My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 3: The Siheyuan

On April 11, Xu Dong boarded the high-speed train to Yanjing with his suitcase in hand. Fortunately, his previous job had also required frequent business trips, so Yang Lina didn’t suspect a thing. As soon as he got off the high-speed train, Xu Dong visited several real estate companies in quick succession but couldn’t find a suitable property. This wasn’t the Company’s fault; Xu Dong’s requirements for a property were simply too demanding. First, the property had to be a Siheyuan, preferably located within the Third Ring Road; the suburbs were out of the question. This single requirement alone eliminated 99 percent of the properties on the market; Second, the Siheyuan had to have a basement—the larger, the better. After searching for a week with no results, just as Xu Dong was about to lower his standards, good news finally came from “Anjiaju.” Xu Dong rushed straight to the location of the new property. The Siheyuan’s location was decent—close to the East Third Ring Road—and the surrounding area had all the necessary amenities. To his surprise, Manager Wang from “Anjiaju” had personally come out this time—it seemed they were very confident in the property. “Mr. Wang, I’m sorry to trouble you again,” Xu Dong said politely as he approached, then handed him a cigarette. Manager Wang took the cigarettes, but instead of smoking them, he tucked them behind his ear and replied, “It’s no trouble at all—it’s just part of our job!” After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three of them arrived at the gate of a traditional-style Siheyuan. “Mr. Xu, this is the place. The couple who own the property are planning to move abroad to join their children soon; it just came on the market this morning,” Manager Wang explained, pointing to the courtyard wall. “Which country are they planning to go to?” Xu Dong suddenly took an interest. In a few months, the Great Cataclysm would strike. The situation abroad was far more turbulent than at home; over the next decade, at least seventy percent of the world’s countries would be wiped off the map. “Canada,” Manager Wang replied, his voice brimming with longing. “Living conditions there… are still pretty good, though public safety might not be so great in the future,” Xu Dong remarked with a double meaning. Overall, Canada and the U. S. are protected by the “world’s police” to the south, and the region itself is vast and sparsely populated. Even after the Great Catastrophe, the chances of survival there would still be quite high—provided no one took advantage of the chaos to loot. “Um…” Getting back to the point, Xu Dong took a look at the Siheyuan in front of him. The house was meticulously maintained, with an antique-style steel gate and the lintel and base of the courtyard wall adorned with intricate brick carvings—it was clear a great deal of effort had gone into it. “Can we go inside and take a look?” Xu Dong asked. “Of course.” Manager Wang said, then motioned for his assistant to open the door. As the gate swung open, the first thing that caught Xu Dong’s eye was a small, unassuming rockery that served as a screen wall. At its base sat a stone bowl about 1. 5 meters in diameter. The stone basin was dotted with several aquatic plants, among which two or three vibrantly colored goldfish swam leisurely; each fish was about the length of a finger and appeared completely at ease. Xu Dong couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh!” and praised, “With a hill and water—you’ve really put together a complete little landscape here!” “Of course,” Manager Wang explained with a smile. “The elderly couple who own the house are both university professors—they certainly have good taste.” Xu Dong nodded and continued to take it all in. The Siheyuan wasn’t very large—probably no more than 400 square meters—with blue-brick paving and buildings on all four sides. In addition to the rockery and stone bowl in the center of the courtyard, there was a wooden trellis in the corner, entwined with grapevines; beneath it stood a set of dark stone tables and benches. In addition, the perimeter of the courtyard was lined with various potted plants—common flowers, herbs, and trees—among which a peony stood out with its particularly vibrant blooms. “Mr. Wang, how big is this place?” Xu Dong asked offhandedly. Manager Wang pulled out his notebook, glanced at it, and replied: “The Siheyuan was built in 2001. It’s a concrete frame structure with a land area of 370 square meters and a floor area of 1,010 square meters. The main building is on the north side, with two stories and a total of eight bedrooms and two living rooms; on the east side are the kitchen and dining room, right next to the rockery; on the west side is a separate bathroom; As for the south