Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Three days later, in the afternoon, He Damin came to the office of Yang Chengdong, the director of the Military Control Commission, again. The office had a faint smell of tea and ink. Yang Chengdong was writing something at his desk. When he saw He Damin come in, he quickly got up to greet him, his face showing a mixture of inquiry and seriousness.

"Comrade He Damin, there's been progress on the matter you mentioned last time." Yang Chengdong invited He Damin to sit down, then returned to his desk and picked up a report. "The wasteland in the northwest suburbs that you selected is an undeveloped plot of land not designated for agricultural use. The area has been measured; it's about thirty mu as you said, and there are even some adjacent scattered plots nearby, totaling a little over fifty mu. The land ownership belongs to the state, and in accordance with the current policy of encouraging production and construction, long-term use rights can be transferred, with certain price discounts available."

He paused, then looked at He Damin: "However, regarding your application to establish a private 'car repair and sales shop,' after review, the higher authorities believe that there is currently no clear policy supporting private operation of such commercial projects involving important means of production. But..." Yang Chengdong's tone softened slightly, "Considering that national development requires the support of multiple parties, especially your proposal to pay for the land with gold, which has special significance given the current severe shortage of foreign exchange and precious metals, there is a compromise solution."

He Damin listened quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"In principle, the higher authorities agree that you can obtain the land use rights under the guise of 'building a vehicle repair service station to serve the transportation vehicles of surrounding factories and mines.' As for 'sales,' that cannot be officially approved for the time being, but... if you can introduce some urgently needed vehicles or equipment to the country through certain 'special channels' in the future, it might be possible to do so in the form of 'consignment sales' or 'entrusted processing.' The specific operation needs to be reported and approved separately, and you must ensure that the source is legal and the purpose is legitimate." After Yang Chengdong finished speaking, he looked at He Damin, "Do you think this plan is acceptable? This is already the most lenient condition we can negotiate, taking into account the actual situation."

He Damin pondered for a moment and nodded. This outcome was even better than he had anticipated. The name "repair service station" was enough to cover up the initial construction, while the tacit approval of the "special channel" left room for his possible future operations. As for the "sales" label, he didn't care much about it anyway; as long as he could actually get things done, that was fine.

"Sure," He Damin said succinctly. "About the land price?"

Yang Chengdong took out a piece of paper with numbers written on it: "That piece of land is currently barren, and the land price is favorable. Fifty acres of land, the total price after conversion, is about this amount." He quoted a number, which was not small when calculated in old RMB, but considering the area of ​​fifty acres and its future potential value, it was considered cheap.

"I said I'd pay with gold." He Damin said, reaching into a worn canvas bag he carried with him (actually, he took it out of the small world), fumbling for a moment, and pulled out a heavy cube wrapped in ordinary blue cloth.

He placed the cloth bag on Yang Chengdong's desk and untied it.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the open blue cloth. Inside were five rectangular gold bricks, gleaming with a deep, metallic sheen. Each one was precisely cut, with sharp edges and a smooth surface, free of any marks or patterns, clearly having undergone remelting and refining. In China in 1951, gold bricks of such purity and uniformity were extremely rare.

Yang Chengdong's eyes widened instantly, and he caught his breath. Although he wasn't a financial expert, as a military control commission cadre, he had basic knowledge of precious metals. These five gold bars each looked incredibly heavy, probably weighing over a kilogram each! The five bars together… He quickly estimated in his mind that their value far exceeded the land price he had just been quoted!

"Each piece weighs one kilogram, totaling five kilograms. The purity should be over 99%." He Damin's voice was flat and even, as if what was placed on the table wasn't priceless gold, but a few bricks. "Director Yang, please have an authoritative department appraise, weigh, and calculate the value. Any overpayment will be refunded, and any underpayment will be collected." He deliberately said "refund if overpayment is too high, and collect if underpayment," actually knowing that the value of this gold was definitely far greater than the land price. But he didn't want to appear too "generous" to avoid unnecessary scrutiny.

