Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 622 Bought a Pot
They reached a verbal agreement but weren't in a hurry to sign a contract.

For such a large transaction, one should at least go and see it in person.

Although it's unlikely that a government agency would cheat him, he still needs to show a serious attitude. Otherwise, if someone signs a contract and pays without even looking at the house, wouldn't he be a complete sucker?

If they come up with a bigger house later and try to push it onto his property, wouldn't that be incredibly awkward?!

At that time, should he buy, buy, or buy?

Of course, Deputy Director Pan didn't need to personally show the property; having Deputy Director Li accompany him was already a high-level arrangement.

As the group left the office building, Deputy Director Li was in a dilemma upon seeing so many people. One car couldn't accommodate them all, and he would have to go to the fleet to arrange another one.

Then they saw Chen Fan and his group walking towards a very small bus.

Upon seeing the car, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over. "Writer Chen, this car is so unique!"

Chen Fan turned to look at him and smiled, "The minivan produced by Yunhu Automobile Factory can seat 7 people, including the driver, but if you squeeze in, 1 or so people can fit without any problem. You can also fold down the seats to carry cargo. It only costs 8 yuan. Anyone want to buy one?"

Deputy Director Li peered through the open car door and exclaimed, "Only 18,000? With so many seats, it can easily seat 10 people. Add a bench and it can seat another 4 or 5. It can even carry cargo! That's impressive!"

Seeing his interest, Chen Fan smiled and said, "Why don't you ride in my car and experience it?"

Deputy Director Li turned around, his face beaming with a smile, "Is that alright?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "Get in the car."

Without saying a word, Deputy Director Li immediately opened the passenger door and got in.

The three girls behind him suppressed their laughter and got into the car one by one, and Chen Fan started the car and drove off.

The driver of the regular Hongqi sedan behind was dumbfounded when he saw the leader leave in the guest's car.

Should I follow or not?
After glancing at the dispatch order on the center console, he hesitated for two seconds before starting the car and following.

Because the negotiations went smoothly, we didn't spend much time at the Housing Authority. By the time the car arrived at the Prince Ning's Mansion, it was not yet 8:30.

Before he even got out of the car, Chen Fan saw the mansion gate, which was completely different from ordinary courtyard houses.

The term "府门" (fumen) refers to the main gate of a royal residence. Ancient architectural regulations were strictly defined. Taking a courtyard house as an example, the main gate varied in status: the "府门" (fumen) used by royal residences, the "广亮门" (guangliangmen) used by nobles and high-ranking officials, the "金柱门" (jinzhumen) used by lower-ranking officials, the "蛮子门" (manzimen) used by wealthy merchants, and the "如意门" (ruyimen) used by ordinary residences.

Finally, there's the "wall-style door," which has no back room and only a door in one wall. This is the kind of dwelling that belongs to the lowest class of people. It's what people often call a tenement courtyard, and that's where Liu Juan and her family live.

Moreover, the main gate of a courtyard house is usually located in the southeast corner, but the main gate of a prince's mansion is located in the due south, and it is grand in scale and ornately decorated, like a large house.

It was actually just a big house. Besides the main gate in the middle, there were gatekeepers' rooms on both sides and guest rooms for ordinary guests to wait temporarily. Even the Guangliang Gate, which was second only to this one, was not this imposing.

Deputy Director Li, still seemingly unsatisfied, got out of the car and walked around to the front to take a look, nodding repeatedly, "This car is fine."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "Is this car easy to buy?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "I don't know about that. If you're interested, I'll give you an address. It's the Beijing office of Yunhu Automobile Factory. You can go there and ask them later."

As he walked inside, he said, "This car is in high demand right now. I heard that orders are booked up for two months in advance. Otherwise, I would have arranged it for you directly."

However, if you're in a hurry, you can ask other car manufacturers. The design blueprints are publicly available, and all car manufacturers can produce them; maybe they have them.

At this point, he turned to Deputy Director Li and smiled meaningfully, "But the quality may not be as good as the cars from Yunhu Factory."

Deputy Director Li was somewhat puzzled. "Isn't this the same?"

Chen Fan glanced at the plaque hanging next to the gate and laughed, "The production units are different, so the quality is bound to be different."

The sign reads "China Youth Art Theatre". The National Theatre of China was not established until 2001. Its predecessor was the China Youth Art Theatre, which was established in 49. In 56, the Central Experimental Theatre was established. In 66, the two theatres merged and retained the name Youth Art Theatre.

