Chapter 628: Emerging from the Surface
After so many years, Ma’s Garden is like a piece of incomplete and dusty jewel, which has been submerged in the urban alleys and rarely known.
But even the main entrance to the decent garden was blocked with bricks.
The gardens inside were damaged to a considerable extent and the scenery became very bad.
Only about 30% of the rocks remain, the pond has been filled in, the sculptures have been lost, and nearly half of the plants have been lost.
Most of the existing buildings have peeling paint, broken doors and windows, and even many privately built small houses have popped up in the garden.
At first glance, there are too many miscellaneous things.
But in general, since most of the houses are still there, the overall structure and mountain veins of the whole park are still basically intact.
This place can still make Kang Shude feel emotional about the scene, and clearly revive the past events through memories.
So from the moment he entered this garden, he couldn't help but tell Ning Weimin what happened back then.
However, it must be said that it was completely different from the purely show off purpose when Ning Weimin took him to see No. 5 Courtyard of Dongsi Si Tiao this morning.
The old man just regarded Ning Weimin as his closest relative and wanted to talk about the past that had been dull in his heart for so many years.
“Oh, the original car room is gone, which is a pity. Today, there are several rooms at the entrance, which are dedicated places for parking cars. I think back then, before the July 7th Incident, the whole capital There are only a hundred private cars, and the Ma family only bought seven cars. Think about how rich the richest man in the capital is. Four of them are parked here all year round. They are all good cars, and the cheapest one is a Ford. It also cost 2,700 oceans..."
"Ah, by the way, there was a Japanese Nissan in this garage back then. We all called it the 'Potato Car'. That was Jiang Qimingjiang, a tenant of the Ma family. Mr. Song's. Like Mr. Song, Mr. Jiang's family also rents in Majia Garden. The yard they live in is next to Mr. Song's..."
"I see three rooms here. No, these are all concierges. This concierge faces north. Hey, it’s a good place to live. Is this house suitable for living? Even the glass windows must be installed in the back, which is too ugly. In the past, there were window lattice. Those with auspicious patterns are pasted with Korean paper..."
Kang Shude couldn't help but walk over as he spoke, opened the door and took a look.
But as many springs, summers, autumns and winters have passed, the inside has naturally changed, and there is no trace of what it was before the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The walls were plastered with whitewash, and many places on the ceiling and walls were made of old newspapers.
You can even see traces of photos, calendars, or certificates posted on the wall when the residents moved out, all left by the previous resident.
Kang Shude shook his head, closed the door and exited, and continued walking eastward.
Ning Weimin continued to follow suit.
"...to the east of the concierge is the gate. Look, right there, the sealed gate of Ma's Garden. In the past, this gate would always be open from six o'clock in the morning to ten o'clock in the evening. There are a lot of people coming and going, so there are a lot of people in the Ma family’s house. At least ten people are here, led by Xiao Wu, Li Qing, and Yang Deming, who take turns as the foreman..."
"Hey, actually Mr. Xiao Wu was the best to me. His son Xiao Zhong was about the same age as me, and we were friends. Later, with the help of the Ma family, Xiao Zhong became a police inspector, better than the inspector. When Guan'er was older, he was responsible for these alleys. Unfortunately, his life was short-lived. In 1943, the Japanese were conducting bacterial experiments at the Tiantan Shenle Department. He was unlucky and was infected by 'Hu Lie La' (cholera). He left and never came back. Otherwise, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he would have been the deputy director of the police station..."
"Li Qing's son is called Li Li. That kid is a good showman and he is another friend of mine. But his voice was not good enough, so he had to learn opera from Lizi Laosheng. Later, he gave up and learned to drive a car. He became the special driver for Master Sun of the Ma family. I learned to play the huqin from Mr. Song. When he was learning opera, he often played. I was dragged into the garden to play with him. But this kid is very bad. When I first came here, he loved to tease me and always scolded me by counting, "I am the first king, you are the second king..." Keep counting until 'I am the king of seven, you are the king of eight...'. I didn't know the difference between odd numbers and even numbers at the time, so I was fooled by him many times..."
"A few rooms further east from the gate are the counting rooms. At that time, there was a bookkeeper named Xia Jinyuan in the Ma family. He once worked in an engraving shop and was good at writing official script and engraving seals. Because he loved teasing crickets and I knew how to catch songbugs, we became friends every year. I often catch crickets for him, and he teaches me how to practice Chinese calligraphy in his spare time. By the way, his seal-carving skills also taught me nine out of ten..."
"Look over there, it's the east end of the garden, and further south is the big kitchen of Ma's Garden. In the past, there were several tables and benches in the yard of the big kitchen, which were used as dining places for the servants in the garden. . Sometimes Mr. Song and I come back late from doing errands. If we don’t eat out and are too lazy to go home and cook, we go over to the big kitchen to make a meal.”
