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As the Spring Festival approaches, the streets and alleys of Xihong City are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Red lanterns were hung in strings on the utility poles along the roadside.

The shop windows were covered with "Fu" characters and paper-cut window decorations, and some even had colorful lights hanging on them.

Stalls selling New Year's goods stretched from one end of the street to the other, with melon seeds, peanuts, candies, and pastries piled high in bright red packaging.

The air was filled with the sulfurous smell of firecrackers and the aroma of stewed meat; together, this was the taste of the Chinese New Year.

Charlotte has been extremely busy lately.

With rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala coming one after another, his performance of "Meet in 1998" with Na Jie has become one of the most anticipated programs of this year's Spring Festival Gala.

The production team scheduled this song for around midnight, during prime time.

Every rehearsal is attended by many big names, including Zhao Benshan, Song Dandan, Huang Hong, and Cai Ming, all of whom are pillars of the Spring Festival Gala.

Standing on the stage, looking at the familiar faces below, Charlotte sometimes felt a sense of disorientation...

He could only see these people on television in his previous life.

Having a rare free time that day, Charlotte bought a train ticket and returned to Xihong City.

The train was still the old-fashioned green one, moving slowly, taking more than ten hours to travel from Beijing to Xihong City.

The train carriage was packed with people heading home for the Chinese New Year, carrying large and small bags, chattering away.

Charlotte found a seat by the window and sat down, watching the fields and villages rushing past outside. Suddenly, she felt a little sentimental.

He wanted to go back and see, after all, this was his home.

You see, he has lived in this city for eighteen years, he knows every street and has memories of every corner.

The old house is still there, the neighbors are still there, and those familiar faces are still there.

His mom is probably nagging him again; the breakfast stall downstairs is probably still selling soy milk and fried dough sticks.

Walking down the street, I suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Reborn, everything has changed, yet nothing has changed.

He was no longer the poor student who was looked down upon, no longer the good-for-nothing who slept all day.

He'll become famous and make a lot of money as long as he appears on the Spring Festival Gala.

Walking on the streets of Xihong City, he felt like he was still Charlotte, the Charlotte who had run around on this street since he was a child.

However, Charlotte was unaware that someone was causing him trouble.

……

Yuan Hua has been feeling very depressed lately.

Qiuya completely ignored him.

Yuan Hua used to be the class monitor. He was a good student, came from a well-off family, and was good-looking. Qiu Ya always had an ambiguous relationship with him and would sometimes take the initiative to talk to him.

But after Charlotte became famous, everything changed.

Qiuya's eyes were glued to Xia Luo. She would stare at Xia Luo's songs when they were on TV, listen attentively to them when they were on the radio, and even cut out Xia Luo's photos from magazines and pasted them on her bedside.

After being admitted to Xihong City University, Yuan Hua often asked Qiu Ya out to dinner, but Qiu Ya always said she was too busy.

Yuan Hua sent Qiu Ya a bouquet of ninety-nine red roses, which cost him half a month's living expenses.

Qiuya said thank you, then put the flowers in a vase in her dorm room, and that was the end of it.

He chatted with Qiuya, talking about school, class, and future plans.

Qiuya said she was busy.

What are you busy with? I'm busy talking on the phone with Charlotte.

Every time Xia Luo called, Qiu Ya could chat for half an hour, her face beaming with joy.

Yuan Hua couldn't take it anymore.

So, that day he found a few petty thugs and treated them to drinks at a barbecue stall behind the school.

The barbecue stall's grill was belching smoke, the lamb skewers were sizzling over the fire, and the smell of cumin and chili powder made people cough.

Yuan Hua sat on a plastic stool, several bottles of beer in front of him opened, but he didn't drink a drop.

"Brother Hua, what's up?" The gang leader had a shaved head, a gold chain around his neck, and a face full of menacing features.

His name is Brother Biao. He has been in this area for several years and has seven or eight men under him. He specializes in settling disputes for people.

He picked up a skewer of mutton, took a big bite, and his mouth was full of oil.

Yuan Hua gritted his teeth and explained, "Help me teach someone a lesson. Xia Luo, you know, the singer. He used to be from our No. 1 Middle School, and now he's on the Spring Festival Gala, acting all high and mighty."

