noveltune Chapter 117, Courtyard No. 95
Chapter 117, Courtyard No. 95
A gentle breeze, carrying the heat of the day, swept through the alleyway, stirring up a few shredded pieces of newspaper from the base of the alley wall.
Lin Zhou walked through the network of alleyways, the blue bricks under his feet worn smooth and warm by the years, carrying a unique historical weight unique to old Beijing.
Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe stood to the left and right of him, both of them sweating profusely. Their polyester shirts clung tightly to their skin. Even so, they walked with steady steps, their eyes scanning the storefronts on both sides of the alley. They were clearly not ordinary people strolling around the alley.
Since Lin Zhou transmigrated, his physical fitness has long surpassed that of ordinary people, and temperature changes no longer have much effect on his body; at least the current weather has no impact on him whatsoever.
"Mr. Lin, now that your house is settled, do we need to go back to the Beijing Hotel?" Wang Jianguo asked.
"No rush, I'll go check out the courtyard house at No. 95 Yu'er Hutong first. It would be a shame to come back and not go see it." Lin Zhou smiled and walked forward unhurriedly.
"Okay!" Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe exchanged a glance, wondering why Lin Zhou wanted to go there, but they didn't want to ask too much and could only follow him.
"Section Chief Wang, this alley looks unremarkable, but the courtyard house hidden inside is quite exquisite." Li Jianshe said in a low voice, glancing at the vermilion gate deep in the alley out of the corner of his eye.
"That's for sure. This used to be a prince's residence. How could we not make do?" Wang Jianguo replied in a low voice.
Lin Zhou smiled, his gaze falling on the courtyard house surrounded by high walls ahead. Blue bricks and gray tiles, a grand gate and spacious courtyard; the two stone lions at the entrance, though somewhat weathered, still exuded a sense of majesty.
This is the courtyard house that so many readers dream of; dozens of fan fiction novels about courtyard houses are still cached on Lin Zhou's computer.
Those chaotic and treacherous stories, those characters who were cursed as "beasts" by readers, still exist vividly in this time and space of the early 1980s.
It's the early 1980s now. According to this timeline, the story of the courtyard house is already in its later stages. Moreover, the courtyard houses of today are no longer the ones dominated by three old men a decade or so ago. Now, dozens of families are crammed into the courtyards.
Sha Zhu should have already become the canteen manager at the steel rolling mill, and he was also invited by Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li to work as a chef in their small restaurant.
The eldest uncle, Yi Zhonghai, and his wife, the eldest aunt, have probably died of heart disease. The second uncle, Liu Haizhong, has long been retired, but he is not content with being idle and follows that kid Xu Damao to deal in steel, hoping to make a fortune.
Bang Geng also made something of himself. Through Sha Zhu's connections, he got a job as a driver in a ministry and became the "leader's driver" that everyone in the institute envied.
As soon as the three of them reached the entrance of the courtyard, they heard a noisy commotion coming from inside, a mixture of women's laughter and scolding and children's crying.
Just as Lin Zhou was about to step inside, he saw an old man wearing reading glasses and a faded blue cotton jacket squatting against the wall of the gatehouse, holding a small notebook in his hand and writing and drawing on it.
It was none other than the third uncle, Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui had very sharp ears. Upon hearing footsteps, he immediately looked up. His reading glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and he peered at Lin Zhou and the other two through the gap above the lenses.
Seeing that the three men were well-dressed and had an extraordinary air about them, especially Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe, whose eyes looked like those of police officers from the local police station, Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped writing with his pencil.
Yan Bugui was always calculating over trivial matters, and he would stretch every penny to its limit. He was especially wary of strangers, particularly those who looked unapproachable.
"Comrades, you are..." Yan Bugui hesitated as he stood up, rubbed his hands together, and forced a fawning smile onto his face.
He wanted to go up and strike up a conversation with the three men to ask what their purpose was, but seeing Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe's unapproachable demeanor, he swallowed his words and subconsciously shrank back.
Lin Zhou ignored him, only nodded slightly, and then led Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe straight inside.
Yan Bugui watched the three figures disappear into the distance, his eyes darting around as he mentally calculated something.
These three looked like they were here to check household registrations or to ask someone in the compound for help. He smacked his lips, put his notebook and pencil in his pocket, and quietly followed behind them, wanting to find out what they were really there for.
The courtyard house is divided into a front courtyard, a middle courtyard, and a back courtyard. The front courtyard is inhabited by small families, and everyone has gone to work now, so the courtyard is quiet. Passing through a moon gate, you arrive at the middle courtyard.