However, this is only one of the locations; there are other offices in other places.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Deputy Director Li seemed to understand something.

But now was not the time to think about that. He took out his work ID, said a few words to the old gatekeeper, and then led the people inside.

Zhou Yali held Jiang Lili's hand in one hand and Jiang Tiantian's hand in the other, looking at the scene before her with a bewildered expression in her eyes.

Is this the well-preserved prince's mansion?

Are you kidding me? !
The two sisters seemed unfazed. Jiang Tiantian glanced at Chen Fan in front of her and whispered to Zhou Yali, "This place is different from the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is repaired every year to try to maintain its original appearance so that tourists can visit it."

Since this place has already been approved for use by the unit, they naturally won't bother with superficial work; as long as the building structure is intact and it's not a dangerous building, that's sufficient.

Therefore, the original carved railings, painted beams, and brightly colored patterns on the exterior of the houses were not well protected, and naturally, they ended up in their current state.

What does it look like?
Looking around, all the buildings were gray and drab; the red walls, green tiles, vermilion pillars, and colorful eaves that the Prince's Mansion should have had all faded.

The grand halls and courtyards looked like dilapidated buildings, with weeds growing stubbornly on the roofs and corners. Where was the grandeur of a royal palace?!

As Chen Fan walked in, he looked around. After walking through most of the palace, he unconsciously put his hands on his hips.

Did I buy a royal palace or a pot?

This place can be described in just two words: devastated and weathered by time!
Such a house is habitable even without major repairs, but what's the point of moving in right away?

At the very least, those haphazardly constructed earthquake shelters should be demolished, and the original layout restored, with repairs made where necessary and replacements made where needed.

The peeling paint and pillars all need to be repainted, and the broken tiles, the ceilings inside the rooms—oh, they should be called coffered ceilings—as well as the discolored doors and windows all need to be repaired.

(caisson)
Furthermore, all the fences and walls between the courtyards must be demolished.

A perfectly good prince's mansion has been divided into several areas, seemingly turning into a semi-open residential area?!
Restoring this to its original state would be dozens of times more troublesome than rebuilding a prince's palace!
(A corner of the interior of the Prince Ning's Mansion in the 90s)
He couldn't help but glance back at Zhou Yali, wanting to say, "How about we buy another piece of land and build it ourselves?"
Zhou Yali blinked, finding it difficult to make a decision.

Deputy Director Li naturally noticed Chen Fan's expression and quickly said, "Don't be fooled by appearances. As long as we demolish the haphazardly built sheds, we can restore the original layout of the Prince's Mansion. With a little renovation, it will be habitable."

He pointed around and said, “Except for the screen wall at the entrance, which is no longer there, the central route starts from the mansion gate and goes all the way in, including the Yin’an Hall, the wing building, the sleeping gate, the sleeping hall, the side hall and the auxiliary hall, as well as the rear building, all of which are well preserved.”

The five courtyards on both the east and west sides were also completely intact. ..."

Chen Fan interrupted him, "Yes, yes, it's completely intact, and there are even more things here."

He pointed to the railing on the wing and said helplessly, "Director Li, look, the original wooden railings are now all blocked with cement. Just repairing them is a troublesome matter."

He pointed to a small corner and said, "Take another look. That should be the courtyard on the west side, right? It's almost been expanded into a row of townhouses. One floor has been turned into two floors, and they're all connected. How are we supposed to fix this?"

Deputy Director Li looked embarrassed. "Yes, it's possible."

At the same time, my mind was racing. This is $24! I can't let it slip away!

It's strange, when I came to see it myself, I thought it was okay, but when they came, they saw problems everywhere.

It wasn't that he didn't want to recommend something better to Chen Fan, but this Ningjun Prince's Mansion was already the best among the mansions that could be traded.

The worst one couldn't even be called a tenement; it had to be called a shantytown.

Otherwise, given the size and location, they wouldn't dare ask for $30!
So, for now, this is the only option we can use.

He coughed twice, trying to find the good points of this palace.

Before he could speak, Chen Fan said, "It's not that I can't buy this courtyard, but I have one condition. Otherwise, let's pretend this never happened, and I'll just buy another small courtyard."

Deputy Director Li quickly replied, "Tell me, tell me. As long as it's possible, I will never refuse."

