Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 527 Are we all the same?
City bricks are the large blue bricks that make up the city walls of the capital.

The standard size of old Beijing city bricks is about 48 centimeters long, 24 centimeters wide, and 13 centimeters thick, and each brick weighs about 24 kilograms, which is several times larger than the blue bricks used to build ordinary houses.

What? Are old bricks any good quality?

That's an excellent question, but please don't ask it again!

The bricks used to build ancient city walls all come with a "traceability code." During the production process, several bricks from each batch are engraved with detailed inscriptions that record the names, positions, and production year of the responsible persons at various levels who made these bricks.

Poor quality products can have serious consequences!

Therefore, under strict quality control, these city bricks are harder than ordinary stones.

City bricks are not only hard, but also have the advantages of moisture retention, fire resistance, and water resistance. They were the best brick and stone building materials in ancient times, especially the first choice for building city walls, and could remain intact for hundreds or even thousands of years.

If it hadn't been demolished back then, how could Chen Fan have gotten a house built for him!

But nowadays, this kind of thing is not rare at all. Many old Beijing families have it, the only difference is how many there are.

For ordinary people, when the walls were being demolished back then, these large city bricks were everywhere. They would take as many as they could, and many were used to build outbuildings. ...Because the large blue bricks were too big, they were often complained about for taking up too much space, so they were usually used for foundations, while red bricks were used for building walls.

But these are ultimately individual actions, and how much more can they really achieve?

Construction companies are different.

They used big trucks to haul it!

Many of the bricks that were removed from the city walls back then were used as the base material for municipal buildings.

For example, city bricks are used in the construction of subways, train stations, ditches, and underground waterways.

Later, hundreds of thousands of city wall bricks were discovered in a building warehouse in Shunyi. When Yongding Gate was repaired in 96, a campaign to "donate city wall bricks" was launched, and the people enthusiastically handed in their bricks, resulting in the return of 54 city wall bricks.

Therefore, it is not surprising that there are hundreds of thousands of city bricks in the warehouse of the construction company of the Municipal Construction Bureau.

And this is a municipal-level construction company!

They participated in the construction of many important building projects, and in addition to city bricks, they were given priority in the supply of various building materials, including some special materials used for war preparation.

Chen Fan dragged Director Li around the unit's warehouse, feeling a strong urge to try it out.

He asked a construction company for a stack of white paper and pencils specifically for drawing renderings and construction drawings, and then went back and started designing his own little home.

Even with his ability to design without thinking and draw without revising, he didn't finish until 3 a.m.

If it weren't for his current advanced Taoist skills, which allow him to get plenty of rest with just two or three hours of deep sleep a day, he would actually feel quite sleepy.

……

Early the next morning, Chen Fan took the blueprints to the newly purchased yard and met with Director Li and the construction company to discuss how to modify the place.

As the car drove into the yard, Chen Fan laid out the blueprints on the hood of the Lada and explained his design to them.

"This courtyard is arc-shaped, and I've divided it into two parts, separating them with a wall and only one small gate. The north side will have 1000 square meters where we'll build an H-shaped four-story building, surrounded by gardens. This is the rendering, and this is the construction plan..."

Once they understood, Chen Fan flipped through the blueprints and said, "The remaining 1800 square meters will be used to build a dormitory. Look, this is the rendering."

Several people around looked ahead and a group of Chinese-style villas came into view.

In the middle of this 1800-square-meter courtyard is a square two-story building, measuring 16 by 16 square meters, exactly 256 square meters. The building has a grayish-blue exterior and includes a basement and a sloping roof attic.

The roof lacks traditional eaves and brackets, consisting of simple blue tiles. From the walls to the ridge, everything is stable and balanced. The windows are large, giving it a simple yet grand feel.

If placed in later generations, everyone would immediately recognize this as the most common type of Chinese villa roof—simple, clean, and elegant, without being too eye-catching.

Although the building has only two floors, each floor is 4.5 meters high, and the roof is designed as an attic. Including the basement that is partially exposed, the overall height reaches 14 meters, which is about the same as the four-story building, making it look quite unusual.

