National Tide 1980.

Chapter 629
The more Ning Weimin thought about the Ma family's business experience, the more interesting he became.

However, just when he wanted to ask more details about the Ma family, unexpectedly, Kang Shude patted him on the shoulder and changed the topic.

"Look, here we are, this is the small courtyard where Mr. Song and I lived. It was originally called Dongpian Courtyard, but because Mr. Song married a Japanese wife, everyone in Ma's garden took care of it. It's called Oriental Garden..."

After saying these few words, the old man no longer cared about greeting him, and walked forward a few steps ahead, his eagerness was beyond words.

Ning Weimin suddenly realized.

Immediately understood the reason why Kang Shuode just ran eastward after he came in, and didn't intend to go deep into the garden for a stroll.

The place where Kang Shude entered the courtyard was a hanging flower gate at the corner of the courtyard.

From the outside, it looks a little out of place.

Because the location where the door is opened is the turning point between the north room and the west wing room in the courtyard.

A long row of green brick exterior walls in the west extends southward, and there are many withered and sick creepers on them, which makes the courtyard look a bit desolate.

But in front of the rear windows of the west wing rooms where you can see the garden, there are extremely delicate flower iron railings.

After so many years, these railings are still strong, and the scenery of the past can still be seen to some extent.

Ning Weimin followed closely and walked in.

There is no screen wall inside the door, but a screen door connecting the chaoshou verandah, and then it is directly the main courtyard of the courtyard.

Although there were several small rooms built in the courtyard, it was difficult to see them all at a glance, but he could still feel the size of the courtyard.

At least it is bigger than No. 2 Courtyard in Fan'er Hutong, and it can cover one and a half of it.

The main building on the north side is composed of five rooms, with a corridor in the front and a mansion in the back. There are three wing rooms and two side rooms on the east and west sides.

Although it is a long time ago, its charm still exists, and you can imagine the style of that year.

Especially compared with the No. [-] Courtyard of Dongsi Sitiao, it is obviously different.

An old atmosphere of the former Qing Dynasty, a new style of the Republic of China.

This courtyard is indeed not as noble and gorgeous as the emperor's mansion, but it is more graceful and refined.

For example, the Chaoshou verandah on the south wall is close to the wall, with flower windows and painted paintings, and a hall in the middle leads to the outside of the courtyard.

For another example, the stone benches, stone tables, rocks, flowers and trees in the yard are all complete, which has some characteristics of Jiangnan garden landscaping.

Seeing that the old man was standing alone in Fangzheng's courtyard, looking around in a daze.

Ning Weimin couldn't help but walk along the Chaoshou corridor to the south hall to have a look.

He thinks that if the hanging flower gate is on the north side, it would be superfluous if there is a main gate on the south side of the courtyard.

So I was somewhat curious and wanted to know what was outside the hanging flower door on the south wall.

It's a pity that before he was allowed to walk over, Kang Shuode stopped him and asked him to open the door with the key.

I dare to say that almost all the houses in this courtyard are locked, and the old man can't see the house without opening it.

Of course Ning Weimin came prepared, and quickly opened the purse to find the key.

"Old man, which house do you want to see?"

"All open."

"Yes." Ning Weimin responded and scolded himself.

I thought to myself why I can't speak so much today, this question is like nonsense.

"Old man, which house did you live in? I want to see where you live..."

"Well, let's open the Westinghouse first..."

Listen, just change the method, the old man nodded.

As a padlock was taken off, the door was pushed open, and the old and the young walked in together.

The inside is similar to those of the porter's room and accountant's room, which have been modified for the actual needs of life.

So almost everything that used to be there is gone.

There are light bulbs on the roof, beige paint on the walls, and there is no kang that Kang Shude used to sleep in.

Fortunately, the plain painted columns are still there, and the tiled floor from Germany is still there.

Kang Shude was even pleasantly surprised to find the traces he had carved with a carving knife on the height of a pillar.

"Third watch lights and five watch chickens are the time for boys to study. Black hair doesn't know how to study early, and Bai Shoufang regrets studying late."

Faced with Ning Weimin's unbelievable appearance after reading aloud, Kang Shude was unrestrained.

"Don't laugh at me, everyone has a young age. And for me, a little beggar was brought here, and I have already fallen into the nest of happiness. And I am lucky enough to be able to read and read. If I don't cherish it Such an opportunity, then it can't be justified. You can't be a fool..."