Chen Fan said seriously, "I only have one requirement: after the courtyard is vacated, I hope that a professional team specializing in the restoration of ancient buildings will carry out the restoration. Moreover, the restoration plan should combine Chinese and Western styles and integrate the ancient and modern."

Deputy Director Li blinked. "Finding a professional construction team is no problem. But what does this 'combination of Chinese and Western styles, and integration of ancient and modern elements' mean?"

Chen Fan explained, "I know that professional construction teams usually design and build according to the standard of restoring the old as it was. They restore the house to its original state, right?"

Seeing that Deputy Director Li nodded, he continued, "But it's inconvenient for him to live in a house that's hundreds of years old, so what I'm suggesting is to add things like toilets, bathhouses, and kitchens that didn't exist in ancient times."

Then, the electrical wires, water pipes, and gas were all connected. And that's not all. He pointed around, "Once everything is connected, I want it to be completely invisible from the outside. The wires can't be flying in the air, the water pipes must be buried underground, the electrical box must be inside the house, and all the conduits must be easily accessible for future maintenance and replacement."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Deputy Director Li and asked, "Is this all you're asking for?"

Deputy Director Li looked at him and asked in a low voice, "Then, the repair cost...?"

Chen Fan chuckled, "Naturally, it'll be my...cousin who takes the blame."

He never considered having the housing management bureau bear the cost, for a simple reason: it was too much money for them to afford.

According to his plan, the renovation project of this mansion would cost at least 10 yuan, and the housing management bureau would certainly not be willing to pay for it.

Deputy Director Li gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, then I agree."

Since the other party is paying for it, he can make the decision without needing to submit any reports or applications.

He gestured towards the Forbidden City, saying, "I'll submit a report to my superiors and invite the unit responsible for repairing the Forbidden City to come. I'll also go to the design institute to hire designers who can design modern buildings, so I guarantee they can restore this place properly!"

He was talking, but secretly he was delighted.

It's rare that not only did they successfully sell the house, but they also landed a large repair order.

His cousin's family was obviously well-off; they bought a $24 house without even the adults showing up.

When it comes time to develop a repair plan, we'll definitely go with the most expensive method.

Why make it sound so complicated, with all this talk of "combining Chinese and Western elements, integrating ancient and modern styles"? It's just about making it both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Compared to those large-scale projects, this is nothing!

To prevent electrical wires and water pipes from being exposed, we'll use concealed trenches, and dig two of them to separate the dry and wet areas.

Should we hide the electrical box?
Sure, we'll dig him a basement, a big one at that, big enough to hide not only the electrical box but also a cash box...

With this in mind, after signing the letter of intent, Deputy Director Li left in his company car.

Chen Fan opened the car door and got in. After Zhou Yali and the others got in, he started the car and drove in another direction.

Zhou Yali, holding onto the back of the seat in front of her, asked softly, "Brother, how much will it cost to renovate this yard?"

Without turning his head, Chen Fan calmly said, "It's okay, if you don't have enough money, I'll use my royalties."

It's just money. Once Zhou Yali brings back her first Western fantasy novel, he refuses to believe she won't have the money.

Hearing that her younger brother would back her up, Zhou Yali breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, if Daddy didn't have some big plans right now, reforming the company and needing money in many areas, I wouldn't have to worry about this little bit of money."

Chen Fan glanced at her and said, "Stop making sarcastic remarks. You're short of money, how are others supposed to survive?"

Zhou Yali chuckled foolishly, clenching her hands tightly, imagining what the Prince's Mansion would look like after it was restored.

Aside from being smaller, isn't it about the same size as the Forbidden City?
……

A dozen minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of the master's courtyard.

Chen Fan checked the time; it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet.

Upon entering the courtyard, the three masters were sitting in the guest hall drinking tea. The three girls went over to greet the masters, making the three old men beam with joy.

Chen Fan closed the courtyard gate behind him, walked over, and smiled, "Didn't you go for a walk today?"

Zhang Xuansong rolled his eyes at him. "It's so sunny, you're going out for a walk?"

As he spoke, he picked up a small cloth bag from the daybed and threw it in front of Chen Fan, saying, "Forget about bodyguards, this is for you."

Chen Fan glanced at him, untied the tightly wrapped cloth bundle, and took out a small wooden box from it.

Upon opening it, wow, there were two PPKs inside.

When Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili saw the two pistols, they couldn't help but exchange a glance, their lips curving slightly upwards before they quickly suppressed it.