Brother Biao paused for a moment, then put down the skewer. "That Xia Luo who sings? I know him, the one who's really popular lately. Brother Hua, you're up to something big!"

"Just tell me if it's possible or not."

Brother Biao slammed his hand on the table. "It can be done. Brother Hua's business is my business. How? Beat him up? Break his arm? Or make sure he can't sing anymore?"

Yuan Hua was silent for a moment, then his eyes hardened. "Remove his tonsils."

Brother Biao paused for a moment, then laughed, "Brother Hua is ruthless, I like that. Okay, leave this to me."

Yuan Hua pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and slapped it on the table. "This is a deposit. I'll pay you double after it's done."

Brother Biao stuffed the money into his pocket, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Brother Hua is generous. Just you wait and see!"

……

Upon hearing the news, Da Chun immediately called Ma Dongmei.

Da Chun now works as a warehouse manager in a factory in Xihong City.

He still has that simple and honest look, but he's very kind-hearted.

He ran into Brother Biao's gang on the street and overheard them muttering things like "Charlotte" and "tonsils." His heart tightened, and he quickly called Ma Dongmei.

"Dongmei, something terrible has happened! Yuan Hua has hired some thugs to beat up Xia Luo and say they want to remove his tonsils." Da Chun's voice was muffled and anxious on the phone.

"When?"

"Tonight, downstairs at Charlotte's house. I heard them say it was around eight or nine o'clock."

Without saying a word, Ma Dongmei put on a coat and ran outside.

Her mother called after her, "Where are you going?" but she didn't hear her.

By the time Ma Dongmei reached Xia Luo's building, it was already completely dark.

The hallway lights were broken, leaving it pitch black, with only the distant streetlights casting a dim, yellowish glow.

Ma Dongmei was panting heavily as she looked around. She didn't see Xia Luo, but she saw a few hooligans loitering around.

There were five people in total. Brother Biao was leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth, bragging to his men.

"That kid's famous now, a singer, making a fortune." Brother Biao exhaled a puff of smoke, the smoke dissipating in the cold air. "Later, we'll show him what society is all about. So what if he's a celebrity? Celebrities are people too, they get beaten up too."

Several of his men laughed along, some squatting on the steps, some leaning against the bicycle shed, and some kicking pebbles on the ground.

Ma Dongmei rushed over and stood in front of them, demanding, "What do you want?"

Brother Biao sized her up, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Charlotte's friend, don't do anything rash."

Brother Biao laughed, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out. "Friend? Girlfriend, I guess? She's quite pretty. That Xia Luo kid is lucky!"

A few thugs nearby joined in the commotion, some whistling, others chuckling.

Ma Dongmei stood in the doorway, arms outstretched, saying, "If you want to hit Xia Luo, hit me first."

Brother Biao stared at Ma Dongmei for a few seconds, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He smugly stroked his chin, then suddenly came up with an idea, a disgusting smile spreading across his face. "Fine! We won't have to hit him. You come with us to that grove of trees over there, and we'll call it even."

Ma Dongmei was stunned; of course she knew what "turn around" meant.

Her hands started to tremble, not from fear, but from anger.

But when she looked back upstairs, Charlotte's lights were on.

Charlotte is at home.

Ma Dongmei gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go."

Brother Biao was taken aback when Ma Dongmei actually agreed. He paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "You've got guts. Let's go."

……

The grove of trees is behind the residential area; it's a place that nobody takes care of.

The rows of poplar trees were sparse, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves and trash.

In the summer, people come here to cool off, but in the winter, nobody comes at all.

The wind felt like knives on my face, cutting painfully.

Only a fool would come here to suffer in this weather; that would be the height of idiocy.
Ma Dongmei followed them inside, her hands in her pockets, clutching a brick tightly.

She had just picked it up from the roadside and was clutching it tightly, her palms sweaty, the sharp edges of the brick hurting her hands.

At this moment, Ma Dongmei's heart was pounding, but she didn't run away.

If they run away, those thugs will go after Charlotte.

Brother Biao stood in front of Ma Dongmei with that disgusting smile on his face and reached out his hand.