Yang Chengdong took a long time to recover. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze towards He Damin became even more complex and cautious. A man who could casually pull out five kilograms of high-purity gold and use it to buy land without batting an eye… He Damin's background and wealth were probably far more than just a "cook's brother living in seclusion in the mountains." But gold was real and extremely important to the country, especially in the current period of blockade and scarce foreign exchange reserves.

"Comrade He... Comrade He," Yang Chengdong's tone involuntarily became somewhat solemn, "This gold... we need to immediately invite comrades from the People's Bank of China and relevant departments to come and appraise, seal, and deposit it into the accounts. Rest assured, the conversion will be fair. The excess will be converted into RMB to compensate you, or... if you agree, it can also be used directly as construction funds for your future 'service station' or as a tax deduction, managed specifically by the finance department." He proposed a more flexible solution, clearly hoping that this gold could remain under the complete control of the state as much as possible.

"Sure." He Damin didn't care which method he used. His original intention was to use the land to exchange for a legal starting point and identity; the gold was just a tool.

The rest of the process was much faster. With a single phone call from Yang Chengdong, several officials from the People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance rushed over with specialized equipment. Under strict procedures and with multiple witnesses present, the five gold bars were appraised and weighed. The results confirmed that each bar weighed 1000 grams net, for a total weight of 5000 grams (five kilograms), with a purity of over 99.5%, making it extremely high-purity gold.

The conversion results came out quickly. Even using an internal conversion price slightly higher than the international black market price, the value of these five kilograms of gold far exceeded the value of fifty acres of wasteland. The excess portion, with He Damin's tacit approval, was designated as a "Special Construction and Operation Reserve Fund for Future Service Stations," registered under the district finance department, subject to supervision, and used for designated purposes only.

The land deed and related usage rights documents were expedited and delivered to He Damin the very next day. With black and white paper and a red official seal, the fifty mu of land, located in what would later become the core area of ​​Zhongguancun, legally granted him long-term usage rights. The area was twenty mu more than the originally planned thirty mu.

As Yang Chengdong saw He Damin off, he said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Comrade He, if you still had any 'bricks' like these, you could probably revitalize all the barren land in this area that we could sell!" Although it was a joke, it revealed the country's extreme thirst for gold at that time.

He Damin just smiled and didn't reply. Of course he still had some, but he wouldn't take it out easily again.

The land was acquired; construction was about to begin. It was late autumn, temperatures in the north had plummeted, and the ground was starting to freeze. This was not an ideal season to start construction.

He Damin approached Yang Chengdong again, asking for his help in contacting a reliable construction team. This time, Yang Chengdong readily agreed, directly introducing an engineering team from the "Construction Corps" that had just been transferred from another region and had participated in the construction of important factories and mines. This team was highly disciplined, hardworking, and technically skilled. Moreover, due to its semi-military nature, they were very good at maintaining secrecy and obedience, making them perfect for He Damin's somewhat "special" project.

The head of the construction team, surnamed Zhao, was a man in his forties with dark skin and rough hands—clearly a hard-working individual who had spent years on the front lines. He Damin took him to see the newly acquired wasteland.

The cold wind was biting, and the wild grass was withered and yellow. Captain Zhao, carrying a tape measure and blueprints, led several technicians back and forth across the wasteland several times, his brows furrowing.

"Comrade He, the flatness of this site is alright, but it's quite large. And with the weather like this..." Captain Zhao stepped on the already hardening ground, "the ground is starting to freeze. Once the frozen soil layer rises, digging the foundation and compacting the earth will be ten times more difficult. Moreover, we currently lack heavy machinery; we don't have mixers or pile drivers. We mainly rely on manpower, wheelbarrows, shovels, and tampers. With this efficiency... it's basically impossible to get the main structure up and running before the New Year. And the price is quite high!"

He Damin was prepared. He didn't expect to build a modern 4S store immediately.

