Reborn in 1977

Chapter 620 Bodyguard

Ten thousand yuan was indeed out of reach for ordinary people, but for Zhou Yali, it was just a few months' worth of pocket money.

Since she was interested in buying it as a collectible, Chen Fan didn't try to dissuade her.

Anyway, buying this thing wouldn't be a loss, so he let her buy it if she wanted.

When it came to buying a house, it was best to stick to one person for simplicity, so going to Deputy Director Li of the Municipal Housing Administration was the most appropriate.

So, early the next morning, he drove to the Municipal Construction Committee compound, found Deputy Director Li, and explained the situation.

Deputy Director Li was very happy to hear that an overseas Chinese wanted to buy a house.

Since it was a Chinese buying a house, of course, foreign exchange would be collected, and earning foreign exchange was a contribution.

However, this matter couldn't be handled immediately, but required an application to be submitted first.

Like Shanghai, Beijing used to build Overseas Chinese Quarters, specifically for selling to Chinese and overseas Chinese. As mentioned before, in August 1962, Beijing's earliest commercial residential building... the Huayuan Village Overseas Chinese Apartment was completed, with an initial price of over 100 yuan. It had a toilet and kitchen, and a set of houses cost about 20,000, only accepting foreign exchange and not local currency.

But ordinary residential houses didn't seem to have this precedent?

Or rather, Deputy Director Li hadn't heard of it, so naturally, it had to be reported and await leadership approval.

After listening to the explanation, Chen Fan thought for a moment and said softly, "Director Li, Shanghai has set this precedent. This month, my cousin, on behalf of her father, bought two houses there for a total price of 530,000, as potential locations for future investments and dormitories in China. In addition, there are quite a few other Chinese and overseas Chinese buying houses. Perhaps you can contact them and ask about the situation."

Deputy Director Li blinked slightly upon hearing this, and immediately understood. He then said, "I know about this matter and will report it to the leadership later."

After a pause, he smiled again, "From a policy perspective, we now welcome all friendly Chinese and overseas Chinese and foreign merchants to invest in China. Since they want to invest, solving their housing problem is only natural.

Besides, since there is a precedent, I think this issue shouldn't be a big problem. I'll let you know when I have news."

Hearing this, Chen Fan knew that the matter was almost certain, so he smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Li. Should I come again tomorrow morning?"

Deputy Director Li nodded slightly, "Tomorrow morning should be about right."

He glanced at Zhou Yali, who was sitting not far away, and pretended to be nonchalant as he leaned closer to Chen Fan and asked softly, "Did you really spend 530,000 to buy a house?"

Chen Fan smiled, "One is a large garden house of nearly 20 mu, with a main building and two auxiliary buildings, with a total construction area of nearly 3,000 square meters. This garden cost 500,000, and another ordinary small western-style building cost 30,000."

Deputy Director Li had a better understanding of the situation and immediately pondered which courtyard was the largest and most suitable for sale.

If there wasn't a suitable one, then he would see if there was one where people could be moved out.

These large mansions were almost all owned by the public, and were inhabited by employees of various units, and most of them were ordinary employees.

The cadres lived in buildings, so why would they squeeze into that kind of large courtyard.

So, if a courtyard could be vacated, could it be sold for 300,000 to 500,000?

Hiss..., now a three-courtyard quadrangle with four wings only costs about 10,000, and it is still basically intact and habitable. If it is slightly dilapidated, the price will go down to below 8,000.

Now, even if people have 300,000 to 500,000, they can't pick out such a large area of courtyard houses?!

Thinking of this, Deputy Director Li couldn't help but scratch his head.

Seeing the money right in front of him, but unable to earn it back, was really distressing.

Seeing his changing expression, Chen Fan gently called out after a few seconds, "Director Li?"

Deputy Director Li suddenly came back to his senses, looked up at him, and quickly smiled, "Oh, I was thinking about whether there are any suitable houses."

Chen Fan smiled, "My cousin's requirements are not high. It doesn't matter if it's big or small, and it doesn't matter if the house is habitable. At worst, we can renovate and repair it later. There is just one small request: it is best to be able to connect to gas pipelines and sewage pipes.

Of course, if there really isn't a suitable one, there's no way, but it must leave room for renovation, and the approval process should not be stuck."

Deputy Director Li nodded repeatedly, "Understood, I'll take care of this immediately. Come over again early tomorrow morning, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory result."

At worst, he would vacate a prince's mansion.

Prince's mansions are also divided into large and small. Small ones can accommodate forty or fifty households, and large ones, such as Prince Gong's Mansion, accommodate more than two hundred households.