However, Ma Dongmei did not hesitate.

He swung the brick out of his pocket and smashed it hard on Brother Biao's head.

This time, Ma Dongmei used all her strength, swinging her arm in a wide arc, and the brick hit her head with a dull thud.

"what--"

Brother Biao screamed, clutched his head, and squatted down. Blood flowed from between his fingers, down his face, and dripped onto the withered leaves on the ground.

The thugs were all stunned. Some opened their mouths wide, some took a step back, and some hadn't even reacted yet.

Before they could react, Ma Dongmei took off running.

She ran incredibly fast, the wind whistling past her ears, her heart pounding as if it would leap out of her throat.

But she hadn't run far before the thugs caught up with her.

Those thugs were faster and more experienced than Ma Dongmei.

One hand grabbed Ma Dongmei's arm and twisted it hard, causing her to cry out in pain before she was forced to the ground.

Brother Biao walked over, his head covered in blood, and he was furious.

He kicked Ma Dongmei in the stomach, yelling, "Damn it, you dare hit me?"

Then came another kick.

Ma Dongmei curled up on the ground, unable to speak from the pain; her stomach felt like it was on fire.

However, she just gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Brother Biao kicked him twice more before his men pulled him back, saying, "Brother Biao, stop hitting him, or something bad will happen."

"Call the police." Brother Biao clutched his head, blood still flowing. "I'm going to put her in jail. Damn it, she dared to hit me."

The police arrived quickly.

Two police cars, with their lights flashing, were parked at the entrance of the residential compound.

When Ma Dongmei was taken away, her mouth was covered in blood and her clothes were covered in dirt.

She glanced back in the direction of Charlotte's house; the lights were still on.

Charlotte had no idea what was happening downstairs.

Charlotte had no idea that someone had been beaten and arrested by the police because of him.

Ma Dongmei smiled, and then tears fell from her eyes.

Charlotte knew nothing at all.

At this moment, Charlotte was sitting at home. His mother cooked him a bowl of dumplings with chive and egg filling, and he ate two large plates of them.

The TV was on, showing clips from the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals, and his image flashed by.

……

The news spread the next day.

Ma Dongmei injured someone and will be criminally detained.

Brother Biao had seven stitches and was lying in the hospital, yelling that he was going to sue her.

Medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for emotional distress should be paid in total, amounting to 20,000 yuan.

Ma Dongmei's family simply couldn't afford that much money.

Her father died early, and her mother works in a factory, earning a few hundred yuan a month.

The family had little savings; the house was their only possession.

The small two-bedroom apartment in the old town of Xihong City, about 50 square meters, has peeling paint on the walls, and the toilet is shared.

It sold for eight thousand yuan.

With the money borrowed from relatives, I scraped together 20,000 yuan to compensate Brother Biao.

Brother Biao took the money, withdrew the lawsuit, and that was the end of it.

The day Ma Dongmei was released from the detention center, her mother was waiting at the door. "Waaah..." Her mother was wearing a faded cotton-padded jacket, her hair was messy, and her eyes were red from crying.

“Mom, it’s okay,” Ma Dongmei said.

At this time, she still had a wound on the corner of her mouth, and her speech was a little slurred.

Her mother didn't say anything, but just held her hand tightly.

Her mother's hands were cold, rough, and covered in calluses.

The house is gone, and so is my home.

Her mother found a distant relative in the south who said they could help arrange a job for her as a temporary worker in a factory, earning three or four hundred yuan a month.

The family packed their bags, preparing to leave Xihong City.

There wasn't much stuff—just two woven bags and an old leather suitcase—that was all their belongings.

On the day she left, Ma Dongmei stood downstairs and looked up at Xia Luo's window.

The lights weren't on; Charlotte wasn't home, she was rehearsing for the Spring Festival Gala.

Ma Dongmei smiled, turned around and left.

As I reached the alley entrance, I looked back one last time.

She had walked that alley for eighteen years; she could walk it with her eyes closed.

She remembers every brick, every tree, and every manhole cover.

Then she turned around, followed her mother, and left Xihong City.

……

Yan Ruyu has been looking at houses recently.

