Chapter 184: Chapter 135: Buying a House (Part 1)
Following Aunt Wang along the shortcut, in just a moment, they arrived at the gate of the courtyard. It was indeed just as Aunt Wang described, an ordinary small yard, not large in area, with some distance between the neighboring courtyards on both sides.
Aunt Wang knocked on the door, and an elderly man with white hair and a kindly face emerged. The person had an ancient book in hand and appeared to be well over 70 years old. He wore clean clothes without any patches, and his complexion was ruddy, not at all like someone struggling financially and needing to sell a house. The old man seemed very healthy and not hard of hearing, looking quite surprised to see them standing outside the door.
The old man asked curiously, "Mr. Wang, are you showing them the house? Didn’t you bring any womenfolk along to have a look?"
Zhou Xiaozheng replied, "As long as my son-in-law likes the courtyard, it’s fine. Mainly, it’s for my daughter, son-in-law, and their newborn grandson to live in. My daughter is still in confinement, and her mother is taking care of her. Both my wife and I are soldiers and usually don’t have time. If suitable, we can finalize it. Sir, is it convenient to view the house?"
The old man nodded with a smile and stepped aside, "Come in. We were just planning to sell and move to my eldest son’s place. Usually, it’s just my wife and me living here. You can look around the house yourselves, and I’ll have my wife come to introduce it to you."
As soon as Zhou Xiaozheng entered the courtyard, he nodded to himself. Despite the ordinary exterior, the interior used quality materials. It seemed this old man had a solid family background and put a lot of thought into building this yard, showing he was a smart person. Except for the high surrounding wall made of mud and stone, the main house and the East Wing in the yard were brick and tile structures.
The yard was not large, with a flower bed in the right corner. The entire yard, except for the plot of land near the flower bed, was paved with small stones.
Upon entering the remodeled main living room, Zhang Guoqing and his father-in-law exchanged glances, both sensing each other’s surprise. Both could see that this family’s background didn’t seem like they needed to sell their courtyard.
While the outer area seemed unchanged from ordinary homes, the wood materials of the tables and chairs in the living room were quite exceptional.
In addition to the redwood Eight Immortals table and several chairs placed in front, there were a few seemingly ordinary Grand Master chairs, with a tea set placed on the coffee table in the middle.
The living room furniture appeared dusky, antique. To the undiscerning eye, these old tables and chairs might seem useless. But in the eyes of Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law, these furnishings were treasures. The material even exuded a faint fragrance, especially those few Grand Master chairs, which were a complete set.
The old man had the elderly lady take Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law to view the house while he sat down with Aunt Wang for a chat, seemingly intentionally avoiding letting them observe the rooms.
The two connected rooms on the left were designed like a study, set up very elegantly. The windowsill was clean, with a specially-made Go table, and a game set up on it. Opposite the windowsill, against the wall, were two rows of bookcases, open and full of all kinds of books. The room also had a large writing desk with undried calligraphy and paintings, with a cursive script hanging on the wall, everywhere revealing the scholarly ambiance of this family.
The adjacent bedroom still had unmade quilts on the kang, indicating the elderly lady had just come off the kang. On top of the kang chest were two thick quilts made of silk and fine cotton. Against the wall in front of the kang was an old-style wardrobe, and not far in front was a round table with two high-back chairs. The entire set of furniture, the wood material and style were consistent, well-arranged in the room.
A subtle look of concern flitted across Zhou Xiaozheng’s eyes, indicating this old man was no simple character. He had carefully observed earlier; despite the simple design of the furniture in the study and bedroom, the wood beneath the paint was precious.
Since entering the courtyard, he noticed that except for the warehouse and several rooms by the right wall of mud and straw, everything seemed ordinary, but the effort and money spent were definitely not trivial.
Listening to the elderly lady’s introduction, he casually asked a few questions. After a while, he relaxed slightly. The family’s situation had nothing to do with him; as long as both parties voluntarily agreed to the transaction.
The two rooms on the right side of the living room served as a guest room with a heated kang, and the other room was tidily arranged, with old cotton quilts and mats neatly stacked on top of the wardrobe. The wardrobe, visibly a recent addition with common wood material, according to the old lady, contained their offseason clothes and some old materials they stored. It seemed that this elderly couple knew how to live well and had a high standard for living quality.
Leaving the main house, the East Wing, calculated by area, should be three rooms. Of these, the outer two were directly converted into a large kitchen, as Aunt Wang referred to as two rooms.
The family seemed to focus on cooking and dining. Besides the usual earthen stove, there was also a coal stove adapted to a cooktop, currently simmering something on it. The two cooktops, the earthen stove connected to the adjoining room’s kang, and the coal stove supplied the kitchen fire wall. In the kitchen entry corner, there was also a pressure well, with a large water tank against the wall.
Under the window were traces of a row of jars previously placed. Although they had been cleared out, the air still held the scent of pickles mixed with the aroma of soybean paste. A large table was placed in the middle of the kitchen, probably for when the elder’s children came to eat. The cupboards, tables, and benches against the back wall were very tidy, showing regular upkeep.
The old lady opened the hidden cellar door in the back of the kitchen, upon looking inside, it was more like a basement than a cellar. The basement was very tidy, with the sides neatly outlined with soil. It was normally used for storing grain and dried goods, but now it was empty. The old lady mentioned there was also a cellar in the courtyard for storing Chinese cabbage and white radishes in the winter.
Next to the kitchen was a remaining empty room with a kang. Besides the kang chest, there was nothing else, cleaned spotlessly. The old lady said it was the room reserved for the maid they used to have.
The old lady took them to the right side of the courtyard near the flower bed corner, where stacks of piled firewood half-concealed three mud and straw huts. Aside from one used as a bathroom with a shower, the remaining rooms stored gardening tools, quite a few vegetable baskets, miscellaneous items, and a small number of coal balls. The outermost remaining room served as a warehouse for the elderly couple.
Finally, the old lady specifically showed them the cellar and well outside the house, smiling as she explained that the two rooms in the East Wing were initially built for the servants to live separately, to keep the main house free of grease and smoke. Now, without servants, they occasionally cook noodles directly in the main house living room.
The father and son-in-law already had their minds made up. The entire courtyard comprised five rooms with an additional two-room layout. Zhou Xiaozheng noticed earlier that the innermost wall of the main house had a fire wall, and after confirming the heating situation for the main house and the kitchen, he nodded.
The owner of this house was a shrewd person. Aside from the visible heated kang in the main house, there was a hidden fire wall. The remodeled earthen stove in the living room had large capacity, safe and hygienic, and supplied heating for the main house’s kang and fire wall. He wasn’t worried about the overall heating costs. However, this courtyard would be unaffordable for ordinary people, but he had gotten a good deal.