Siheyuan: Living in the People's Community, with a Heart for the Red Star

Commander Feng took the information brought by Zhao Changkong and left the meeting room. Military Political Commissar Lu Ming and Division Political Commissar Li Feng congratulated Zhao Changkong.

Political Commissar Lu also apologized for his impatience just now, and said to Zhao Changkong with ill intentions: "Next time you encounter such a good thing, you must grab it hard! Such opportunities don't come often."

Zhao Changkong rolled his eyes at the other party and said, "They are not fools. If it weren't for my face, would they give us these extra things? They are more important than us in the eyes of the higher-ups! It's okay to take advantage of them, but we can't be greedy and make them feel bad about us. There are more powerful armies in the world than just us. What if he goes to their place to poach people?"

A few people smoked and chatted together, waiting for the commander's next arrangements.

Old Yang drove back to the compound with Zhao Jingyi, who had finished her meal. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Li Yuping, who looked depressed, sitting at the table and glaring at the two of them.

Being a shameless man, Lao Yang didn't care at all what Li Yuping thought about this matter. He took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, preparing to wash up first.

Zhao Jingyi walked to the table and sat down next to Li Yuping with a proud look on her face. She said to Zhao Liyiping, "What are you daydreaming about, Li Erlangzi? Have you had dinner yet? My eldest brother and second brother's families are all here today. It's so lively! It's a pity that I didn't bring a camera, otherwise I would have taken some photos as a souvenir. Do you know why we went back to my mother's house today? If you beg me, I'll tell you!"

Li Yuping looked at Zhao Jingyi, who was grinning like a fox that had stolen a chicken, and said unhappily, "Go away, don't bother me! Who wants to know about your little thing? Isn't it just a meal at your house? What's there to be proud of? Let's go to my house for dinner tomorrow. If you beg me, how about I take you with me tomorrow?"

Old Yang washed his face, put down the towel, walked to the table and said, "Yuping is right, I really have to go to your house tomorrow! My recruitment approval has come down, and I can select retired elite sergeants from various branches of the military to serve with me. The warship replacement plan that I discussed with my father-in-law last time can be implemented. And it won't be long before we leave Kyoto. Do you want to go back to Hong Kong with us this time?"

When Li Yuping heard Lao Yang say that he was going back to Hong Kong, she immediately panicked. She walked up to Lao Yang, hugged his arm and asked, "So soon, husband? You haven't been here for long, and you're going back. Don't you still need to recruit instructors? We haven't had enough fun yet!"

Old Yang scratched Li Yuping's nose and explained, "Leave the recruitment of officers to the people behind. I just need to take care of the relationships in front! I have to go back to Hong Kong to solve the problem of food and lodging for these people. And my people will soon go to Nanyang to set up a mercenary company. I have to be there in person, so I won't have many opportunities to return to Kyoto in a short period of time. The most I can do is to ensure that I can send you supplies once a month."

Zhao Jingyi and Li Yuping looked at Lao Yang worriedly. Li Yuping advised: "Husband, our life is good, there is no need to fight anymore! If we take out a little bit of our assets in China, it will be enough to have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of our lives!"

Zhao Jingyi also echoed, "Hubby, why don't we donate all our property? You stay in the country and we can live a down-to-earth life, isn't that good? With the power of our families, we can protect you without any problems. We can also live a rich and prosperous life. With a little effort, we can become high officials! Do we have to go out and take risks?"

Old Yang looked at the two nervous people and thought to himself: "After the storm started, your two families were really not good enough! It's good to be able to stand up again. How many martyrs were crushed to pieces in the storm! Since you have the power to overturn the sky, your fate must be in your own hands!"

Old Yang comforted the two girls and said, "Your life may seem difficult and dangerous, but in my eyes it may just be a game. You can just enjoy your life peacefully. I will act cautiously and will not give you the opportunity to remarry!"

After Lao Yang comforted Li Yuping, he took out some cakes from the space, and the three of them sat around the table eating and chatting. Soon, the two girls laughed so hard that they forgot their troubles!

The next morning, Lao Yang drove the two girls to work as usual, and made an appointment with Li Yuping to visit her parents' home in the afternoon. He asked her to make an appointment with her father-in-law in advance and make sure he came back! He told her to take a leave, pick her up at noon for lunch, and go to her parents' home in advance in the afternoon to prepare.

After sending the two girls off, Lao Yang drove directly to Ma Siye's lair. After he opened the door, it was A Wei who greeted Lao Yang and told Lao Yang that Ma Siye had been directing the work at the factory in the west of the city recently, leaving at dawn and coming back very late. If you want to find Ma Siye, you need to go to the construction site, otherwise you don't know when he will come back!

