Chapter 136 China on the Bite of the Tongue
Hougulouyuan Hutong is located on the east side of Drum Tower.
Going north to south, Fang Yan and Han Yuemin followed the broker to a mansion in the middle. The door was a Western-style arched door.
At the door, stood an old man in his sixties, not tall, wearing a cotton-padded jacket, clean and spotless.
“Are you Uncle Wang?”
Fang Yan greeted the homeowner.
On the way here, the broker had already given an overview of the seller’s situation. Uncle Wang’s son had gone abroad a few years ago through his overseas relatives, and gradually established a firm foothold and was ready to sell the goods. The two old men picked her up, and there was no use keeping the house here.
Simply sell it and get some money to take to the United States.
"Come in and take a look."
Uncle Wang glanced at their bicycles, which were all Phoenix brand, nodded with satisfaction, and invited the two of them to the courtyard.
The second entrance to the courtyard covers an area of about 300 square meters.
The original layout was to have seven rooms in the north room at the first entrance, with tile roofs, and three rooms in the east and west wings at the second entrance, with composite tile roofs.
But now it looks like a mess.
The crowding and chaos inside were beyond Fangyan’s imagination.
A few boards are put together to form a shed, and a few bricks are put together to form a kitchen. There are sheds on top of the sheds, and there are rooms on top of the houses. They are densely packed and messy, with a strange coordination and chaos. According to the layout, the aisles are narrow and cramped, but there is room for every household.
There is simply a kind of messy beauty.
Han Yuemin followed Uncle Wang and Fang Yan and walked around the house. It was really an eye-opener.
“Have all the residents here moved out?”
Fang Yan stood at the mottled wooden window frame and looked in. It was empty, except for the broken bowls and broken pots that had not been taken away. Pots and broken flower pots.
“Don’t worry, they’ve all moved away.”
Uncle Wang vowed to make sure.
All the families who originally lived here moved with the factory to the new factory in Yanjiao, and lived in the housing buildings allocated by the work unit.
“No wonder, if we hadn’t encountered this kind of thing, I’m afraid so many households wouldn’t have moved out so happily.”
Fang Yan glanced around and confirmed that they had moved. clean.
It’s just that there’s room after room of garbage left behind.
"Who says it's not!"
Uncle Wang said that if the house had not been sold, he would have gone abroad with his wife and reunited with his son and daughter-in-law.
Fang Yan said cautiously: "Can I see the property deed?"
"This is it."
Uncle Wang took out a piece of paper from his briefcase.
Fang Yan took it and checked it carefully. The location and area of the room were all right. When he saw the steel seal of the official seal, he was completely relieved.
I was afraid that the old man didn’t know how to count, so I took out the house deed that had been invalidated before liberation to tease him.
"Uncle, please make a price."
Fang Yan handed the house deed back, "If the price is right, we can go through the transfer procedures right away."
Uncle Wang came up to him and said, "I want 13,000."
Fang Yan's expression did not change and he looked at Han Yuemin.
Han Yuemin understood and sang with a white face:
"Uncle, this is a bit expensive. The small western-style building in Tuanjie Lake, 150 square meters, only costs over 16,000 yuan."
"My price is 300 square meters!"
Uncle Wang replied.
Han Yuemin said: "But look at how much area so many huts take up. I estimate it is more than half."
"Hey, I said, isn't this a good thing!" "
Uncle Wang mistakenly thought that the two of them were housing transfer cadres of a state-owned unit, "I bought this house to allocate housing to employees. "
"He didn't make it clear to you. "
Fang Yan glanced at the broker, "I'm buying a house for myself. ”
"By yourself? Alone? You buy a house alone?!"
Uncle Wang was stunned, and then looked at it seriously, "Little comrade, can you really spend more than 10,000 yuan?"
“Of course, we came all the way here not just to make fun of you.” Fang Yan said with a smile: “I sincerely want to buy it. Sir, please be more generous and give me a real price.”
“Yes, sir, there are not many households with a income of 10,000 yuan these days, and there are even fewer people who can spend so much money in one go.”
Han Yuemin took the opportunity to add, "What's more, after buying your house, it will cost you a lot of money."
Uncle Wang looked at them on the left and the broker on the right, gritted his teeth, and quoted 12,500 yuan, which was reduced by 500 yuan. It seemed quite small, but it was equivalent to more than a year's salary of an ordinary worker.
And because they are going abroad, in addition to bringing some personal belongings, furniture and other old items are all given to buyers for free.
"How about you make more concessions?"
Han Yuemin and Dialect sang "Red and White Face" and tried to bargain for more, but Uncle Wang bit him to death for 12,500.
“Okay, it’s up to you.”
Fang Yan pretended to hesitate for a long time like he was thinking, and finally nodded solemnly.
“Can you really get it?”
Uncle Wang was surprised and happy. Compared with more five hundred and fewer five hundred, he wanted to sell the yard as soon as possible and quickly reunite abroad. .
