"I will never sell the Siheyuan. I plan to leave it to my granddaughter."
Commander Lu also guessed that Lu Mingde would not return the house so easily, but he did not expect that Lu Mingde actually wanted to take the house back.
Lu Mingde and his family have lived in that courtyard for nearly ten years, and he has never been back to visit.
Now seeing the greedy faces of Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e, it is not difficult to imagine that everything in the courtyard has been almost eaten up.
So we have to take the yard back no matter what.
Even if there is only an empty frame left.
Before Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e spoke, Commander Lu waved to Wen Nuan and said, "Xiao Nuan, come here."
Wen Nuan handed all the things in her hands to Gu Qinghan behind her. Gu Qinghan was worried that there would be a lot of people on New Year's Eve, so he drove over to pick them up.
I didn't expect that these two people would come to our door. From what grandpa just said, are they asking to buy the house
Wen Nuan walked towards Commander Lu without hesitation.
Commander Lu looked at Lu Mingde and his wife and introduced them: "These two are your uncle and aunt. Come over and meet them."
Wen Nuan nodded politely to them and called out with a smile, "Uncle, Aunt."
While Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e were slightly embarrassed, Commander Lu said, "This is my Teng Jun's daughter, Wen Nuan. We just met not long ago."
As soon as the words fell, Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e looked at Wen Nuan in front of them, but their eyes were not so trusting, and they felt uncomfortable in their hearts.
After all, Lu Tengjun had been dead for so long, and his wife and children disappeared not long after his death, and their whereabouts have been unknown since then.
But at this moment, a granddaughter suddenly appeared, and her first intention was to take the courtyard back.
No matter how you look at it, they are here for Commander Lu's property.
Lu Mingde is eight years younger than Wen Nuan's biological father, and he doesn't have that deep an impression of him, so he becomes even more suspicious when looking at Wen Nuan in front of him.
Is she really Commander Lu’s granddaughter
Commander Lu didn't beat around the bush and said bluntly, "I thought that since Mr. Teng's child was gone and you had no place to stay, I provided some convenience for your family. Now that my granddaughter has returned, you should vacate the yard as soon as possible so that they can have a place to stay."
Commander Lu was too embarrassed to show up before, but now that Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e have come to him, there is no need to beat around the bush.
Moreover, Uncle Zhao went to them three times because of this matter, but they always gave the same excuse, and it seemed that they did not want to move.
If that's the case, then it's better to just make it clear.
When Lu Mingde heard what Commander Lu said, he immediately frowned in embarrassment and said pitifully, "Uncle, can we discuss this matter again? I really have no other choice. If I move away, I won't be able to find a place to live. Look at our family, and we have several children."
Lu Mingde sighed deeply: "Take our factory for example. They did allocate a house to me before, but I didn't want it at the time. Now they will definitely not allocate one to me again."
When Chen Qiu'e heard what her husband said, she immediately agreed, "That's right, uncle. If we hadn't really had no other choice, we wouldn't have told you this. There's really no other way."
"You are different. The army can allocate a small building for you. And this..."
Chen Qiu'e looked at Wen Nuan and said, "Girl, your name is Wen Nuan, right? I heard that your husband is also a soldier and the army will allocate a house to you. I think we are relatives, and we have lived in that yard for so long, we are used to it, and we are familiar with the neighbors nearby. If you move in there, you will not be used to it. People in that alley recognize their master. Why don't you transfer the yard to us? What do you think?"
"You can rest assured, we are not asking for it for nothing, we will pay you!"
Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e looked at each other, and with blood in their hearts, they quoted a price: "One thousand yuan, we are willing to buy it for one thousand yuan!"
Chen Qiu'e and Lu Mingde had asked someone to clarify before they came.
This sudden warmth came from a military wife whose husband was a regimental-level cadre, so she was guaranteed a small apartment with two or more bedrooms.
With such conditions, he still wants a yard. I don't believe he is not after Commander Lu's property!
Moreover, one thousand yuan is not a small amount, and they have to borrow some from their neighbors to make up the amount.
Wen Nuan listened to their words but did not say anything. Instead, she filled the cups of tea for the elders and waited for Commander Lu to speak first.
Commander Lu looked at the profile of his granddaughter. If he had not recognized Wen Nuan before, he might have agreed without saying a word.
He had made plans a long time ago that when he got old, he would live in a retirement home and live with a few old comrades.
