Huayu: This celebrity doesn't follow the rules.

Chapter 60 A visit
The courtyard houses in Yanjing (old Beijing) are mainly concentrated in the eastern and western parts of the city, especially in the old city areas such as Shichahai, Nanluoguxiang, Dongsi, and Xisi.

Among them, the courtyard houses around Shichahai are the most sought after, not only because of their excellent location, but also because they are close to Beihai and Houhai, and have a rich cultural atmosphere.

Secondly, there's the Nanluoguxiang area, where the hutongs are well-preserved and have high commercial value.

The courtyard houses in Dongsi and Xisi are relatively low-key, mostly inhabited by old Beijing residents. They are slightly cheaper, but have a more lived-in feel.

At this time, a standard courtyard house with one entrance, measuring 200-300 square meters, would cost between 2000 million and 5000 million yuan, depending on its location and the extent of renovation.

If the courtyard is in a prime location and well-preserved, it could even fetch over 100 million.

Ordinary small courtyard houses, especially those in slightly remote locations and unrenovated, may be priced as low as 1000 million yuan.

Jiang Ye is broke now; if he had money, he'd definitely buy a whole set.

At six o'clock in the evening, dusk began to fall.

Jiang Ye stood at the entrance of Dongsi Sixth Alley, carrying the gift box, and took a deep breath.

He turned into the third alley according to the address and finally stopped in front of a mottled black lacquered wooden door.

The words "fields and houses" on the lintel are somewhat blurred, yet they exude a quiet tranquility born of the passage of time.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door; the sound of the brass ring striking the wooden door was particularly crisp in the alley.

A moment later, the door creaked open.

An elderly woman with a full head of silver hair stood inside the door, wearing a dark blue jacket with a front opening, and holding a bunch of celery in her hand.

She squinted at Jiang Ye, her kind face showing a hint of doubt: "You are...?"

Jiang Ye quickly bowed: "Hello, Grandma Yu, I'm Jiang Ye from the Directing Department, a student of Teacher Tian."

This is Ms. Yu Lan, Tian Zhuangzhuang's mother. She is 94 years old now, but her mental state is still good.

He was an old revolutionary and also an old artist.

Her representative work is "Eternal Life in Flames", in which she played Jiang Zhujun, and she also starred in many other classic films such as "Longxu Ditch" and "Lin Family Shop".

She was not only an actress, but also served as the director of the Yanjing Children's Film Studio.

The old lady's eyes lit up: "Oh, is that Xiao Jiang? Zhuangzhuang mentioned you, come in quickly!"

She stepped aside to let him pass, pointing the celery in her hand into the yard. "He's talking to someone right now. Why don't you sit under the jujube tree for a while? I'll make you some tea!"

As Jiang Ye stepped across the threshold, he was greeted by a sturdy old jujube tree with strong branches. Several open scripts were spread out on the stone table under the tree.

The west wing was lit, and Tian Zhuangzhuang's deep voice could be faintly heard, as if he were discussing something with someone.

The old lady muttered as she walked, "You kids, you come all this way, but what did you bring with you..."

Jiang Ye smiled but didn't reply.

His gaze swept over the simple courtyard, where several half-withered chrysanthemums were piled in the corner, a faded director's vest hung on the clothesline, and an old-fashioned radio sat on the windowsill.

There's no airs of a big director here, only the most down-to-earth, everyday atmosphere.

Lost in thought, the door to the west wing suddenly opened.

"Oh, a big-name director has come to visit in person?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang stood at the door of the west wing, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Jiang Ye immediately jogged over and said, "Teacher, please don't tease me! This drama was able to start filming only because you supported me at school..."

Before Tian Zhuangzhuang could speak, Grandma Yu's voice came from the kitchen: "Zhuangzhuang! Don't block the door, let Xiao Jiang have some hot tea first!" The old lady came out with a tea tray, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, I forgot to wash the celery..."

"I'll come, I'll come!"

Jiang Ye put the gift box on the stone table, rolled up his sleeves, and went into the kitchen.

The tap was running, and his cheerful voice could be heard: "Grandma, are you making this celery salad with wood ear mushrooms? Let me shred it for you!"

"Grandma, let me tell you a secret. When I was filming 'The Princess,' I had the actress imitate the look in your eyes when you played Jiang Jie!"

Yu Lan raised an eyebrow: "Learning from me?"

"Don't you believe me? When that female lead, Zhang Pengpeng, was arguing with people, I told her to glare without frowning, and to imitate how you confronted the enemy in prison."

"Would you call this a successful case of learning by stealing someone's skills?"

Yu Lan was amused by him: "You child, you're always making fun of your grandma!"

"Did you tear the celery properly? Okay, stop making a scene..."

Jiang Ye responded with a grin, piling the celery onto the plate: "I learned to cause trouble from you. When you played Sister Jiang, didn't you also cause trouble in the play, leaving the enemy helpless?"

"Grandma, tell me about what happened when you were filming! I'm so curious!"

"You really want to hear it?" Yu Lan raised her hand to tidy up the stray hairs at her temples, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes. "Back when we were filming 'Eternal Life in Flames,' we didn't have all these fussy rules like you do now."

"There were no special effects, no stunt doubles. In the scene where Sister Jiang was tortured, they actually poured cold water on her."

"In the winter in the mountain city, the temperature drops to several degrees below zero. When the director yells 'action,' a bucket of cold water is poured over your head, and your cotton cheongsam instantly freezes stiff, sticking to your body like an ice shell."

Yu Lan smiled and tapped the stove with her knuckles. "Let me tell you, I didn't care about the cold back then. All I could think about was how Sister Jiang endured it. What I suffered was nothing compared to what she went through..."

"And back then, the people truly supported us..."

"To recreate the street scenes of the Republic of China era, the people of Chongqing have been digging out old clothes and furniture and sending them to the film crew!"

"Back then, when we were filming the 'anti-hunger, anti-civil war' march scenes, high school students from the city's central district were organized into extras. They held hands and shouted slogans, and it looked pretty convincing!"

"By the way, the old professor who was holding the sign that read 'Professor, professor, the more you teach, the thinner you get,' was played by Deng Junwu, the vice chairman of the Chongqing Federation of Literary and Art Circles and a poet at the time..."

As people get older, they tend to become more talkative. Grandma Yu usually had no one to confide in, but Jiang Ye suited her tastes, and she started talking non-stop.

At the entrance to the west wing, Tian Zhuangzhuang leaned against the door frame, the cigarette between his fingers unlit.

Listening to the old man and the young man chatting animatedly inside, he raised an eyebrow slightly, curled the corner of his mouth, then quickly suppressed it and gently shook his head.

Just as he was about to turn around, he heard footsteps behind him. Li Xuejian came out with a coat draped over the back of a chair, followed his gaze to the kitchen, and smiled: "Judging from this noise, your house finally has the liveliness of young people."

Tian Zhuangzhuang looked away and stood up straighter: "Just chatting."

"This isn't just idle chatter."

Li Xuejian draped her coat over her arm, her eyes clear and bright. "There aren't many young people who can get Auntie to open up. Your student-like personality is unlike yours."

"His skin is much thicker than yours."

Tian Zhuangzhuang glanced at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just a student from the school who happened to be passing by."

"On the way?" Li Xuejian scoffed, gesturing with his chin towards the kitchen. "You think any student can just walk into Tian Zhuangzhuang's house on their way?"

He patted Tian Zhuangzhuang's arm. "Alright, stop pretending. If you didn't genuinely like him, would you let him chat with the old lady here?"

(End of this chapter)