It's not renting, it's buying.

In 1997, housing prices in Beijing had not yet risen.

A complete courtyard house within the Second Ring Road costs only a few hundred thousand yuan.

Those old courtyards that have been in disrepair for years are even cheaper.

Homeowners are eager to sell; some are going abroad, some are looking to move, and some urgently need money and can't wait to cash out.

Yan Ruyu spent several weeks looking at more than a dozen courtyards.

Some are too small, with only one entrance, and if a few people stand there, there's not enough room to turn around.

Some were so dilapidated that the roofs had collapsed and the walls were crooked, making them look like ruins.

Some locations are in bad spots, deep in alleys, where cars can't even drive in.

Some properties have unclear ownership, with multiple owners, making it difficult for anyone to clarify the situation.

Finally, they found a four-courtyard house near Shichahai.

Located near Houhai Lake, it offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle.

Although the courtyard was dilapidated, the layout was still intact, with the main house, side rooms, and rear building arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.

It has a garden and a covered walkway. Although the pillars of the walkway are rotten, the carvings are still there, showing its former grandeur.

It had been in disrepair for years, with drafts everywhere, torn window paper, and grass growing on the roof.

The homeowner was an old man with gray hair and wearing reading glasses.

This courtyard was passed down from his ancestors, and he has lived here for over sixty years.

His children are all abroad, and he refuses to go to live with them, but he can't live in such a big house by himself.

He happened to need the money urgently, so he asked for 600,000.

Yan Ruyu immediately tried to take out money, but Su Ning stopped her.

"Let's look at the paperwork first," Su Ning said.

Next, I contacted an agency, checked the records, and went to the housing management bureau.

The property rights are clear, there are no disputes, no mortgages, and no seizures.

The transfer went smoothly and was completed in just one week.

The day Yan Ruyu received the property ownership certificate, she stood in front of the real estate bureau for quite a while.

The property certificate is bright red with gold lettering on the cover.

She happily flipped through it several times, her name printed on it, black paper with white lettering.

It still feels unreal.

Six hundred thousand, a four-courtyard house.

If her monthly living expenses are 500 yuan, that's enough for her to live on for a hundred years.

……

Next comes the renovation.

Suning hired a specialized team for the restoration of ancient buildings, which is the same construction team that works at the Palace Museum and specializes in restoring ancient buildings.

The foreman was in his fifties and had worked his whole life; he had even repaired the corner towers of the Forbidden City.

Repair what needed repairing, replace what needed replacing, and reinforce what needed reinforcing. The roof was relaid with new tiles and the rafters were replaced.

The wall was rebuilt and plastered.

The doors and windows were rebuilt and decorated with carvings.

The plumbing, electrical, and heating systems were all redone. The bathroom and kitchen were renovated to modern standards, with water heaters, flush toilets, and integrated kitchen cabinets installed.

The courtyard was paved with neat, orderly blue bricks.

I planted two crabapple trees, which I bought from Huaxiang. They are three-year-old seedlings, and they are more than a meter tall.

Lanterns hung under the eaves, their red color making them especially beautiful when lit up at night.

The pillars of the veranda have been repainted a bright vermilion that gleams dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The renovation took more than two months and cost a lot of money, more than buying a house.

When the results came out, Yan Ruyu stood in the courtyard, speechless for a long time.

With its blue bricks and gray tiles, vermilion-lacquered pillars, and the crabapple tree in the center of the courtyard sprouting new branches, its tender green leaves swaying gently in the wind.

Sunlight shines on the veranda, casting shadows on the ground in squares.

Yan Ruyu suddenly felt a little dazed, as if she had stepped into an old movie or a dream.

"Do you like it?" Su Ning asked, standing behind her.

Yan Ruyu nodded vigorously, "I like it."

……

On the day she moved in, Yan Ruyu walked around the place several times.

From the first courtyard to the fourth, from the east wing to the west wing, I would open the door of each room and look around, and stand for a while in each corner.

Touch the carvings on the window lattice, pat the paint on the pillars, and step on the blue bricks on the ground.

Finally, I stood in the backyard garden, looking at the old locust tree.

