Sun Xingyan had visited Beijing twice before, but only to a few famous attractions, and was not very familiar with the city.
Xia Baozhu was very familiar with the later capital city, but not with the current routes of the capital city.
Because they wanted to tour the capital, they didn't choose the faster subway, but instead took a bus.
After sitting for one stop, Sun Xingyan pulled Xia Baozhu off the train because they couldn't find seats.
"Why did you come down again?" Xia Baozhu asked, puzzled.
“Standing is tiring, so we’ll take a taxi and go wherever we want.”
Sun Xingyan used to take the bus when he came here and didn't think much of it, nor did he care whether there was a seat or not, because his interest was always in the view outside the window.
But things were different once he had a wife; he couldn't bear to let her stand.
Sun Xingyan was a wealthy man, but he received an education in diligence and thrift from childhood.
Even though this education had little effect on him, it made him prefer to approach things from the simplest and most optimized perspective.
Previously, the optimization was about cost-effectiveness; now, the optimization is about the wife's comfort and happiness.
A bus pass costs only three to five yuan a month, while the starting price for a yellow Xiali taxi is ten yuan, and the charge is one yuan per kilometer after the first four kilometers.
It was much more expensive than taxi fares in later times.
Because the cars are expensive, a taxi alone costs seventy to eighty thousand yuan, including the license plate.
In later times, based on inflation, that money could buy a luxury sports car; imagine how taxis would all be Maseratis.
Therefore, it was quite easy for taxi drivers to earn over 10,000 yuan a month in the 1990s.
Not just taxi drivers, most drivers are in high demand.
Xia Baozhu understood Sun Xingyan's meaning, and a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
"Why don't we walk along the road? I'm not tired yet."
Xia Baozhu had a different idea. They felt that the scenic spots here were nothing new, so they might as well look at the street scenes and take a taxi when they got tired.
The train station is bustling with people; it's where many people who have migrated to Beijing begin their pursuit of their dreams.
Even a stop away, you can still see many people carrying bags and looking around.
Xia Baozhu and Sun Xingyan strolled leisurely through the area, occasionally pointing out the surrounding buildings.
Without the familiar gazes and scrutiny, the two were more relaxed, and their interactions were more natural and intimate than at the beginning.
Of course, this change mainly affected Xia Baozhu; Sun Xingyan's behavior remained the same.
After lunch, I strolled around the largest square and took a lot of photos.
Afterwards, they bought several newspapers from Beijing and the two of them chose a hotel to check into.
"Baozhu, what do you think of this place? It's ten kilometers away from the square as the crow flies, in the Wanlijing residential area. The housing prices are decent, 3700 yuan per square meter."
Xia Baozhu dried her hair and opened the door to welcome Sun Xingyan, who was holding a newspaper.
"You read the newspaper, I'll dry you off." Sun Xingyan closed the door and took the towel from Xia Baozhu's hand.
Xia Baozhu sat on a wooden chair, searching for housing information in the newspaper.
“There’s also a villa area near the airport, about 30 miles from here.” Sun Xingyan stopped and pointed to a place in the newspaper.
The locations are all nice. Xia Baozhu looked up and asked, "Do you want to buy a bigger one or a smaller one?"
"Small apartments are convenient for living, and large apartments have nice environments, otherwise we would have bought them all. Houses in big cities are more valuable than those where we live, so buying them all wouldn't have been a loss."
"Let's go take a look tomorrow and then decide."
After the two finalized their plans for tomorrow, Xia Baozhu continued reading the newspaper while Sun Xingyan brought her a hairdryer to dry her hair.
The room was filled with a buzzing sound, and Xia Baozhu's gaze did not fall on the newspaper.
Sun Xingyan's hands moved through her hair, and the warm breeze stirred her heartstrings.
This feeling is not bad either.
There are no messy misunderstandings or plot twists, no lingering ties with exes or unrequited love; the two are together without any worries.
Perhaps there is no dramatic or unforgettable experience, but isn't a simple and ordinary life also a kind of happiness?
In the evening, the two strolled through the brightly lit alleys of Beijing, experiencing the unique characteristics of the capital in the early 1990s.
"Baozhu, do you like it here?" Sun Xingyan asked, carrying two bags of snacks in one hand and putting his other arm around Xia Baozhu's shoulder.
"Well enough."
"How about we buy a house around here?"
"I heard that many houses here are co-owned and do not have land certificates, making it more difficult to buy them."
Due to historical reasons, the property rights of courtyard houses are quite complicated. If they really wanted to buy one, it would take several months to process the land certificate, which they didn't have that much time for.
"It's alright, maybe we'll get lucky and find the right person, and we can get it done quickly," Sun Xingyan said, affectionately rubbing his face against Xia Baozhu's hair.
"In the past two years, many more people have gone abroad than before, so there is a high possibility that we will have to sell our houses to raise money."
“We don’t know anyone here, so if we buy a house here, we’ll definitely stay for a long time.”
With the year drawing to a close and many things to do at the store, Xia Baozhu didn't want to spend all her time on buying a house.
“I know a few people here. I’ll call one of them tomorrow and ask him to help us find a place.”
The acquaintance Sun Xingyan mentioned was a companion he met on his journey to the Great Bear Kingdom.
When Sun Xingyan got home that evening, he made a phone call. Upon hearing that he had arrived, these people drove over without saying a word.
"Xingyan, why didn't you tell us you were coming to the capital? Let's go, let's go out for a meal."
The first to speak was a burly man who was 1.8 meters tall. His name was Du Guofeng, and he was also the oldest among them, at 35 years old. He was driving a white Grand Cherokee.
"Brother Du, Brother Ma, Xiao Chen, how have you been lately?" Sun Xingyan bumped fists with each of his friends.
"So what? Why not go out and have some excitement?" Ma Zhaoshi said, smoking a cigarette. He looked even more roguish than Sun Xingyan, with a cynical smile on his face.
"Alright, Brother Ma, stop bragging. When you were being chased by artillery shells, did you forget how you cried and screamed for your parents, wishing they had given you eight legs?"
Chen Lu was about the same age as Sun Xingyan, and he spoke and acted with a tough and resolute air, clearly someone who had served in the military.
“It’s too late today, let’s meet again tomorrow.” Sun Xingyan stood at the hotel entrance without getting into the car. “I called to ask who is free tomorrow, I need a guide to buy a house here.”
“It’s not even ten o’clock yet, what’s so late?” Ma Zhaoshi pulled Sun Xingyan’s arm to get him into the car. “I know the most about buying a house. I’ll talk to you about it over dinner later.”
"No, thank you." Sun Xingyan pushed Ma Zhaoshi's hand away. "My wife is still upstairs, and I'm worried about her."
"What? My sister-in-law is here?" Du Guofeng jumped out of the car and urged impatiently, "Where is she? Show her to us!"
"Brother Sun, I remember you wrote two letters every month when you were abroad, one of which was to your wife, right?" Chen Lu also got out of the car. "Why didn't your wife come down with you?"
“She goes to bed early, I’ll introduce her to you tomorrow.” Sun Xingyan wouldn’t bother his wife at this time for the sake of his friends.
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