But now it’s different, the warmth is back, and everything is different.
Commander Lu looked at Wen Nuan, who had been silent, and said, "Xiao Nuan, do you have any idea about this?"
Wen Nuan raised her head and looked at Commander Lu, smiling and saying, "I will listen to Grandpa, you decide."
Then, Wen Nuan looked at Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e opposite and asked, "I just want to know how the 1,000 yuan that my uncle and aunt mentioned was calculated?"
As far as she knew, Commander Lu's courtyard had three entrances and was located at the front gate.
No matter how you calculate the area and location of this yard, it is impossible for it to be only one thousand yuan. Isn't this a rip-off
Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e were stunned when they heard this. They didn't expect that Wen Nuan, who looked so delicate and gentle, would actually ask such a question.
Lu Mingde swallowed his saliva and explained: "My little niece, you don't know this."
"We have lived in this yard for ten years. You can see that there was nothing there before except a few pieces of furniture. We replaced the kitchen stove, the furnaces, and even the roof and windows. It cost us a lot of money."
"This one thousand yuan is not a small amount. A neighbor in our alley only sold it for eight hundred yuan. We will definitely not let your grandfather lose too much."
Wen Nuan chuckled, looked over coldly, and asked, "Isn't this a loss? It seems that my uncle and aunt are not very good at calculating."
"Hey, who are you saying can't count?" Chen Qiu'e had never said this to a little girl before, and she couldn't help getting angry.
Wen Nuan was not in a hurry. She took out a hand-drawn map and placed it in front of them. She said, "Please take a look. The location of my grandfather's courtyard is the front gate. There is no need to explain this location, right? Just one word, good."
Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e looked at each other and began to feel a little insecure.
This location is indeed the best in Beijing.
Wen Nuan didn't give them a chance to speak, and continued, "Aunt, you said that almost everything in this yard has been replaced. I want to ask, are most of these things what you need for your daily life, and are there any that were destroyed by humans? You shouldn't have paid my grandfather a penny in rent for all these years, right? Shouldn't you be the ones to maintain this? How come you are right?"
Wen Nuan had heard Commander Lu talk about her grandmother, although she didn't talk about it very often, but she knew that her grandmother was a person who took good care of things.
Even though we lived in the Air Force compound later on, we would often go back to clean and tidy up to make sure the house was clean and tidy.
It is conceivable that when Lu Mingde and his family moved in, the things inside must have been intact.
So the family has lived here for so many years for free, without spending a penny, and yet they still want to take credit for it
No way!
Chen Qiu'e didn't expect Wen Nuan to be so sharp-tongued. She was a little unhappy and said with a dark face, "You young man, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. Your grandfather said that the yard is for us to live in. You are so materialistic at such a young age. I'm afraid it's not good, right?"
Besides, is there any place for her to speak here
Don't you even consider your own weight
As soon as she finished speaking, Commander Lu interrupted her with dissatisfaction, saying, "Shut up! Who are you calling mercenary? Not only have you not taken good care of my yard for so many years, but now you are trying to slander my granddaughter?"
"Alright, alright, there's nothing to say about this. I don't plan to sell this yard. You guys should clean it up early and vacate the house."
"It's my own house, and I still have to beg for it. What a big deal!"
Originally, Commander Lu didn't want to argue with them, but Chen Qiu'e actually took her anger out on Wen Nuan, so he didn't want to waste his breath.
After hearing what Commander Lu said, Lu Mingde stepped on his outspoken wife.
Just when he was about to say something else, the phone in the living room rang, and Commander Lu just walked away.
Uncle Zhao came over when he saw this and reminded them, "Comrade Lu, I will go over to collect the house when the time comes. Please vacate the house before the spring."
When Lu Mingde heard this, he panicked. He looked at Wen Nuan pitifully and said, "My little niece, how about this? We can pay a little more money and ask your grandfather to sell the house to us. Otherwise, we really have no place to live."
He underestimated this warmth. It was most likely that Commander Lu had a sudden whim, and it was this little girl who was causing trouble.
He is so eloquent, and I don't know how long he has been planning this!
Wen Nuan smiled, looked at him and said: "I can't make the decision on this matter, uncle, you should cooperate with me."
Mother Chen then said, "That's right. Our leader just wants to get his house back. Why does he have to rush to beg you? We should have some conscience. We are all relatives. Don't make things too ugly."
