Two days later, Zhou Jiao got the title deed of a property and, accompanied by Zhang Guoqing, took a stroll around the newly purchased yard.
Just one feeling: quite shabby.
Previously, this courtyard was home to more than a dozen families, and many stoves, kitchens, etc. were built in the front and back yards, changing the layout beyond recognition.
The original back garden pond was filled in, and everywhere were large and small firewood sheds and chicken coops built as earthquake shelters, as well as small vegetable gardens.
Although all the households have moved out now, except for the main building, the situation is horrible. You can even smell the smell of urine in every room.
She wondered if the original owner hadn't wanted the house after taking it back, because otherwise how could the whole family live there safely?
In fact, there is more than one courtyard. Even the courtyard that Yi Jiefang and his family just bought is completely unrecognizable.
Perhaps the temporary residents who moved out wanted to vent their unhappiness, and some of them were so unscrupulous that they not only turned off the faucets, but also removed the doors and windows.
I just don't know whether to take it apart and burn it as firewood or keep it as a souvenir, not to mention that the room is full of oil stains and smoke and the remains of the dismantled kang are everywhere.
But even for such a courtyard, the overall price is not much lower. For those who have been rehabilitated and returned to the city, they have kept it for some time and are not in a hurry to sell it.
Later, Zhou Jiao learned that the wealth of these former "five black categories" was dizzying. Although not much property was returned after rehabilitation, all the real estate under their names had been returned to their original owners.
These properties are being disposed of simply because people are unwilling to take them.
Listen to this...
When Zhou Jiao found out about this later, she no longer had any sympathy for the original owner.
Everything has a cause and an effect. He has been cocky since he returned to the city less than half a year ago. It is obvious that the hardships of the past ten years have not worn away his innate sense of superiority, nor has he learned to hide his shortcomings.
Fortunately, the main building still exists and does not need to be demolished and rebuilt.
Clear away all the messy buildings in the yard, and then go elsewhere to collect some old bricks, tiles, old furniture, etc., to facilitate future repairs and maintenance.
It happened that some old alleys were to be demolished and rebuilt into new houses in the autumn. There were many old bricks and tiles there, which were not expensive and had been thrown away before.
Several of them knew many acquaintances, so they specifically found the person in charge of this matter. They spent some money and successfully bought truckloads of old bricks and tiles and dismantled wooden windows and doors. In the end, they also bought a lot of old furniture that some people didn't want, and piled them up in the yard and the west wing.
So during this period before the New Year, Zhou Jiao and the other four daughters-in-law were busy again.
They don't do it themselves, but the treasures are everywhere.
While the men had found some experienced hands to renovate the yard, they would inevitably go for a stroll together under the pretext of supervision, looking for some old junk.
Zhou Jiao understood what Zhang Guoqing was busy with recently, whether it was to divert his attention or to avoid thinking about some issues that made her anxious.
She took on all these tasks alone, and would go out with everyone after work. In addition, she had a pregnant niece-in-law, so she had to make a trip there once a week. She was extremely busy.
But no matter how busy you are, it will always end.
In the twelfth month of the year when it was snowing heavily, and near the end of the year, the yards of the five families finally returned to their original state.
Of course, in such cold weather, it is impossible to carry out any major projects, so it can only be limited to ordinary repairs.
Before she and the other four could come up with a decision on whether to warm up the house first, all five yards were rented out in less than a week, and the rent was calculated in US dollars.
According to Zhang Guoqing, it was Ding Datou's aunt who worked as a small boss in the Housing Authority who personally handled the matter and rented the house to several foreigners who came to the capital to work and particularly liked siheyuan houses.
For the sake of friendship between China and foreign countries, Ding Xiaogu, who was anxious to find a house for the other party, set her sights on them. The reason was a bit ridiculous. If this had happened a few years ago, Ding Xiaogu would have definitely had a sign hanging around her neck.
However, in some ways, the five owners of the courtyards also profited handsomely. For example, the courtyard registered in Ping An's name collected $300 in rent each month, while Geng Dazhi, who had the smallest courtyard on the second floor, also received at least $160 per month.
It is said that the rents vary depending on the living environment, and are generally between 10 and 40 cents per square meter. For good houses like large courtyard houses, the rents are higher, and foreign banks are vying to rent them.
By this calculation, her family can collect US$3,600 in rent a year, which is more than 5,700 or 5,000 yuan according to the exchange rate. It will only take five or six years to pay back the principal. She gets a yard for free. No business can bring greater profits than this.
I can only say that it is so easy to make money from foreigners!
If her father wasn't Zhou Xiaozheng and she wasn't Zhang Guoqing's wife, Zhou Jiao would have almost given the two-courtyard courtyard house under her name to Ding Xiaogu to rent out as a favor.
After all, not only is this money earned openly and honestly, it's also worth it.
But she also knew that too much is as bad as too little. Not to mention putting this courtyard house in Ping'an's name, even the jewelry in her collection had to be carefully considered before wearing it!
Now she can only comfort herself by waiting a little longer, waiting for the opportunity, and no matter what, she must wait until the reform and opening up.
Unlike her, Zhou Xiaozheng has been feeling very sorry for his family's "money-grubbing son" recently.
If he wanted to see it, the child would just be busy doing nothing.
Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. Why bother to supervise that little thing? Can those young wives be compared with his little cotton-padded jacket?
It's the coldest time of the year, and work is tiring enough, not to mention running around with those young wives, and visiting my niece's wife every now and then.
He was happy to watch his overworked son-in-law complain and scold his daughter. "So you can!" He felt bad but couldn't say anything harsh, but finally someone spoke up for him.
"Okay, okay, it's over. From now on, you don't have to go out except for work."
Seeing her family's concerned eyes, Zhou Jiao could only beg for mercy. Who put her in such a weak position? Didn't she see that even her father's eyes were disapproving?
Putting aside these trivial matters, the children were about to have their winter vacation, and there were some things that could not be hidden from Zhou Jiao, not to mention that Zhou Xiaozheng did not think that his daughter would be unaware of it.
After his wife left, Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his daughter seriously, "How much do you know about the border friction?"
Zhou Jiao hesitated for a moment, "I know everything I need to know."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at his son-in-law. Seeing Zhang Guoqing looking at him with a worried expression, he knew that he had not revealed something yet, so he shook his head slightly at him.
"We've reached the limit of our patience with border issues. Last year, there were hundreds of conflicts, large and small, over there. War is inevitable."
Zhou Jiao shuddered subconsciously, clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and looked at the father-in-law and son-in-law. What was to come would come.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
