Reborn in 1977

Chapter 519: The Greeting Gift

At this time, the capital was still a "city on the edge of desertification," with wind and sand in almost every season, especially in spring.

Today was March 10th, the day of the Dragon Raising its Head on the second day of the second lunar month, right in the middle of spring.

Chen Fan sat in the taxi, looking out through the car window.

Actually, there wasn't much to see.

In these years, only the inner city was considered the urban area, and most of the area outside the inner city was the suburbs, including the vicinity of the airport.

Along the way, it was basically the scenery of the northern countryside: low houses in the distance, vast but barren fields, and a few scattered cars on the road, lacking the style of a big city.

Frankly speaking, for most of the 20th century, Beiping was far less prosperous than Shanghai and Tianjin.

Especially during the Republic of China period, South Shanghai and North Tianjin almost accounted for half of the country's urban color.

Why?

It's a bit sad to say, but because these two places had more concessions, compared to other parts of the country, the concessions had two advantages: "superior geographical location" and "relatively stable society," attracting countless merchants, which led to the prosperity of these two cities, one in the south and one in the north.

Beiping was a bit lacking in this regard, with almost no development in the decades since the late Qing Dynasty.

Even Shenyang and Harbin in the Northeast were not much worse than Beiping at that time.

It wasn't until the mid-to-late 1980s that the capital's urban construction began to exert its strength, starting from both sides of Chang'an Avenue, and rapidly spreading in all directions from the Second Ring Road as the starting point. Later, when it became too crowded, Xiong'an New Area was directly created.

But now, it really isn't enough.

Especially now that there was a sandstorm outside, covering the sky and the earth, presenting an eerie red color under the reflection of the sun.

(Spring of '78, sandstorm in the capital's urban area)

The taxi driver was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing a liberation cap and a green work uniform, looking very much like a cadre.

Like the taxi drivers of the capital in later generations, he was also one who couldn't stop talking.

Or was it a professional tradition?

The experienced driver held the steering wheel and glanced at Chen Fan sitting in the passenger seat, "Young comrade, you look quite young. Where are you from? Are you on a business trip or visiting relatives?"

Chen Fan turned his head and looked at him, smiling, "Jiangnan. Visiting relatives."

The experienced driver turned his head to look at him, "Visiting relatives by plane? You're quite something."

Chen Fan chuckled, "The round-trip fare is reimbursed, so I'm just trying something new."

The experienced driver said, "Heh, extravagant. Which part of Qianmen do your relatives live in?"

Chen Fan said, "Dashilar Hutong."

The experienced driver said, "A good place. That place is amazing. Tongrentang, Neiliansheng, Guangheyuan, Liubiju, Daguanlou Cinema... You don't have to go far to buy or play anything, it's right at your doorstep.

And when you go out, you're right at Qianmen, so you can go to the square for a stroll, and you can also go to the Memorial Hall to pay respects to the great man..."

Chen Fan chatted with the experienced driver casually, seemingly enjoying the conversation, but not many of the words were true, but he did gather a lot of information.

One of them was: Qianmen is Zhengyangmen!

Glancing at the experienced driver who was still talking non-stop, Chen Fan gently breathed a sigh of relief, fortunate that he almost embarrassed himself.

He was about to ask how far it was from Qianmen to Zhengyangmen.

The experienced driver was talking while holding the steering wheel, and suddenly honked the horn twice. Just as Chen Fan was a little curious, a car drove by from the opposite side and also honked twice.

Looking at Chen Fan, the experienced driver explained with a smile, "That's also from our Shouqi Company."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, "Shouqi is quite big."

The experienced driver laughed heartily, "Of course."

(Shouqi Motorcade in the 60s and 70s)

The experienced driver was proud for a moment, and then continued to chatter non-stop, "This Zhengyangmen, we locals call it Qianmen, which is the place you're going to. So why don't we call it Zhengyangmen, but Qianmen?

It's because Zhengyangmen is the main southern gate of the inner city of BJ, located at the southernmost end of the inner city. It was originally called Lizhengmen, and later renamed Zhengyangmen. The 'Zhengyang' of Zhengyangmen means the ancestor of all yang and the image of the monarch, symbolizing the supreme and ultimate yang place. In addition, the ancients regarded south as yang and south as right, hence the name 'Zhengyangmen'. In the past, most people entering the capital entered the inner city from Zhengyangmen.

For this reason, the common people called it Qianmen, Daqianmen, or Qianmen Tower, and that's how the name came about."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, "The Daqianmen cigarettes are actually named after this?"

The experienced driver laughed heartily, "Yes, yes, yes, young man, you're very smart."

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice, "I'm still ignorant. I've learned a lot from you today."