Commander Lu either had no other options or he had been giving them a way out to avoid being laughed at by outsiders.
However, Lu Mingde and Chen Qiu'e became more and more demanding. Commander Lu had already said he would not sell it, but they were still hesitating.
I have never seen anyone so shameless!
Chen Qiu'e was so angry that she was sprayed in the face by Wen Nuan, and now she was scolded by Chen's mother, which made her even more angry.
But just as she was about to start cursing, Lu Mingde stopped her: "Come on, stop embarrassing yourself. Great uncle has done his best for us."
After saying that, Lu Mingde glanced at Wen Nuan, Aunt Chen, Uncle Zhao and the others, and said with a bad face: "Since Uncle is unwilling to sell, we won't force him. But please give us more time, we will move out once we find a house."
Uncle Zhao felt a little better after hearing this, and said, "Then hurry up, I also need to find someone to repair it before we can move in, we can't delay any longer."
Lu Mingde responded: "Yes, yes, I will go to my boss to apply for a house when I get back to work."
Lu Mingde pulled Chen Qiu'e and said hello to Commander Lu before reluctantly leaving the compound.
Mother Chen looked at their departing backs and cursed, "It's New Year's Day, how unlucky!"
*
Lu Mingde pulled the indignant Chen Qiu'e out of the Air Force compound.
When they reached the gate of the compound, Chen Qiu'e shook off her husband's arm and said, "What are you doing? Did you see the face of that little girl? If you didn't know, you would have thought she was the head of the family! She must have asked your uncle for the house many times!"
Lu Mingde sighed and angrily said, "Am I blind? That's why there's no need to argue any further. And you didn't see how my uncle protected her. There's no turning back."
Lu Mingde had expected that things would not go smoothly, but he did not expect Wen Nuan to be so powerful.
It seems that this house is really going to be taken back.
Chen Qiu'e looked at her husband, frowned and asked, "Then the house is gone, what should we do?"
Lu Mingde looked at his wife with dissatisfaction, and then said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You can apply for a house. Don't forget that your husband is no longer the small employee he was ten years ago. It's still possible for him to apply for a house now."
The yard where his great uncle lived was spacious and the location was also good, so he planned to buy it.
But it doesn’t matter if Commander Lu doesn’t buy it, the housing problem can still be solved.
This is the humiliation I just can't swallow.
Chen Qiu'e felt relieved after hearing this. She frowned and scolded, "Then why are you still thinking about buying the house? Isn't it enough if the company can give you points?"
Chen Qiu'e was not a formal employee, so she was not eligible for a house. She thought she would be left with no place to stay, so she hurried to buy the house.
In fact, she was heartbroken over the one thousand yuan.
Their family lived comfortably in that house, so five hundred yuan was not a bad price.
Lu Mingde sneered: "You are short-sighted, that's right. Even if the company allocates me a house, I would also like to take my uncle's yard, so that my two sons don't have to live with us when they marry their daughters-in-law."
Chen Qiu'e thought so too and said, "That's right. With more houses and more places, our children won't be left without a place to live when they get married and have children."
Lu Mingde sighed and shook his head, "There's nothing we can do now. My uncle has spoken, so this is the only way."
The fat meat was already in my hands, but now I have to spit it out. I feel like I am holding my breath in my throat and am going to die of anger.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qiu'e winked at her husband and said, "By the way, Uncle Ma from the alley next door said he wanted the furniture in our living room and bedroom, and he said he would give us 100 yuan. Why don't we sell them and make some money before moving out?"
Lu Mingde frowned: "Isn't this a bad idea? If my uncle knew, wouldn't he break off relations with us?"
To be honest, Lu Mingde was greedy, but he didn't want to make enemies with Commander Lu and the others.
If the yard really wasn't for sale, he planned to let it go. In the future, he would just spend more time with Commander Lu to see if he could help the two children find better jobs.
Chen Qiu'e raised her eyebrows. "Are you stupid? Your great uncle hasn't been back to that courtyard for a long time. How could he remember how many things there are? Even if he remembers, it's okay. We can just say it's broken and clean it up, right?"
Seeing that Lu Mingde was still hesitating, Chen Qiu'e said directly: "I think this is the best way. We have spent a lot of money on the yard over the years. It's not possible that we get nothing, right?"