Old Yang drove directly to the Chengxi Factory and saw that the factory gate had been demolished and many people were dismantling the buildings inside. Ma Siye and Qi Guangtai were both on site directing the work.

Old Yang called Ma Siye and told him the purpose of his visit. The main purpose was to renovate the courtyard of Guaijia Hutong. The renovation of the three wing rooms of No. 95 Hongxing Siheyuan and the acquisition of the East Cross Courtyard of No. 97 Courtyard were all handed over to Ma Siye. After the East Cross Courtyard of No. 97 Courtyard was acquired, four northern rooms, two east and west wing rooms, one bathroom, one toilet, and one kitchen were built, and trees and flowers were planted in other places. Finally, a small door was opened between the East Cross Courtyard and the three west wing rooms.

After writing down Old Yang's requests, Fourth Master Ma assured him, "Don't worry, Old Master Yang, I will take care of this little thing for you. I wonder if Old Master Yang has time recently? Old Master Li wants to invite you to his home for a simple meal. What do you think?"

Seeing that Fourth Master Ma was determined to win, Old Yang couldn't refuse, so he agreed and said, "I'm quite busy recently. If possible, please arrange it for tomorrow or the night after tomorrow. Just go to the compound and let me know when you're done. You continue to be busy. I'm leaving now. See you later!"

Ma Siye quickly followed Lao Yang and sent him to the car. After Lao Yang drove away, he called Acan and took him back to the Li family in the city to report.

As he was driving from Xidan towards Qianmen, he heard the roar of motorcycles. Two motorcycles rushed past his car, and the two Harley motorcycles, one in front and one behind, quickly disappeared from Lao Yang's sight.

Old Yang looked at the motorcycle speeding away, thinking to himself: If you want to die quickly, just kick it! Riding a motorcycle so recklessly, it seems that he is a second-generation. I think my plan has begun to work, and I will get a batch of motorcycles and give them to Zhang Ke to distribute. Especially more motorcycles, it would be best if each of these second-generation people has one. Just based on the nature of these people, I don’t believe they won’t turn Kyoto upside down!

The purpose of Lao Yang's trip was to go to Liulichang in Xicheng to buy a batch of antiques, calligraphy and paintings. After all, in a few years, many antiques, calligraphy and paintings will be destroyed as "four olds". While there is time now, collect more and put them in the space to preserve some treasures for the inheritance of Chinese culture.

Old Yang drove to Liulichang very quickly. Liulichang is located outside the Peace Gate of Kyoto. It stretches from Nanbeiliuxiang in Xicheng District in the west to Yanshou Street in Xicheng District in the east. It is a famous cultural street. Books, writing brushes, inkstones, antiques, calligraphy and paintings are the main products, and jade and porcelain are the supplementary products.

There are hardly any pedestrians on the street these days, and there are only a few shops still operating. After all, business is not good now, and public-private partnerships have been implemented, so there is no need for duplicate shops.

Lao Yang parked his car on the roadside and went straight into the largest Rongbaozhai. Since the implementation of public-private partnership, Rongbaozhai's business has changed to printing. Many old masters are unable to play freely, and many intangible cultural heritages have gradually disappeared from the stage of history.

After entering the house, Lao Yang saw rows of bookshelves filled with various calligraphy and painting books, and a row of shelves on the east wall were filled with some porcelain and antiques. There was definitely no gold or silver, as they had been recycled by the state. At that time, the famous Friendship Store and Panjiayuan had not yet opened, so it was relatively troublesome to find some old items!

The worst thing is that some good things are not dared to be sold now, which makes the ghost market in Liulichang more famous than the shops, and there are more antiques. Many people go to the ghost market to find bargains. People like Lao Yang who visit the antique market openly are either foreign friends or wealthy overseas Chinese. Famous people in the cultural circle come here to appreciate, and ordinary people don’t come here to hang out. Who cares about things that can’t be eaten or drunk!

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up immediately when he saw Lao Yang coming in, thinking that a big customer was coming today. Lao Yang went out today wearing a Zhongshan suit, a white shirt, black leather shoes, and carrying a bulging bag in his hand, which showed that he had goods!

The shopkeeper came forward and asked, "What do you want to see? I'll find it for you!"

Old Yang looked around and asked, "How many ancient books are there before the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty?"

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment and replied, "There are indeed quite a few ancient books before the Guangxu period, but most of them are incomplete and isolated copies! There are probably more than 2000 volumes."

Old Yang then asked the shopkeeper, "How many calligraphy and paintings from before the founding of the People's Republic of China are still there?"

