glass on the bottom, which means that the top of the window is still an old-fashioned wooden lattice paper window, and the bottom is also a wooden lattice, but with glass inlaid.
The steps are made of bluestone blocks, worn smooth as a mirror, and clearly quite old.
There is a water tap at the kitchen entrance, and a large cement pool is built under the tap. Water flows down the drain into the sewer.
There was also a well nearby, with a round well platform and a wooden lid on top.
In the sunniest spot in the middle of the yard, there are two ropes thoughtfully strung up, ready for drying clothes and sheets.
Xu Ningyan felt that it looked familiar no matter how she looked at it. Apart from not having a vegetable garden, wasn't it just a combination of the old houses in Tuanjie Brigade and the courtyard where they lived in Jingshan County?
If the yard were big enough, Gu Zhiyuan could probably replicate two vegetable plots.
When Gu Zhiyuan entered, he saw Xu Ningyan smiling, seemingly satisfied with the courtyard, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
From the moment he bought the house, he envisioned living here with Xu Ningyan in the future. However, fearing she wouldn't be used to it, he designed it to resemble the typical living conditions in Jingshan County.
Of course, in many other details, it will be more comfortable to live in.
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