Chapter 396: Gourmet System of the Eighties (34)

Four years later—

"Xiao Xie!"

"Xiao Xie!"

The landlady knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Coming!"

Xie Yang walked out from the house wearing Old Cloth Shoes.

It was drizzling a little today, but fortunately, she had paved a small cobblestone path in the courtyard, so the soles of her shoes wouldn't get muddy.

"Big Sister, how do you have time to come over today?" Xie Yang pulled out the bolt and opened the courtyard gate.

"I came to talk to you about something. I didn't see you when I went to the Snack Bar, and Rong Shifu said you were taking a break today. What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Xie Yang smiled and shook her head: "I'm not unwell, just taking a rest. Shuisheng was selected as an Outstanding Youth, and he's going to the Provincial Capital in a few days to attend a summer camp, so I'm packing a few sets of clean clothes for him."

"Shuisheng is a promising child!"

As the two exchanged pleasantries, the landlady stepped into the courtyard.

This small, detached courtyard was the one her family rented to Xiao Xie.

Four years had passed; the house was still the same house, and the courtyard was still the same courtyard, but it just felt different from when it was first rented out.

The landlady looked around—

Along the courtyard wall was a dense patch of flowers and plants; not only were there the cockscombs and morning glories planted four years ago, but there were also many more varieties, some of which she couldn't even name.

Under the courtyard wall on the other side was an old-fashioned swing; the Rope had faded from exposure to the wind and sun, but it was still very sturdy.

The two persimmon trees supporting the swing had already been tall and straight four years ago, but looking at them today, they were actually almost taller than the second floor of the Tube Building.

In June, the persimmon trees were lush with leaves, and when it cleared up, they could provide a patch of shade for the small courtyard.

Besides the swing, there was an old stone table under the trees, moved from who knows where, and surrounding the stone table were three wooden stools of different sizes. One could imagine that when the weather was nice, Xiao Xie and her two children would eat dinner and enjoy the cool air here.

Before entering the house, she curiously bypassed the water vat under the eaves to look at the backyard, which was equally lush, only the front yard was flowers and plants, while the backyard was a vegetable patch.

Green Cucumbers and string beans; red Tomatoes and Chili; purple kidney beans and eggplants; golden cantaloupes and pumpkins...

It was actually quite colorful.

The grape trellis in the corner of the back wall was also more flourishing than four years ago, and this year seemed to be a big year for grapes, with many bunches of fruit hanging from it.

In the corner on the other side were the latrine and bathroom; unlike the emptiness of four years ago, the area around the latrine was now also surrounded by flowers and plants, and the fragrance of the flowers was very unique; she had heard Xiao Xie say it could repel mosquitoes and eliminate odors.

No wonder she rarely saw flies or mosquitoes at her place.

"Big Sister, it's hot, so I won't brew tea for you. Try the Sour Plum Soup I made; it's been chilled in the well water, so it's nice and cool."

Xie Yang went into the house and poured a bowl of Sour Plum Soup for the landlady.

This was a drink that their Snack Bar sold out of every summer, almost in short supply every single day.

In winter, it was osmanthus milk tea and Roasted Autumn Pear.

These few drinks had captured the taste buds of young and old alike.

Other reformed Canteens and even State-run Restaurants with declining business were jealous of these star products of hers and tried every way to follow suit and imitate them, but the results were always a poor imitation.

In the end, they won a portion of the market through price wars, but there were still many old customers who said that after getting used to drinking hers, they always felt something was missing when drinking others'.

What was missing was the authentic recipe!

Her recipe came from the Gourmet System, and the ratio of ingredients to water (milk) could be called the golden ratio.

"Xiao Xie, I won't beat around the bush with you. I came today to ask you, do you feel comfortable living in this small courtyard? Have you ever thought about buying it?" The landlady stated her purpose after sitting down.

"Of course it's comfortable to live in; the three of us love it. But Big Sister, why do you suddenly want to sell the house? Did something happen?" Xie Yang asked with concern, "If you are in urgent need of money, I can lend you..."

