Gu Yun pulled Zhuang Rui along, and the two left the garage and walked along the alley towards the main entrance.
"Brother Gu, is this... is this still my house?"
Zhuang Rui walked to the door and was immediately dumbfounded. The surrounding walls were still the same, with the same old blue bricks, but the gate itself had completely changed.
On either side of the gate stood two menacing stone lions. Below the gate tower, which was a full four meters high, was a heavy and simple gate, three meters high, painted with a bright lacquer. Eight door studs, each the size of a bowl, were neatly arranged in two rows.
Apart from being a size larger than the original gatehouse, all other elements such as the gate tower, doorway, door frame, waist beam, filler board, running board, door pillow, connecting threshold, threshold, door pin, large border, end band, connecting strip, door panel, door knocker, door lock, and animal face are still present.
Looking at all this, Zhuang Rui felt like he had stepped into the Palace Museum. This wasn't just a grand mansion; calling it a "wealthy" family wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Normally, the small door is fine. Making the door so wide makes it difficult to move some renovation items in, but it looks impressive, doesn't it? By the way, those stone lions were made by a master craftsman in Shandong. Including shipping, it cost a full 200,000 yuan..."
Gu Yun's words made Zhuang Rui chuckle wryly. This guy really didn't treat his money like money; he spent 200,000 on a pair of stone lions. However, they did look quite impressive, and the craftsmanship seemed to be much better than the stone lions Zhuang Rui often saw in front of banks.
"Hmm, that lock is just for show, you have to open it like this..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui fiddling with the antique-style door lock, Gu Yun quickly stopped him, lifted the lock to reveal a keyhole, took out a bunch of keys from his person, compared them, and then inserted one into the keyhole.
Upon entering the gatehouse, Zhuang Rui was immediately struck by its beauty. The layout was exactly the same as before, with large bluestone paving the floor, exuding a grand atmosphere. Wooden doors and windows were everywhere. The only difference from his first visit was that everything was brand new, gleaming with a bright sheen.
The hanging flower gate with auspicious patterns of fortune, prosperity, and happiness was painted very beautifully. The eaves and rafter ends were painted blue-green, the eaves wood was painted red, the round rafter ends were painted with blue, white, and black interlocking pearl patterns, and the square rafter ends were painted with blue backgrounds with gold swastika or diamond patterns.
What excited Zhuang Rui the most was that Gu Yun had transplanted some grapevines from somewhere, which wrapped around the hanging flower gate, making it look so lush and vibrant.
"Zhuang Rui, the decorative patterns in this courtyard are still the same as before. The bat and the character for longevity together form the phrase 'double blessings of fortune and longevity,' while the vase with roses symbolizes 'peace in all four seasons.' There are also phrases like 'descendants for generations,' 'the three friends of winter,' 'jade and crabapple for wealth and honor,' and 'fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness,' etc. Each courtyard represents a different meaning. You can look at them slowly later."
As they passed through the hanging flower gate, Gu Yun casually introduced the architectural style of the courtyard to Zhuang Rui. When Zhuang Rui last came, the carvings and patterns were so damaged that they were difficult to recognize.
"Wow! Brother Gu, you know what? Even if you weren't in the architecture industry, you'd be a top-notch creative person for others..."
When Zhuang Rui arrived at the central courtyard of the house, he was immediately stunned by the beautiful scenery in front of him. This large garden in the central courtyard was the largest in the entire courtyard. There were pavilions, corridors, ponds, and rockeries in front of him. Fish were playing in the pond, and the surrounding area was full of flowers, trees and shrubs that Zhuang Rui could not name.
The most beautiful sight is undoubtedly the lotus flowers that occupy most of the pond. September is the season when lotus flowers are in full bloom. The pink lotus flowers float gracefully from the water, their fragrance spreading far and wide. Like green canopies on the water, they appear so elegant and noble against the backdrop of lotus leaves the size of fan leaves.
Lotus flowers bloom for eight months each year and are extremely adaptable. Since ancient times, they have been precious aquatic flowers in palace gardens and private gardens. The lotus flowers in his garden were obviously transplanted from elsewhere by Gu Yun. Zhuang Rui knew that Gu Yun had really put a lot of effort into his house by thinking of such details.
"Brother Gu, you... you're not going to tell me this house is finished now, are you?"
Looking at the beautiful scenery before him, Zhuang Rui stammered, "The agreed construction period was three months, but it's only been a month and a half. That's half the construction time ahead of schedule!"
