"I'll go ask the front desk later if there's a real estate agency here, or if there are any courtyard houses for sale in the old town. I'll try to buy a ready-to-move-in house."
After hearing Lin Li's words, Lin Laosan nodded and turned to walk towards the front desk.
"I'll go ask at the front desk now."
A short while later, Lin Laosan returned, excitedly handing over a small note.
"Mom, I found out that there seem to be courtyard houses for sale in the East and West districts, but the prices seem a bit high."
"Money is not a problem, it must be a detached house, preferably one that can be moved into immediately."
"Yes, that's what I think too. This is a route map from Tsinghua University to the East and West districts, with specific bus routes on it."
Lin Laosan pointed to the hastily drawn route he had made, and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "It's not very well thought out, Mom, can you understand it?"
"I can roughly understand it." Lin Li picked up a pen and scribbled on his paper. In no time, a clear route map appeared!
"Could you check again to make sure you haven't missed anything?"
"That's it!" Lin Laosan took the additional route map drawn by Lin Li and gave her a thumbs up. "Mom, you drew it so well!"
"Alright, you go back to Tsinghua University first. I'll go check out the East and West districts!"
"Alright." Just as Lin Laosan was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly turned back and grinned foolishly at Lin Li. "Mom, I just checked out of the room. From today onwards, you're the only room left in the guesthouse."
"Okay, I understand!"
After Lin Laosan left, Lin Li tidied up and left the guesthouse.
The receptionist watched Lin Li's departing figure and began to whisper among themselves.
Are these two, mother and son, going to look at houses again?
"Yes, Mr. Lin just came to ask me about the courtyard house."
"They're both really rich!"
"That's for sure..."
What was said unintentionally may have been taken to heart by the listener.
The two were overheard by a middle-aged woman who was cleaning at the front desk. She looked in the direction Lin Li had left with a dark expression.
Thinking to myself, seeing that this family's difficulties could be resolved, all I needed to do was wait until the time came...
...
Meanwhile, Lin Li, whom the three were discussing, had already boarded a bus heading towards Dongcheng.
Bumping and swaying!
Lin Li finally arrived in Dongcheng. Dongcheng in Beijing in 1984 was like a slowly unfolding ink painting, depicting both antiquity and new life.
The gray-walled and gray-tiled courtyard houses are scattered in a well-organized manner among the crisscrossing alleys. At the entrance of the alleys, locust and jujube trees stretch out their branches, and occasionally a few bird nests can be seen among the branches and leaves.
Low-rise shops line both sides of the street.
In the glass display case of the state-run grocery store, there were tin cans and bulk biscuits. The sales clerks, wearing sleeves, skillfully wrapped the snacks in kraft paper.
Holding the map, Lin Li circled the alleys of Dongcheng three times before finally finding the legendary real estate agency.
It's hidden in an alley called "Jixiang Hutong," with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance that reads "Real Estate Agency."
Several yellowed rental notices were pasted on both sides of the door, rustling in the wind, with the edges curled up to reveal old newspapers underneath.
After straightening her clothes, Lin Li walked into the real estate agency.
The room was dimly lit, and a long wooden table with peeling paint occupied most of the space. Thick file folders were piled on the table and tied with different colored woolen threads.
A map of Dongcheng District hangs on the wall, covered with red and blue circles and various housing information.
In the corner, an old-fashioned abacus was covered in dust, and several faded ballpoint pens were stuck in an enamel cup next to it.
Behind the counter sat an old craftsman wearing reading glasses. In front of him, a few tea leaves floated in an enamel cup, still steaming.
Lin Li stepped forward, but before she could speak, the old master raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and spoke in a thick Beijing accent.
"Miss, looking at apartments?"
Lin Li nodded quickly, her voice tinged with urgency.
"Master, I'd like to find a courtyard house, a detached house with its own entrance."
After hearing this, the old craftsman took out several registers from the drawer. The paper was yellowed and the edges were badly worn. He muttered to himself as he flipped through them.
"Courtyard houses are hard to find these days. There are few houses for sale, and even fewer willing to sell to outsiders..."
Lin Li stood in front of the counter, her eyes fixed on the information in the register, silently praying that her wish would come true.
The old-fashioned wall clock ticked away, and as time ticked by, her palms became sweaty.
Finally, the old craftsman's finger stopped on a line of text: "In the eastern part of the city, there's a family selling a courtyard house, but the price isn't cheap..."
Lin Li's heart began to race as the old master spoke. She swallowed and hurriedly asked.
"Sir, how much does this house cost? Is it a detached house?"
The old craftsman took off his reading glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, and said slowly, "Young lady, this house was bought by someone many years ago. It's a detached house with a courtyard, three main rooms, two rooms each in the east and west wings, and a small vegetable garden in the backyard. As for the price..."
He paused, then held up three fingers and shook them. "Thirty-eight thousand, not a penny less."
Lin Li was overjoyed when she heard the price: only 38,000.
You should know that in later generations, courtyard houses in Dongcheng District could fetch astronomical prices!
The price right now is incredibly cheap!
She grew more and more excited as she thought about it, and looking at the experienced craftsman, she nodded quickly. "Master, can you take me to see the house?"
"good!"
The old man closed the register, got up, took a bunch of rusty keys from the wall, and put them into the pocket of his Zhongshan suit.
"Alright, come with me. This house is in Ping'an Hutong nearby, it's only a ten-minute walk away!"
Ten minutes later, the two arrived at Ping'an Hutong one after the other.
The autumn sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone path.
As I passed the grocery store, the aroma of pickled vegetables wafted through the air; at the entrance of the alley, the shoemaker was busy at work, his awl rhythmically tapping the soles of shoes.
After turning two corners, a vermilion-lacquered, mottled Ruyi Gate came into view.
The experienced mechanic took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and with a click, the door opened.
A scent mixed with dust and wood wafted towards me.
"We've arrived, young lady, please come in and have a look!"
After the dust settled down, Lin Li followed the master craftsman into the courtyard house.
"This courtyard house was well preserved by the original owner. They wouldn't have sold it if they hadn't been in a hurry for money."
After the old craftsman found a stone stool to sit on, he introduced the place while waiting for Lin Li to look around.
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