The central courtyard is the heart of the entire courtyard and also the liveliest place on weekdays.
At this moment, under the locust tree in the middle courtyard, there was a stone table with several small stools scattered around it. A middle-aged woman wearing a floral shirt was sitting on the stone stool picking vegetables. When she saw Lin Zhou and the other two enter, she immediately stopped what she was doing and looked at them curiously.
This is Sha Zhu's current wife, Qin Huairu.
Qin Huairu's eyes held a shrewdness mixed with wariness. Years of experience in the factory and steel mill had honed her keen eye; she could tell at a glance that Lin Zhou and his companions were no ordinary people.
Just as she was about to ask, she saw Yan Bugui emerge from behind the moon gate and wink at her. Qin Huairu swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, lowered her head, and continued picking vegetables, but her ears were perked up.
Lin Zhou's gaze swept across every corner of the central courtyard. The east wing room belonged to Yi Zhonghai, with the doors and windows open. At that moment, he was fiddling with a radio.
Next door to his house was He Yushui's small room, where you could see a brand-new black and white television set, which was a rare item in Beijing in the early 1980s. At that time, the two Jia sisters should have been living in this room.
The west wing room belonged to the Jia family; a string of dried chili peppers hung above the door, and several coal briquettes were piled up against the wall.
The north-facing house, directly opposite the moon gate, is the most impressive house in the courtyard. It used to be the residence of the owner of the courtyard house, and it is still occupied by Shazhu. It is estimated that Banggeng will use it for his wedding in a while.
He took a deep breath, having already made up his mind. He wasn't here to cultivate relationships or seek revenge; he simply had a lingering resentment that he needed to vent on the people in this courtyard.
They had already come up with a reason: to use the pretense of being friends with Lou Xiao'e to come and express their gratitude to Sha Zhu!
Lou Xiao'e is a significant character in many fan fiction novels about courtyard houses.
She was both Sha Zhu's first love and Xu Damao's ex-wife. Due to the special circumstances of that time, their family's class background was also problematic, so they had to leave Beijing overnight and were gone for more than a decade.
Now that Lin Zhou is using her name to find Sha Zhu, it's guaranteed to cause an uproar throughout the entire courtyard.
Wang Jianguo saw through Lin Zhou's thoughts and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Lin? Are you looking for someone?"
Lin Zhou shook his head, his gaze falling on the doorway of the main room, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Yes, but let the people in the courtyard go look for him," he said slowly, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear. "I heard that Sha Zhu is now the head chef at Yan Jiecheng's restaurant? Could someone please go and call him back? Tell him... Lou Xiao'e's friend needs to see him."
The moment the name "Lou Xiao'e" was uttered, the entire courtyard fell silent.
Qin Huairu, who was picking vegetables, suddenly trembled and dropped the green beans on the ground with a "thud". She raised her head sharply, her eyes wide open, and looked at Lin Zhou with shock and disbelief.
Yan Bugui, who was following behind, gasped and almost lost his footing. He never expected that these three people were after Sha Zhu! And it was all because of Lou Xiao'e, who had disappeared without a trace more than ten years ago!
The air seemed to freeze, the locust tree leaves rustled, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto Lin Zhou and his companions. Lin Zhou stood under the locust tree in the central courtyard, watching this scene unfold, and chuckled inwardly.
Sure enough, the story is true; the name Lou Xiao'e is the "thunderbolt" of this courtyard, striking every time it hits its mark.
Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe exchanged a glance, then straightened their backs and sharply scanned the people in the courtyard, exuding an invisible pressure.
Qin Huairu swallowed hard, about to say something, when she saw Yan Bugui rush to the door, shouting, "I'll go! I'll go call Shazhu! Comrade, please wait a moment, I'll go to Jiecheng's restaurant right away!"
After saying that, Yan Bugui dashed out of the courtyard.
Lin Zhou smiled and led the two to sit down at the stone table. Qin Huairu looked at Lin Zhou, her lips moved, but she didn't dare to speak. She just lowered her head and silently picked up the spinach on the ground, her heart churning.
Lou Xiao'e's friend? Lou Xiao'e is back? What's she doing back? Is she here to see Sha Zhu?
A series of questions swirled in Qin Huairu's mind, making her restless.
The sunlight gradually reached the center, and the courtyard was quiet except for the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Lin Zhou leaned against the stone table, looking at the eaves in the distance, but his mind was already planning what would happen next.