"I still remember that the big kitchen master's surname was Chang, and he used to work in Dongxing Building. Because he was lame and couldn't cook the stove every day, he came to Ma's house instead to save money. There was a handyman named Xiao Zheng who was better than me. He is three years older, but he came two years later than me. When he first came, the oily soup oozed from the cooked meat. Everyone said that he didn't have the talent to cook on the stove, but he was not convinced. He secretly worked hard and was stunned. Jin'er was attracted by Master Zaotou Chang, and he took on his apprentice. Decades later, the business was passed down from father to son. By the time I bought Ma's Garden, it had already gained the reputation of "Zheng's Kitchen". I heard that both father and son later became famous. Went to the cafeteria of the large unit..." "Hey, look, there is a toon tree with wisteria wrapped around it. It's a pity that now all that's left is this bare flower wall. It's ugly. Fortunately, it's ugly. The gravel corridor and rockery are still there. Don’t underestimate these decorative things. Let me tell you, this corridor with stones on both sides and square bricks in the middle is exactly the same as the private gardens in the Summer Palace. , only found here. The focus of the landscaping here is mountain stones, most of which are high-quality lake stones and bluestones transported from the abandoned Old Summer Palace, especially lake stones. There are several models with Qianlong's imperial inscriptions in this garden. Excellent product, I don’t know if it is still there today..."
As he walked, Kang Shude pointed at what he saw along the way and told Ning Weimin the past events.
In this immersive situation, the old man's life experience stood out in front of Ning Weimin's eyes as if it were floating on the surface of the water.
Listening and watching, Ning Weimin was not only deeply attracted, but also suddenly discovered.
The Ma family who built this big garden back then was nothing like the richest man in the capital he imagined.
For example, the door is closed all day long, and I hide at home and feel bored.
Marry a little wife when you have nothing to do, a maid who doesn’t have the luxury of buying flowers.
Organize a private armed force, be unkind for the sake of wealth, and treat your servants harshly.
On the contrary, the people who live here seem to be able to live happily and enjoy themselves regardless of their status.
This created a considerable contrast between historical reality and his imagination.
He couldn't understand this, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Old man, why did the Ma family rent their house to others back then? Aren't their families the richest people in the capital? It would definitely not be because of the lack of money? Such a beautiful garden, let outsiders Don’t you feel a loss if you stay?”
I didn’t expect Kang Shude’s answer to be so logical.
"Of course it's not due to lack of money. First, it was due to the prevailing atmosphere at the time. People back then were very mobile. Even those who had lost their status could not buy a house in one place, especially those who were officials. They could be transferred at any time. . So renting is the norm. "
"The second thing is that the Ma family needs connections and lacks real power, especially since they can't develop elsewhere. The most important thing is to be kind. So this is where the Ma family is smart. He rents out his spare houses to powerful people, or people who can connect with powerful people."
" This is exactly what he said, an iron-clad camp and strong soldiers are the only way for the Ma family to ensure the prosperity of the family. Otherwise, why should they have some friendship with them. Becoming the richest man in Beijing? Renting a house is certainly a very clever way. The relationship between landlord and tenant is also very delicate."
"If you think about it, we treat each other as guests, not for profit. Polite exchanges will naturally accumulate some good relationships. If the children can get along with each other on a daily basis and live and play together, it will be of great benefit to the Ma family."
"Don't forget, Although Mr. Song is just the owner of an antique shop, he also went to college in Japan. Not only did he have Japanese classmates, but he also married a Japanese wife. He was not an ordinary person, but a lady from a famous family in Japan. "
"That Mr. Jiang is also an engineer who has returned from overseas and is engaged in Western architecture. Not only can he and the Ma family help each other in business, but he has also greatly helped improve the level of the Ma family's gardening. Moreover, before the fall of Peking, Mr. Jiang, in addition to working in He teaches at Yanjing University and is a consultant to the Construction Committee of the National Government. He is a brother-in-law of the mayor of Beijing. "In the past, Dai Li even lived in the garden here in 1945. When he was on business in Beijing after the liberation of Peiping, he stayed in the south study room where Ma Huitang lived in the south of Huayuanzi. Later, the Ma family helped Dai Li buy a courtyard in the Assorted Garden not far from the south study room. It looked brand new. Otherwise, how could the Ma family not be harassed and liquidated just because they married the daughter of the pseudo-Beiping mayor?"
"In fact, even the Ma family's drama? The building is often rented out for big shots in power to hold parties and celebrations. There are many good friends. The Ma family hides the unique shrewdness and realism of businessmen under their humble and hospitable appearance. br>Hearing this, Ning Weimin's doubts were all gone and he couldn't help but nod his head frequently.
(End of this chapter)