Lu Mingde listened and nodded hesitantly: "Okay, I'll listen to you, but you have to tell Uncle Ma not to spread it around, otherwise if my uncle finds out, he might even cut off our relationship."
Chen Qiu'e chuckled and said confidently, "Okay, leave it to me. I guarantee that you will remain his only good nephew in the future."
Lu Mingde was still a little uneasy, but Chen Qiu'e was already urging him to go home and cook, so he had no choice but to follow her.
*
Inside the Air Force compound.
After Commander Lu finished the call, he called Wen Nuan over and said, "I was originally thinking of taking you back to the Siheyuan to celebrate the New Year this year, but I didn't expect Mingde's family to be so shameless. Your uncle Zhao has been there several times and they are still unwilling to move."
He originally didn't want to tell Wen Nuan about this, and planned to wait until the house was finalized and renovated before telling her.
As a result, he didn't go to find Lu Mingde, but that guy actually came to his house.
Wen Nuan poured a cup of tea for Commander Lu, then slowly said, "It's okay. I don't think they will stay here. They just want to take advantage of us."
I just don't know if they will play any tricks. Judging from their faces, they are not easy to get along with.
If they were not the only relatives left by grandpa, I'm afraid he wouldn't have given the house to them!
"I'm afraid they can't get the big advantage, so they'll try to use tricks to get a little advantage." Commander Lu sighed and said, "Let's not talk about them. Anyway, the yard will be taken back. If they still dare to refuse, we'll have to use force."
It's not that he has no way to deal with these scoundrels, it's just that the neighbors in that alley are people he has known for most of his life.
His identity is a bit sensitive to begin with, and he hasn't been back for so many years. I guess many people think he looks down on people.
If the troops were really ordered to go to the alley and drive Lu Mingde's family out, the old neighbors in the alley would probably have more complaints against him.
He didn't care about other people's opinions, but he planned to take back the yard and let Wen Nuan and his family live there.
If Wen Nuan and his family were to move in in the future, they would probably be criticized.
Therefore, Commander Lu did not want to resort to any tricks, but wanted Lu Mingde to move out by himself.
He wanted Wen Nuan to live there with dignity as Lu Mingfei's granddaughter.
After hearing what Commander Lu said, Wen Nuan couldn't help but sigh that they were thinking the same thing.
So he said, "If they dare to play tricks again, we don't have to be merciful."
We can't pamper such ungrateful people. Commander Lu was kind enough to lend them the house, but now he seems to have become a bad guy.
There is no need to give such people any face.
Commander Lu looked at Wen Nuan's expression and felt even more proud, knowing that she was not a pushover and would not be bullied in the future.
"Well, you're right. We really shouldn't spoil them."
He took a sip of tea, and his expression eased a little. He asked her, "What did Lele and I buy at the department store today?"
If he had been busy, Commander Lu would have wanted to go with them. He had not experienced the excitement of the Spring Festival for many years.
Wen Nuan smiled, took out the sweater she had prepared long ago, and said a little embarrassedly: "Didn't I knit a sweater for you before? But you couldn't wear it, so I saw a suitable one in the store this afternoon, so I bought you another one."
"Grandpa, please try it out to see if it fits."
Her craftsmanship was really not that good, so she could only buy a sweater for Commander Lu.
Like Gu Qinghan, Commander Lu wears military jackets all year round, but he still has to wear sweaters. The previous sweater was too small, but Commander Lu kept wearing it, and Uncle Zhao even said it was a bit too tight.
Commander Lu took the sweater, took off his coat and tried it on, then smiled and said, "It fits. Grandpa likes it."
Wen Nuan looked at Commander Lu putting on the new sweater and smiled: "Grandpa, I'm glad you like it. Here are a few pairs of socks. I'll put them in your room for you."
Then Wen Nuan took out the things she bought in Wangfujing. In addition to some New Year's goods, some were for Uncle Zhao and Aunt Chen.
There were also children's toys, which were taken out and spread out on a large table.
After a few people happily took their things, they went back to the kitchen to bring out the New Year's Eve dinner.
Gu Qinghan had been silent just now. He changed Baobao and Zhouzhou's diapers and fed them some milk powder. He thought the two little guys would lie obediently in the rocking chair and play.
As soon as they saw the warmth, they started crying again.
Wen Nuan had no choice but to feed them again before coming out to have the New Year's Eve dinner with everyone.
