Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 619 Bought to Look Good
The group wandered around the alley. At first, Liu Juan and Ma Lan would explain what this place was, what the alley was called, and what things were there.

But they obediently shut up after only starting to speak.

There's nothing else to it, mainly because Chen Fan has come a long way and knows every type of regulated building like the back of his hand. He can tell you about the layout of a courtyard house from its entrance, what happened in the history of this place, and the reasons why this culture has been passed down from its customs and traditions.

These informative anecdotes are much more interesting than their dry introductions.

Later on, even they became engrossed in listening, feeling that they had gained knowledge, and no longer dared to act as tour guides.

I couldn't help but admire him; a great writer is indeed a great writer, his insight is something that ordinary people can't compare to.

However, there is one thing in which they are slightly better than Chen Fan: their familiarity with this place is much greater than Chen Fan's.

After looking around the area for a while, Liu Juan pointed to a grove of trees ahead and said, "Go through this grove and then head east. That's Beiluoguxiang and Nanluoguxiang. There are more hutongs there than here, and many of them were once the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles."

Moreover, there are many former residences of famous figures from modern times there; if you are interested, you can go and take a look.

Zhou Yali wasn't tired from shopping yet, so she waved her hand and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

On her last trip back to China, she had already visited must-see attractions such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, so this time she had no intention of going there and instead chose to explore the alleyways.

Although the gossip of those middle-aged women made her blush, she found the other things quite interesting if they didn't involve her.

Seeing how interested she was, Chen Fan had no objection, and Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian certainly wouldn't object either.

The group then set off again.

A short while later, Chen Fan walked into the grove and looked at Shichahai Lake and the low-rise houses in the distance. He couldn't help but feel as if he had been transported to another world.

How lively Shichahai was in later years! Although there were no tall buildings, it was always packed with people, and there were all kinds of shops and ancient buildings. It was definitely a bustling downtown area.

But now, apart from the tourists I just met in the alley, only retired elderly people are gathered by the lake, fishing, chatting, and playing chess, making it a veritable sanctuary for the elderly.

Moreover, Shichahai has not yet undergone comprehensive tourism renovation, and some areas are still dirt roads, making it stand out even more.

Just as Chen Fan was lost in thought, he suddenly frowned and looked at the group of people who were approaching from different directions.

Liu Juan, who was leading the way, had already stopped and, holding hands with Ma Lan, cautiously took two steps back.

Zhou Yali frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over them.

As for Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, they remained completely unfazed from beginning to end, acting as if nothing had happened.

Chen Fan took a few steps forward, stood at the front, put his hands in his pockets, looked around, and smiled slightly. "What's up, guys? You don't look like you're here with good intentions."

These people were all wearing the most common white T-shirts and shorts in summer. Even if two of them were wearing long pants, the cuffs were pulled up to their knees. They were wearing either sandals or cloth shoes. If it weren't for the cloth wrapped around their faces and the wooden sticks in their hands, they would be no different from the increasing number of unemployed youths on the street.

Seeing that Chen Fan was surrounded by his own people, yet still dared to joke around as if nothing had happened, the leader couldn't help but be stunned and carefully examined Chen Fan.

My first impression was that he was quite tall and good-looking, but looking at his arms and legs, there was no sign of him having practiced martial arts, and his skin was even more delicate than a woman's.
A person like that could take on three people with one hand.

He immediately rolled his eyes and said, "You're pretty arrogant. I just wanted to make some money to spend, but now I'm really annoyed. If you stand still, let us beat you up and nothing will happen. Otherwise, we'll send you to the hospital to lie in bed for a few months."

Chen Fan glanced at the eight people surrounding him and sighed softly. He really had no interest in these people.

He then gave a soft whistle.

The next second, a scream rang out, "Ah..."

Two dark figures moved through the woods and among the crowd, making it impossible to see what they were.

But one by one, those people clutched their bodies, letting out screams of agony.

Chen Fan snapped his fingers in front of Liu Juan and Ma Lan, who were stunned, and said, "Let's go."

He then walked straight through the fleeing crowd and continued forward.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan snapped out of their daze and quickly followed behind.

Zhou Yali's eyes were no longer filled with panic; instead, they lit up. She ran to Chen Fan's side, grabbed his arm, and asked, "What's that?"