"It was finished the day before yesterday, and we're just waiting for you, the boss, to come and inspect it. By the way, it cost a total of over 13 million, and there's about 1.2 million left. I'm not giving that money back to you; consider it a bonus for the workers. I'll show you the detailed accounts later..."
Looking at the buildings before him, Gu Yun was also deeply moved. He had been living and eating here for more than a month, working alongside the workers almost every night to do some quiet tasks. Otherwise, the handover of the property would probably have been delayed by another week.
"Yeah, yeah, you can handle those things, Brother Gu. How the bonuses are distributed is your business..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't thinking about money at all. He walked to the door of what should have been a living room, pushed it open, and went inside.
Chapter 346 Handover of the Property
Zhuang Ruijin's room was the main wing of the central courtyard. Apart from the main hall at the entrance, which was used for worshipping ancestors during festivals, there were two living rooms on both sides. Modern people value privacy, so Gu Yun specially installed two sliding doors where there was originally just a door frame. When pushed inward, there was no trace of a door at all.
On the wall facing the main entrance of the room, there is a tall incense table, and below the incense table is an eight-immortal table with two eight-immortal chairs on either side. The backs of the chairs are carved with the pattern of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.
Looking at the layout of the house, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but picture the scene in the movie "The Dream Factory" where Ge You's character, the landlord and his wife, were sitting in the house receiving a leg massage from Fu Biao. Except for the fact that the room was much brighter, the furnishings were very similar.
"Brother Gu, where did you get this thing from?"
Upon entering the adjacent room, Zhuang Rui was startled. The bedroom wasn't small, probably over twenty square meters, but the large bed inside was truly terrifying. It took up almost half of the entire room, and apart from the solid wood wardrobe, the only other thing on the table was the bed.
The style of this bed should be a continuation of the eight-step bed of the Ming Dynasty. It has a frame on it, which is probably used to hang mosquito nets and curtains. The whole bed is like a small house. The surface of the bed is decorated with carvings and inlays, gold lacquer and colored paint, and inlaid with some jade, agate and other objects. It is decorated with extraordinary luxury. However, after Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to take a look, he realized that these things were purely decorative. They were probably all glass products, just for looking good.
"Hehe, one of my senior classmates runs a furniture factory. They have a lot of antique-style furniture, and the quality is quite good. So I bought a batch from him. All the antique-style furniture in the Central Courtyard comes from him. How about it, are you satisfied?"
Gu Yun explained to Zhuang Rui that although Zhuang Rui had entrusted him with all these matters before, it was still necessary to clarify things. He and Zhuang Rui hadn't known each other for very long, and it was better to be clear about these expenses. Otherwise, if the other party harbored any resentment, it would turn a good thing into a bad thing.
"That's great, Brother Gu, thank you so much. If it were me, I wouldn't know where to find these antique-style furniture pieces."
Zhuang Rui nodded in satisfaction. The room was fully furnished; he only needed to go to Panjiayuan or Liulichang to buy some small items to decorate it.
"By the way, Brother Gu, I heard that newly renovated houses have a strong formaldehyde smell, but how come there's no smell at all in this room?"
Zhuang Rui thought of a very important issue: the harmful effects of formaldehyde on the human body are well-known, especially in newly renovated houses. Generally, it is necessary to open the doors and windows for ventilation for one or two weeks before people can move in. Zhuang Rui had once visited Liu Chuan's new house, and the pungent smell in the room was simply unbearable.
"The paint used for the walls is all imported from Germany, with extremely low formaldehyde content. Besides, all this furniture of yours is old stock. It was made a long time ago, and the paint has long since dried. Yesterday, I specifically hired an air cleaning company to clean all the rooms. Also, look at that corner of the wall..."
Zhuang Rui looked in the direction Gu Yun pointed and saw an iron basin filled with gray charcoal. Gu Yun continued, "That's activated carbon, which can absorb harmful substances such as formaldehyde. There will definitely still be some formaldehyde in this house, but it's definitely below the national testing standards. If you're not comfortable with it, you can move in after three to five days."
"Well, there's no rush to move in yet. By the way, Brother Gu, is there heating in winter? It's getting cold soon."
Zhuang Rui looked around the house but didn't see any radiators. His mother was getting old, and she couldn't live without heating.
"It's up there..."
Gu Yun pointed upwards, and Zhuang Rui saw several inconspicuous ventilation windows. The only somewhat modern element in the room was the roof; traditional courtyard houses had visible beams, but here all the ceilings were suspended, albeit elaborately decorated. Zhuang Rui initially mistook the pillar-like lamp for a beam.