The shopkeeper thought the matter was not that simple and answered cautiously: "There are about 2000 paintings and calligraphy works before the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Old Yang followed the shopkeeper to the tea table in front of the counter and sat down. The shopkeeper poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.

Lao Yang took the teacup and put it on the table, then said to the shopkeeper, "How much would it cost if I wanted to buy all the ancient books and calligraphy and paintings?"

The shopkeeper immediately frowned, wondering if Lao Yang was deliberately causing trouble.

"Comrade, please have a cup of tea first. I need to discuss with the public representative and then give you an accurate answer. Excuse me!" The shopkeeper saluted with his fists and stood up and went to the back.

About ten minutes later, the shopkeeper and a thin middle-aged man with glasses came over one after another.

The shopkeeper introduced, "Comrade, this is our Rongbaozhai's official manager Qi Pingcheng. Manager Qi will discuss the specific prices of ancient books, calligraphy and paintings with you."

Lao Yang stood up, shook hands with Manager Qi, and then they sat down.

Manager Qi looked down on Old Yang because of his youth and asked, "What's your name, comrade? Where do you work?"

Old Yang looked at Manager Qi, whose face was skinny, and replied, "My last name is Yang, and I'm a foreign businessman from Hong Kong. I heard that Rong Bao Zhai is the largest ancient book and calligraphy shop in Kyoto, so I came here because of its reputation!"

He patted the bag on the table and continued, "I have prepared a large amount of cash to buy the ancient books, poems and paintings in the store for collection! I wonder how much the ancient books, poems and paintings currently in Rongbaozhai are worth? If it's suitable, we can make a deal!"

Manager Qi saw that Lao Yang's behavior did not seem to be fake, so he took out a thick list and introduced: "There are 113 ancient books before the Yuan Dynasty, 510 books before the Qing Dynasty, 550 books before the Republic of China, and more than 1000 rare rubbings of various kinds. There are more than 2100 poems, calligraphy and paintings. According to the prices previously approved by the state, the total price of the ancient books is 7 yuan, and the total price of the calligraphy and paintings is 22 yuan. If Mr. Yang is determined to buy, we still need to report to our superiors and apply for it. Including the time for packaging, it will take about 3 to 5 days to complete. I wonder if you can accept it?"

When Lao Yang heard that the total was less than 30 yuan, he thought it was damn cheap! Now some people in the country are afraid of being beaten by foreign countries and value traditional culture too low. They will regret it in the future! In any case, the country will pay for the damage caused in the process of development.

Old Yang didn't think about it anymore and said to Manager Qi directly, "Okay, I can accept the price. I'll pay half of the deposit first, and then send it to No. 8 Guaijia Hutong after it's packaged."

Lao Yang took out a check from his pocket and wrote a check for 15 yuan, handed it to Manager Qi and said, "Please apply for it as soon as possible, Manager Qi. I will pay the extra packaging fee!"

Manager Qi and the shopkeeper were stunned when they saw the huge check in their hands. They only reacted after Lao Yang coughed. They excitedly issued a sales contract to Lao Yang, and both parties signed and sealed the transaction.

Then Lao Yang turned to the east shelf and asked, "I wonder how many of these old items we have in our store? How high is their authenticity?"

The shopkeeper next to him immediately explained, "Mr. Yang, to be honest, we mainly sell on behalf of others. We don't have many antiques ourselves! Together with these in the warehouse, there are only about 400 pieces, and there are about 200 pieces of ancient texts on consignment. It will take some time to calculate the total price. These antiques have been repeatedly appraised by our two generations of appraisal masters to ensure the authenticity. About % of these are real, and two of the other three are high-imitations put here to try their luck, and the remaining % is hard to tell whether they are real or fake!"

Manager Qi at the side quickly recommended: "If Mr. Yang really wants to buy it, he can ask our old master at Rongbaozhai to re-appraise it to ensure that Mr. Yang will not buy a fake!"

Old Yang waved his hand and refused, saying, "Don't bother with that. Just do as the shopkeeper said and get rid of the 20% of fakes. I'll take all the remaining 80% of antiques! And please, Manager Qi, calculate the total price for me."

The shopkeeper and Manager Qi were delighted, and they invited Old Yang back to the tea table with a smile and served him new tea. Manager Qi took out an abacus and began to calculate the total price.

Old Yang was full of admiration for Manager Qi, who was very good at using an abacus. In every era, there are always specialized talents, and there are many people who do their jobs to perfection.

After three cups of tea, Manager Qi calculated the prices of more than 300 old items on the list and came up with a price of 72 yuan. The average price of an item was 2400 yuan, which was really not low in this era and a huge sum of money for an ordinary family.