dkrc Chapter 0002 The Extravagant Courtyard, An Family
Chapter 0002 The Extravagant Courtyard, An Family
There was still some snow left in the large courtyard, and the weeds were all flattened, standing up at least half a person's height.
The row of red brick houses looked quite new, and the surrounding courtyard walls were not damaged at all.
But the size of the courtyard exceeded Gu Tong's expectations. According to his estimation, the entire courtyard was at least over a thousand square meters, nearly two thousand square meters, which is about three acres.
Gu Tong's eyes were a little vacant.
Liang Qin could understand the other person's feelings. People from the mainland often had no concept of the vast Northwest and were often surprised when they first arrived. They would get used to it.
"Gu Tong, you can raise cattle and sheep over there, grow vegetables over here, and make a small garden on this plot of land near the house. Of course, you can arrange it however you like; I'm just giving you an example."
Also, we were short-handed and didn't clear the weeds before winter, please don't mind. Come on, let me show you inside, you can ask me anything.
Liang Qin had a good impression of Gu Tong, so she said a few more words.
"I don't mind at all. I'll clean up myself later; consider it exercise."
Gu Tong certainly didn't mind; his mind was full of exclamation marks right now.
Leaving aside rental properties, his previous mortgaged apartment was only about 100 square meters. Now, facing this huge house and yard, he only wants to say one thing:
"Incredible! That's fucking incredible!"
Then the two went inside and began to check each room.
The house has five rooms in total. The rooms at the east and west ends have separate doors and need to be entered from the yard. The living room is in the middle, and there are two bedrooms on either side of the living room. These three rooms share the same main entrance to the living room.
The floor inside the room has been hardened, the walls have been painted white, and several sheet metal stoves have been installed.
There was definitely no furniture. A kitchen had been built in the east wing, and it had been simply renovated, complete with a stove, worktop, sink, and other amenities.
The bathroom is located in the northwest corner of the yard and has also undergone simple renovations.
After walking around the house, Gu Tong had a basic understanding of the entire house and yard.
The good news is that there is running water in the house. Although there are only a few dozen households in this area, they have electricity, water and internet access.
However, there are no sewage pipes, so wastewater from the toilets goes directly into the septic tank and needs to be treated promptly. Domestic sewage is discharged into a culvert outside the yard, but its exact destination is unclear.
"Thank you, Officer Liang."
Gu Tong wasn't very good at dealing with strangers, but he appreciated Liang Qin's serious and responsible work attitude.
He should thank the person who helped him all morning.
"No need to be so polite, just call me Xiao Liang. Come on, I'll take you to the fields."
Liang Qin smiled slightly, then helped Gu Tong put the luggage from the car into the house, and then took him to the field not far away.
The land had already been divided up. Gu Tong was allocated 30 mu of farmland, and there were also 50 mu of poorer, slightly saline-alkali land.
"This 50 mu of saline-alkali land is a bonus. It can't grow crops, but it can be used to grow some salt-tolerant forage grass to feed cattle and sheep. This area is close to the Nas River, so irrigation is not a problem, but the soil quality is not very good."
Okay, if you have no further questions, please sign here. My work will then be completed smoothly. You can contact me anytime if you need anything in the future.
After Liang Qin gave a detailed introduction, she opened the folder with a snap and asked Gu Tong to sign it in the lower right corner.
"I'm fine now, thank you so much!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Tong signed the document, closed the folder, and handed it to the other party.
Liang Qin handed the key to Gu Tong, who locked the courtyard gate. The two then got into the car together.
Gu Tong naturally wanted to return to the county with her. On the one hand, there were some procedures that hadn't been completed, and on the other hand, the house was currently empty, and he needed to buy a lot of things before he could move in.
After returning to the county town, Gu Tong completed the relevant procedures and obtained a household registration transfer certificate from the police station.
He then sent these documents to Xu Zejun, having already entrusted him with handling the household registration matters before coming here.
Then he sent another message to Zhang Chen.
"I have arrived safely in Nassau County. Please have my belongings shipped over when you have time."
After finishing these tasks, he wandered around the county and bought some home appliances, furniture, and daily necessities. The merchants promised to deliver them to his home around noon the next day.
While I still had some time, I went to the car dealership again and took a liking to a long-haul pickup truck.
"Sir, this truck is perfect for the road conditions in Northwest China, and it can also haul cargo. You have excellent taste."
