Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1186 Chinese Houses

Yang Xue said, "There are five rooms in this row, right? There are six of us."

Wen Sijing tugged at Zhang Yanting's sleeve: "How should we calculate the rent? Let's just forget about it."

Xiuer said, "No rent needed. This is our family's yard, and it's fine as long as my brother agrees. The row on the other side is reserved for my parents and my uncle when they come to stay. We'll stay in this row. Or, you can stay here, one room each, that's perfect. I'll sleep in the one next to my brother, right next to him."

Cheng Jingchun said, "This is the side room. Your brother and sister live in the main room. The rooms on either side of the main room are called the ear rooms, which used to be where the maids lived."

Xiuer said, "I'll live in this side room. A maid is fine, my brother can't have me serving him. You guys choose, we'll go buy the necessities this afternoon, and we'll live here from now on, haha, that way we won't have to fight for hot water every day."

Zhang Mingfang said, "It seems like we don't need to buy anything. The blankets are all ready-made, so we can just bring the ones we usually use. I think we can just leave the blankets in the dorm, in case we need to stay in them sometimes."

Everyone agreed and happily chose their respective rooms.

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui sat down on a chair in the corner of the courtyard and lit a cigarette. Chen Hui looked at the sky and said, "This is so nice, it feels so comfortable. I'll talk to Lao Chen tonight about going back home for one day a week and staying here the rest of the time."

Xiao Wei said, "It's fine for my uncle and aunt to stay here, since there's no one else around."

Chen Hui asked, "Shall we go check out the construction site this afternoon?"

Xiao Wei shook his head: "There's nothing to see. Dean Cheng is keeping an eye on things. This is his chance to make a name for himself, so he's more concerned than we are. We need to send Xiao Xiu and the others to experience the restaurant, and we also need to find some more people to experience the hotels here. We'll need professionals for this. Or, should we ask Wang Dawei to send a few over?"

"These three stores we have here, whether restaurants or hotels, have to be a huge success. The competition here is fierce. I'm not worried about shopping malls and supermarkets. I'm thinking, maybe we should find a place to build some office buildings. I feel like office buildings in Kyoto are going to be incredibly popular in the future; there are just too many companies."

Chen Hui said, "The supermarket is also a key area. It would be best to hire a separate manager here; the prospects are probably better than in Fengtian, but the competition will definitely be fiercer in the future. By the way, if you're building an office building, I suggest you consider employee dormitories."

These aren't our own staff dormitories; they're for companies using office space, like the dormitories in Fengtian. Single rooms, furnished, managed and cleaned, rent is collected monthly. There's a significant number of migrant workers here; many live in basements.

Xiao Wei said, "Sure, let's do it together, that's doable. Have you been to any of those basements?"

Chen Hui shook his head: "No, I've heard of it. There are quite a lot of old basement air-raid shelters and such left over from the past in Kyoto. Now they've basically all been rented out and converted into cubicles for rent. This is public knowledge."

Xiaowei said, "Let's go take a look sometime when we have time. We can say we're looking to rent a place, and go see it in person. You know where it is, right?"

Chen Hui said, "They're everywhere, easy to find. Okay, let's go take a look, see the prices and conditions, so we'll know what to expect when setting up the dorms. Do you have a kitchen here? How will you handle meals?"

Xiao Wei said, "You've come more times than I have, why are you asking me?"

Chen Hui said, "I didn't notice. There should be, right? It's impossible that there isn't. I didn't see it."

The two of them got up and searched the yard. In the east corner of the main house was a large bathroom, the kind with a bathtub, which was for the owner's use.

The main courtyard has fifteen rooms in total, including the main house, side rooms, and wing rooms, but there is no kitchen.

The two people passed through the hanging flower gate and followed the covered walkway into the front courtyard. Except for the hanging flower gate in the east corner, which leads to the back, there are covered walkways on both sides. The number of rooms is the same as in the back, fifteen rooms in total. There is a toilet in the west corner, but no kitchen.

There's no need to go any further ahead; the garage, office, and restrooms are already familiar to me.

Chen Hui said, "Actually, if it were up to me, I would demolish and rebuild it, making the whole thing two stories, the main building three stories, and adding a basement. That would be much more practical than this."

Xiao Wei said, "It's good enough. Newly built ones don't have any of the old-fashioned charm anymore. This is great. Can you even build a covered corridor like this now? It would be a shame to tear it down."

The two went back to the back, and Chen Hui pointed to the west corner of the main house: "Have you been to the back?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, didn't they say there was a storage room in the back?"

The two walked over. There was a side door in the west corner leading to the backyard. Originally, the back room was where the women lived, and men were not allowed to enter. It was completely private. Generally, families with daughters or concubines lived in the back.

The courtyard was decorated like a small garden, and it really was originally a back garden.

The row of houses, as wide as the courtyard, was all brand new. Xiao Wei said, "Isn't it a waste to just leave these seven houses like this?"

Chen Hui said, "It can be used as a guest room, and you haven't realized it yet? The kitchen is definitely here."

The two of them looked through the rooms one by one. There were two storage rooms, which were also warehouses. The two rooms were decorated as dining rooms. There was a public toilet. The other two rooms were the kitchen and water room, with a small hot water boiler.

There's a side door at the very end, which leads directly to the street. It's obvious that this is where people go to buy groceries.

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui laughed heartily. It was quite amusing that the two hosts had to search around for so long to find the kitchen.

The kitchen was fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils, and the window overlooked Guanfang Hutong. Originally, there should have been a courtyard wall behind the overhanging building, but it's gone now.

Chen Hui said, "Damn, this should be a five-courtyard house, a standard five-courtyard layout. I just don't know whose old house it is. In the past, not just anyone could build a five-courtyard house."

Xiao Wei picked up the large ladle and weighed it in his hand, saying, "Who cares whose it is? Probably not some famous person. There were plenty of capable people in the past. You mean they've blocked two sections of the road ahead?"

Chen Hui nodded: "The entrance isn't very big, it's just a corridor leading into the courtyard. You don't understand old buildings, do you? Right at the entrance, there's a screen wall and a second gate, not very wide. It was mainly for security and to house servants and storerooms."

The second courtyard is where our offices are located. The second gate and screen wall are gone, and half of the side rooms have been demolished, which is a pity. The third and fourth courtyards are here, and this is the fifth courtyard, which is the garden and where the women of the household lived.

Xiao Wei said, "So you just never leave the house, do you?"

Chen Hui smiled and said, "Yes, this is the second gate, which is actually the main gate. Usually, the main gate is located to the side, while the second gate is in the middle. It is the most beautiful and exquisite part of the entire courtyard. The gate tower is intricately carved, and the covered walkways on both sides connect to this side of the courtyard."

Xiao Wei said, "I think the gate is pretty good right now."

Chen Hui shook his head, looked at him, and said, "What? Are you planning to cook a few more dishes?"

(End of this chapter)