Only this type of architecture can perfectly showcase the characteristics of large blue bricks, ensuring that future houses will be able to retain moisture and warmth, and be comfortable to live in.

Skip the structural diagram of this main building and look south.

In front of the house are a small pond, a rockery, stone steps, a pavilion, a bamboo grove, and a series of other embellishments. The route then circles around to the main building, with a covered walkway connecting the various parts of the house. The walkway is scattered yet orderly, forming a cohesive whole, with a small garden in the middle.

The small building at the south end is slightly smaller than the main building and has a different layout. Its main body is shaped like the Chinese character "冂", which is somewhat similar to a tenement building. However, it only has two floors plus an attic, so it looks rather exquisite.

As for the open space to the north behind the house, it is completely paved with bluestone or cement and can be used as a parking lot or outdoor sports field.

At most, we can add some flower beds and some greenery to decorate it.

Team Leader Qin of Construction Team 2, who had been assigned to the construction task, suddenly pointed to the artificial hill on the blueprints and said, "Isn't there an artificial waterfall here too?"

Chen Fan gave a thumbs up and smiled, "The master craftsman is indeed very experienced. There are detailed diagrams in the construction drawings. I will need your help to correct any errors."

Captain Qin's lips twitched slightly. "No problem, no problem."

He looked at the "dormitory" design drawings, which resembled a necklace, and silently complained to himself.

You call this a dormitory?
Are you taking advantage of me because I don't know what a "garden-style villa" is?!

Back in the day, I was a construction worker who demolished royal palaces and tore down Western-style gardens. Anyone with eyes can tell that this is going to be a big villa.

It's a 1800-square-meter property with front and back gardens!
However, he didn't say much. Since Director Li from the Housing Management Bureau personally brought him here, it meant that the sale of the courtyard was in accordance with the rules, so he naturally wouldn't cause any trouble.

Besides, I'm just a worker; if something goes wrong, I won't be held responsible.

He then lay down and began to examine the blueprints.

After watching for a while, he couldn't help but look up at Chen Fan and ask, "Young man, which unit are you from?"

Chen Fan was chatting with Director Li, wanting to ask him where he could buy high-quality timber.

Director Li replied directly, "Our construction company has it. You want to make furniture, right? What kind of wood do you need? We have sandalwood, oak, teak, nanmu, and rosewood. Pine is the cheapest, and nanmu is the most expensive, with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan per cubic meter."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Judging from the fact that you were able to draw this design in one night, I know you are an expert in architecture. Since ancient times, building houses has been inseparable from carpentry, so I suppose you must also know something about wood?"

Seeing Chen Fan nod, he continued, "Good wood is available every year and is not rare. If you like antique furniture, I can take you to a secondhand store. They have several warehouses of antique furniture, including items from the Forbidden City. You can buy anything from the Tang and Song dynasties, or from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Even the best beds, chairs, tables and cabinets are not new."

However, antique furniture isn't cheap. Beijing is the city with the most collectors of antiques and collectibles in the country, and anyone with a discerning eye knows the value of antique furniture. Even in secondhand shops, it's not an exaggeration to say that a single bed can be exchanged for a detached house.

The implication is that Chen Fan should be prepared for a "major hemorrhage".

Chen Fan smiled and thought for a moment. He realized that the used furniture in Shanghai was cheaper. He had bought so much furniture, and it only cost him three or four thousand yuan.

Seeing that Chen Fan remained noncommittal, he continued,

"If you're not interested in antique furniture, that's easy. Our warehouse has plenty of good wood. Take as much as you want, and we'll settle the bill later."

By the way, you need to find a good carpenter to make furniture. I know the manager of a furniture factory; they can handle both Chinese and Western styles. Many of the Western-style furniture pieces at the Beijing Hotel were made by them, and everyone says the quality is excellent…”

Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, he heard Captain Qin's voice. He turned around and smiled, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Captain Qin tapped the drawing twice. "Your drawing is so professional, it's like a textbook. You can understand it at a glance."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle.