Prince Gong's Mansion is definitely not suitable. First, the area is too large, covering an area of 61,120 square meters, a full 90 acres, and there are many buildings. The mansion area alone accounts for half of it, which is different from the large garden in Shanghai that Chen Fan just mentioned. This price is not easy to assess.

Second, there are still 8 units living inside, and coordinating this relocation work is a big problem.

In addition, Prince Gong's Mansion is too famous. Every year, some people who engage in historical and cultural work stubbornly submit reports demanding that it be vacated, rebuilt, and protected. If it is sold, I am afraid they will cause trouble.

Therefore, it is best to choose one with a slightly smaller area, not very famous, and with relatively complete preservation of the buildings, so that it can be sold for a high price without any subsequent troubles.

This American Chinese spent 530,000 to buy a house in Shanghai. Coming to Beijing, he can't spend less than he did in Shanghai, right?!

Chen Fan didn't know that this Deputy Director Li was secretly competing with his Shanghai counterparts. His target price was only around 10,000 yuan. Then, he would spend another two thousand yuan to repair the building, which would be Zhou Yali buying a big toy for herself, which could still appreciate in value in the future.

But he didn't expect that Deputy Director Li actually wanted to make a big deal, wasn't this ripping people off?

...

After coming out of the Municipal Construction Committee Housing Administration Bureau, Chen Fan pulled the door and got into the car, and glanced at the rearview mirror.

After Zhou Yali, Jiang Lili, and Jiang Tiantian all got in and closed the car door, he said, "Where are we going to go today?"

Yesterday, they needed Liu Juan and Ma Lan, the "local snakes," to lead the way through the hutongs. Today, they were changing the project, so they didn't bring them along.

Zhou Yali sat next to Jiang Lili, waving her hand and shouting, "Quickly turn on the electric fan."

Chen Fan's old face darkened, "It's only morning, and you're already feeling hot?"

But he still turned on the small electric fan on the center console, and a cool breeze blew, quickly dispelling the stuffiness in the car.

This car didn't have car air conditioning. Only sedans were equipped with air conditioning, which wasn't as good as his modified GAZ-69.

But that's right, if this car was equipped with air conditioning, it wouldn't be the price of 18,000. It would have to increase by at least 3,000, otherwise it wouldn't be worth it.

After the wind blew, Zhou Yali comfortably breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "I'm afraid of the heat. I'm not saying you, you built such a big house, but you don't even have an air conditioner."

Jiang Lili turned to look at her, "Are you very hot? I think it's okay. The house is quite cool. I didn't even turn on the electric fan last night."

Jiang Tiantian also sat in the back row and nodded lightly, "I didn't turn it on either."

Zhou Yali pursed her lips, "That must be because you are used to not blowing air conditioning."

Chen Fan started the car and slowly drove out of the compound, saying, "Then shall we go buy air conditioners?"

Zhou Yali said, "Let's go then."

After a pause, she sighed softly, "But I don't have much pocket money left, I can only buy five more at most."

Chen Fan glanced at her in the rearview mirror and smiled, "It's okay, we'll deduct it from my manuscript fees later."

Zhou Yali nodded immediately, "That works."

Chen Fan said, "We'll go buy air conditioners later. Anyway, Liu Juan and the others are at home, so it won't delay our shopping. Tell me, where shall we go later?"

Zhou Yali spread her hands, "You're the tour guide, you decide."

Chen Fan frowned slightly, silently considering what other attractions there were. Then his eyes glanced upwards, seeing Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian in the rearview mirror, and suddenly an idea struck him, "Lili, Tiantian, have you been to the square and the Forbidden City?"

The two sisters smiled and said in unison, "We haven't."

Zhou Yali immediately looked at them in surprise, "You haven't been?"

Jiang Lili wrinkled her nose and explained, "Actually, most ordinary people haven't been to the square and the Forbidden City. Going there to take a look is the wish of all ordinary people. It's just that most families, especially rural families, don't have high incomes, so this wish is difficult to realize."

Jiang Tiantian also nodded and said, "Many people take advantage of business trips. After arriving in the capital, they will go to the square to take a look. Because of the tight schedule, many people haven't even entered the Forbidden City.

Moreover, Forbidden City tickets cost five cents each, and some people are reluctant to spend the money, so they didn't go in either. But no matter how long the line is, they will go to the memorial hall to pay their respects and spend money to take photos with the Tiananmen Gate tower, where there is Mr. Li's portrait."

Zhou Yali frowned slightly and nodded gently, "So that's how it is."

Then she looked at them and said, "I've been to the square, the Forbidden City, and the memorial hall last time. Why don't we go again today? I'll be your tour guide this time."