The old locust tree is several decades old. It has a thick trunk and a large canopy that can shade half of the yard in the summer.

Yan Ruyu suddenly felt like crying.

She never imagined that she would have such a home in the capital.

She grew up in a tenement building in Xiangtan. The corridors were filled with clutter, the toilets were communal, and she had to go to a public bathhouse to take a shower.

In winter, the heating isn't very effective, so I need to use two blankets.

In the summer, there's no air conditioning, so we have to sleep with the door open.

Now, she has a four-courtyard house with a garden, a covered walkway, crabapple trees, and an old locust tree.

Su Ning sat on the veranda drinking tea, watching her run around, and a smile played on her lips.

This girl, when she's happy, acts like a child.

……

A few days later, Su Ning took Yan Ruyu to the car dealership.

There are imported car dealerships in the Asian Games Village area.

The exhibition hall was very large, and the gleaming floor reflected people's images.

A row of new cars were parked on the display stand, gleaming.

They have Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Volvo, all of which are imported.

Yan Ruyu thought Su Ning was just browsing, but to her surprise, he walked around and pointed to a bright red BMW, asking her, "Do you like this?"

It was a BMW Z3, ​​a convertible sports car with a streamlined body and fiery red paint that shone brightly under the lights.

Yan Ruyu was stunned. "Buy it for me?"

"Ah."

"No...no need...I don't know how to drive."

"You can learn it."

"..." Yan Ruyu opened her mouth, but no words came out.

That car was priced at over 600,000 yuan, the same price as that courtyard house.

Before I could even recover from the shock of the courtyard house, a BMW arrived.

Yan Ruyu suddenly realized that her boyfriend spent money in a way that was different from other people's.

Others spend money, Suning throws money away.

It wasn't the kind of nouveau riche showing off, but rather a kind of nonchalant and casual attitude.

He casually slipped her a check for ten million as pocket money.

A courtyard worth 600,000 yuan, bought on a whim.

A car worth 600,000 yuan, bought on a whim.

It seems that these numbers are really just numbers to Suning.

The car was picked up immediately, and after all the paperwork was completed, I drove it straight home.

Yan Ruyu sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the street scenes of Beijing.

Chang'an Avenue is very wide, and the buildings on both sides rush past the car window.

Tiananmen, Xinhuamen, Xidan, Dongdan—familiar place names flashed by.

Yan Ruyu suddenly asked, "Su Ning, how much money do you actually have?"

Suning smiled and said, "Enough to spend."

Yan Ruyu didn't ask any more questions.

Leaning back in my seat, watching the streetlights rushing past the car window, I suddenly felt a sense of peace.

It's not because Suning is rich, it's because Suning spends money on her without even blinking an eye.

That feeling wasn't like being kept, it was like being pampered.

Moreover, she was Suning's official girlfriend, so there was no question of her being kept by him.

Back at the courtyard house, the car was parked at the entrance.

A bright red BMW, a gate with blue bricks and gray tiles, and two old locust trees standing beside it.

The neighbors who passed by all took a second look, and some even stopped to point and whisper.

Yan Ruyu came down and stood at the door for a long time.

The courtyard with its blue bricks and gray tiles, the bright red BMW—everything was so beautiful.

Suddenly I felt like I was dreaming.

From the tenement buildings in Xiangtan to the courtyard houses in Beijing, from buses to BMWs, from a monthly allowance of 500 yuan to spending hundreds of thousands of yuan at will.

All of this was because she met Su Ning.

Su Ning walked over. "What are you thinking about?"

Yan Ruyu shook her head. "I wasn't thinking about anything. I just feel really lucky to have met you."

Su Ning didn't say anything, but simply squeezed her hand.

The night in Beijing is just the right amount of quiet.

Occasionally, a few dogs barked in the alley, and a bicycle passed by in the distance, its jingling bell drifting away on the night breeze.

Yan Ruyu leaned on Su Ning's shoulder and closed her eyes.

At that moment, she heard the sound of the wind, the swaying of the branches, and her own heartbeat.

Suddenly, a line of poetry came to mind: "Where my heart finds peace is my home."

This will be her home from now on.

...(End of this chapter)