Siheyuan: Starting to work in the security department

Time flies, and two months passed in a flash.

Niu Ping'an's courtyard was completed.

It's another Sunday.

Niu Ping'an's family of five happily came to the newly built courtyard.

Opening the double doors, the beautiful courtyard appears before your eyes like a scroll being unfolded.

The courtyard is about 100 square meters, with four plots of land neatly arranged.

In one of the plots there is a pomegranate tree, the one that originally remained in the old yard;

A date tree stood on another plot of land.

The other two plots of land are empty and have no plans for the time being.

"Dad, this yard is so beautiful!"

"Dad, is this our new home?"

"I love it so much!"

The children couldn't wait to run into the yard and look around.

Sometimes they were amazed, sometimes they were playing happily.

"Well, we'll go buy furniture later, and we'll move in here next week."

Niu Ping'an is also very satisfied with Master Sun's craftsmanship.

"Brother Ping An, I'll go take a look too!"

Qin Jingru no longer cared about her reserve and left Niu Ping'an behind to visit the place on her own.

In an instant, Niu Ping'an became a lonely man.

During these two months, Niu Ping'an often came here to check on the progress of the reconstruction.

I was very familiar with the yard, so I didn't get involved.

I lit a cigarette and stood in the courtyard thinking about what furniture I should buy to decorate the yard.

"Brother Ping An, is that the bathroom?"

Suddenly, Qin Jingru's exclamation interrupted Niu Pingan's thoughts.

Niu Ping'an walked over, and the three children were also attracted by Qin Jingru's exclamation.

“Yes, that’s a flush toilet.

Just click here after use.

That's a shower head, but it only has cold water, which is more convenient for taking a shower in the summer.

This is the washbasin where you can brush your teeth and wash your face.

This rack is for hanging towels and clothes.”

Niu Ping'an carefully introduced to them the usage of various equipment in the bathroom.

No wonder Qin Jingru looked so ignorant. In this day and age, there were really too few private bathrooms.

Only those Western-style buildings, high-end hotels or high-rise buildings built in the future have facilities such as toilets.

No matter which one, it is not accessible to ordinary people.

Especially in small and medium-sized cities and towns, sanitary conditions are even more primitive, and people can relieve themselves almost at any time while walking on the streets.

Because along the street you can see a row of large manure vats of various sizes and shapes half buried in the ground, pedestrians can use them to relieve themselves when they are in a hurry.

Therefore, we often say: So-and-so is a really good place. It is convenient to go out on the street without worrying, and there are manure vats everywhere.

“How convenient!”

Qin Jingru exclaimed, extremely happy.

Niu Ping'an did not install a bathtub in the bathroom.

Without hot water, the practicality of the bathtub is greatly reduced, and it will only be used to collect dust more often.

“The country is developing and technology is advancing.

In a few years, when you look back, you won’t think it’s a big deal! ”

Niu Pingan explained with a smile.

"Okay, we've seen enough, let's go to the Trust Store and take a look."

The yard is not big and it’s empty so there’s nothing much to see.

Once the novelty wears off, it actually feels just like that!

.....

There are many trust stores in the old city, such as Xidan, Caishikou, Tianqiao, Xisi, Dongsi, Beixinqiao, Xinjiekou, etc.

Unlike pawnshops, trust banks’ business is mainly agency-based, serving as go-betweens and bridges between the consignment and purchase parties.

Trust stores are generally divided into two parts: the sales department and the purchasing department. The sales department is responsible for display and sales, while the purchasing department is responsible for purchasing and consignment.

When people want to sell new or used items that they are not using anymore, the trust store will purchase them based on the market price and the condition of the items.

If it is an item on consignment, the price at which the "entrusted" store sells it is also determined by negotiation between the two parties, and the store has no right to change it.

If the item is sold, a certain handling fee will be charged; if it is not sold, you can take it back intact without paying any fees.

According to the different business scopes, the original trust stores can be roughly divided into three categories:

One category is those who buy and sell miscellaneous items, ranging from cameras, handicrafts, watches to clothing, leather shoes, hats, clothes, etc., such as Dongsi, Caishikou, Tianqiao, Qianmen, etc.

The other category collects furniture, such as beds, tables and chairs, boxes, wardrobes, etc. For example, Donghuamen Trust specializes in collecting and selling safes and office cabinets.

There is also a category of companies that buy and sell bicycles, including complete vehicles and bicycle accessories, such as Beixinqiao Trust.

People sell things in trust stores for a variety of reasons:

Some people are short of money and want to change some cash to spend;

Some are married and want to sell their old furniture and buy new ones;

I also moved and couldn’t deal with the old things…

Of course, where there is selling, there is buying.

In those days, visiting trust stores became a hobby for many people, sometimes not for buying anything, but just for browsing.

Some people with sharp eyes can often find "treasures".

Niu Pingan and his family went to a trust store that sold furniture.

It’s not that he can’t afford new furniture. Niu Ping’an wants to take advantage of this special period to stock up on some good vintage items.

From the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China to the late 70s, Ming and Qing furniture was never regarded as antiques or works of art.

Influenced by the Western home decoration style, people have replaced the old tables and chairs in their homes with new furniture such as sofas and modular cabinets.

At that time, a large amount of hardwood furniture was sold at low prices, or dismantled and made into scales, musical instruments, etc.

Most of the discarded tables, chairs and benches naturally flow into the second-hand market.

Huanghuali armchair with dragon pattern----Buy!

Huanghuali Ma Taishi Chair----Buy!

Huanghuali double drawer altar cabinet----buy!

Rosewood high relief Kowloon passionflower pattern top box large four-piece cabinet----Buy!

A Huanghuali cloth stand---buy!

.......

Trust stores generally make some repairs to the second-hand items that are collected back.

Niu Pingan directly started the shopping mode.

Chairs, tables, wardrobes, desks...

As long as they were useful and made of precious materials, I bought a lot of them.

Niu Ping'an didn't care whether there was enough space in the yard and just bought it first.

After moving to the new yard, the courtyard house became empty and could be used directly as a warehouse.

It only cost more than 400 yuan to buy everything together, which was basically a free price.

Since I bought a lot of things, the manager was very considerate and even provided door-to-door delivery service.

After agreeing on a delivery time, Niu Pingan and his family went to the furniture market to buy a few new beds.

After all, who knows how many people have slept on a second-hand bed. Even if it is expensive, it will still feel a bit uncomfortable to sleep on it.

When it came to choosing new beds, Niu Ping'an gave the autonomy directly to the children themselves.

It has to be said that European-style furniture does have its own unique features.

There is nothing missing in terms of style, material or comfort.

Not surprisingly, all three children chose a new European-style bed that they liked.