Zhuang Rui chuckled to himself inwardly. Although he was now wealthy, his mindset remained stuck in his previous life. Deep down, his values regarding society and money remained unchanged.
However, this is not Zhuang Rui's fault. He went from having nothing to being a billionaire in less than a year. Many of his lifestyle habits are still the same as before. As the saying goes, it takes three generations to produce an aristocrat. This also requires a process of evolution.
"Zhuang Rui, this courtyard has a total of twenty-eight rooms, including three kitchens, three storage rooms for miscellaneous items, and three dining rooms. Besides the seven main houses, the remaining eleven rooms are habitable, but only six bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms and showers. There are also two shared bathrooms and showers in the front yard. We can't install central heating here, so I've installed a ducted central air conditioning system to ensure heating in every room. This includes the basement and garage, so you don't need to worry about that. I also spent over a million yuan to build a power distribution room and a diesel generator for you. In case of a power outage, the diesel generator will automatically generate electricity. The manufacturer will come to maintain it every two months, so you basically don't need to worry about it..."
Zhuang Rui could only nod in agreement. Gu Yun had thought of everything so thoroughly, what else could he say? After looking at the rooms in the middle courtyard, the two walked towards the back courtyard.
The house structure in the backyard is the same as the front. However, the layout of the rooms inside is completely different from that in the front yard. It is fully modernized, with furniture, lighting, and appliances all provided by Gu Yun. Of course, bedding has not been purchased yet; Zhuang Rui will have to choose those items himself.
"Here, take this. All the appliances in the backyard are computer-controlled. You can control all of them with this remote..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the palm-sized remote control that Gu Yun had handed him. He hadn't quite processed what was happening yet. He had just come out of the classically styled room and was now immediately entering this modernly decorated room. It felt like he was traveling through a time tunnel, stepping from ancient times into modern society.
"Brother Gu, thank you so much. What can I say? If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Zhuang Rui is now genuinely grateful to Gu Yun. Although this is just a business deal, if it were any other construction company, they would never be as considerate of him as Gu Yun is.
"Hey, why bother with all that nonsense? What's important is treating your brother to a nice meal. I've been exhausted these past few months. Let's go check on the basement again. You'll have to treat me to dinner later, kid."
Gu Yun laughed and joked with Zhuang Rui. He actually made quite a bit of money from this project, with a profit of about 30%. In addition, Zhuang Rui paid all the money in cash, which was equivalent to two years' worth of work normally.
"No problem, Brother Gu, let's go to Donglaishun for mutton later..."
Zhuang Rui patted his chest. His knowledge of the Beijing Hotel was limited to just a few of its old, established branches. Gu Yun smiled and took Zhuang Rui to see the basement.
To prevent rainwater from entering, Gu Yun placed the entrance to the basement in a room in the backyard. The basement was about twenty square meters in size and had ventilation and dehumidification equipment installed according to Zhuang Rui's requirements. There were also several rows of shelves for displaying antiques, but of course, it was completely empty at the moment.
Collecting is a hobby, and besides exchanging ideas with fellow collectors, it's really just about enjoying yourself in your spare time. Zhuang Rui has already started imagining what it would be like when these shelves are full of his collection. Hey, if he brought Jin Pangzi and the others in, they would definitely give him a big scare.
"What are you grinning about, kid? You've seen the whole house, so I'm handing it over to you now."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui hadn't spoken for a while, Gu Yun turned around and saw that the guy was staring at the shelves in the basement and chuckling, practically drooling.
"Hehe, Brother Gu, you're happy, aren't you? Come on, let's go eat first, we'll talk about the rest later."
Zhuang Rui snapped out of his daze, checked the time, and realized it was already past eleven o'clock. He had spent more than two hours looking at this three-courtyard complex.
This time, however, they went out through the side door of the garage. After Gu Yun taught Zhuang Rui to set his fingerprint password, they entered the garage. For Zhuang Rui, it's likely that he will use this door far more often than the main entrance of his house in the future.
"By the way, Brother Gu, I'd like to hire two nannies. Do you have any recommendations?"
After Zhuang Rui backed the car out of the garage and drove out of the protected area, he suddenly thought of this problem. Such a big house could be cleaned by a cleaning company regularly, but he couldn't let his mother do the grocery shopping and cooking every day.
