Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Having decided to visit the courtyard, Ye Fangfei quickly went inside to grab a blanket. She wrapped it around her daughter and set off with Liu Ge and the others.
The road was covered in snow, and since it was New Year's Day, there were hardly any people on the streets. Although riding a bike was difficult, the absence of ice made it less slippery than usual.
Liu Ge's house was located in Tongluo Lane within the Second Ring Road, which took about half an hour to reach by bike from Ye Fangfei's home. With the snow on the road, it took them over forty minutes to arrive.
"Here we are," Liu Ge announced as they stopped in front of his house.
Tang Zhicheng also stopped his bike, and Ye Fangfei jumped down while holding her child.
Liu Ge's courtyard faced south and had a stone lion at the entrance. The large vermilion door was made of wood, with neatly arranged rivets adorning its surface.
Liu Ge opened the door and led Ye Fangfei and the others inside. "There used to be a screen wall here," he said, pointing to where it had been. "But a couple of years ago, we had to tear it down."
Ye Fangfei nodded in understanding as they followed Liu Ge further in.
Liu Ge's courtyard was a typical old Beijing siheyuan (courtyard house). Upon entering, they would have seen the screen wall if it hadn’t been removed.
On either side of the entrance were two side rooms that had historically served as guard quarters. Directly ahead were three main rooms, flanked by east and west wing rooms.
A covered corridor connected the main house and the wing rooms, providing shelter from rain or snow.
There were small paths on both sides of the house leading to the back. They would have to wait until later to see what lay behind.
"Xiao Tang, sister-in-law," Liu Ge said, "I renovated this house five years ago; even the roof tiles are brand new. And as for the furniture—though it may look old, it's all made from good quality wood." He lovingly caressed a wooden sofa chair as he spoke.
Ye Fangfei looked around; the central room among the three main rooms had been arranged as a living room, furnished with a complete set of wooden sofas and a tea table. It gave off a particularly cultured vibe.
The east room also featured a large kang (a traditional heated bed), furnished with wooden furniture that boasted intricate carvings.
Ye Fangfei didn’t understand much about this aspect; she just found it to have an antique charm.
Inside the house, the curtains and bedding all showed that apart from valuable items, nothing else had been taken when they left. After finishing her inspection of the east room, Ye Fangfei moved on to the west room.
The west room didn’t have a kang but instead featured a large bed two meters wide. Although it wasn’t a grand family’s canopy bed, it was still a beautifully carved wooden bed adorned with peonies. By the window stood two elegant chaise lounges, with a wooden tea table in between them. On the table was a complete set of teapot and teacups.
Against the west wall was a five-drawer cabinet and a sewing machine. After exploring the front yard, Liu Ge led them to the back yard, which had a similar layout to the front. However, both the east and west rooms had kangs.
Behind the two-entry house was a small back yard that didn’t have much to see; it only had a few sheds built against the courtyard wall. There was also a toilet and a bathroom, along with a woodshed. Next to the woodshed was a small back door, but it was usually locked and rarely used.
Ye Fangfei looked around thoroughly and noted that since someone had been living there, the house was kept clean and tidy. Thus, she felt quite satisfied.
“How is it, sister-in-law? I didn’t mislead you, did I? This house is truly wonderful.”
Comment 0 Comment Count