Chen Fan picked up one of them, moved his fingers a few times, and the pistol was reduced to parts scattered on the table. He looked up and smiled, "Not bad, Third Master. You didn't try to fool me with a Type 52 pistol. You got two original ones."

The most famous handgun in my country is undoubtedly the Type 54 Black Star, but on another covert front, the most widely used and considered the most reliable handgun is the Type 52 police gun, a copy of the PPK.

The Type 52 pistol's appearance is not so much like the PPK, but rather exactly the same, with the only difference being the serial number on the gun.

With its mature design and stable shooting, this gun was once a reliable tool for secret agents and police. It was later redesigned in 62 and became known as the Type 62 "small cannon".

Well, the main reason is that the bullets for this gun are too small, so the gunpowder capacity is naturally very small. The sound of the gun is similar to that of a small firecracker. Naturally, the range is also not far, and the effective killing power is only a dozen meters. However, it is enough to be used as a defensive gun or in close-range firefights.

However, the later Type 62 pistol, which modified the mature design of the Type 52, was far less effective than the Type 52.

The Type 52 was eventually phased out for only one reason: the manufacturing process at the time was too poor, and the gun would become unusable within a few years, making it far inferior to the original PPK.

For example, the parts that Chen Fan disassembled were all smooth and round, while the parts of the Type 52 pistol even showed the tool marks left by the lathe.

That's why Chen Fan was a little surprised; he didn't expect Master Zhang to be able to get him an original.

However, considering that he retired from the General Logistics Department, it seems reasonable.

Zhang Xuansong lit a cigarette and said to Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, "It's not that Third Master is unwilling to help, it's just that hiring bodyguards is too conspicuous and really inappropriate."

He pointed to the guns on the table, "So I got you two guns. The gun licenses are issued by the General Logistics Department. Whether you're in Beijing, Shanghai, or anywhere else, as long as you don't go abroad, you can use them."

"I'll have Xiao Fan teach you how to shoot later. Remember to carry them with you. Don't be afraid in a real emergency, just shoot. I'll cover for you if anything happens."

Chen Fan disassembled the other gun, checked it and found no problems, then quickly reassembled it and handed it to them along with the gun license and magazine, saying, "Aren't you going to thank Master San?"

The two of them accepted it together, then turned around and bowed to Zhang Xuansong and the other two to express their gratitude, "Thank you, Third Master. And thank you, First Master and Second Master as well."

Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang waved their hands together, "No need to thank us, it was Lao Zhang who took care of this, thanking him is enough."

Lin Yuanxiang then carefully instructed, "As your third master just said, in critical moments, just fire your guns and we'll cover for you. But if it's not a critical moment, you still need to be cautious. It's best not to use guns lightly if you don't have to."

The two nodded together, indicating that they understood.

Jiang Tiantian was a little conflicted; how did he become her master?
Chen Fan poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then said, "Third Master, although we have a gun, Second Master just said that it's best not to use it. Sometimes when you encounter some thugs, whether or not to draw your gun can be a troublesome matter."

So, once the restrictions are relaxed and this door is opened, it would be best to find them two people to save them from all those little troubles.

Zhang Xuansong smoked a cigarette, not even glancing at him, and simply said, "Hmm."

And that was it.

Lin Yuanxiang, standing to the side, said, "Your kung fu is now better than mine. You've graduated. Whether you take on apprentices or not, or who you teach kung fu to, is up to you."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you understand?"

Chen Fan chuckled and nodded, "I understand."

He then looked at the two sisters and said, "Did you hear that? Second Master said I can take on disciples now. Why don't you come and become my disciples?"

The two sisters rolled their eyes in unison, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Chen Fan didn't take it to heart, turned to look at his three masters, and said, "If there's nothing else, we'll take the car and leave tonight."

Without saying a word, Zhang Xuansong waved his hand repeatedly, "If you want to leave, leave quickly, so as not to annoy your eyes."

Old Zhang felt he had lost out big time, having his two treasured items stolen in one go and incurring a favor.

Li Shangde chuckled and said, "Since you're leaving tonight, don't be idle this afternoon. You still know people, like Mr. Mao Dun, so you can visit him. He cares about you, so you should know how to repay him."

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I know. I've already prepared my things, and I'll go to the Writers' Association this afternoon."

Zhang Xuansong chuckled softly, then waved his hand, "Aren't you going to cook?"

(End of this chapter)