Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

"Hungry...really hungry?" Secretary Zhou was shocked. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly thanked him and hurriedly ran to report to the hospital.

A short while later, just as Su Wanqing finished the last mouthful of porridge, Secretary Zhou came running back, wiping his sweat and smiling, his expression one of utter admiration.

"He was definitely hungry! We had him rewrite the words as you suggested, and he immediately wrote a few large, crooked characters on the paper—'I'm starving!' Sigh, his apprentices were worried he'd be working all night writing data again, so they never considered this possibility. Who would have thought he'd smash the bed because he was hungry..."

It's embarrassing to think about. How hungry must a national treasure-level senior scientist have to be to smash his bed in protest?

Su Wanqing shook her head and didn't say anything.

Wang Ling only used half a drop of the Perfect Spiritual Spring, while Elder Sun used a whole drop, plus a pound of Enhanced Spiritual Spring—she only drinks ordinary spiritual spring water and eats three times as much as an ordinary person in a day, so this Perfect Spiritual Spring... really made Elder Sun starve.

Not to mention Old Lady Sun, she herself secretly ate three or four bowls of rice after drinking the Perfect Spirit Spring.

Secretary Zhou took a breath. "So, what are your plans after dinner? Would you like to do some shopping first, or go straight to the hospital?"

Su Wanqing put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "The route you mentioned yesterday was quite good. Take the whole group to check it out. As for our side, you can arrange another car—I'd like to make a trip to these places."

She pulled out several property deeds and keys from her pocket. "These are the houses and courtyards that the organization previously rewarded me with. There are three in total. I need to go and take possession of them in person to see if there are any areas that need renovation. It would be even better if someone from the housing management office could come with me so I can ask about the condition of the courtyards in person."

Su Wanqing spoke with some hesitation.

The capital city is not Bincheng after all. Being unfamiliar with the place, she could only express her thoughts to Secretary Zhou. But if possible, she still wanted to look around more—if there were suitable courtyards nearby, buying a few more wouldn't be out of the question. Anyway, she had plenty of money on hand, and it was just sitting there anyway.

She doesn't need to buy so many courtyard houses; she'd rather buy more shops, ideally a whole street of them... or a larger plot of land so that when Chen Xiuer's business expands, she can build a big building or something.

Secretary Zhou truly lived up to his reputation as a handpicked top secretary; he understood immediately.

"Sure! I happen to know a senior director at the housing management office. He's reliable and knows the ins and outs of these old courtyards in the city inside and out. I'm familiar with these addresses you have too; they're all high-quality properties allocated by the organization before, in excellent locations. I'll contact him right away, and we'll head over there."

So, they quickly split into two groups.

Uncle Ding, along with his entire family, Professor Lin, Old Zhou, and the few doctor students who had come to learn, boarded a Coaster minibus in a lively manner and headed towards Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Su Wanqing was in another Coaster van, carrying her, Zhou Yanshen, five bodyguards, and three children—Zhou Yanshen held one child, Zhang Qiang and another bodyguard each held one, and the rest helped carry things, so Su Wanqing didn't have to worry about a thing.

Along with Secretary Zhou and the old director of the housing management office he had invited, the group quietly drove towards the first address on the property certificate in the morning light.

The organization awarded a total of three properties in the capital, two of which were adjacent to each other, and the third was located elsewhere.

They first went to the two adjacent courtyard houses, located in the heart of the capital, which was considered the most valuable area in old Beijing.

The old director that Secretary Zhou invited was surnamed Guo. He was in his early sixties, with gray hair but a vigorous spirit, and spoke with a native Beijing accent.

This place really has that old Beijing vibe.

Courtyard houses with blue bricks and gray tiles line both sides of the narrow alley, with remnants of snow accumulating at the base of the walls. The square brick pavement underfoot is worn smooth and shiny by the years, with dried moss growing in the cracks, making a crunching sound when you walk on it.

Director Guo led the way while explaining:

"Comrade Su, your two courtyards are next to each other, right in this Shijin Lane, at the end of a hutong, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle. Except for the inconvenience of getting in and out—the hutong is too narrow, a tricycle can barely get in, and a car has to be parked outside—everything else is excellent."

What's most remarkable is that these two courtyards have clean property rights, no historical disputes, and no haphazardly built sheds, maintaining the original courtyard layout.

You wouldn't believe it, these days, there are far more people than houses in the city. Most courtyard houses are crammed with seven or eight families, with illegal additions and alterations. The corridors have been converted into kitchens, and the hanging flower gates have been dismantled and used for firewood. You couldn't find many houses like yours, preserved so perfectly, in all of Beijing.

Su Wanqing nodded, already understanding the situation.

This is indeed rare – the house hasn't been haphazardly altered, indicating that when it was confiscated, the entire courtyard was taken directly from the original owner without going through the subsequent distribution of the tenement courtyard.

The only downside is that there are other courtyard houses nearby, which make the lighting and access routes a bit cramped. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could buy all of these surrounding courtyard houses, open them up, and renovate them?

Just then, Zhou Yanshen, who had been silently following behind, suddenly stepped forward and gently handed the child in his arms to her. "Wanqing, I just met an acquaintance. You take Xingge inside to look at the house first. I'll be there soon."

Su Wanqing didn't care: "Okay."

After everyone entered the courtyard, Director Guo continued:

"Comrade Su, look at this courtyard—it faces south, with three main rooms, two east and two west wing rooms, four rear rooms, a hanging flower gate, and a covered corridor. It's a proper two-courtyard siheyuan, covering an area of ​​nearly 600 square meters."

After a long string of chatter, Su Wanqing heard, "Six hundred square meters."

"Blah blah blah... You don't need to worry about anything here. Just add furniture and you can move in. Of course, if you have any renovation ideas, just let me know, and the housing management office will fully cooperate."

Su Wanqing strolled around the courtyard, liking it more and more with each look.

The ground is paved with blue bricks, and there are winding corridors and porches.

She patted the dust off her hands. "That one next door is ours too, right? I want to combine these two, tear down the wall in the middle, and make it one big courtyard. The outer rooms of the rear building can be converted into a garage and storage room... Oh, by the way, we were blocked by that courtyard house when we came in, and we had to turn several corners to get here—is that courtyard house for sale?"

If you buy it, you can just combine it into a courtyard and there won't be so many troubles. The key is that it's in the center of the capital city. Who wouldn't dream of owning a manor villa of over a thousand square meters?

Upon hearing this, Director Guo looked troubled. He rummaged through his briefcase and pulled out a hardcover register, flipping through it for a long time.