Comfortable life in Siheyuan

In the afternoon, Liu Guangtian went with him to see the house.

The house that Liu Guangtian liked was some distance away from the courtyard house, so Liu Qingshan got on his bicycle and pedaled for a long time.

When Liu Qingshan arrived at the place, he found that this courtyard was indeed a little shabby, and some of the walls had cracks. The age was not younger than Liu Qingshan's, but the courtyard in the middle was a little smaller than his.

"There's another reason why this house is sold so cheaply. During the big earthquake two years ago, someone in the owner's family couldn't escape and was buried inside. Everyone thinks this house is not solid and a bit unlucky," said Liu Guangtian, pointing to the half-collapsed ear room.

"What's the big deal? There's no house in our city that hasn't had someone die. If this is unlucky, then there's no place to live."

Many servants died in the mansion in the past, and even more have died in wars in recent years.

"I don't care. I've been walking around the streets for so many years, and I've heard all kinds of weird things. I'm not afraid of this. But this house still needs to be repaired, otherwise it will leak badly."

The two waited for a while and the homeowner finally came over.

"You want to see the house, right? This house is quite old and it suffered a big earthquake a few years ago. I don't have the money to clean it up, otherwise I really don't want to sell it." The owner of the house was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a pair of glasses and dressed very simply.

"It will cost a lot of money to clean up this house. Only the main house is fine and can still be lived in." Liu Guangtian nodded and agreed with what the homeowner said.

"The ownership of the house is clear, right? Does it belong to you alone?" Liu Qingshan asked.

"The house belonged to my parents. They passed away a few years ago and left it to me. My brothers and sisters left home early on. Now the title deed is mine and I can make the decision."

Liu Guangtian bargained for a while, but the other party insisted on not going below 3,000 yuan. After much persuasion, he finally managed to get a hundred yuan down. The deal was settled at 2,900 yuan.

After completing the process and going to the street office to hand over the goods, Liu Guangtian only had a hundred yuan left in his pocket.

After getting the key and opening all the doors, I took a closer look and realized why the boss sold it so cheaply.

The tiles in the back house were already exposed to the sun, and the two side rooms were also in tatters. There was an unpleasant musty smell and it was extremely humid, probably because they had been soaked in water.

Although the main house is habitable, the walls inside have started to fall off. If it is not cleaned up properly, the house will be useless.

"Guangtian, you have to put more effort into this house, otherwise it won't be habitable." Liu Qingshan said with a smile.

"It's okay. I'll call my wife over later. The two of them will come over to clean up when they have time. It will be done quickly. This is our own home and we'll be happy doing anything. When we have money in the future, we'll find a construction team and take a good rest." Liu Guangtian's face was full of longing, and it was obvious that he was really happy.

After closing the door, Liu Qingshan went with him to look at another house nearby. This was a courtyard house with three entrances, which was obviously much better preserved.

"Brother Qingshan, this family wants to sell their house now, but the price is a bit high, more than 10,000 yuan. Do you have enough money?"

Liu Qingshan walked around the house and was indeed quite satisfied. He had enough money but didn't want to spend it all on this house.

"I have already bought two houses, and bought so many things from you, so the money is really not enough. Later, I will bring my eldest brother over to have a look, he also wants to buy a house." Liu Qingshan explained with a smile.

When I got home in the evening, I told my parents about Liu Qingshan's house. I thought that if my eldest brother had the conditions, he could take it down.

"I'll talk to your eldest brother later. He has been working for so many years and he and your sister-in-law don't spend much money, so he should have money in hand." Father Liu said with a smile.

"Yes, they don't need the money, so it's better to buy a house with it. Then the children will have a place to live when they grow up." Liu Qingshan said with a smile.

Liu Qingsong's salary in the army was pretty good. Although soldiers' salaries are not high nowadays, the couple's expenses were small and they saved a lot of money over the years.

"The house you bought is now empty? Don't you plan to move in?" Father Liu looked at him with a smile and asked deliberately.

"Why would I move there? Here I eat ready-made food every day and have someone to help take care of the kids. I won't suffer that."

The family watched TV for a while before going to bed.

Liu Guangtian now goes to the new house every day, either to clean or pick up bricks. He also brings his wife over on weekends to help with the cleaning.

We also hired someone to re-tiled the leaky roof. We also fixed the cracks in the house. It was now almost habitable.

Half a month later, my eldest brother and his wife finally came back, and they brought money with them.

"Qingshan, didn't you say you would look for one nearby? Why did you run so far away?" Liu Qingsong also said at the time that he would look for a house nearby, and did not say he would look for one far away.

"It's a courtyard house with three entrances and exits, about the same size as our yard. I think it's good, so I asked you if you want to buy it. I haven't found a suitable one nearby yet." Liu Qingshan explained.

"Then why don't you buy one? I've been thinking about buying a house so that we can live closer to each other and it will be convenient for us to visit each other in the future. The younger generation can also communicate more and play together. Unlike now, we only see each other a few times a year and the children are estranged from each other." The eldest brother complained.

"You don't want to look at that house? You don't plan to buy it?" Liu Qingshan asked.

"No need to look at it, just buy the house yourself!" said the eldest brother.

"Then why did you come back this time? And why did you bring back so much money?"

Liu Qingsong brought back more than 10,000 yuan, and was seen as soon as he got home. It was impossible not to see it, because the more than 10,000 yuan was a large bundle, all in 10-yuan notes.

"I asked someone to look for a house in Maoer Hutong. It's close to home and has two entrances. Although it's a little smaller than yours, it's close to home and we don't need such a big place."

"Is it expensive? How much is it?"

"The owner wants 10,000 yuan. The house is well preserved and has a lot of old furniture. I plan to go over and talk to him today. I want to see how much it would cost if I leave everything in the house behind," explained the sister-in-law.

Yes, my eldest brother is not interested in these old things. Only my eldest sister-in-law knows a lot and knows that they are good things.

"Okay, let's eat first and then go over." Mother Liu asked everyone to eat quickly.

"Qingshan, your house is almost finished. How do you plan to arrange the furniture and other things in the house?" The eldest brother looked at the row of newly built houses outside, his eyes full of envy.

"I haven't decided yet. How about I leave one for you?" Liu Qingshan deliberately joked.

"It's not impossible. My parents live here. I have to have a place to stay when I come back."

Now Liu Qingshan’s two sons are sleeping in the room where their eldest brother and his family used to live, and there is really no room for them when their eldest brother comes back.

"I will immediately clean up the three rooms on the east side for the children, one for each of them. The little girl is too young to live alone yet, so she will live with us first. When she is older, we will make other arrangements.

The three rooms on the south side have a large living room in the middle. I plan to move the dining area there. It can accommodate several tables. There is a room at each end, and the space inside is not small. You will have a place to stay when you come back."

"What about the room over here? The food is placed over there, what are we doing here?"

"It can be used as a living room, with sofas and a TV, and a place to drink tea and chat."