Jiang Lili quickly walked up to her and chuckled softly, "Half a catty and eight taels, didn't you see that?"

Zhou Yali was stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Equally sized? Those two cats?"

Jiang Tiantian caught up as well, glanced at the two dark figures chasing after the enemy, and said with a smile, "Half cat, eight ounces" is not an ordinary tabby cat, but a wild cat that is very difficult to tame, also called a leopard cat or tabby cat.

Don't let their small size fool you; they're about the size of a domestic cat, but their habits are quite different, and they're incredibly ferocious. In the wild, common tabby cats primarily hunt small animals like mice and rabbits, but they can also hunt snakes and lizards.

Moreover, Half a Cat and Eight Ounces have undergone special training by Xiao Fan, making them more than ten times stronger than ordinary wild cats. Dealing with these people who haven't practiced kung fu is no trouble at all.

Hearing this, Zhou Yali was even more surprised and turned to look at Chen Fan, "You can train cats?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "I know a little."

Seeing that he didn't want to show off, Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili swallowed back what they hadn't finished saying.

But deep down, he couldn't help feeling smug.

Not only can he tame cats, but he can also tame dogs, horses, snakes, birds, and even pandas. There's nothing Xiao Fan can't do.

In no time, the eight men who had been so fierce just moments before were now fleeing in disarray under the equally matched pursuit, even leaving their wooden sticks behind. Chen Fan sighed that they were not professional at all.

After leaving the grove, Chen Fan looked back and then at Liu Juan and Ma Lan, who seemed dazed, and asked, "Are you alright?"

The two of them immediately shuddered and shook their heads in unison, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

The person is fine, but they were quite frightened just now.

That was terrifying. First, I was robbed by a bunch of hooligans, and before I could even react, they were chased away by two cats.

They couldn't even make out the shadows of the two cats, so how could they be sure they were cats?

Even stray cats aren't that outrageous.

Seeing that their complexions were gradually returning to normal, Chen Fan skipped over the question and instead asked, "Are these kinds of situations common now?"

Liu Juan finally came to her senses and quickly said, "Not many, but there are more fights. Many of the educated youth who returned to the city have not been assigned jobs. Although the street office has tried its best to arrange jobs and also tried to help some people become self-reliant or start cooperatives, it can only arrange jobs for a small number of people. Most people are still idle."

She pointed in a certain direction as she spoke, “There is a field there, not far from the West Sea, which has become a place where they often gather.”

Then he turned back and said, "But generally, even if they have conflicts, they won't provoke ordinary people. The street office and the police station don't have that much energy to manage them. As long as they don't come out to harm people, we just let them be."

However, there are still some people who, like before, do things that, while not many, can happen several times a day.

Their offenses aren't too serious; even if they get caught, they'll only be detained for a few days. But they've already spent all their money, and the police station can't do anything about it, so it's becoming increasingly difficult to control them.” As she finished speaking, Ma Lan suddenly thought of something and said indignantly, “Robbing money is the worst that can happen; there are even worse cases. Some people deliberately stop women on the street, claiming to be taking pictures of older women, but actually they're just harassing them. These people don't even get detained; even if they get caught, they only get a warning.”

After hearing her words, Chen Fan clicked his tongue, somewhat speechless.

Well, if he had just transmigrated here, he probably wouldn't have understood.

However, now that I've read some law books in my spare time, I know more about the current situation.

Firstly, the crime of "causing trouble" that many people in later generations know about no longer exists.

Many people in later generations thought that the distance between the opposite sex was very large these days, and that if a young man had contact with a woman in public, something would happen.

actually not.

This crime of "causing trouble" won't be enacted until 79.

Before this, even if someone did it, the punishment wouldn't be too severe. If the girl wasn't injured, it wouldn't even amount to detention; at most, it would be a verbal warning or sweeping the streets.

Therefore, in this era, there are many young people who like to be unconventional and are keen to have a temporary romance with the opposite sex, and there is no shortage of those who act out of line in public places.

Of course, this is only a very small minority; the majority are still good young people with sound values.

After all, most people still care about their reputation.

Therefore, the overall social atmosphere is still acceptable.

Chen Fan glanced at the grove of trees again and sighed softly. He thought that things would only get worse in the next few years.