Most of the New Year's Eve dinner was prepared by Aunt Chen and Uncle Zhao. The table was full of Quanjude roast duck, lamb hotpot, stewed pork elbow and stewed goose, a whole table of delicious dishes.
In addition, there are the indispensable dumplings, which were made by Wen Nuan, Le Le, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Chen in the morning.
Lele sat down on the dining chair seriously and said to Commander Lu with a smile: "Grandpa, I made these dumplings. Eat one and see if there are any gold coins."
Lele was right next to Zi, helping to put the coins in, but she actually didn't do anything!
When Commander Lu heard this, he looked at the delicious dumplings in front of him with curiosity, but still said expectantly: "Then Grandfather will try it carefully to see which dumpling we hide the coins in."
After seeing Commander Lu eating, Lele took his spoon and scooped a dumpling for Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan, saying, "Mom and Dad, you guys should eat quickly too, and see if you can eat the gold coins I put there."
Gu Qinghan was very considerate and took a big bite. Then he spat out the coin and said with a smile: "Dad is lucky. He got it first."
Commander Lu, who didn't get the coin that Lele put there, looked at Gu Qinghan unhappily, and then said to Lele, "Lele, quickly give Grandpa another one. Grandpa also wants a coin."
Who would have thought that after eating nine dumplings in a row, Commander Lu didn't even find a coin, and his face almost turned into a bitter gourd.
Wen Nuan picked up a piece of roast duck and handed it to Commander Lu, saying, "Grandpa, don't eat too many dumplings for now. Eat something else, otherwise there will be a lot of leftovers on the table later."
Commander Lu snorted. Even Aunt Chen and Uncle Zhao had eaten some, but he was the only one who didn't.
No, he has to eat the coin before he eats anything else!
Seeing her grandfather was so persistent, Wen Nuan picked up a pair of serving chopsticks and picked up another one for Commander Lu, saying, "Grandpa, try this one. I think this one must have the answer."
Commander Lu didn't think much about it and took a bite directly, almost causing his already fragile teeth to pop out.
He stretched out his hand and took out the coin, and said with a smile: "My granddaughter loves me so much that I won with just one."
Wen Nuan smiled and wanted to say that Chen Ma and the others had already made marks, but she couldn't dampen the old man's interest.
The dining room was filled with joy and happiness. Seeing that everyone had started drinking, Wen Nuan thought of Uncle Li.
She looked at Commander Lu and said, "Grandpa, when I went to the department store today, I ran into a neighbor from the alley. He said he knew you."
Commander Lu had just had two glasses of wine. When he heard Wen Nuan say this, he became curious: "Who?"
In fact, many neighbors in the alley probably don’t remember him. Even if they do, they probably don’t want to deal with him and would probably say that he looks down on people.
Come to think of it, I miss the old neighbors in the hutong.
Especially the hutong taverns and teahouses, which were places he had been to many times before.
Wen Nuan briefly told Lele about the process of buying candied haws, and finally said: "The uncle said his last name was Li and asked me to call him Uncle Li."
Uncle Zhao had drunk a lot of wine and his face was red. When he heard Wen Nuan say that, he said, "It's Li Liming. He's not bad. He has an upright character and a decent style. He's also quite respected in the alley. He can even say a few words to you."
Uncle Zhao went to look for Lu Mingde several times but it was not so smooth. He originally planned to ask him for help, but Uncle Li was not easy to talk to.
Maybe because he was not from Hutong, he ignored him.
If Commander Lu were to step in, things would probably be easier.
When Commander Lu heard Uncle Zhao's words, he naturally remembered Li Liming and smiled: "He was the bully of the alley when he was a kid. By the way, he didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
Li Liming is even crazier than him. After so many years, I don't know if he has changed.
But I haven't seen him for many years. The last time I met him was about ten years ago. I happened to go back to the courtyard to get his wife's things and to vacate the house for Lu Mingde's family to live in. As a result, he gave me a sarcastic remark.
I never went back after that.
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "No, Uncle Li is a very nice person. He was the one who gave us the candied haws."
She looked at Commander Lu and said, "Uncle Li also told you to go back to the alley and walk around. He wants to drink with you."
When Commander Lu heard this, his expression was stunned for a moment. He picked up the wine glass, took a sip of the wine, and then responded:
"It's time to go back and take a look."
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go back with you."