The experienced driver turned his head to look at him, "Wow, young man, your Mandarin is good, you can even speak with the erhua sound. I've seen a lot of out-of-town guests, especially those from the South, and I can't understand a lot of their dialects."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement, "It's the same when Southern guests come to our place."

The experienced driver was stunned for a moment, and soon understood that Jiangnan Province was located in Central China. When they came to the capital, they were Southerners, but relative to the more southern regions, they were Northerners.

He couldn't help but laugh, "Interesting, you're an interesting person."

The two chatted and laughed, and in less than an hour, the car drove onto Chang'an Avenue. When they arrived at Tiananmen, and passed by the Memorial Hall, they entered Qianmen Street.

Then, they plunged into a series of hutongs, and finally turned into a small hutong crowded with people.

(Dashilar Hutong in '78)

Amidst the constant honking, the car slowly moved forward through the crowd, and stopped at the entrance of an alley.

The experienced driver pointed to the inside of the alley and said, "The place you want to go to is in there. If you can't find it, just ask someone, you'll definitely find it."

The fare had already been paid in advance. Chen Fan tilted his head and looked, then handed a cigarette over, "Thank you, driver."

The experienced driver politely declined for a moment, then took the cigarette and clipped it to his ear, waving enthusiastically, "Thank you, take care, don't forget to take your luggage."

Chen Fan waved his hand, pushed the door open, and got out of the car. He took the suitcase from the trunk, and after the car drove away, he stood there and looked around.

Unlike other deserted hutongs, even in the 70s, Dashilar Hutong was bustling with traffic and people, finally allowing him to feel the bustling atmosphere of the capital.

The shops along the street, although very simple, were never short of customers. Customers entering and leaving were in an endless stream, and even many shops had set up stalls on the street, with the sounds of inquiries and purchases constantly ringing in his ears.

No wonder this place would be built into a commercial street in later generations, it turned out that it had a traditional foundation.

Old Man Lin lives here?

This location is too good, isn't it?!

He looked around twice, then picked up his luggage and walked into the hutong that the experienced driver had pointed to earlier.

Without asking anyone, looking at the house numbers, he walked less than 50 meters inward, and found the place.

Looking at the open Ruyi Gate, Chen Fan looked to both sides again. Old Man Lin lives here? Isn't the style a bit small?

Not to mention Wangfujing, at least it should be a courtyard with a Guangliang Gate!

But it turned out to be a Ruyi Gate that was inferior to both Jinzhu Gate and Manzi Gate, tsk tsk.

The door was open, not closed, so there was no need to knock.

However, before he could enter the door, an old man wearing a faded old-fashioned grass-green military uniform, with his right trouser leg tied in a knot, and supporting himself with a crutch under each arm, looking about 60 years old, limped out, looked at him with scrutinizing eyes, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

A smile immediately appeared on Chen Fan's face. He took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

Instinct told him that this old man was dangerous.

However, he remained calm on the surface and asked with a smile, "Hello, does Lin Yuanxiang live here?"

"Lin Yuanxiang?"

The old man immediately looked strange, and looked him up and down again, "What are you to him? Do you have a letter of introduction?"

Chen Fan immediately put the suitcase on the ground, took out the letter of introduction issued by Lujiawan from his pocket and offered it with both hands, smiling, "I am his student, I came from Jiangnan, this is my letter of introduction."

The old man took the letter of introduction in his hand and looked at it twice, then raised his head, his eyes changing again, "Your name is Chen Fan, from Lujiawan?"

As he spoke, he supported himself with his crutches, swaying as if he couldn't stand still.

Chen Fan blinked, his eyes following the movement of his body, his empty hand trembling slightly, his expression still unchanged, "Yes, I am Chen Fan."

The next second, the old man suddenly stood firm, like a stubborn rock on the top of a mountain, letting the wind and rain rage, he remained steadfast.

His face also smiled like a flower, "You just said you were Old Lin's student, so you haven't formally become his disciple yet?"

A change finally appeared on Chen Fan's face, "Uh..."

But before he could finish his "uh," the old man leaned over and said with a smile, "How about this, why don't you become my disciple, I'll pass on all my skills to you, definitely better than that old guy. I'll also arrange a job for you, and find you a wife, a job starting as a cadre, and a virtuous and beautiful wife, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, how about it?!"

Chen Fan blinked wildly, a little unsure of what was going on?

The next second, a voice rang out like a thunderclap, "Hey, Old Zhang, you're going too far!"

As the voice faded, a figure flashed out from the moon gate on the right, lunging towards the old man.

Chen Fan lightly kicked his toe, picked up the suitcase in his hand, and decisively retreated three steps, already standing in the middle of the hutong several meters away.

