Chapter 985: Yanjing is not lacking in anything

Gu Xiao Yu returned to her small courtyard at noon. Seeing Li Long waiting at the door, she was surprised first, then smiled happily and greeted: "Brother-in-law, why didn't you call me... when did you arrive? Come, come, come, I'll open the door, let's go inside."

Li Long stood on the side watching her open the door, and said casually: "I didn't arrive long ago either, just thinking you were about to get off work, so I waited here."

"Then what if you didn't wait for me? What if I didn't come back today?" Gu Xiaoxia had already opened the courtyard door, leading Li Long inside, saying while walking: "You should have called my unit."

"I went to see that two-entry courtyard just now," Li Long followed inside, explaining: "Seeing the courtyard was decorated well, I thought about finding you first. Anyway, the distance isn't far, and it's easy to find you here."

Li Long hadn't been to this courtyard. Gu Xiao Yu told Gu Xiaoxia the address on the phone, and then Li Long knew it and asked his way here.

"I thought if you got off work and didn't wait for me, I would go to the resident office first, and then go to your unit in the afternoon."

He could see that this courtyard was also decorated, obviously different from other small courtyards in the same row.

This courtyard with a house was relatively small, but in the current Yanjing, it was quite suitable for a family of two or three to live in, much better than the living conditions of Zhang Damin's family.

After the reform and opening up, a large number of educated youth returned to the city. In the homes of ordinary people, there were a few educated youth who returned, and the places where they lived were very crowded, especially in big cities like Aijing and Hushan.

On the contrary, in cities in Northern Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and other regions, the living space was larger, after all, the population was small.

The courtyard walls and the inside and outside of the house were repainted. Maybe it was painted early, and now there was no smell of white ash. The furniture was semi-old, and the room was tidy. This courtyard could be considered two and a half rooms, similar to the apartment in later generations, one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and half a room that could be used for miscellaneous things.

Gu Xiao Yu living here was considered spacious.

"The furniture inside was all scavenged from the consignment shop, quite cheap, and it's hardwood, some are even rosewood. Actually, what's popular now is that kind of soft sofa, Simmons bed, but my sister said you said it, these hardwoods will be valuable in the future, so I bought all this."

Gu Xiao Yu poured water for Li Long, and seeing him looking at these furniture, she said: "Many people are eliminating these old furniture now, and the consignment shop is piled up with them. By the way, did you go into that small courtyard of yours? I also scavenged a Babu bed for it!"

"Didn't see it, that bed is an old thing, right?"

"Hmm, it's said to be at least from the end of the Qing Dynasty. When I scavenged it, the decoration team was still there. The bed was a bit damaged, but people had relationships, helped find an old carpenter master to repair it, and now it looks quite complete."

"That's good, this thing, in the future, you won't be able to get it even if you want to." Li Long sighed. At this time, it was really gold everywhere, but unfortunately, ordinary people didn't have that capital, and they had to survive, and they didn't have that leisure.

"Spent four hundred and eighty

"It's not expensive, it's not expensive," Li Long hurriedly waved his hand. "Although I haven't seen the real thing, if we're talking about it being truly complete, let alone four hundred and eighty, even eight hundred and eighty or one thousand eight hundred wouldn't be expensive."

"Is it worth that much?" Gu Xiao Yu didn't expect Li Long to value it so much. "When I saw it, the people had dismantled the bed and were selling it as miscellaneous items, saying that several brothers were dividing the family property and each took a part... It was the consignment shop that had an old master assemble it... It's missing parts."

"Mm, in that era, anyone who could afford to make this kind of bed must have been a wealthy household. The wood used is all good stuff, and plus, this thing is rare, so it will only get more expensive in the future."

After drinking some water, Li Long took a large bag of air-dried meat out of his backpack, placed it on the coffee table, and said, "This is a gift I brought for you. I see you cooking here; this air-dried meat is easy to store and you can eat it slowly."

"So much!" Gu Xiao Yu was startled at first, then narrowed her eyes and smiled. She could feel the care from her relative.

"Let's go, brother-in-law, I'll treat you to a meal." After chatting a bit more with Li Long, Gu Xiao Yu was ready to go out. "My cooking skills are still in practice. Next time you and my sister come over, I'll be able to cook for you. Today, let's go out to eat."

"Sure." Li Long naturally had no objections and stood up, ready to go out.

