Chapter 712
After Master Zhou finished his meal, he said goodbye to his old neighbors one by one. His rough palms tightly grasped each familiar hand, and the calluses on his knuckles were so painful.
Seeing that the train was about to leave in ten minutes, he bowed to everyone again:
"After all our words, we must say goodbye. Take care, everyone. See you later!"
Su Miao helped Master Zhou lift the tan cowhide suitcase. Although the suitcase was old, it was heavy. The leather on the handles had been rubbed to a glossy luster by his palms. It must have been with its owner away from home for many years.
Amid the roar of the engine, many neighbors stood at the door of "Su Ji" and waved, and some shouted "Have a safe journey".
Master Zhou stuck his head out of the car window and waved to everyone, his hair blown by the wind. Until he turned out of the alley, he could no longer see those familiar faces.
On the way to the train station, Master Zhou kept looking at the street scenes passing by outside the window.
Su Yuanzheng saw the old man wiping his eyes with his sleeve in the rearview mirror, so he quietly turned up the volume of the radio.
A song "Farewell" happened to sound, and the melodious melody filled the silence of the carriage.
"Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green and endless~"
Master Zhou hummed along softly, his voice hoarse but the tune was exceptionally accurate.
The train station was crowded with people. Farmers carrying woven bags, cadres looking down at their watches, and women holding children formed a torrent in the square in front of the station, walking in a hurry.
The green train, puffing white steam, stopped at the platform. Crowds of people were surging. The ticket inspector was struggling to maintain order by shouting, and the hawkers' cries were heard one after another.
Su Yuan was helping Master Zhou carry the luggage to the platform. It was time to board the train and passengers were pouring towards the door like a tide.
After Master Zhou said goodbye to Su Yuanzheng, he squeezed onto the train with the crowd.
The whistle blew long and the train started slowly.
Su Yuan was standing on the platform, watching the figure waving in the window gradually go away and finally turn into a small black dot.
Master Zhou finally embarked on his journey back home, just like he did more than ten years ago, carrying only a package and a suitcase. The difference was that his hair, which was jet black back then, had now turned a little gray.
When Su Yuanzheng returned to the store, it was already past dinner time and most of the customers had left.
Su Miao was keeping accounts behind the counter. Now the production of papaya shreds and konjac puffs had increased. The factory was running at full capacity every day, and more goods could be shipped to Beijing.
Last week, Konjac Shuang was officially launched in Beijing. Diners quickly accepted and fell in love with this snack, and sales increased even faster than when it first started in Nanning. It turns out that richer people can enjoy life better.
Seeing her father coming back, she put down her pen and asked, "Dad, did Master Zhou get on the bus smoothly?"
"It went smoothly. He said his son would pick him up at the train station. This time he goes back, he can enjoy his retirement."
Su Miao closed the account book and said, "Then let's go take a look next door. We finally got a new place, and we need to plan how to decorate it."
Su Miao and his father stood in the empty shop, their voices echoing off the walls.
Su Miao looked up at the ceiling, stood on tiptoe to touch the hanging light cord, and the light bulb swayed slightly.
She said to her father, "Dad, I have an idea. Should we take advantage of this renovation to add another floor to the shop next door?"
Su Yuanzheng raised his eyebrows in surprise, a faint wrinkle appearing on his forehead. "Building next door too? Such a big project all at once?"
Su Miao excitedly circled around the hall, imagining things as he said, "Since we're going to renovate, why not just do the renovation and extension all in one go?
I consulted Uncle Ma and he said that the procedures for additional construction are not difficult to obtain now. You just need to use some connections and pay a little money to get it approved.
Just think about it, the land in Beijing is expanding outward every year. This place will definitely be the center of Beijing in the future. It will be very valuable.
Our teacher also said that old houses with historical value like these must be protected in the future. If we don’t build on them now, it might be too late when policies are introduced.”
Su Yuanzheng asked doubtfully, "Protecting them? Aren't these residential buildings? How can we protect them like they're in a museum? Can we still live there?"
"It can be lived in, but it cannot be demolished or rebuilt at will, and even the exterior cannot be altered significantly. Although this is still under discussion among experts, it has attracted the attention of more and more scholars.
The idea of creating a new development project was put on hold for several years, but after the forced demolition of the Taifu's former residence, some scholars have brought it up again.
Su Miao explained that this was indeed what Professor Wen said to them in class, and it was not just a whim.
Su Yuanzheng nodded. "Oh, so that's how it is. If both sides start construction, will the business of the store be affected? The losses caused by closing the store are not small."
"We can do the same as we did in Nanning before. We can first open up and renovate the new venue. Then we can move our business here. After the additional construction is completed, we can reopen the store and hold a wave of large-scale events to attract customers."
After listening to his daughter's words, Su Yuanzheng touched the new stubble on his chin and nodded thoughtfully:
"That's a good thing. Just like when playing chess, you have to look three steps ahead. When doing business, we also have to look a few years ahead."
The next day, Su Miao brought a bag of local specialties to visit Jiayin. The bag contained shredded papaya, soft ginger candy and konjac candy produced by the family.
Jiayin had already moved into the west courtyard and was feeding rabbits under the grape trellis. When she saw Su Miao coming, she pulled her over to feed the rabbits together.
The little rabbit's ruby-like eyes turned vigilantly, and its three-lobed mouth kept chewing the leaves.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s shy or what, but it eats what Jiayin feeds, but won’t eat what Su Miao feeds.
This made Jiayin laugh: "It seems that you are not in its sight. Let's go inside."
"Oh, you're here, bringing so many things." Aunt Ye happened to be at home, and she reached out to take the bag. She said politely, but her hand consciously reached out for the konjac cake she had been craving for a long time.
After chatting for a while, Su Miao told her that he had bought the shop next door and was going to renovate it, and asked her if she could help find the procedures.
"This is easy!"
Aunt Ye called her old classmate at the Urban Construction Bureau without saying a word.
"My old classmate, I have a very reliable girl here who needs to apply for the construction permit..."
Aunt Ye winked at Su Miao as she spoke, and a cheerful response came from the other end of the phone.
In less than three days, Su Miao received the approval document with a red seal. Aunt Ye also specifically instructed:
"We have to find a reliable construction team. Inspections have been strict recently. We can add to the building, but we can't build randomly. We have to follow the regulations. We can only build as much as the approval from above, but we can't build more."
Speaking of the construction team, the Su family father and daughter immediately thought of the contractor Lao Zhao who was helping them renovate the western courtyard house.
But Lao Zhao was busy leading his team and was unable to spare time, so he introduced them to another construction team he was familiar with.
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