In the doorway of the courtyard, Lin Yuanxiang, with one hand in a dragon claw and the other in an eagle claw, attacked with a series of moves like an eagle capturing a rabbit, bringing gusts of wind. But before his moves became stale, his dragon claw transformed into a tiger claw, and his eagle claw into a fist, aiming straight for the center.

The old man was not to be outdone. One leg, both relaxed and firm, was like a green bamboo pole nailed to the ground. Two T-shaped crutches transformed into strange weapons, one for attack and one for defense, blocking all the attacks.

Chen Fan?

Chen Fan stood his suitcase upright on the ground, plopped down on it, and took out a flat silver hip flask from the left pocket of his jacket, opening the lid and taking a satisfying sip. … There was plenty of Maotai on the plane, so he asked the flight attendant to fill his flask, not expecting to use it so soon.

After taking a sip of wine, he rummaged in his right pocket and pulled out the meat he had packed on the plane, including dried ham, Peking roast duck, roast leg of lamb, beef jerky… The taste was good, so he asked the flight attendant for a paper bag and packed some.

It just seemed like the flight attendant thought he was stealing a bit too much?

But he didn't care. Anyway, no one saw him, and what he put in his pocket was his own.

A bite of meat and a sip of wine, with two martial arts masters fighting in front of him, really, the taste was amazing!

The two of them, adding up to over a hundred years old, one of whom was missing a leg, were actually creating the feeling of a massive army fighting in the narrow doorway.

On one side, Lin Yuanxiang's moves were complex, incorporating Xingyi, Bagua, Bajiquan, Tai Chi, Tongbei, Pi Gua, Fanzi Chuojiao, Tan Tui, Lianhuan Tui, Mantis, Eagle Claw, Zhuang Quan… He used all kinds of boxing techniques with ease.

On the other side, the old man was like green bamboo swaying in the wind, his two crutches like two dragons, incorporating the essence of countless weapons such as knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes,钺, hooks, forks, whips, maces, hammers, gores,镋, clubs, spears, and rakes… His double crutches flew around, fighting Lin Yuanxiang to a standstill.

Moreover, they weren't just going through the motions like in a play, but fighting each other like mortal enemies without any mercy.

They seemed quite skilled?

This dragon-tiger battle made Chen Fan's eyebrows dance with excitement, and he couldn't help but applaud at the wonderful moments!

Well, this applause was a big deal, directly causing the two old men to stop.

Lin Yuanxiang shook his sleeves, looked at Chen Fan with a dark face, "Was it good to watch?"

The other old man sniffed, "Having good wine but hoarding it for yourself, you're not a good son of man!"

Chen Fan pondered for two seconds, then handed over the wine pot and meat dishes with one hand, "Want to try some?"

The two looked at each other, Lin Yuanxiang looked up at the sky speechlessly, and the old man grinned and laughed, as if he had heard a great joke.

Seeing the two of them turn around and walk inside together, Chen Fan shrugged, put the wine and meat back in his pocket, picked up his suitcase and followed.

He already knew the layout of the courtyard house, with its reverse-facing rooms,垂花门, covered corridors, main rooms, side rooms…, a whole bunch of rules.

But now that he came in, he only saw a bunch of randomly built, nonsensical things.

The originally spacious front yard was directly squeezed by a row of low red brick houses with only skylights, leaving only a passage wide enough for one person to enter and exit with a bicycle.

Chen Fan didn't know what it looked like inside, because he followed Lin Yuanxiang and turned right, entering a very mini cross-yard.

This small cross-yard could almost be compared to a safe Shikumen house… of course, referring to its "small" size.

The courtyard's patio was only about ten square meters, connected to the doorway by a moon gate. If the door was closed, it would become a self-contained unit.

On the north side was a "main room", which seemed to be divided into east and west rooms based on the appearance of the windows. On the east side of the courtyard were two slightly smaller side rooms, both single rooms. On the south side were two very small rooms, which were probably kitchens, toilets, or storage rooms?

Chen Fan sniffed. Yes, it was the kitchen and toilet.

(It's the courtyard in the very bottom corner. The standard three-in courtyard layout is almost the same, with only slight differences in architecture and use. This location is generally used for private schools or carriage rooms. If it is a private school, it will be slightly larger and can be lived in)

Following the two into the main room, there was already an old man inside.

Only one eye remained, and the other eyeball was dim, probably only able to see a little light. His left arm was gone, leaving only the empty sleeve swinging. His legs, however, were intact, and he was crossing his legs and shaking them, seemingly mocking the other old man for losing a leg.

He sat on the Arhat bed, holding a rough porcelain teapot to his mouth to drink tea. Next to him was a small table, with a plate of salted soybeans on it.

Chen Fan moved his nose again. It was tea, not wine. Soybeans with tea?

