Chapter 657
Old Master Qin looked at the big locust tree. The locust tree with lush branches and leaves had stood in the yard for several generations.
The sunlight shines through the layers of leaves, casting mottled shadows on the bluestone slabs, just like the past events in his memory that have been cut by time.
Mr. Qin said in a low voice:
“In the past, working for the emperor was considered promising, but later on, you were considered a feudal remnant and the emperor’s lackey.
Even though my grandfather and my father passed away before the harvest, our family hat will never be removed."
He raised his hand and pointed at the murals under the corridor, saying helplessly:
"Look, isn't this the evidence? Luckily, when they raided our house, they said they wanted to preserve evidence, so they didn't cover everything in red paint. Otherwise, there would be nothing left.
My grandfather had a student who participated in the movement in his early years but later settled overseas due to health reasons. During the most chaotic times, I shamelessly went to him and begged him to take both of my sons out.
Su Yuanzheng tightened his grip and asked softly, "Master Qin, why don't you leave?"
"Haha! How can I get away? Or rather, how can I leave? Someone has to take the blame for the family's crimes, otherwise the whole family will be trapped here.
I asked my sons to write letters of severing ties with the family, and then to submit letters continuously for a month denouncing my crimes. Only then did the higher-ups believe that they had truly severed ties with the family.
If they don't want to write, I'll make them kneel in the yard. Our Qin family needs to leave a descendant!"
“Ah… this…”
Several people looked at each other in bewilderment. It was such a heartbreaking and helpless act to cause father and son to turn against each other and to break up the family.
"And then your sons went overseas?"
"Yes, when they were less guarded, I packed up all the gold and silver in my house and sent them aboard. At that time, no letters could get in or out, and I didn't know whether they were dead or alive.
It was not until many years later that I received a letter telling me that my wife was safe, but she had already... passed away.
The two of them are quite capable and have done well in their studies. They are now engaged in technology. A few years ago, I don’t know what kind of joint research they were doing with the country, but the authorities returned the yard to them.
At that time, a leader was arranged to live here, so it was not damaged much. The yard at the back has become a slum. Although they said they would return it to us, they did not provide for vacating the house.
Those neighbors have lived here for so many years and are reluctant to move. What can I, an old man, do? I can only say that I don’t want the house anymore and let them live there.
My son has been urging me to go abroad to take care of me in my old age. Originally, I was reluctant to leave this ancestral home.
My health has not been good in the past two years, and I have come to terms with it. My sons and his family have no plans to come back anyway, so what’s the point of me staying here?
I might as well sell it and use the money to look for my sons. Wherever my family is, that’s home. Haha, as a grandfather, I’ve never even seen my three grandchildren in person, only their photos.”
After Mr. Qin explained the reason for selling the house, the next thing was the price. The furniture and flowers would be left behind, but the rest of the valuables, books, calligraphy and paintings, and porcelain would be taken away. The price was 80,000 yuan, no bargaining.
Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng both felt that the price was actually acceptable, but since this was the first courtyard they had seen, they couldn't make a decision immediately because they had to compare prices from three different stores.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a strange male voice: "Mr. Qin, are you home?"
Ye Jiayin went out to help open the door, and when she came in, a young man followed her.
The man was about 27 or 28 years old, with a shiny slicked-back hair, wearing a floral shirt and bell-bottom pants, a typical 90s "hipster" look.
As soon as he entered the living room, he said familiarly, "Do you have guests here?"
"Well, these people are here to see the house too. Please take a seat." Old Master Qin greeted them.
Su Miao noticed the word "also" that Mr. Qin said. It seemed that this person was also a home buyer.
After the man sat down, he said to Su Miao and the others, "Nice to meet you. My last name is Huang, and I work for a foreign company. You have good taste. Are you interested in Mr. Qin's house, too?"
When he mentioned "foreign companies", his tone rose unconsciously with a hint of pride.
Indeed, since the passage of the Sino-Foreign Joint Venture Law in 1979, foreign investment has been legally protected, and there has been more contact between foreign and domestic investors.
There are relatively few foreign-funded enterprises nowadays, and the salary conditions offered to employees are very generous, so being able to work in one of them is indeed something worth bragging about.
Su Yuanzheng replied, "Old Qin's courtyard is indeed nice and well-preserved. And these paintings can be considered antiques."
The man didn't care about this and said:
“Then you may want to go look at other courtyards. I’ve come to see Mr. Qin’s place several times to buy something for my boss.
He wants to bring his family to China. They live in a villa with a garden abroad and can't get used to living in an apartment building, so they want to buy a courtyard house."
Old Master Qin asked, "Are you sure you can make it this time? Weren't you trying to bargain down the price before?"
"Mr. Qin, I have to do more for my leaders so that they can see my sincerity! I picked out several courtyards for him to see, but in the end he still said he liked yours. I'll talk to him later, and I think we'll be able to decide next week."
Old Master Qin nodded and said, "Anyway, all I want is to be paid in cash. I'll move out when the money is in place."
Seeing that a strong competitor had appeared and seemed to have reached a consensus with Old Man Qin, Su Miao and the others felt that they could go and look at other courtyards first.
Su Yuanzheng said, "Mr. Qin, we've already seen the yard. We'll go back first. If you haven't sold it yet, we'll come back and bother you."
"Okay, then I won't send you off. You can come directly if you need me later. I'm at home every day."
After saying goodbye to Old Man Qin, the few of them walked out. They heard the conversation between Old Man Qin and the man behind them, and Su Miao couldn't help but slow down his pace.
"Xiao Huang, last time you brought that foreigner here, he pointed at my house's murals and kept blabbering about something."
"Oh, he said that this pattern is not suitable and he will draw a new one on it when the time comes."
Old Master Qin suddenly slammed the teacup down on the table, and the tea splashed across the lotus pattern on the tablecloth.
"What?! This is a national treasure! It's hard to find someone with this skill outside these days. So many people envy it, and yet that foreigner wants to get rid of it!"
Xiao Huang advised: "Mr. Qin, you are going abroad too, don't always talk about foreigners. Mr. Green has a different culture from us, so it's normal that he doesn't understand.
"It's none of your business if the yard is sold, so why bother caring about how others decorate it? Besides, who can guarantee that the paintings will be preserved if you sell it to them?"
As the distance grew longer, Su Miao gradually could no longer hear their conversation. She curled her lips and thought that Mr. Green might not be able to buy Grandpa Qin's house.
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