"No, no." The landlady explained with a smile, "It's my younger brother. Didn't he get a partner and get married in the army last year? It's just that his rank isn't high enough for his family to follow him, and the dormitory assigned by the army isn't convenient for a couple to live in, so he rented a place in the city over there. It saves them from living apart while being in the same unit. He wrote a letter a few days ago saying the landlord of the place he rented wants to sell it, and my brother thinks the location of that house is good, and he spent a lot of effort on the decorations for his wedding, so he wants to buy it. But because of this, the house here has to be dealt with."

When the landlady said this, she held Xie Yang's hand and said earnestly: "Xiao Xie, I don't mean to deliberately rush you to move, but the price of houses in that prefecture-level city is high, and my brother spent a lot of money on his wedding, so he doesn't have much savings on hand now. Even if we could lend him a portion, it wouldn't be enough for him to buy the house there. So..."

Xie Yang understood and immediately stated: "Big Sister! You don't need to say any more. I want this house. You name a price, and if the money is enough, we'll go to the Housing Management Bureau to handle the paperwork today."

She liked this small courtyard, both for its location and its layout.

It was only a few steps from the alley entrance, making it convenient to come and go; opposite was the Yuhong Class, diagonally across was the Police Station, and further on were the Yuhong Elementary School, Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Grain Station, Seed Station, Meteorological Station... a whole row of state-run units; it was also close to the Gad Steel Factory Snack Bar, a five-minute bike ride or a ten-minute walk.

If this street were to be expanded in the future, the small courtyard would definitely be the first to face demolition.

Even if it wouldn't be demolished in the short term, it was very comfortable to live in herself.

Xie Yang wasn't afraid of the landlady asking for an exorbitant price; for one, she trusted the other party's character; for another, even if the asking price was higher than the current market price, it was worth it in the long run.

Fortunately, the landlady was a down-to-earth person; not only did she not ask for an exorbitant price, but she even gave Xie Yang a discount.

Both sides agreed on the price and set off for the Housing Management Bureau.

The Housing Management Bureau of Mingjiang City was only established at the beginning of the year, which meant that private residences could be traded openly.

Xie Yang took this opportunity to incidentally learn about the current information on second-hand housing Trading.

In two more years, they would enter the nineties, and the transaction volume of urban second-hand housing was increasing month by month.

But after looking around at the houses listed for sale, honestly, neither the location nor the layout was as good as the small courtyard she was living in now.

It was fortunate that she had readily rented this house from the landlady four years ago, getting the advantage of being close to the water; otherwise, it might not have been her turn to buy it today!

Having transmigrated to this plane for exactly four years, Xie Yang finally had a house that truly belonged to her.

Must celebrate!

"Big Sister, let's go! It's almost noon, come to my Snack Bar and try my signature dishes."

Fearing that she would delay her business, the landlady declined: "No, I still need to go to the Post Office to wire the house payment to my brother."

No matter how Xie Yang invited her, she refused to go.

Xie Yang had no choice but to say: "You'll pass by our Snack Bar on the way to the Post Office. Wait for me for a moment; I'll treat you to a bottle of Persimmon Wine."

Over the past few years, when she watered the vegetable patch with diluted Plant Special Nutrient Solution, she would occasionally pour some for the flowers, plants, and fruit trees in the courtyard.

The fruit trees that had "drunk" several pots of diluted water had seen the quality of the fruit they bore in the last two years rise to a new level.

The grapes in midsummer, and the pomegranates and persimmons in autumn, never had off-years; they hung heavy on the branches every year, and were both large and sweet.

The three of them couldn't finish eating them even if they ate them every day.

Occasionally, she would give some to close neighbors, but not too much, for fear of attracting attention if she gave away too much.

If people came back to ask how she grew them, how would she explain it? By giving them a pot of diluted water?

Just at that time, Shuisheng obtained a "Fruit Wine Brewing Formula" from the Gourmet System, so Xie Yang brewed the surplus fruit into wine.

When resting, having a glass for herself was both relaxing and a way to enjoy life—simply wonderful!