He thought something serious had happened, but it turned out to be just this. He immediately laughed and said, "I learned a little bit before, and I even drew some house design drawings in the production team."

Production team?
Captain Qin was even more surprised, "Aren't you from an architectural design firm?"

Director Li couldn't help but wipe his sweat. Which production team did this guy come from? He even surprised the professional construction team leader.
Chen Fan chuckled dryly. What, does it have to be an architectural design firm to draw up plans?

When Captain Qin saw that he wouldn't say anything, he stopped asking.

Anyway, he decided to take the set of drawings back to the design department for a good look.

It's not about checking if there are any flaws in these drawings, but about letting them learn and see how others draw!
From the inside to the outside of the house, from the infrastructure to the decoration, even the wiring for water, electricity, and gas is clearly marked, along with the construction sequence, materials used, and process requirements.

With these blueprints in hand, there's no need to think about anything. As long as the equipment and materials are sufficient, he can complete the project in one go, saving more than half the time compared to ordinary construction projects!

We really need to learn from this!

Captain Qin received the blueprints and hurriedly went back to prepare for construction.

In the past two years, apart from participating in the construction of the memorial hall, they have hardly had any major projects. As an established construction company, they can only do some minor repairs on residential houses. They have been holding back their energy for a long time.

Today I've finally landed a big order to build a large villa, and the construction difficulty isn't low either. I should really seize this opportunity!
No doubt about it, all the excavators and cranes in the warehouse need to be brought over. If they don't move soon, these machines will rust. We'll also use all other construction machinery we can find...

Anyway, I'm definitely going to have a blast this time!
……

Chen Fan was unaware that Captain Qin was planning to install "large machinery" on him. He then turned around and went with Director Li to select timber and order furniture.

In the construction company's warehouse, he saw so much precious timber for the first time.

Director Li introduced, "This is Hainan rosewood. This wood is very good; the furniture made from it is not only sturdy and durable but also very beautiful, and the price isn't expensive, about 3 cents a pound." Chen Fan turned to look at him, "3 cents a pound?"

It's only ten times more expensive than cabbage?

Director Li chuckled and said, "Compared to nanmu and sandalwood, this kind of wood is much smaller and not suitable for making large items, so it doesn't fetch a high price. The local timber company only buys it for 8 cents, and the 3 mao is the price after processing and transportation to Beijing, so I suggest you use this kind of wood. It's cheap and works well!"

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly; that was indeed quite cheap!
In later generations, the price of genuine Hainan rosewood was in the millions per ton, which translates to 4,000 to 5,000 yuan per kilogram. Compared to 30 cents, the price has increased more than 10,000 times!
This is easier than finding money.

Chen Fan looked around and finally said, "Let's use huanghuali, golden nanmu, and zitan. We'll mainly use the cheaper Hainan huanghuali, and use golden nanmu and zitan for the important bedrooms."

He sighed as he spoke, "I bought a yard and built a house, but I'm out of money!"

Seeing his dejected look, Director Li couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

What happened to the 10000 in your bag yesterday?
Just build a few houses and furnish them... oh, that's definitely not enough.

It seems I'll have to talk to Captain Qin later and try to make more use of the "old materials" in the warehouse to reduce construction costs as much as possible.

Out of pity, Director Li took him to a furniture factory to order custom furniture.

Chen Fan didn't stand out too much. He selected a few styles from the furniture factory's product catalog, and then picked up the wood from the construction warehouse. It was considered processing with supplied materials, and he only needed to pay a processing fee.

(A catalog of export rosewood furniture products from the 70s, distributed by Hong Kong Dexin Trading Co., Ltd. and Macau Nam Kwong Trading Co., Ltd.)
After paying the deposit, Chen Fan did some mental calculations and suddenly realized he didn't have enough money.

Despite using a lot of old materials, such a large yard would still cost 15,000 yuan even with discounts to build a four-story complex with office space, plus a group of buildings consisting of two villas and several small landscape features.