The salesperson smiled and offered a subtle compliment.
Gu Tong thought to himself: What a terrible eye for quality! It's because I'm broke and can only afford a car that costs around 100,000 yuan.
However, he readily signed the car purchase agreement and paid the deposit.
According to the agreement, the merchant will deliver the car within one week, otherwise a full refund will be issued.
After spending the night at the county hotel, Gu Tong took several large bags of things and rushed home by bus early the next morning.
The bus could only go as far as the township, so he bought a truckload of coal and some firewood there and had the shopkeeper deliver it to him.
"Delivery is no problem, but the vehicle is currently out and may not be back for quite a while."
Gu Tong originally planned to go back with the delivery truck, but unfortunately, the boss said that he couldn't deliver the goods now and it would be around noon.
He had to find a motorcycle in the village and spend 20 yuan to get home.
"Leave the yard for now, let's clean up the house first."
Looking at the huge courtyard, Gu Tong couldn't help but feel a little troubled.
However, this was not the most urgent matter. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning the room.
Early spring in Northwest China is still a bit chilly, but Gu Tong quickly started sweating, clearly indicating that his stamina wasn't great. He was 1.8 meters tall, but weighed less than 70 kilograms, which was indeed a bit too thin.
After graduating from university, Gu Tong worked at an internet company until he was laid off; physical strength was never his forte.
But at this moment he felt that he needed to train his body properly, otherwise it would be difficult to adapt to life in the future.
He now owns 30 mu of farmland and 50 mu of saline-alkali land. To be honest, he is quite worried and doesn't know if he can take care of it all by himself.
Perhaps... maybe... it's possible?
He went straight to the kitchen, knowing he would be cooking often in the future, and spent more than an hour there.
Just as he was about to take a break, a "putt-putt-putt" sound came from the yard. Gu Tong went out to see what was happening and found that the tractor delivering coal and firewood had arrived.
He directed the people to unload the truck, and then went inside to prepare to start a fire.
Although he was radiating heat while working, the temperature inside the room was actually below zero degrees Celsius.
Starting a fire is not difficult. Just grab a couple of handfuls of dry grass from the yard to use as kindling, put firewood on top, and pile some crushed coal on top of the firewood. Soon, a roaring fire will be burning in the stove.
Gu Tong filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove. Then she began to tidy up the master bedroom, the second bedroom, and the living room, cleaning up all the dust in the corners and then mopping the floor twice.
He was busy until noon before he finally made himself a packet of instant noodles.
Is anyone home?
Just after finishing his meal, Gu Tong heard someone shouting outside the courtyard. He quickly ran out and opened the courtyard gate.
The furniture, appliances, and some household items he purchased yesterday arrived. The house was basically cleaned up, so we just had to unload them.
"Thank you all for your hard work! Please have a glass of water and a cigarette."
Gu Tong knew that he would inevitably have to deal with the outside world, so he needed to train more from now on.
The driver and two workers quickly unloaded the truck. They were quite happy to accept the hot tea and cigarettes offered by the host and rested in the yard for ten minutes.
They quickly assembled the furniture and then said goodbye and left.
Gu Tong looked around and noticed that the room was much more spacious than it had been yesterday.
Wardrobes, bookshelves, desks, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, beds... basic furniture is all in place, and carpets are laid on the floors of the master bedroom, the second bedroom, and the living room.
I have quite a few small appliances, but only two large appliances – a refrigerator and a washing machine. I didn't buy a TV because I don't watch it anyway.
"Hmm, not bad, at least it feels like a home now."
Gu Tong nodded, feeling very satisfied, and slumped down on the sofa.
This day was so exhausting! Even more tiring than delivering food!
He rested for less than five minutes when someone knocked on the door again; the broadband installer had arrived... and the internet was connected in less than an hour.
sunset.
Gu Tong stood in the courtyard gazing into the distance. The snow-capped mountains were clearly visible in the distance, and a desolate and chilly feeling wafted in the wind.
The beautiful scenery he could never have dreamed of before was right in front of him, and his home was behind him, but he felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness, as if he was the only person left in the whole world.
He just stood there, motionless, until night fell and the stars filled the sky.
Suddenly, Gu Tong snapped out of his reverie and realized that he seemed to have forgotten something important, so he turned around and rushed into the house.