July 1979, Beijing.

Yang Zhenxing, who is seven years old recently, is very happy. His heart is as hot as the weather that has just set in. His little face, which has been yellow and white since childhood, has a rare rosy look because of his mood.

Some time ago, grandpa Yang Xingsheng left early in the morning and came back late every now and then. A few days later, he told Yang Zhenxing that they were moving back to his home.

That's right, grandpa is talking about his own home.

Ever since he could remember, Yang Zhenxing had been huddled in a shack in a corner of a small courtyard with his grandfather.

In the summer, the shack is hotter than outside, and in winter, it is colder than outside due to the draft.

This made Yang Zhenxing always envious of the brick houses that others lived in. His dream since childhood was to live in a brick house with his grandfather one day, and preferably have a room of his own.

Now that his dream is about to come true, he has been excited for several days. Every day he counts with his dry and black fingers until the day when his grandfather told him to move, imagining what his home will look like.

It's a pity that his family moved back to the city from here two years ago.

It makes Yang Zhenxing regret that he cannot share the current joy with Fa Xiao.

The dog's nickname is Liu Jianye. He was weak since he was a child. Liu's mother, who comes from the countryside, said that a nickname is easy to raise, so she gave Liu Jianye such a nickname.

When Gouzi's family moved out, Gouzi's father came to see his grandfather and wanted them to move in together.

At that time, I still didn’t understand why my grandfather didn’t agree.

Now I know that they have their own home. If they have their own home, there is no reason to live in someone else's home.

Unable to share it in person, Yang Zhenxing had to ask his grandfather to send a telegram to Gouzi's family and tell him the address of his new home. He hoped that he could go over and visit him when he had time. Don't lose contact because he didn't know the place.

Looking forward to today, looking forward to tomorrow, Yang Zhenxing finally looked forward to the day to return to his home.

Although he is not tall compared to other children, he is also very thin.

But he still decided to dress up smartly, and deliberately put on the only small military uniform without patches that he only wore during the Chinese New Year.

This was given to Gouzi by his father a few years ago, and it is the thing he cherishes the most.

On the day of moving, grandpa rode a three-wheeler from nowhere, carrying a neatly dressed Yang Zhenxing, a bedding, and a few pots and pans, which were their only belongings.

Early in the morning, before dawn, I rushed from outside the city to the city.

Although he has always lived near the capital, this is the first time Yang Zhenxing has entered the city.

He had never had any leisure time on the road. He was overwhelmed by the scenery around him and was curious all the way.

Some very tall buildings, the traffic of large cars, cars and bicycles on the road, various signs on the street, everything made him novel.

Turning left and right, from main street to small street, they finally entered an alley.

Dongsi Si Tiao Hutong, this is what Yang Zhenxing saw on the sign above his mouth. (Note 1)

Entering the alley, I felt suddenly quiet, as if we were in two different worlds from the busy street outside.

There is a big tree every few steps in the alley, which provides cool shade and the chirping of cicadas. There are many people enjoying the shade under the tree, chatting and playing chess, and there are also many children running around in the alley.

From the moment we entered the alley, people kept saying hello to grandpa. It seemed that he had been here a few days ago.

"Invigorate and call people, these are the things we have always done."

Along the way, grandparents and aunties kept calling people to recognize them, and finally they stopped in front of a yard.

"Here we are, this courtyard is our house."

Yang Xingsheng's face was very calm, but it could be heard from his voice that his heart was not as calm as his face showed.

Let Yang Zhenxing stay at the door and look at the belongings on the tricycle.

Grandpa Yang Xingsheng followed a middle-aged man who came out of the door and went back into the courtyard. He said it was for inspection and handover. After a while, the two came out.

After sending the middle-aged man away, Yang Xingsheng touched Yang Zhenxing's head and said with a smile:

"My family is back in our hands again. We and I have been living here from now on. No one can force us to leave!"

Listening to his grandfather's convoluted words, Yang Zhenxing turned his head and looked carefully at his front door for the first time.

There are several steps in front of the door. The red paint on the two wooden door panels has become mottled and there are many peeling and cracks. There are two small round stone piers under the door.

Compared to the rough feeling below, the top part is a little dark and smooth.

There are two brass ring handles attached to the door. Perhaps because of the time, the rust on the surface adds a touch of antiquity.

Helping push the tricycle into the courtyard door from behind, Yang Xingsheng was not in a hurry to pack his luggage.

He took Yang Zhenxing's hand and began to introduce him to the family environment bit by bit.