"Uncle, I'm not kidding you. It's this price. I agree. You will see when the transfer can be completed." Fang Yan nodded with a smile.
"Let's go to the housing management office the day after tomorrow."
Uncle Wang said that he and his wife would take advantage of this time to pack up the things they were going to move to make room for Fang Yan.
Han Yuemin watched Fang Yan make an appointment with Uncle Wang, then said goodbye and left, his head blank.
"Yanzi, are you buying it now?"
"Yes, Brother Han, soldiers are expensive and quick."
Fang Yan knew why he was shocked. After all, more than 10,000 yuan in 1981 was too scary.
Han Yuemin understood what he meant and couldn't help but think that when the cultural shirt business was done and he saved enough money, one day he would buy a courtyard house like this for his mother and Fang Hong.
It is best to be neighbors in Hougulouyuan Hutong.
"Brother Han, let's say hello to our future neighbors."
Fang Yan agreed with the broker that he would pay the agency fee after transferring the property. After sending him away, he pushed the car and didn't panic. Walk unhurriedly.
"Say hello?"
Han Yuemin couldn't help but be stunned.
“Check the information and see if what they say is true.”
Fang Yan said with a smile, “Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst.”
Han Yuemin suddenly realized it and immediately walked down the street to visit.
After confirming that the situation was true, in order to celebrate the purchase of a house, Fang Yan specially invited Han Yuemin to a barbecue restaurant for lunch.
Zhizi Barbeque in Sijiu City is an old signature dish that only rivals it during the barbecue season, and is known as the "Northern Season and Nanwan".
"Yanzi, let me treat you."
Han Yuemin stood at the door, "Save this money for the day after tomorrow and give it to the landlord Xianer. After all, buying a house is a big expense. "
Fang Yan hooked his shoulder, "I know Brother Han is afraid that my pocket will be cleaner than my face when I buy a house, but you don't have to worry. "
Then he patted his pocket and said, "Keep this money for yourself. When you go south to Hangzhou, buy more fabrics and threads."
"If you say that, I feel relieved."
< br>Han Yuemin changed the topic, "No If you want to celebrate, there are plenty of places in Dongcheng, so why come all the way here?”
“I’m not just celebrating, but also looking for creative inspiration.”
“Creative inspiration? ”
"That's right, next I want to write prose about eating. How can I write it if I don't have a good meal?"
Fang Yan and Han Yuemin walked into the lobby arm in arm.
After all, practice must be combined with theory.
There are many documentaries about Chinese cuisine. Needless to say, "A Bite of China" is a classic among classics.
There are not only "A String of Life" which records the special barbecues across the country, but also "One City, One Taste" which records the delicacies of a city, as well as "Original Taste of China", "Flavour of the World", and so on.
The first Chinese food documentary I watched in my previous life was "Chinese Food Culture" organized by Cultural Bu and co-produced with Japan. It covered the four regions of Yanjing, Jiangnan, Eastern Guangdong, Sichuan and Chongqing. In Japan Once it was broadcast, it caused quite a stir.
It is said that "Chinese cuisine that does not shine is not good cuisine", "The Little Master of China" also got inspiration from this documentary.
For the assignment assigned by Shen Congwen, Fangyan plans to combine "A Bite of China" and "Chinese Food Culture" to write about a "lonely gourmet" of Chinese food culture in the first person.
The title is still called "China on the Bite of the Tongue".
The food of a great country must be grand!
"Sizzling."
The mutton lay in the oven with a sizzling sound and oil splashing everywhere.
What is being burned at this moment is pine branches, and the aroma of the meat is mixed with a faint fragrance. When the meat is cooked, it is served with sugar garlic and cucumber strips. Especially in the cold autumn and winter, eating it will make you sweat profusely and make you feel tired.
That’s an authentic thing!
Fang Yan holds long bamboo chopsticks in one hand, dips the thinly sliced beef into the seasonings, and grills it on the grill.
At this moment, the elder brother at the next table shouted:
“Waiter, why don’t I put braised shrimp oil in my seasoning?”
“Yes, it’s because your taste is too strong. "
The waiter rolled his eyes angrily and brought the sugar garlic in his hand to Fangyan's table. When the man at the next table saw this, his eyes lit up.
“Brother, I’m asking you for sugar and garlic, you know how to eat.”
"Isn't it the same for you?"
Fang Yan pointed to the sugar garlic on his table, "Isn't it just to eat this bite of sugar garlic when you come to barbecue and eat barbecue?"
"But No, it’s a small thing if you don’t have braised shrimp in oil, but it’s a big deal if you don’t have sugar and garlic.” The man at the next table was just grilling meat and eating sugar and garlic.
“It’s because of this jealousy that we made this dumpling.”
Fang Yan patted the table lightly.
"If you tell me this, one of us must leave."
The man at the next table immediately raised his glass with a serious look on his face.
“Cheers.”
Fang Yan picked up the Arctic Ocean and touched it.
The face that caught my eye seemed familiar, but I couldn’t recall it for the moment.
(End of this chapter)