In addition, Zhuang Rui wanted to hire two security guards. Although the security in the reserve was good, Beijing was too chaotic, and he was always afraid of the worst. Having two trustworthy security guards here would give him peace of mind when he went out in the future.
"A nanny? I'll help you find a reputable housekeeping company later and see if they have any suitable ones. It would be best to find a local housewife; she's efficient and safer. Hmm, leave it to me."
Gu Yun thought about it for a moment and took the responsibility. There are quite a few laid-off people now, and many domestic service companies also employ local laid-off female workers. Although their wages are higher than those of migrant workers, they are more reliable to hire.
"Thanks, Brother Gu. As long as he has good character, I don't mind if the salary is a bit higher... I'll take this call first, Brother Gu, you can drive."
Just as Zhuang Rui was speaking, his phone rang in his pocket. He quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road and switched places with Gu Yun.
"Hello, is this Teacher Zhuang?"
The caller ID showed a mobile phone number, but it was unfamiliar. After Zhuang Rui pressed the answer button, a man's voice came through.
Chapter 347 Telephone
"No, thank you. I'm Zhuang Rui. Just call me by my name. May I ask who you are?"
Zhuang Rui was unfamiliar with the male voice on the phone; he was certain he had never heard it before. However, the man spoke very politely, so Zhuang Rui quickly replied with a few words of humility.
"My surname is Wu, Teacher Zhuang can just call me Squid..."
Zhuang Rui almost burst out laughing at what the other person said. He had initially thought that the surname was the same as Wu Jia's, but it turned out to be a seafood product.
"Hmm, I wonder what business Mr. Wu has with me?"
Zhuang Rui suppressed a laugh and asked, "There are always some very eccentric people in this world who give themselves all sorts of weird nicknames and don't allow others to say they're good people. They'll get angry with anyone who says so. It seems like the person on the phone is one of them."
"Just call me Squid. So, I heard that Teacher Zhuang wants to buy some antiques, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui felt a jolt of fear and quickly sat up straight, saying, "I'm a collector. I recently bought a house and am looking to trinkets to decorate it. Does Mr. Wu have any good stuff?"
"Hehe, I don't have any items on hand, so I wouldn't dare to bother Teacher Zhuang. We're organizing an antique academic exchange meeting for some collectors in Beijing in the next few days. I wonder if Teacher Zhuang has time to attend?"
Squid's pedantic language made Zhuang Rui unable to hold back any longer. He covered the microphone of his phone and laughed loudly. This black market is a black market, why does he have to call it some kind of antique academic exchange meeting? This guy is really funny, he's comparable to Feng Gong's crosstalk "The Thief Company" from back in the day.
What's going on?
Gu Yun, who was driving, was startled by Zhuang Rui's sudden burst of laughter and almost swerved the steering wheel.
"It's alright, it's alright, Brother Gu, please drive carefully..."
Zhuang Rui suppressed a laugh, released his hand from the microphone, and said, "What's the exact time? Mr. Wu, as you know, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and you'll be quite busy these next few days..."
"The tentatively scheduled time is the morning after tomorrow. I wonder if Professor Zhuang is free?"
"The day after tomorrow morning! That's the Mid-Autumn Festival, isn't it? No time, definitely no time. I mean, you guys really know how to pick a day, who could be free then?"
Zhuang Rui was telling the truth. His maternal cousins, uncles, and aunts were all coming the day after tomorrow. Although he wasn't particularly handsome, he still needed to stay by his mother's side to make a good impression and greet the guests.
As for promising Miao Feifei, Zhuang Rui didn't think much about it. These people were right to do things, but he still had to wait until he had free time.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Squid was secretly pleased. Those of us in this line of work certainly can't be aboveboard. For the first time we invite guests, we have to go through several rounds of checks. If this Zhuang Rui hadn't been on TV and wasn't indeed someone in the antique business, even with an intermediary, we wouldn't have easily extended an invitation to him.
Although people caught running a black market are usually only detained for three to five days and then released on bail, their goods are definitely confiscated, and they lose their share of the money. They also get yelled at by the boss behind the scenes. So, people like Squid, who are in charge of the actual operations, are quite cautious.
If Zhuang Rui had agreed immediately, Squid might have hung up the phone right away. Instead, Zhuang Rui's reluctance made Squid more certain that he wasn't a police shill.
“Teacher Zhuang, you’re an expert in this field, so you should know our difficulties. Some items can’t be handled openly, so we have to be very careful with the timing. It’s just something we can’t avoid…”