Age: My Small World

"No, you think you can just get rid of us with a baked bun?"

A little while later, Sun Buyong and Wei Ye were already sitting together having lunch.

They haven't eaten anything since morning in order to wait for Yang Jun to return.

"Aren't all these baked buns enough to eat?"

Yang Jun glanced at him.

Sun didn't need to shut up immediately.

"Fine, fine, that's what happens when you're the boss."

To say he was angry was actually more like worry, after all, they had gone through many ups and downs together and gradually developed a friendship.

The day passed uneventfully. In the evening, Yang Jun specially treated the two of them to a meal at a state-run restaurant in Jiangcheng, which completely dispelled Sun Buyong's resentment.

After resting overnight, the three of them set off early the next morning with their respective bags.

I boarded the old green train back to Beijing, and the bumpy five-day, six-night journey continued.

"Huff, huff, huff..." The sound of the train echoed steadily along every track, gradually taking people back to the lush and vibrant capital city.

Because this area was the capital for hundreds of years, the vegetation around the capital was severely damaged by deforestation. At one point, it was so bad that you could not see any trees for dozens of miles. You can imagine how much environmental damage occurred in the capital area.

It's easy to imagine how arduous it must have been for woodcutters in the ancient capital to chop and sell firewood. The round trip alone was nearly a hundred miles. Add to that the time spent in the mountains and forests, the constant threat of wolves and tigers, and the loss of knives, clothes, trousers, and shoes. With all these costs factored in, was firewood in the capital still expensive?

The reason I'm including shoes is because walking this hundred-mile road really wears out shoes, especially in the mountains and forests, where even straw sandals can't withstand more than a few wears.

Nowadays, burning coal is very popular in Beijing. Does that mean everyone likes coal? It's just because there's no firewood.

So once you reach the capital city area, you can only see lush grass and flying birds; there's no question of trees growing in abundance.

"Finally back, this car ride was so tiring."

Sun rubbed his bottom, which felt like it was about to split open.

Seeing Yang Jun's unchanging expression, he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "I have to admit, Yang Jun, your iron butt is really amazing."

Wei Ye had already stood up and couldn't sit down anymore. If she weren't a girl, she might have ended up like Sun Yongbu.

"You guys go back and get some rest. I need to report the situation to the boss."

The task of reporting was naturally assigned to him, since he was the team leader for this mission.

Well, actually, Yang Jun was just asking Lao Zhu about his own work unit's housing situation; reporting his task was just a side thing.

He figured that the base must have explained the whole story to Zhu Yong in detail.

Sure enough, when he returned to the office, Old Zhu said with a smile, "Not bad, you did a great job on this mission. Director Qi praised you to me."

Yang Jun was somewhat surprised, but he still reported the mission again.

What Qi Changyu said is their opinion, but I also need to give a summary report on my task.

Zhu Yong listened carefully to the details.

Qi Changyu's explanation was only a general overview; Yang Jun's explanation would have been much more detailed.

“Very good, I was right about you. This task can only be done by you, otherwise if it takes too long, it will cause problems at the base.”

Zhu Yong clearly knew what the base was for; it was for an extremely urgent purpose and of great importance.

"If you know anything about what's happening over there, don't talk about it carelessly, or you might break the rules."

These words were probably spoken to Yang Jun. Sun and Wei Ye, as long-time employees of the office, were very familiar with the rules.

"Director, I'm not a blabbermouth. Who would I tell such confidential information to?" Yang Jun shook his head.

Although he wasn't as strict as Sun Yong and the others in managing things, he had still signed a confidentiality agreement, and violating it would result in being sent to a labor camp.

"By the way, Director, about my unit housing..."

Yang Jun rubbed his hands together and changed the subject, asking a question.

Zhu Yong laughed and said, "I knew you had no good intentions when you came to see me. You really are after your company apartment."

He said irritably, "I've already prepared everything for you. I'll give you the address and the key in a bit, and you can go and take a look."

"By the way, that place is quite close to Sishui Hutong, I wonder if it just happens to meet your requirements."

Zhu Yong blinked, his eyes surprisingly showing a hint of amusement.

Yang Jun knew perfectly well that Old Zhu was teasing him, but the fact that he had arranged for his company apartment to be there was actually quite nice.

"Let me go take a look first. If it doesn't work out, please find me another room."

Zhu Yong paused for a moment, rolled his eyes and said, "You really think this house is easy to find? I had people search for three days before we found this place. If it weren't for all the good you've done, I wouldn't have bothered with you."

"Oh, and also, do you still need your old company-provided apartment? If not, I'll take it back."

Yang Jun immediately shook his head: "No way, I have a very important use for you."

“These are all my company-owned apartments, boss, don’t be so stingy.”

"Stingy? I can't even be bothered to talk to you about that."

Zhu Yong shook his head.

However, after a while, he gradually regained his serious demeanor, changed his attitude, talked to Yang Jun about work, and then let him leave.

"Hehe, this is a good opportunity to go and take a look at the new house."

Yang Jun happily set off, riding his bicycle westward, not even having time to go home.

He only stopped when the car entered a place called Willow Alley.

Willow Alley, as the name suggests, has many willow trees.

Because there is a small river nearby, there are quite a lot of trees on both sides, the most common of which are willows, which grow on the riverbank.

Further afield, many houses were built, forming what is known as Willow Alley, which is actually more like a street in the village.

This place is similar to Huyang Village, except that it is located within the urban area and is relatively close to Sishui Hutong and Peking University.

If Yang Jun wanted to go to Sishui Hutong, it would only take five minutes by bike.

It takes about ten minutes to get to school by bike.

“It’s a nice place.”

He found courtyard number 46, used the key Zhu Yong gave him to unlock the door, and then entered the courtyard.

The yard wasn't big, but it was very tidy. There were some cultivated plots of land planted with cabbages and other plants, so it seemed the previous owner hadn't been gone for long.

He went inside and looked around. Sure enough, the things inside were quite new, with only a thin layer of dust.

If you calculate the time, it's only been about ten days since the person moved out, which seems like Old Zhu deliberately vacated the place because he couldn't find another place.

Regardless, since this place was given to him as his work unit's housing, it now belongs to Yang Jun.

The house was quite large, with five rooms, and fully furnished, so he didn't need to buy anything else. (End of Chapter)