I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

At the end of April, an elderly couple unexpectedly came to Yan Jiefang's home.

They stood at the doorway, looking somewhat reservedly at the neat and bright room, and spoke to Yan Jiefang, who was reading a book inside:

"Brother Yan, we need to talk to you about something."

Yan Jiefang glanced at the two people and recognized them as Liu Laogen and his wife, their neighbors next door. The two families usually had no contact with each other and would only nod to each other when they met.

I wonder what they want from me?

Judging from their expressions, it must be something serious.

He stood up and pointed to the spot by the table:

"Sit down and talk. Jie Kuang, go and make some tea."

"Okay, Second Brother."

Yan Jiekuang immediately put down his pen and went to a cabinet to get a thermos, cups, and other teaware.

After the two sat down at the table, Yan Jiekuang placed two cups of chrysanthemum tea in front of them. The delicate fragrance of chrysanthemums wafted through the steam, filling the room with its aroma.

"Please have some tea."

Yan Jiefang gave an invitation, and then fell silent.

If someone comes to him, it must be because they need his help. Since they're not familiar with each other, there's no need for him to be so eager.

Smelling the rich fragrance of chrysanthemums, Mr. and Mrs. Liu became even more reserved.

Finally, Liu Zhoushi pulled her husband back, and Liu Laogen slowly revealed the purpose of his visit that day:

"Brother Jiefang, as you know, the two side rooms next door were private houses that my family bought before Liberation, and they are registered with the government."

We're looking to sell these two houses, and we're wondering if you'd be interested in buying them.

Our two rooms are no worse than yours, ..."

Yan Jiefang was slightly surprised, not expecting the two to be there to sell houses.

Liu Laogen then went on to say a lot of nice things about his house, his only purpose being to sell the two houses for a good price.

After waiting patiently for more than ten minutes, I found that Liu Laogen was still talking in circles, with Liu Zhoushi adding to his stories from time to time.

Yan Jiefang was getting impatient.

"Bang Bang~"

He tapped the table a few times with his knuckles, directly interrupting the other person.

"I understand what you mean, you want to sell those two rooms next door, right?"

He paused deliberately at this point.

Liu Laogen and his wife nodded quickly:

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

Yan Jiefang pondered for a moment. He had several thousand yuan in his account, which he kept in the bank to earn interest.

However, it's not as high as before, but the one-year annual interest rate is still 6.12%.

With his several thousand yuan, the annual interest is over two hundred yuan, which is actually quite good.

It's not much different from his current monthly income, less than two hundred yuan.

It's a good idea to set aside some money to buy a house, as it can make your home more spacious.

He looked up and asked:

"Are you selling both rooms?"

"right!"

"Okay, that's easy!"

Yan Jiefang stood up.

"Let's go to the Dongcheng Real Estate Exchange first."

Liu Laogen asked with some doubt:

"What are you going over there for?"

Yan Jiefang took it for granted:

"Of course, you should go through the proper property transfer procedures."

"Is it still possible to process the transfer of ownership?"

Yan Jiefang understood: it seemed that these two had already learned about this situation.

After 1962, Beijing strictly controlled the free buying and selling of private houses.

Public property transactions have essentially frozen, and housing authorities are processing very few property transfers.

There are almost no legitimate transactions with clearly marked prices on the market.

The vast majority of cases can only be resolved through private negotiation, pawning, or transfer of usage rights; very few can be formally transferred through official deeds. (Source: Huairou District People's Court)

However, private transactions are prone to disputes, and Yan Jiefang didn't want to cause trouble and worry himself.

He will definitely go through the proper channels.

Don't let his current status as a vocational school student fool you; after the New Power Games in November, he's become a promising young man featured in a top-tier daily newspaper.

They were all registered with the Ministry of Machine Building.

The principal had previously told him privately that if he had any problems that were difficult to solve, he could go to him for help.

It's just a transaction between two houses; anyone can handle it.

Before a day had even passed, Yan Jiefang had acquired two more side rooms, the kind with official red certificates.

However, the house prices have risen quite quickly.

In the 50s, a similar side room could be bought for only three or four hundred yuan.

At the beginning of 62, he only spent 420 yuan on this house. Of course, the house was not well maintained before and was quite dilapidated.

But even those that are relatively well preserved will not exceed 500 yuan.

As a result, the two rooms next door cost him 1300 yuan, averaging 650 yuan per room!

(According to research, in 64, the price of a small room in the inner city of Nanluoguxiang had already risen to 600 to 750 yuan.) (Not guaranteed to be completely accurate, but it is roughly correct.)

Mr. and Mrs. Liu never expected that the two rooms would be so valuable. Holding a thick stack of cash and a large wad of black dollars, they couldn't stop smiling.

However, the thought of spending 900 yuan to get his eldest son a fitter job at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill dampened his joy considerably.

Fortunately for them, a decent job that can support the whole family is definitely more worthwhile than two houses.

After getting the house, Yan Jiefang did what he always did: he went to the street office to get a certificate, and then found a government construction team to start renovating the two side rooms.

He plans to renovate these two houses to the same standard as his current house, which will cost him nearly two hundred yuan in total.

For some reason, the news that Yan Jiefang spent 1300 yuan to buy two side rooms spread.

When Yan Bugui heard about this, he was so angry that he almost stomped through the ground of the courtyard house.

He certainly has money, but he's just so angry.

That's just his personality, there's nothing I can do about it.

Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li were also furious.

They still live in the factory-allocated bungalows, and they have almost no money left over each month.

Yu Li decided to go back to her parents' home tomorrow to give her younger sister, Yu Haitang, a good talking-to.

When the other beastly neighbors in the courtyard heard this rumor, they either showed sarcasm or expressed disbelief.

Or you might be thinking to yourself: How can Yan Jiefang have so much money? Even if he earns seventy or eighty yuan a month, his expenses are still high.

Aren't all the furniture, appliances, bicycles, and watches in the house all money?

Is this guy robbing a bank?

Surprisingly, some beast actually went to the Jiaodaokou Police Station to report it.

Since someone reported the case, the police station had no choice but to send someone to investigate.

As a result, they quickly uncovered a shocking secret: Yan Jiefang's income had risen to over 375 yuan since the beginning of the year!

After a year, their savings had already exceeded 4000!

What's wrong with spending 1300 to buy two rooms? Isn't that a piece of cake?

Liu Yuyan guessed: "Is Yan Jiefang buying a house for my sister and mother?"

She was very confident in her younger sister's appearance and thought it was quite possible, but she never expected that Yan Jiefang had never even seen her sister.

Lou Xiao'e and the old deaf man in the backyard also talked about this matter during their casual conversation.

However, they felt that Yan Jiefang's income was not bad, but it was still not on the same level as theirs.

After all, Lou Xiao'e's dowry included twenty small yellow croakers.

In addition, she also has a considerable amount of gold jewelry and a family heirloom jade bracelet.

These items should be worth well over ten thousand.

The old deaf man's inventory will only increase.