This honest statement about his humble background won Ning Weimin's deep approval.

Think about it, too, in that chaotic world, let alone having enough to eat, it was very difficult to survive.

The old man's opportunity, if you say it is really not bad, is just like opening up.

So Ning Weimin understood that this was the mark left by the master's mood back then.

He felt sorry for him, stroked it twice with emotion, and asked again.

"Old man, are you the only one living in such a big three rooms?"

Kang Shude couldn't help laughing at Ning Weimin's question.

"Then how is it possible? When I first came here, there were already two people living here. One was quite old, Lord Lan who took care of the home. The other was young, Mr. Song's former long-term follower, Zhao Yuliang."

He stroked his beard, looked at Ning Weimin, and continued to recall as if warning.

"Zhao Yuliang is from Baoding Prefecture. He can read and write. He is five years older than me. He is very clever and knows how to deal with things. He has a future in his career. At least he can help Mr. Song manage the antique shop and be a A big checker. But later, because he often hangs out with some servants with bad habits in Ma's garden, he gradually got into the bad habit of gambling. He ruined himself."

"You may not have imagined that the atmosphere in the mansion is very bad because of the crowds. Especially the head servants are proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. Zhao Yuliang just gambled with them and lost all his savings, so he learned it in order to make money. Stealing. Once, he stole more than a dozen hanging beads that Mr. Song kept at home, and was caught by Mr. Lan and brought to Mr. Song, and he paid for it. So I later took his place and became Mr. Song His long follower has been living with Master Lan in the south room of the West Wing."

"This Lord Lan is a banner man who lived in the capital. He used to be a householder who was good at battling camps. He would fall down. When he is not fighting with others, he is a very kind old man. His banner is Zhenglan Banner, and he is strict in his work. Seriously, he is full of old etiquette when opening and closing his mouth. He is usually very clean, because he taught me a lot of etiquette and the rules of the capital."

"As for how do I know his flag? It's all because I played chess with him. This old man has a habit of saying jingles. It's like when he eats noodles, he always likes to say, 'Eat noodles and noodles without jealousy. When playing chess, he always likes to say "red first and blue second, and it doesn't smell bad if you lose". Once Mr. Song happened to hear him, and Mr. Song accosted him outside the house, saying that Master Lan used blue Chess suits, not only is his surname Lan, but he also belongs to Zhenglan Banner. That’s how I know Lord Lan’s Banner nationality."

"Master Lan also likes to personify Dim Sum from time to time. He told me about the pastry array in detail. What kind of trough cake lost the battle and replaced it with hard-faced pastry, against Sachima, so what if you meet head-to-head. Especially About ghosts and gods, Master Lan has many stories in his stomach. But he is the only one who doesn't tell about his family background, completely silent about it."

"Which family is he, what branch is he, what is his last name, how did he enter Shanpuying, what kind of errand he is in the Qing Palace. No matter how I ask him, he won't tell. I only know that he has no family members. Hired by Dayang at 30 yuan per month. Thinking about it now, he probably felt that he had humiliated his ancestors, or he didn’t want to think about the past anymore. I also became a lonely old man, so I realized his state of mind."

At this time, Kang Shude paced around, and then slowly wandered to the door of the north room of the west wing, pointing inside and speaking to Ning Weimin.

"This room used to be Mr. Song's warehouse. The good things that Mr. Song took back from the outside and didn't want to put them in the store will be stored here. It's full, just like a treasure house. Sometimes, when you are short of money, you just take a few It’s time to sell it to the Ma family.”

"In the past, there were two small cabinets with yellow palms on the west wall of this house, which contained small antique treasures that Mr. Song had collected for many years. Those were not for sale. Mr. Song often locked the door so that no one would disturb him. Enjoy and play alone These beloved things. After I entered the industry, I gradually gained his trust and was allowed to enter."

"I'm not bragging. The antique porcelain you collect now, don't look at many of them are high-quality goods bought in cultural relics stores. But the value of the two together is not worth half of the small cabinet of the two yellow palms back then. It's a pity. , Those good things have gone with Mr. Song. Even I can hardly see it anymore..."

As soon as these words came out, not only Kang Shuode looked at the empty room in a daze.

Ning Weimin couldn't help but be fascinated, imagining what this place looked like in the past.

(End of this chapter)