Selecting a Courtyard Home

Chef Luo thanked him profusely and went out. Xia Yu said to Hua Er Hua, "Chef Luo's cooking skills are not bad, and his character is trustworthy. He also has some martial arts skills, so besides being a chef, he can also be a bodyguard. Your courtyard will only have you living there in the future. If you go on missions, there will be no one to look after it. Why not let Chef Luo help you with chores?"

"Ah? Can someone of my status hire people? Won't I be reported?" Hua Er Hua was surprised. She had thought about hiring a few housekeepers after the reform and opening up, but never imagined she could hire someone now.

"Just say they're distant relatives of yours who have no place to stay in Jing Shi and are temporarily staying at your house. Your courtyard was assigned by the department, and then we'll have someone spread the word. No one without eyes would dare to cause you trouble."

"Alright then, I'll let Chef Luo come over after I've chosen a courtyard." How could Hua Er Hua disagree after hearing that? Although she had only eaten two simple dishes, to make simple dishes so delicious, she already highly regarded Chef Luo's skills.

Previously, she had worried that Xi Xi would be in seclusion for ten days to half a month each time, and as her cultivation increased, the seclusion time would only get longer. Later, when she lived alone, she couldn't eat at the state-run canteen every meal. Having a chef at home would be too convenient.

What pleased her most was that Chef Luo was the department's chef, so he surely had a certain understanding of the department's peculiarities. She wouldn't be afraid of causing trouble by taking food out of her spatial dimension.

After breakfast, Xia Yu took Hua Er Hua to register, and also collected her unpaid salary and bonus from the previous month.

Because she had to return to Jing Shi, this time her salary and bonus were not sent by mail. The various coupons issued were also for Jing Shi or nationwide use.

Hua Er Hua glanced over them and immediately knew this was special preparation for her to settle in Jing Shi. There were not only TV coupons, electric fan coupons, and washing machine coupons, but even refrigerator coupons.

The person distributing the salary was a female comrade over twenty years old, wearing a pair of dark glasses. Her eyes, filled with envy, were not concealed as she watched Hua Er Hua count each bill.

It was exactly eight thousand yuan. She had also transferred the previous two months' salary. It could be said that even the minister had never seen such a large bonus. She wondered what great merit Comrade Hua Er Hua had achieved.

But no matter how curious she was, she didn't dare to ask. She had been in this department for many years and knew very well whose words carried more weight: the leader who sat in the department all day, or the leader who went on missions year-round.

To put it bluntly, this leader was just too lazy to bother, but if he really did bother, with just one word, the department could change its location at any time, leaving that other leader with an empty shell.

Now, for this leader to personally bring a new comrade to register, it was obviously not simple. Perhaps she was even the leader's beloved. If she dared to ask too many questions and upset this new comrade, with just one word whispered in his ear, her enviable job would be gone.

After collecting her salary and coupons, Xia Yu took Hua Er Hua to the housing management bureau to find an official in his thirties.

After presenting his certificate, he asked the official to find some Siheyuan that could be allocated to Hua Er Hua. Since someone from above had already spoken to them, the official quickly took out a thin folder, "These are all Siheyuan under our jurisdiction that can be allocated to Comrade Hua."

Hua Er Hua took it and looked through it. She saw that each page, besides a thin property certificate, also had a simple description of the house and courtyard. Just looking at them, they all seemed decent.

It was just that these Siheyuan were all not far from their department; the closest one was even right next door, obviously for convenience in finding her when needed.

Thinking of Xia Yu's words that she didn't need to come to the department unless there was something important, Hua Er Hua said, "Are there any other places? These locations are all too noisy."

The official looked troubled: "The higher-ups..."

"Take them all out for Comrade Er Hua to choose!"

Xia Yu's words made the official swallow what he was about to say. Although he didn't know which department these two comrades belonged to, for a high-ranking leader to speak up for them to have free choice, their status was clearly not small, and they were not people he could offend. The leader who had greeted him earlier and told him to try to recommend these Siheyuan to them was not a big shot either. Anyway, he couldn't offend these two. As for that other person, it didn't matter if he didn't give face.

From a drawer, he found another notebook, this one much newer, obviously not one that was frequently flipped through.

"These houses are currently rented out. If Comrade Hua likes any of them, I can send someone to coordinate."

Next, he took out an even thinner notebook, "These are all courtyards that are not rented out, but their area is relatively smaller. However, they are very well preserved. Comrade Hua, please take a look."

Hua Er Hua took both notebooks and sat on the sofa nearby to flip through them.

The Siheyuan in the thicker notebook were indeed larger in area, but many years ago they had been allocated, and now they could be said to be too dilapidated. Even if they were reclaimed, repairs would take a lot of effort.

As for the Siheyuan in the smaller notebook, they were all retained by the higher-ups. They had not been arbitrarily modified by tenants, and with a simple cleanup, they could be lived in.

But Hua Er Hua knew that in a few years, many of these would have to be returned to their former owners. Even if the higher-ups would compensate those people accordingly later, Hua Er Hua didn't want to seize other people's homes.

Hua Er Hua then pointed to a few courtyards and asked Xia Yu, "Are the owners of these still around? Will there be any trouble later?"

Xia Yu and the official both leaned in to look, seeing that Hua Er Hua pointed to a few courtyards that were not too far away but were clearly much quieter.

The area was said to be small, but they were all two-layered courtyards. Living with more than ten people would not be a problem. If allocated, one courtyard could house dozens of people.

The official looked over them and pointed to a few, saying, "These households have many relatives abroad, but I hear some people behind the scenes are still lobbying, it's hard to say if they can return."

After speaking, he flipped two pages and showed Hua Er Hua: "The former owners of these two houses went abroad before liberation. Later, the people who moved in took advantage of their positions to seize them. In recent years, they have been successively sent down, and the courtyards have become vacant. If Comrade Hua wants this type of small courtyard, these two places can be considered."

If the official said these two places could be considered, Hua Er Hua immediately asked him to take her to see them.

Xia Yu drove, taking Hua Er Hua and the official, circling around the inner city for more than ten minutes before arriving. She saw that it was a bit far from the department, but the location was not remote at all, which greatly pleased Hua Er Hua.

In later generations, a Siheyuan in this location, standing on the rooftop, could see the architecture of the imperial city. Even if the area was not large, it would be sky-high in price.

If she intended to buy it later, it would be easy to get news here. At most, she could just seize the opportunity to buy before the price of Siheyuan soared crazily.