"My family's yard faces north and south. In front of us is the shadow wall. It used to have carvings on it, but later it was smashed and only the wall was left. To the south is a row of upside-down houses. On the left are the concierges, guest rooms, etc., and on the right are

Warehouse and original kitchen."

In addition to a row of houses, Yang Zhenxing discovered that there was a wooden door in the middle of a row of walls on the north side.

No matter the decoration or color, it must be more exquisite and exquisite than the door.

"This is the front yard. In the old days, it was where servants lived and met guests. The door in the middle is the hanging flower door. Did you see the two columns above the door?

It's like a hanging flower, so it's called the Hanging Flower Gate. Entering through this gate is the inner courtyard."

After being led into the Weeping Flower Gate, Yang Zhenxing was shocked again.

The courtyard inside is larger and wider than outside, and the three houses in front and on the left and right are more imposing.

There are four trees planted in the yard, which are in blooming season and are very bright red.

It is surrounded by a circle of corridors, connecting the hanging flower door and three rooms.

"The two trees in the yard are pomegranates and the two outside are crabapples. They both have auspicious meanings. The east wing is on the right and the west wing is on the left. In the old days, it was the house where the sons lived. Your father used to live in the east wing.

.

Opposite is the main house, which is where the head of the family lives. The living room in the middle is where close relatives and friends are received. Beside the three rooms, there are several wing rooms.

It was originally used as a warehouse or a place where concubines lived. The wing room in front of the main house was an ancestral hall where the family's ancestors' tablets were enshrined.

Outside the ancestral hall, there is a small door that leads to the passage to the back, and there is a yard at the back, which is where the female relatives of the family used to live, such as the grandmother or the daughter who was not a monk."

When he heard that there was a yard and a row of houses behind, Yang Zhenxing's eyes widened.

"Grandpa, are we really going to live here in the future? Is this really our original home?"

"That's right, I was born and raised in this Sanjin Courtyard. I got married and had children. Later, the courtyard was rented to some old people living in the street. It's just that a few years ago, when you were not born, everyone was harassed a lot.

The bad guys were driven away.

Now that the bad guys have been driven away, the house and the country that originally belonged to the Mu’s have been returned to the Mu’s. The house and land deeds are all in the hands of the Mu’s, and no one can drive the Mu’s away in the future!”

After hearing his grandfather's assurance, Yang Zhenxing began to accept the reality in front of him.

After being frightened, my heart gradually changed from fear to joy!

He let go of his grandfather's hand and wandered around the yard with curiosity, carefully looking into several rooms.

It's like if you use a little force, it will break.

Looking at his grandson, Yang Xingsheng was both happy and bitter.

Yang Zhenxing was left to wander around on his own, and he went back to put away the few belongings on the third wheel.

As time went by, Yang Zhenxing gradually let go of his hands and feet, no longer cautious in his movements, and began to run back and forth in several yards.

He didn't know exactly what the energy was, but he just felt excited and happy.

Otherwise there is no way to express the emotions in my heart.

After the fun was over, I realized that my grandfather had already moved all the belongings here.

Sticking out his tongue, he began to help pack things.

"Although there is no furniture or anything in the house, there is a low kang that can be used for sleeping. It may have been made by the previous residents, so we can sleep directly on it.

From now on, you will sleep in the room to the west of the main house, and grandpa will be in the east. Don’t you want to have your own room? There are so many rooms now, which is just what you want.

Even if cooking was a problem, the stove and everything else had been dismantled, and there was no stove to cook with.

Let's eat some of the pancakes we brought here at noon today. In the afternoon, you can take care of things at home while I go out to see where I can find a stove."

As a result, before I finished eating and went out, I heard someone knocking on the door in front of me.

Curious, I followed my grandfather and ran to open the door. I found that there were many unknown people outside, and they were holding many things.

"Uncle Yang, I heard from my family that you will continue to live here after moving back today, so I was thinking about returning the things you originally kept at your sisters' house."

"Okay, thank you first! Then I will take my grandson to my house to say thank you in person!"

"Uncle Yang, what are you talking about? This is all as it should be. I'll move you in first."

Many people came to deliver things one after another, some of whom Yang Zhenxing knew and had said hello to before, and there were also a few unknown grandfathers and uncles.

Yang Zhenxing was very happy when he saw that the originally clean room with no furniture had several more tables and chairs in just one afternoon.

"Grandpa, I didn't expect these neighbors to be so kind! They even sent furniture to our house!"

"Huh! What a fart! It belongs to our family in the first place! Assuming they still have a conscience and know how to send the things back, I originally planned to take the time to visit their homes in the next two days!"

The first day after moving ended like this. He stayed up until very late at night and fell asleep because he couldn't resist the sleepiness.
To be continued...