If it were at the original price, it would cost well over 20,000 yuan.

His house in Lujiawan, if priced according to market value, would be worth more than four thousand!

This price is already very reasonable!
Then the wood and processing cost another four or five thousand, so the twenty thousand in his box was just spent!
With a heavy heart, Chen Fan returned to Old Man Li's courtyard, sighing as soon as he entered.

Inside the main room, Zhang Xuansong was reminiscing with two old companions, "The front is the area for outsiders, and the back is the dormitory and private area for practicing martial arts. Outsiders are not allowed in unless a fellow Daoist is staying overnight..."

Then he heard sighs coming one after another, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look. "What's going on?"

Chen Fan poured himself a cup of water from his mug, sat down in the chair opposite him, took a big gulp, and then sighed, "I'm out of money."

Zhang Xuansong blinked, turned to look at Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang, who were equally bewildered, then looked at him again, "Wait, didn't you still have 20,000 yuan in your suitcase last night? Where's the money?"

Chen Fan looked up, "Didn't we buy a yard yesterday? Today we went to the construction company to hire them to build a house, and the money all went up..."

He gestured with his hands a couple of times as he spoke, "That's it."

Lin Yuanxiang blinked, stared at him, and asked, "What kind of house do you want to build that costs 20,000 yuan?"

Zhang Xuansong frowned as well, "A room in a traditional courtyard house only costs three or four hundred yuan. Even if you build a five-courtyard house, it will only cost fifteen thousand yuan. Besides, why would you build such a big one?"

Chen Fan chuckled twice. "You all went to bed early last night and didn't see the design drawings I made. My house isn't a courtyard house; it's a small multi-story building."

Zhang Xuansong was even more confused, "The small building is even smaller, why does yours cost so much?"

Chen Fan gestured a couple of times, "My own house isn't very big. When we bought the land, we said we wanted to provide a location for the cotton mill and the machinery factory to have an office, so we built a four-story building. The first and second floors are offices, and the third and fourth floors are dormitories."

"Are you stupid?"

Lin Yuanxiang quickly said, "You have to let their company pay for it, how can you pay for it yourself?!"

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, we should let them pay."

He then chuckled awkwardly and looked at Zhang Xuansong, "I still owe Master Zhang 11,000, so I won't pay it back so quickly."

Zhang Xuansong rolled his eyes. "I never expected you to pay me back."

He paused for a moment, then pointed to the small schoolbag on the bed. "I only have this 10,000 left of my entire fortune, and I'll give it to you. Anyway, I only have one request: when the time is right, you have to set up Chaoyang Temple for me! If you don't have enough money, ask your Master Lin for more."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was overjoyed, not expecting to receive any additional income.

It's good that you recognized this master!

Of course, Master Lin is also very kind, and he will definitely not stand idly by without paying in the future.

Seeing his face change so quickly, Zhang Xuansong couldn't help but laugh and cry. He then narrowed his eyes and looked at him, "You better remember this, kid. If you mess things up, I won't let you off the hook!"

Chen Fan didn't care at all. He walked over, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and said righteously, "Don't worry, if we don't have the money to repair the Taoist temple, I'll be a bricklayer and carpenter myself. I'll use the bricks and tiles from that warehouse to build the temple for you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuansong, who had initially been somewhat confident, suddenly felt uncertain. "You're still a bricklayer?"

Chen Fan gestured a couple of times, "I built my own house! It even has a thatched roof."

Zhang Xuansong's vision went black. "A thatched hut?!"

Lin Yuanxiang couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You brat, you only say half of what you mean, and you're just trying to scare your Master Zhang."

He then smiled at Zhang Xuansong and said, "Old Xiao said in his letter that he designed his house himself, and the villagers all contributed their labor and materials to help him build it. It is the first small Western-style building in Lujiawan, and it is very impressive."

This kid is a proper bricklayer and carpenter, and he also knows a bit about bamboo weaving. In addition, he has a skill in carving, and even the master craftsmen praise his work. I think he can carve statues for gods.