side, it consists of the main gate, the gatehouse, and the garage, which has its own separate entrance.” Xu Dong felt that the size was just right for his entire family and that the property wasn’t too conspicuous. Next, Manager Wang gave Xu Dong a detailed tour of every room. Overall, the renovation was quite nice, and the property was fully furnished with all appliances—the kind of place where you could move in with just your luggage. Back in the courtyard, Xu Dong suddenly asked, “Mr. Wang, where is the basement? I didn’t see an entrance.” Manager Wang didn’t answer right away; instead, he pointed to the garage. “The garage is the entrance to the basement. It’s quite cleverly designed, isn’t it?” Xu Dong looked completely puzzled. The three of them walked to the back door of the garage, where Manager Wang pressed a button on the electronic lock, and the back door instantly swung open from the center, just like an elevator door. Xu Dong realized with a start, “So it’s a car elevator—and a double-opening one at that. The car can actually drive right through the elevator and into the courtyard.” “The basement has two levels. We designed it this way to save space and make it easier for vehicles to enter and exit,” Manager Wang explained. The three quickly reached the lower basement level via the elevator. The young assistant turned on the lights and ventilation system, and the entire basement was instantly bathed in light. “The size of the basement matches the footprint of the Siheyuan exactly—both levels are 370 square meters with a ceiling height of 4. 2 meters, making the space very spacious,” Manager Wang added casually. Xu Dong smiled, clearly very satisfied, and Manager Wang continued: “The primary function of the first basement level is as an entertainment area. As you can see, there’s a gym, a card and board game room, a home theater, and even a small basketball court—it’s also perfectly suitable for playing badminton and tennis.” “What’s this?” Xu Dong suddenly asked, pointing to a row of machines. “Um, those should be backup generators. Judging by the model, they run on diesel.” “Can it still start?” “It’ll probably need some maintenance—it looks like it hasn’t been used in quite a while.” Xu Dong didn’t ask any further questions. He took a quick look around, then headed down to Level B2. The entire level was completely empty, with only a few load-bearing columns standing there. Without Manager Wang needing to point it out, Xu Dong could tell at a glance that this was the actual parking garage, as rows of parking spaces were marked on the floor. However, the parking spaces occupied only a small portion of the area; the rest of the space lay completely unused. After the tour, Xu Dong followed Manager Wang back to the “Anjiaju” conference room, where price negotiations were about to begin. “Mr. Wang, I’ll cut to the chase. I’m very satisfied with the property. As long as the price is right, I can contact the owner tomorrow to sign the contract.” Not wanting to waste time, Xu Dong got straight to the point. Manager Wang’s eyes crinkled with a smile—the commission on this Siheyuan would be substantial, making his personal involvement well worth it. “Mr. Xu, rest assured—the price is absolutely fair…” “What’s the asking price?” Xu Dong asked directly. “The owner has all the necessary property documents. The asking price is 112 million, with taxes and fees split evenly between both parties. But I estimate we should be able to close the deal for 105 million.” Xu Dong’s mouth twitched slightly. “That’s too high. Just last month, Yanjing included single-story houses in its purchase restrictions, and prices for Siheyuan have been plummeting lately!” “Mr. Xu, high-end properties like Siheyuan courtyards have always been in short supply, especially ones with basements like this. It’s a rare opportunity,” Manager Wang urged. Xu Dong didn’t feel like haggling any further and simply named a firm price: “100 million. If that works, we’ll sign the contract tomorrow; if not, I’ll look at other listings.” Manager Wang was overjoyed inside—100 million was well above the seller’s asking price—but he still put on a look of hesitation. “I can try to talk it over with the seller, but whether it works out depends on fate.” Xu Dong stood up and nodded. “Then I’ll be waiting for your good news, Mr. Wang.” That very evening, Xu Dong received a call from Manager Wang—and sure enough, it was good news. Although the price was a bit inflated, to avoid any complications down the road, Xu Dong quickly signed the purchase contract with the homeowner. Xu Dong paid 100,000 yuan as a deposit for the transaction, and the two parties agreed that the full purchase price would be paid in a single lump sum in June; failure to do so would void the contract, and the deposit would be forfeited.