Chen Lan hadn't expected that this dilapidated, isolated small courtyard standing at the end of the alley would have such a spacious entrance, capable of parking two cars side-by-side. Judging from the outside, Chen Lan estimated that the siheyuan's footprint wouldn't be very large.
Several sections of the outer courtyard wall had already collapsed severely. Where the walls hadn't collapsed, they were covered in climbing vines, which, in this early spring season, were showing vibrant signs of life as dry tendrils began to sprout new shoots.
Based on the area the courtyard wall occupied, it looked like the courtyard itself was approximately two hundred square meters.
Although the house appeared very run-down, with its blue brick exterior walls showing very noticeable cracks, and a traditional pitched roof with few gray tiles remaining, it had to be said that the location of this house was truly excellent. The entire courtyard faced south, the main gate was spacious, and there was even a horse-mounting block in front of the gate.
The moment Chen Lan saw the situation at the main entrance, she knew that the former owner of this house must have been a relatively wealthy family, who had unfortunately met with a sudden disaster. She wondered where their descendants had ended up.
Qian Liu Ye reached out and pushed open the loosely closed main gate. Suddenly, the quacking calls of crows echoed from within the courtyard. Qian Liu Ye hesitated slightly upon hearing the crows, but ultimately decided to go in and take a look.
Chen Lan and the mother-daughter pair of Jia Yu followed closely behind him and stepped through the courtyard gate. Looking up, they saw a carved screen wall directly facing the entrance of the courtyard.
At this moment, several more croaks of crows sounded from within the courtyard. The three people startled and looked up, only to see several crows spreading their wings, taking off, and soaring towards the sky like arrows!
Qian Liu Ye turned his head and glanced at Chen Lan and her daughter. Seeing that the mother and daughter showed no signs of panic or distress, he thought to himself that these two were indeed not afraid.
He then led Chen Lan and her daughter around the screen wall and into the courtyard. What greeted them was indeed a courtyard overgrown with weeds, with grass even growing in the cracks of the bluestone slabs. The dry grass was as high as a person's calf.
What Chen Lan hadn't expected was that the courtyard still had several trees planted, such as begonia, lilac, and red maple, arranged at varying heights.
What Chen Lan found truly unbelievable was that the courtyard had been abandoned, yet the trees within it were still alive and seemed to be growing very well. This was rather strange.
Chen Lan looked up at the houses in the courtyard. The architectural style of the houses was typical of a Beijing siheyuan.
In the center was the main hall, the main building was to the north with three rooms, the south side had the reversed-facing rooms, and the east and west sides were the side rooms, which were specifically used to entertain and lodge guests.
Although the walls of the houses were dilapidated and the pillars were peeling paint, the colorful paintings on the eaves were still well-preserved. Therefore, from the eaves on the outside, one could still discern its former glory.
Seeing this, Chen Lan had no intention of going further inside for a closer look. Instead, she said to Qian Liu Ye, "Brother Qian, do you know how many courtyards this house has?"
Qian Liu Ye thought for a moment and replied, "When I was five or six years old, I was ignorant and unafraid. I came in once while playing hide-and-seek with my friends. I think this should be a small two-courtyard siheyuan with a small garden behind it. If the front and back courtyards are added together, the total area should be around three hundred square meters."
When Chen Lan heard that the total area was over three hundred square meters, she was very satisfied. She thought that just the area alone would be worth a lot of money in the future, not to mention that this was a school district house. Even if she bought it now and demolished it to rebuild a siheyuan, it would be very cost-effective.
So, Chen Lan nodded and asked again, "Brother Qian, if I want to buy this house, should I still go to the Housing Administration?"
Qian Liu Ye nodded and replied, "That's for sure! Sister, you should also know that private individuals are not allowed to buy and sell houses. If private individuals want to conduct housing transactions, they must go to the Housing Administration to handle it."
Seeing Chen Lan holding Jia Yu's hand and turning to leave, he asked, "What's wrong? Sister, aren't you going to go inside and take a look? You don't like it, do you?"
Chen Lan smiled and replied, "No, Brother Qian. I don't think there's much to see in its current dilapidated state! I plan to buy it and then find someone to repair it well. It should be very nice!"
Although Qian Liu Ye had known for a long time that Chen Lan wanted to buy a house, he was still somewhat surprised when she personally said she intended to buy this haunted, abandoned house, and asked, "Sister, you really plan to buy this house?"
Chen Lan nodded calmly and replied, "Yes! Brother Qian, what I said is true! Oh, by the way, Brother Qian, do you know anyone who is skilled in building old houses like this?"
Qian Liu Ye replied, "Sister, once you buy the house, you don't have to worry about the repair work. The Housing Administration has specialized workers for house repairs; that's what they do! As long as you pay for the labor and materials, the Housing Administration will arrange for workers to carry out the construction according to your requirements."
Chen Lan found it a bit amusing. They kept saying that private individuals couldn't do this and that, but in the end, private individuals could still pay to have people do the work. It was just that the Housing Administration acted as an intermediary.
Qian Liu Ye led the mother and daughter away from the house, took a shortcut by turning left and right, and arrived at the nearest Housing Administration.
The sister at the Housing Administration looked at Chen Lan and her daughter with disbelief after hearing Qian Liu Ye's words. Chen Lan calmly nodded and said, "Yes! Brother Qian is correct. I do intend to buy it. How much is that dilapidated house?"
The sister at the Housing Administration glanced at Qian Liu Ye. Seeing him nod, she said, "Sister, there's no need for pretense. You've already seen it. The house is indeed in a very dilapidated state, but its area is not small, over three hundred square meters. That's a fact, isn't it? We won't ask for too much, just this amount."
After speaking, the sister at the Housing Administration held out one hand and looked at Chen Lan.
Remarkably, the Housing Administration didn't dare to ask for too much money. In the end, the house was sold for five thousand yuan.
Chen Lan nodded with immense satisfaction. She hadn't expected it to be so cheap. This was a school district house next to the university in the capital, and it was a siheyuan. What did that imply? She had made an absolute killing! Didn't she?