Chen Fan laughed and stepped on the accelerator, the car speeding up quickly, "Then let's go to the square."

However, they first went to the Friendship Store and purchased a batch of household appliances.

Since Chen Fan's manuscript fees were backing her up, Zhou Yali dared to spend freely. The house didn't have a TV or refrigerator, so she arranged for them all. Then she got a few three-in-one radio cassette recorders, paying with American dollar checks in a dashing manner, without needing any industrial coupons, TV tickets, or refrigerator tickets.

It didn't matter if she didn't have much money left. Anyway, there was still more than a week before returning to the United States. She could send a telegram to her dad later and ask him to send some more money over.

After buying the things and arranging for delivery, Chen Fan took them to visit the square.

They strolled around until the afternoon, then ran to the Friendship Store again, buying many good ingredients that were hard to find in the outside market, and drove a carload of them to their master's house.

Pots and pans clattered for a while. When the people who went to work returned home, a large meal was already set on the table.

Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang sat at the head of the table, Zhang Xuansong sat alone on one side, Chen Fan and Zhou Yali sat on one side, and finally Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian sat together. An Eight Immortals table, just enough for seven people.

Chen Fan filled the three masters' glasses with wine, then filled his own, and asked, "Third Master, I have something I want to ask."

Among these three masters, Zhang Xuansong was the last to leave his post, and his children worked in key departments, so he had the most up-to-date information. At the same time, he was also flexible. For example, he used his son's connections to buy a house last time.

As long as it didn't violate principles, he would help solve it, so it was definitely right to ask him for help.

It wasn't that Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang didn't have the ability or were unwilling. It was just that if there was a convenient one, why bother asking them to go around in circles to ask for favors?

Hearing his words, Zhang Xuansong glanced at him, "What is it?"

Chen Fan clinked glasses with him and asked, "It's said to be one thing, but there are actually two questions. One is, do you know any female comrades with good skills?"

Hearing this, everyone at the table was stunned and looked up at him.

Chen Fan glanced at the three girls, turned back, and said, "Yesterday, when we were strolling around Houhai, we ran into a few petty thieves who were robbing people."

Hearing him say that they encountered someone robbing them, no one spoke.

Zhou Yali and the three understood why he was asking if there were any female comrades with good skills. He wanted to find bodyguards for them. Well, bodyguards were the sisters' idea, Zhou Yali was thinking of bodyguards.

As for the three masters, they all knew Chen Fan's abilities, and besides, everyone was sitting here unharmed, what could they say?

No, wait, after two seconds, Zhang Xuansong still frowned and looked at him, asking, "Are those people okay?"

Chen Fan was speechless, "I was robbed, and you're asking if they're okay."

Zhang Xuansong shook his head and said with a pursed mouth, "Then were you robbed?"

Chen Fan wiped his face, sighed, poured himself a glass of wine, and continued, "It's not like I'm going to be in trouble, the main thing is, I heard Juanzi and the others say that the public security is getting worse every day. I'm thinking, the situation in Shanghai is probably similar.

When I return to Jiangnan later, Lili and Tiantian will be in Shanghai, and if there's no one by their side, will something happen?"

Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili looked at each other. Both wanted to speak, but when they saw Chen Fan's eyes, they held back.

He glanced at the two sisters, turned to look at Zhang Xuansong, "As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry, it's better to plan ahead than to worry afterwards."

Zhang Xuansong nodded gently and glanced at the three girls again, "Yes, that's the principle."

He took a sip of wine, squinted his eyes, thought for a while, and turned to look at Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang, who were also thinking, "I can't think of anyone for a while, what about you?"

Lin Yuanxiang frowned, "I do remember that a few old men seem to have daughters at home, but I don't know if they have practiced kung fu, or how good their kung fu is?"

Li Shangde shook his head, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of food, and then said, "If you want to talk about young people with good skills, you can easily count twenty or thirty, and there are retirements every year. Finding them to come over can also solve a few employment problems.

But when it comes to girls, I really haven't paid attention."

He looked up at Chen Fan, "There definitely are some, you just have to go find them."

Chen Fan smiled, "It would be best if there are, it's just a matter of spending a few more days."

After a pause, he said again, "Another thing is, after I find them, is it in accordance with the rules if I spend money to hire people?"

Hearing this question, Zhang Xuansong wiped his face and was a little tangled for a while, "This is neither public nor private. It's not like Juanzi's two girls, who can say they're hiring a temporary worker to help with cleaning.

Hiring someone to protect people is the same as having a private bodyguard in the old society. I really can't judge whether it's in accordance with the rules."