"Brother-in-law, leave your backpack in the room." Seeing Li Long still preparing to carry his backpack, Gu Xiao Yu said, "The place to eat is only twenty or thirty meters away, you can see it as soon as you go out. The streets and the police station nearby are not far, it's quite safe."

"That's great then." Li put the backpack down against the wall and said with a smile, "Being able to choose a place like this, even if it's a bit small, is quite nice."

"Mm, that's why I don't want to stay at the office at noon; I come back and stay in my own courtyard, it's comfortable."

Gu Xiao Yu asked Li Long what he wanted to eat. Li Long said soybean paste noodles. Gu Xiao Yu wanted to laugh when she heard that, saying her brother-in-law was saving her meal money.

"I'm used to it in Northern Xinjiang. Eating rice is just a transition; only eating noodles makes me feel full," Li Long said. "And there's no need for so much fuss, this is convenient."

It's even more convenient than the mixed noodles in Northern Xinjiang.

The shop run by the old couple had large bowls and thick sauce. It was summer now, and the vegetable toppings were rich—a Tianjin-style soybean paste noodle shop in the Yanjing area, and looking at it, business at noon was quite good.

Gu Xiao Yu ordered the noodles and paid. While waiting for the noodles, she first poured some noodle soup and then asked Li Long about things in Northern Xinjiang. She asked everything from Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Bo losing their temper to Mingming and Haohao, from the business at the purchasing station to the quality of the jade, and even asked about Li Long's eldest brother's family.

She was extremely interested in the situation in Northern Xinjiang. While asking, she also said that next time she went over, it wouldn't be just a simple stay; she would visit the village, the county, and even go into the mountains.

Actually, Gu Xiao Yu was relatively free now. But at this time, trains were extremely slow, and a round trip was a big deal, which really tested one's patience.

After finishing the meal and drinking the soup, Li Long told her about most of the things in Northern Xinjiang, and Gu Xiao Yu was still not satisfied.

Li Long knew she wanted to know the trajectory of her father and sister's lives back then, and the process of their growth and development.

It's just that there was a period of time when he hadn't been in contact with their lives, so he couldn't tell it from the very beginning.

Gu Bo Yuan should have told Gu Xiao Yu about this history, but everyone's perspective is different. Gu Xiao Yu might want to understand the living environment of her father and sister at that time more now.

After the meal, Li Long checked the time and asked, "Do you have to go back to the office now?"

"Mm, then brother-in-law, do you want to rest in my room for a while? You must be tired after sitting on the train for so long, right?"

"Not tired, not tired. I'll just go to the Beijing Liaison Office; they've started work there too. After finishing the official business, I have to hurry back. The task received from the supply and marketing cooperative has already started, and it won't work if I'm not there."

Gu Xiao Yu nodded, indicating she understood.

"Then tonight..."

"Tonight I'll just stay at the Sihe Academy; it's a good chance to see how the renovation is going," Li Long said with a smile. "I can't sleep on the eight-step bed, but I should be able to sleep on a regular bed. As for the inside, after I come out of the Beijing Liaison Office in the afternoon, I'll just go buy some bedding."

Seeing that Li Long had already planned everything, Gu Xiao Yu didn't say much more.

Returning to the courtyard, Li Long took the jade out of his backpack again and let Gu Xiao Yu keep it.

"I only need five pieces here," Gu Xiao Yu said hurriedly when she saw how many Li Long had brought. "For one, the sales volume is slow and small, and for another, I don't have that much capital."

Although making money this way was higher than her salary, Gu Xiao Yu didn't put too much focus on it.

To make this kind of "high-end jewelry," you have to let others come to you; you can't take the goods to find others.

Li Long understood in a second.

He followed what Gu Xiao Yu said, left five pieces of jewelry, including jade bracelets and hand-held pieces, and then left the courtyard with his backpack on his back.

Gu Xiao Yu also had to go to work, and the two waved goodbye.

Li Long walked slowly on the streets of Yanjing. To be honest, the trees on the streets at this time were not that dense, so he could be exposed to the sun, and the sun was quite strong.

He was stopped by someone riding a bicycle selling popsicles. He bought a cream popsicle and walked toward the Beijing Liaison Office while eating it.

It was almost time for work, and there were quite a lot of people on the street. When Li Long arrived at the Beijing Liaison Office, work had already started here.