At this moment, Zhou Yali suddenly pointed excitedly into the woods, "Ah, Ban Jin Ba Liang is back."

As soon as he finished speaking, two dark figures darted out of the woods, landed in front of Chen Fan, raised their heads to look at their master, and obediently peeked a few times, "Mission accomplished."

Zhou Yali jumped out and reached out to hug the two cats, exclaiming, "Wow, so cute..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan grabbed him and pulled him back.

She turned to look at him, bewildered. "Hey bro, what's up?"

Chen Fan pointed at the cat with disdain, "Don't you see the bloodstains on their paws? Aren't you disgusted?"

Zhou Yali immediately turned her head to look, blinked her eyes, and froze.

The two cats, unaware that their owner was disgusted with them, continued to gaze at him with clear eyes, waiting to be praised.

Chen Fan released Zhou Yali and imitated a few cat meows.

The two cats immediately spun around excitedly a few times, then rushed towards Shichahai Lake not far away and jumped into the lake with two splashes.

Zhou Yali stared blankly, "What happened to them?"

Chen Fan turned and walked forward, saying, "It's okay, I'll have them wash up."

Zhou Yali's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

Liu Juan and Ma Lan quickly followed, their expressions similar to Zhou Yali's.

Only Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian lagged behind, unable to help but giggle.

Normally, such an incident would have greatly affected the mood of the trip, but thanks to the two cats saving her, Zhou Yali's spirits were even higher.

Led by Liu Juan and Ma Lan, they strolled from Beiluoguxiang to Nanluoguxiang.

The commercial atmosphere isn't very strong yet, and the architectural styles are quite similar, so I managed to explore the whole area in just half an afternoon.

Dinner was at a restaurant. The food was alright, only slightly better than Liu Juan and Ma Lan's cooking, but not as good as Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian's.

Yes, this comment came from Zhou Yali. As a typical example of someone who only eats and does nothing, she has every right to comment.

By the time I got home, it was already dark.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan immediately got to work, running to boil water, while Chen Fan and the others sat in the living room to drink tea and rest.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Zhou Yali finally caught her breath. "So tired."

Chen Fan looked up at her and asked, "So, are we still going shopping tomorrow?"

Zhou Yali thought for a moment, then pursed her lips. "Hmm, I'll skip shopping and go shopping. I want to buy something."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at her, asking, "What are you buying? A courtyard house?"

Zhou Yali nodded repeatedly and smiled, "Brother, do you think I can buy a courtyard house? If not, then I'll buy it in your name."

Chen Fan shrugged. "Why bother? Courtyard houses look nice and have historical and cultural significance, but they are still old houses from a hundred years ago. They lack many basic facilities, such as kitchens and toilets with gas."

"Many areas in Beijing still lack underground sewage systems, especially the two areas we visited today. The central areas generally lack sewage pipes, so people have to use public toilets, which are dry toilets that are periodically emptied by a septic tank truck. Are you sure you want to buy a place like this to live in?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali was stunned. "Huh? Is that how it is?"

She paused for a moment, then looked around the room again and asked, "What about here? But I see you have gas and a flush toilet here."

Chen Fan chuckled twice and said, "When I bought this place, it was a large open space with only a few houses. I redesigned and renovated it, and then connected the sewage pipes from the main road to make it look like it is now."

"If you want to buy a courtyard house, putting aside the issue of renovation, if the location isn't suitable, you probably won't even be able to build a toilet."

He looked at Zhou Yali again and asked once more, "Are you still sure you want to buy it?"

Zhou Yali looked conflicted. If there wasn't even a toilet, that would indeed be a big problem.

At this moment, Jiang Tiantian thought for a moment and said from the side, "Xiao Fan, are courtyard houses expensive?"

Chen Fan turned his head and said, "It's not expensive. A standard three-courtyard house, covering an area of ​​about 600 square meters, including the yard, should cost around 10,000 yuan."

Jiang Tiantian was somewhat surprised, "So cheap?"

In comparison, houses in Shanghai are much more expensive.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's not exactly cheap. For an ordinary person, it would probably take decades to save up enough money to buy a house."

Then Zhou Yali said, "It's so cheap, I might as well buy it and display it!"

(End of this chapter)