"Ma Qiao Sheng, my house has nothing to do with you. Whether I sell it or not, and who I sell it to, is none of your business. Scram, or I’ll smack you with a big stick." Uncle Ma shot the man in his thirties a disgusted look, then let Su Qing and the others into the courtyard. With a loud BANG, he slammed the gate shut.

Furious, Ma Qiao Sheng scrambled up from the ground. He stared at the courtyard with a dark expression, inwardly cursing Uncle Ma for his heartlessness.

’Back then, his family had only cut ties with Second Uncle to protect themselves. Why couldn’t he understand? Besides, it was true that his dad and Second Uncle had each gotten a house from the division of property. But his dad’s house had been swindled away from him, leaving their family homeless. They’d been renting a tiny, ten-square-meter single room ever since—his parents, him, his wife, and their two kids. A whole family of six.’

’Six people, all crammed into a single room of just ten square meters. How crowded was that? Didn’t Second Uncle know?’

’But Second Uncle had this huge, three-courtyard home and lived all by himself. What would be the harm in letting their family move in? Blood is thicker than water, after all! How could Second Uncle be so unreasonable? Not only did he refuse to live in it himself, but he was actually selling it!’

’It was outrageous!’

’Ma Qiao Sheng narrowed his eyes, a vicious glint flickering within them. When his uncle was out of town, he had certainly tried to get his hands on the house. But his uncle was a sly one and had left protections in place. No matter what he tried, he never succeeded. Now that his uncle was back, he’d wanted to try a softer approach. But as it turned out, the old bastard was actually going to sell the house!’

While Ma Qiao Sheng fumed outside, Uncle Ma was inside, leading Su Qing and the others on a tour and explaining the property’s details as they went.

The courtyard had previously been shared by many people. Aside from the original main house, side-chambers, and ear-rooms, the open space in the middle and along the walls had been filled with makeshift sheds and clotheslines. Although they had since been dismantled, traces of their existence remained. The courtyard walls bore the scribbles of children and soot-blackened marks.

You could tell that the three-courtyard home had once been quite exquisite. On the old eaves, pillars, and moon gate, you could still faintly see some faded, mottled colors.

The entire complex was perfectly square. The first courtyard, right past the entrance, had a row of reverse-facing rooms. The second courtyard contained the three-room main house with two side-chambers on either side. Su Qing went into the main house and side-chambers to look around; they were essentially empty, with no furniture inside.

Uncle Ma sighed softly. "After I left, the furniture in here was all either thrown out or smashed to bits. Some pieces were even chopped up and used for firewood. Now, in this whole courtyard, only my room has anything usable left."

Uncle Ma’s expression was full of heartache. That furniture had all been made from fine wood, family heirlooms passed down through generations. To think it was all smashed and burned... the mere thought made his heart ache.

Seeing Uncle Ma’s expression, Su Qing understood what had happened and offered a few words of comfort.

Cheng Beilin, standing next to Su Qing, gently nudged her shoulder and whispered, "Su Qing, this place is so dilapidated. If you buy it, just the renovations alone will be a massive project. Is it even worth it?"

In Cheng Beilin’s opinion, a courtyard this run-down wasn’t worth buying at all. It was just too dilapidated, and cleaning it up would take forever.

"I want to have a look," Su Qing said to Cheng Beilin with a smile.

Cheng Beilin blinked, and the group followed Uncle Ma into the third courtyard.

The third courtyard was slightly smaller, with a two-room main house and one side-chamber on each side. Uncle Ma was currently living in one of the rooms of the main house. Su Qing and the others looked around and saw it wasn’t much different from the second courtyard.

As for the rear building behind it, Su Qing’s group took a look at that as well. It was swept clean, but you could still clearly see the marks from previous makeshift structures.

After they had seen the entire courtyard, Uncle Ma said, a little embarrassed, "Too many people lived here before, and I haven’t had time to clear everything away completely."

"It’s no problem," Su Qing said, shaking her head. She glanced around again.

Since Su Qing was the one planning to buy the house, Cheng Beilin and the other two all watched her, waiting to see if she was interested. If she was satisfied, Yan Dongjun planned to help her negotiate the price.

Uncle Ma watched Su Qing as well. He had learned earlier that she was the prospective buyer, which surprised him. After all, Su Qing looked like a young girl of seventeen or eighteen. This house would cost several thousand yuan at least. ’Could she really afford that much?’

’But then again,’ he thought, ’Yan Dongjun brought them here. The four of them came all this way so early in the morning; they wouldn’t be here just to pull my leg, would they?’

"Uncle Ma," Su Qing began, "I’d like to ask about the man outside. What is his relationship to this courtyard? If I buy it, will there be any trouble? Do you have the complete property rights?"

’After all, once she bought the courtyard, she wouldn’t be able to live in Beijing for a while. Judging by the man’s behavior earlier, he was determined to get this house. It would be a huge hassle if she bought the place, renovated it, and then had him show up causing trouble, claiming her purchase was invalid or something. She also wondered if things like property deeds even existed in this era.’

"That’s my nephew." Seeing Su Qing’s question, Uncle Ma sighed. "To be honest, I’ve completely cut ties with his family. We have no relationship anymore. This courtyard house is entirely mine. I have the property deed and the certificate of title."

Afraid Su Qing wouldn’t believe him, Uncle Ma hurried back to his room and brought out the courtyard’s property deed and certificate of title for her to inspect. He added, "If we reach an agreement, we can go directly to the housing authority to transfer the ownership. Don’t worry, this house has absolutely nothing to do with Ma Qiao Sheng."

Su Qing looked at the deed and certificate, surprised. ’So these kinds of documents already exist in this era,’ she thought. ’I assumed a house in Beijing would be like my place in the Northeast, transferred with just a simple agreement signed and fingerprinted by both parties.’

"That’s good to hear." Su Qing smiled, handed the documents back to Uncle Ma, and said, "Alright, Uncle Ma, let’s talk about the price for this courtyard house."

Hearing this, Cheng Beilin, who was standing to the side, stared at Su Qing in astonishment.

’What? Su Qing is actually planning to buy this courtyard house? But it’s so dilapidated!’

However, when she thought about the courtyard’s price, Cheng Beilin didn’t say anything. ’It wasn’t very expensive, after all. If she wants to buy it, so be it.’