"Captain Zhao, we're not looking to build the main structure before the New Year. Price isn't an issue either; you can't calculate the price right now. I'll pay for whatever you complete—grain, yellow croaker, or cash are all acceptable." He Damin pointed to the boundary of the wasteland. "My requirements are: First, build a sturdy wall around this fifty-acre plot, about 2.5 meters high, enough to keep out both honest and dishonest people. Second, thoroughly level the land, clear away weeds and rocks, and delineate the approximate functional areas—the future repair workshop area, vehicle display area, warehouse area, and office and living area. Third, if possible, dig shallow trenches for the foundations of the main functional areas, even if they're shallow, to prepare for laying deeper foundations after the ground thaws in the spring. As for materials… I'll provide some."

"You're providing the materials?" Captain Zhao asked, somewhat surprised. These days, steel and cement were scarce commodities, subject to planned supply.

"Yes, a portion." He Damin nodded. Although he didn't have much building material left in his small world, it was more than enough to support the wall and the initial leveling and shallow foundation work. He could use the "spatial transfer" skill to secretly "place" the supplies in a hidden corner of the construction site at night, saying that they were obtained through "special channels." Anyway, Director Yang had already tacitly approved of him having "special channels."

Seeing He Damin's confident tone, Captain Zhao didn't ask any further questions. Having come from the Production and Construction Corps, he was used to obeying orders and completing tasks meticulously. "Alright! As long as we have the materials, we have the manpower! We don't mind the cold, just boil more hot water, and the brothers can take turns working! Building the wall and leveling the land is no problem! As for the shallow foundation… I'll try my best!"

An agreement was quickly reached. The construction team arrived the next day, set up temporary sheds, and heated water in a large pot. He Damin then began his nighttime work as a "porter." Bags of high-quality cement (from the former Japanese puppet regime warehouse), steel bars of different specifications, and even some tempered glass, rare in this era (which He Damin made himself in his small world space), were quietly "dropped" into a corner of the construction site and covered with tarpaulins.

During the day, Captain Zhao saw these high-quality and even advanced materials, which gave him a new appreciation for He Damin's abilities, and he worked even harder.

Construction began in the bitter cold. The clanging of hammers, shouts, and the pounding of earth broke the silence of the wasteland. The foundation of the wall was painstakingly excavated in the frozen ground; each shovel stroke left only a white mark, requiring the soil to be heated with fire or chiseled with a steel chisel first. But the workers of the Production and Construction Corps had a remarkable tenacity, pushing forward inch by inch. Red bricks (some were provided by He Damin, and the rest were purchased by the construction team according to plan) were bonded together with cement mortar, and the wall, like a long gray dragon, slowly and steadily extended and rose along the boundary of the fifty acres of land.

Land leveling was also underway. Wheelbarrows, shovels, and rakes were all used to clear weeds and shrubs, fill in ditches and embankments, and repeatedly compact the land with stone rollers. Large tracts of barren land gradually became flat and open, divided into several neat squares by lime lines.

The cold winds of late autumn and the frost of early winter greatly slowed down the progress. But by the time the first light snow fell, the walls surrounding the fifty acres of land were already in place, tall and sturdy, leaving only a spacious entrance. The land was also mostly leveled, and the functional areas were clearly defined. Shallow foundation trenches for several main buildings had also been dug; although not deep, their outlines were already visible.

Team Leader Zhao rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and reported to He Damin, who had come to inspect the work: "Comrade He, we can only go this far. The ground is frozen solid now; digging any further would be too laborious and unsafe. We can widen these shallow trenches and dig deeper foundations once the ground thaws in the spring. Once the walls are finished and the ground is leveled, the work in the spring will proceed smoothly!"

He Damin looked at the site, which was beginning to take shape, and nodded. Achieving this much during the frozen ground period had already exceeded his expectations. With the wall erected, the land had a clear ownership and basic protection. A winter also gave him time to further refine the plan, recruit manpower, and perhaps… he could even use his soul clone to explore the “special channels.”

"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Zhao. Let everyone get some rest. I will settle your wages and subsidies as agreed. Let's work hard again in the spring."

Snowflakes fluttered down, landing on the newly built gray walls, on the leveled ground, and on He Damin's shoulders. Standing there, he seemed to see the bustling scene of machines roaring and vehicles coming and going next spring.