What kind of new way of eating was this?

Lin Yuanxiang sat down on the other side of the table, pointed to the chair against the wall, and asked, "Sit. Didn't you say you wanted to settle down in Lujiazui? Why did you suddenly come here? You didn't even give me a heads-up."

Then he patted the armrest of the Arhat bed, "There are only three rooms here, you can only sleep here tonight."

Chen Fan quickly shook his head, "I'm just here to take a look, I have a place to go later."

Lin Yuanxiang glanced at him, "You've come to the capital, if you don't stay with me, where else can you stay?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, the old Mr. Zhang sat opposite him and said loudly, "Hmph, people only learned a few days of boxing from you, they're not your disciple, why do you care where they live."

After speaking, he turned to look at Chen Fan, his face with an exceptionally warm smile, "Little Chen, you don't want to sleep on the Arhat bed? It's okay, I have a courtyard not far from here, and there are guest rooms at home, you can go there to live…"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yuanxiang glared at him, "You're messing with me again, since you have a house, why don't you go back to live there?!"

The old man snorted twice, "Don't you also have a high-ranking cadre dormitory? The conditions are better than my courtyard, and there are people to serve you all day long, why do you want to live here?"

The two of them were like fighting cocks, neither willing to give in to the other, their eyes could even spark lightning.

After a few seconds, the one-eyed old man ate a soybean before saying slowly, "Young man, come over and let Grandpa take a look."

Chen Fan quickly got up, "Eh, hello, old sir."

When he walked up to him, he suddenly had a feeling of being chosen, why was it so strange?

The old man sat up straight, stretched his neck and looked at him carefully for a few times, then nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad, you really are a handsome talent."

Saying that, he took out three gold coins from his pocket and handed them to him, "Here, take them to play with."

When Chen Fan saw them, his eyes went straight, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, these are too precious, I can't take them."

One side of these gold coins had a goddess, she holding an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right hand, symbolizing peace, and the other side was an eagle about to take flight, symbolizing freedom. Next to the goddess's leg was the time the gold coins were made: 1933.

This was the American Double Eagle gold coin, known as the most expensive gold coin, and a single one was worth hundreds of millions in later generations, how could he dare to accept it?!

Originally, American Double Eagle gold coins were like Qing Dynasty dragon dollars and Yuan Datou, with extremely large reserves. Although they had collectible value, it was not particularly high.

Only the 1933 Double Eagle gold coins were different, because not long after this batch of gold coins entered circulation, Roosevelt implemented the New Deal, and this batch of gold coins was recovered and destroyed to be cast into gold bars, so the number in existence was extremely rare.

He didn't expect that this old man actually had as many as three of them, it was simply like playing around.

No need to ask, they were definitely spoils of war seized on the Northern Battlefield.

Sure enough, Lin Yuanxiang laughed aside, "If he gives them to you, just accept them. These were spoils of war seized in the North back then. Originally, they were going to be handed over, but Old Li wanted to keep them as a souvenir, so he used a month's subsidy to exchange them with the leader. Now that you're here, he definitely has to give you a little meeting gift for the first time. Apart from this thing, he can't come up with anything else, so just keep it well, just don't lose it."

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Old Man Li, who was still holding out his hand, as if he wouldn't take it back if Chen Fan didn't accept it.

Seeing this situation, he had no choice but to take it with both hands, respectfully bowing and thanking, "Thank you, Old Mr. Li, I will definitely keep it safe."

Old Mr. Li laughed twice and waved his hand, "It's just a small toy, take it to play with, it doesn't matter if you lose it."

Chen Fan held the three gold coins, thinking that he couldn't dare lose them.

Not because they were valuable, but because they were Old Mr. Li's seized spoils of war, their value was immeasurable.

At this time, Old Mr. Zhang also suddenly coughed, fumbled in his arms for a while, and finally took out a sheathed dagger, and handed it to Chen Fan, "Here, take it."

He had already accepted the Double Eagle gold coins, so why would he need to hesitate over a mere dagger?

He immediately walked over and took it with both hands, bowing again, "Thank you, Old Mr. Zhang."

Old Mr. Zhang laughed and said, "Don't look down on this inconspicuous dagger, its origins are extraordinary. It was seized from an Italian officer (Italy did not join the United Nations at the time, and did not send troops, but sent a medical team of more than a hundred people, as well as a small number of observers mixed in with the medical team). I heard that it was used by an ancient emperor of their country, and the blade was made of some kind of extraterrestrial meteorite. Anyway, I tried it, and it's really easy to use. It's also very useful for you to take to peel fruit and cut mutton."

Chen Fan's eyes narrowed, and when he looked at the dagger again, there was indeed a string of letters on the hilt. If he was not mistaken, it should be "Augustus"?