"Why don't you just forget about looking for anyone else and let him build that Taoist temple? It might even be better that way."

Zhang Xuansong clicked his tongue, turned to look at Chen Fan who was all smiles, and was about to ask him what he studied.

But considering that he can learn all the secret techniques by reading books, it seems reasonable that he has more skills.
...What a ghost!

He immediately gulped down a mouthful of tea, waving his hands angrily, "Get out, get out, get out!"

Chen Fan picked up his large suitcase and ran, saying, "Goodbye, masters."

Zhang Xuansong put down the teapot, turned to his two old friends and said, "Compared to him, I feel like I've wasted my life."

Lin Yuanxiang leaned against the bed, laughing so hard he couldn't speak.

Li Shangde slowly poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Who told you to compete? Look at us, we won't compete! Not only will we not compete, but he's also our apprentice. Can you believe it?"

Zhang Xuansong, “…? That seems to make sense.”

……

Chen Fan, carrying a canvas shoulder bag and a large suitcase, hailed a taxi at the taxi stand on Qianmen Street and headed straight for No. 2, Shatan North Street.

That is the newly reopened office of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

It's not far; it's just east of Jingshan Park.

If Zhang Xuansong chooses the courtyard he just bought yesterday to build a Taoist temple, it will be perfectly positioned with Jingshan Hill in the middle, each occupying one side.

As Chen Fan sat in the car, gazing at Jingshan Park, he felt quite happy, thinking that he could switch between different fields in the future—left as a Taoist priest, right as a writer, making a crossover career!
Little did he know that a huge "surprise" was about to await him.

Actually, this location on Shatan North Street was not originally the office location of the Writers Association.

In its earliest days, the Writers Association was located at No. 22 Dongzongbu Hutong. Many important events in the literary and art circles in the early days of the People's Republic of China took place here. At that time, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles had nowhere to go, so the Writers Association allowed them to work here as well.

Later, memorial services for well-known figures in the arts and culture world were also held here.

Later, because the place was too small, and it just so happened that in the early days of the People's Republic of China, all units were carrying out large-scale construction, so the Federation of Literary and Art Circles also took advantage of the opportunity to apply for a piece of land to build a building. The location was quite good, right at the north entrance of Wangfujing Street and south of the Capital Theater, covering an area of ​​5196 square meters, which was huge.

It has one basement level, five floors above ground, and six floors in some areas, reaching a height of 22 meters. It features wooden doors and windows, a cement floor inside, and an elevator. The exterior is finished with exposed blue brick walls, and the ground floor is paved with stone, giving it a grand and luxurious appearance.

They even set up a literary and art club specifically for gatherings of people in the arts and culture sector. It included an auditorium, a tea room, a billiards room, and a convenience store.

At that time, Mao Dun, Zhou Yang, Tian Han, Xia Yan and others often came to participate in activities.

Later it stopped working.

No sooner had they left than the building became the property of the Commercial Press and the Zhonghua Book Company 70 years later.

Therefore, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association need to be rebuilt and must find a new office address.

But these days, there's a housing shortage everywhere. It's not just the arts and culture sector that's sending people back to Beijing to work; from academia to factories, almost every organization is doing it. Everyone is frantically looking for housing, so there's no spare space for them.

With no other option, the preparatory team could only set up a few wooden huts in the courtyard of Qiushi magazine to serve as temporary office space.

That is, this is the current address.

When Chen Fan got out of the car, handed over the letter of introduction, and entered the courtyard, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw those pitiful wooden houses.

Two days ago, I was feeling sorry for the Chinese Writers Association, which could only stay in an old house waiting for dawn. Today, I witnessed firsthand the miserable state of the National Writers Association, which was dependent on others.

So we're all the same?!
No, does such a large magazine like Qiushi not have enough offices for them to use?
Filled with doubt, Chen Fan followed the guard's directions to the wooden house, gently knocked on the door, and asked timidly, "Excuse me, is this the Writers' Association?"

(End of this chapter)