Yan Rushan said, "If Village Chief Wang is not busy, could you take me to see what the yard looks like before we discuss this?"
"That's fine." Village Chief Wang had a plan in mind and said, "Come on, I'll wash the mud off my legs and take you there right away."
"Okay, thank you."
Village chief Wang smiled and nodded, then led him home. He drew water from the water tank and washed the mud off his legs. After drying them, he let down his trouser legs. The wide trouser legs looked quite thick.
"What is this comrade's name?"
"My last name is Yan, and Village Chief Wang can call me Comrade Yan."
Village Chief Wang smiled and asked, "Comrade Yan came to ask about the yard. Do you want to buy it or rent it?"
Yan Rushan remained calm, "Village Chief Wang is a smart man."
"Whether it's renting or buying, it's not something I can decide on my own," Village Chief Wang said clearly. He put on his shoes before standing up. "Come with me. I'll show you the yard first."
The same goes for other things we can talk about later.
Yan Rushan walked forward, passed through the village, and arrived at a spacious courtyard at the foot of the mountain. The courtyard was really big, covering an area of more than 50 acres. Village chief Wang took out the key, unlocked the door, and entered the courtyard, pointing at the courtyard and said to Yan Rushan.
"The yard covers an area of 58 mu. The landlord who built this house was surnamed Wang. Not long after it was completed, during the 1940s, the landlords were cracked down on, and the yard was vacated. Several families fought over it, and later, for various reasons, it became abandoned."
"Look, both the walls and the inner courtyard are made entirely of fine blue bricks. Even after nearly ten years of neglect, the walls are still intact. The wood used for the windows is also top-quality. Even though the paper covering is gone, it can still be used if you re-cover it."
"Also, if we clear the weeds in the yard, we can grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks. Look here, this jujube tree is quite big, and there are fruits hanging on it. But they taste a bit bad, and the children in the village dislike them."
Village chief Wang led him to look around one by one. The courtyard had two entrances, similar to a siheyuan; there were more than 20 houses, not counting the toilet, kitchen and utility room.
"What do you think, Comrade Yan?"
Yan Rushan shook his head. "It's too desolate. It'll take a long time to clean it up, and it'll also take a lot of time to repair it."
"Do you want to buy or rent?"
"It's fine to buy or rent, but this yard is too dilapidated." It would cost a lot of money and effort to repair it, and you can't live here for long.
Village Chief Wang smiled unwaveringly. "If you want to buy it, I'll talk to the villagers and I'll give you both the title deed and the land deed. If this yard remains uninhabited, it'll become completely ruined."
Village Chief Wang's attitude had been inconsistent, and Yan Rushan had probably guessed what he was thinking. He was a clever man, having guessed his intentions long ago, and his previous words were meant to raise the price. Now that he had revealed his unwillingness, he changed his tune.
"Thank you, Village Chief Wang, for your kindness. This courtyard must be expensive. Furthermore, the cost of renovation and cleaning is also enormous..."
Village chief Wang had already guessed what Yan Rushan would say next.
"The price is negotiable, but if we redecorate, it's going to cost money. That money has to be spent everywhere, right?"
Yan Rushan nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the beams and the materials used in the house. The beams were made of top-quality wood, good enough to last for another hundred years. The wood seemed to be sandalwood, which was known to repel insects and ants.
Village Chief Wang continued, "The lowest price for this yard is 1,500 yuan. If it were in Shangjing City, it would probably cost tens of thousands."
"Village Chief Wang, are you knowledgeable about housing prices?" Yan Rushan retracted his gaze and looked at the village chief. "You've got a pretty good idea of the housing prices in Shangjing."
"Well, I didn't figure it out. My son is working in Beijing. He's always wanted to buy a house, but unfortunately, we're just farmers. How can we get the money to buy him a house?" Village Chief Wang shook his head and sighed, his expression resentful. "My son talked about it so much that I knew it too."
Yan Rushan hummed lightly, not sure whether he believed it or not. "Fifteen hundred is too high. Zhongguancun is inconvenient to get in and out of, and the journey is long. If I can get it for a thousand yuan, then it's fine."
"One thousand is too low." It was five hundred less, a huge gap from the expected price.
"The yard might be worth fifteen hundred after it's been cleaned up, but look at how dilapidated it is. We have to factor in the materials, labor, and time required for repairs, right? I think I'm being quite generous by raising the price by five hundred."
Village Chief Wang: “.......” Devil.
Yan Rushan continued, "Village Chief Wang, please see if it's possible. If it is, we'll make a decision first. If not, I'll go to another village to have a look."
"Let me ask the villagers first, Comrade Yan, can you come to my house and sit for a while?" Village chief Wang was afraid that he would leave because the yard was too big and no one would want to live in it; if there were too many families living there, there would be many conflicts, so it would be better to build a house by himself outside.
The villagers are not stupid. In order to live in the blue brick and tile houses, countless families moved in. Not to mention the crowding, if there is anything going on at home, others can know about it. Over time, they no longer care.
"Okay, thank you, Village Chief."
The two of them closed the courtyard and walked back together. Village Chief Wang escorted the man home and asked his wife to serve him a bowl of sugar water. "Comrade Yan, please sit down for a moment. I'll go gather everyone to discuss this."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Village Chief Wang."
As soon as Village Chief Wang left, his wife retreated into the kitchen and never came out again.
Instead, the children of Village Chief Wang were timid and curious, looking at him frequently as if they were afraid of him.
Yan Rushan had a blank expression on his face. He took a sip of the sugar water and frowned. It was too sweet and pungent. He looked at the little kids outside the door and waved to them.
The little kids looked at each other; finally, the oldest child, who was about seven or eight years old, walked over bravely.
"uncle."
"Here you go." Yan Rushan handed him the sugar water. "Take it and share it."
The child waved his hands repeatedly, looking flustered. "We didn't come to see you to drink sugar water. Grandpa and grandma said that sugar water is used to entertain guests. My uncle always brings us candy when he comes back from the city. We don't like sugar water, really."
"Does your uncle often bring you candies?"
"Not really. My uncle only comes back two or three times a year at most. But every time he comes back, we have candy to eat." The child looked serious and didn't seem to be faking it.
Yan Rushan understood, his handsome face tense, still expressionless, "What kind of candy did I give you?"
"Fruit candy, hard, sweet, and delicious."
"Is that so?" Yan Rushan thought to himself that this was a bad idea. He should have brought some candies with him. They were the best way to coax children. "Give the candy water to share. I don't like candy water. It's too sweet."
"Is there anyone who doesn't like to drink sugar water?" the child asked with a frown.
Yan Rushan smiled briefly, but it was fleeting. "I don't like sweet things, and I don't like sugary drinks either."
"Sweet things don't taste good? Do you like bitter things?" The child was puzzled and thought this person was very strange.
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