Siheyuan: Pioneer in anti-corruption, fighting against evil!

"Okay, I'll settle the score with you tonight.

I'm going to prepare breakfast.

“He Yuzhu put on his clothes and went out.

After making breakfast, some went to work and some went to school, leaving only Wen's mother and He Yuzhu at home.

At this time, he said to his mother-in-law, "Mom, I'm going to Qianmen Street. Do you want to go with me?"

"What should I do?" Wen's mother asked back with a smile: "You go, your elder sister will be here soon.

"Okay, I'll go out for a walk.

"He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle and set off. Although the distance was not far, he rode quickly to Qianmen Street.

He Yuzhu often comes here, but usually brings his wife and sister with him.

This time he wanted to better integrate here and find a lively place.

Today is Monday and there are few pedestrians.

He pushed his bicycle along the street, looking carefully at the shops on both sides.

After the public-private partnership, the development here was good, but after years of ups and downs, the operating conditions gradually declined, which eventually led to subsequent contracting out.

A number of private managers had owned these stores, but they did not take over immediately.

He Yuzhu came early to understand the situation and predicted that many people would leave after the policy was opened.

As he pushed the cart, he slowly looked for a suitable location and noticed that there were many old brands here whose heirs would not give up their ancestral businesses easily.

He also inspected the size of the store, the condition of the house, etc., and planned to open a Sichuan restaurant named Shuxiang Garden! He will personally manage it, and the decoration style will be mainly antique, but not too traditional, and the specific details will need to be adjusted according to the actual store.

At the same time, he plans to gradually expand the hot pot chain business based on this.

In the early 1990s, the Master Ho brand was a good fit because instant noodles were very popular at the time.

The technical requirements for making instant noodles are not high, but the equipment may need to be imported, which is not a problem.

He purchased land and built factories in Beijing, which not only met production needs but also allowed him to hoard land, killing two birds with one stone.

He thought as he walked and soon reached the end.

There are more than 800 shops here, and competition is fierce. It is not easy to get in, especially in later times, when every inch of land here is worth a lot of money.

"Huh?" He Yuzhu suddenly noticed a bar called Daqianmen Tavern.

He had an idea, parked his bicycle outside, locked it, and then pushed the door open.

"We haven't opened for business yet!" An older man was busy in the store, wiping the tables and chairs without even raising his head.

“Haha, this is my first time here and I’m not very familiar with this place.

"He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Isn't this a pub? I just want to have a drink. It would be better if there are some side dishes, but it doesn't matter if there are none!"

"Drinking so early in the morning?" The other party was stunned for a moment, then looked up at He Yuzhu and confirmed: "Is this your first time here?"

As he spoke, the man walked towards the counter, and He Yuzhu followed him: “Yes, this is my first time here.

What kind of wine do you have here?

"Erguotou, how much do you want?" the man asked.

“Let’s take four taels first.

"There is only one counter here. He Yuzhu saw through the glass that there were no side dishes, so he asked, "Are there no side dishes prepared?"

“Yesterday’s food has all been sold out, and we haven’t started preparing for today yet. We won’t be preparing new dishes until noon, so we can’t give our customers leftovers.

"The man moved quickly and poured out four ounces of Erguotou from the wine jar. He suggested, "There are pickled vegetables in the backyard. Would you like some?"

"Okay, how much?" He Yuzhu took out the bill.

"It's your first visit. I'll treat you!" This man obviously knows how to do business.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Okay, I'll come here often in the future, but when will you open?"

"I'll serve tea instead of wine. I'll treat you to some first, but if you want more wine, you'll have to pay for it yourself.

"The other party was very insightful and introduced himself: "My name is Cai Quanwu, what is your name?"

“He Yuzhu.

"He Yuzhu had already guessed at the door that this was the tavern under Zhengyangmen, and now he was even more certain. He invited, "Do me a favor and have a drink with me?"

"No problem!" Cai Quanwu handed over two wine glasses, "I'll go prepare some dishes.

He turned and walked towards the backyard, while He Yuzhu found a table and sat down with the wine jug and wine glass, then took out two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick holder and placed them neatly.

Soon, Cai Quanwu appeared with two plates of side dishes.

"These peanuts are left over from yesterday. Do you mind?" Cai Quanwu put down the peanuts and pickles.

“What’s there to dislike? The peanuts won’t go bad, and they will become even more crispy.

"He Yuzhu picked up a peanut and took a bite, "Crack..."

He poured a glass of wine for Cai Quanwu, and then filled his own glass as well, “I came to ask you something, but I will definitely come often in the future.

Today I would like to offer you a toast.

"Ding——" The two clinked their glasses and drank them all in one gulp.

"Oh, what a good wine!" He Yuzhu was slightly surprised after tasting it. "I only drank Xifeng before, but this is the first time I've tasted it. Where is it from?"

"From Niulanshan!" Cai Quanwu replied, "Brought it directly from the winery.

"Not bad!" He Yuzhu picked up the pickles and tasted them, and was even more surprised, "I didn't expect that your tavern has private dishes.

"The pickling method of this pickle is obviously unusual!" he commented.

"Are you here for these pickles?" Cai Quanwu asked.

“Haha, of course not, pickles are good, but that’s all they are to me.

"He Yuzhu smiled and said, "I'm a chef. I used to work in a steel mill, but I just quit."

"Oh?" Cai Quanwu was stunned. He was not surprised that the other party was a chef, but he was confused by the mention of resigning from the steel mill. "Are you talking about the steel mill outside Dongzhimen?"

"That's right!" He Yuzhu nodded in confirmation.

"Did something go wrong for you there?" Cai Quanwu asked in a low voice, with a simple and honest expression on his face, but his mind was very delicate.

At first he thought He Yuzhu seemed to have something to do in the morning, so he agreed to let him drink here.

Cai Quanwu originally wanted to observe He Yuzhu's actions, but the sudden appearance of a stranger made him feel a little surprised.

So he asked again: "So what do you want to know?"

“I want to know if any of the merchants on Qianmen Street have overseas connections.

"He Yuzhu's question confused Cai Quanwu, "Do you have any plans to go overseas?"

“No, I’m waiting for them to get out.

"He Yuzhu explained, "I was a chef and I quit to open a restaurant.

"Hiss~" Cai Quanwu took a breath, "I don't know about this, and it's not convenient to ask more.

"You worry too much. The current situation is different from before. I think you are a good person, so I will tell you that the policy will change soon.

"He Yuzhu revealed in a low voice.

Cai Quanwu asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"

"It's not appropriate to talk about this. Are you the store manager here?"

“Yes, I am the manager of the public store, but the original manager of the private store was my wife.

"Cai Quanwu said: "You can speak with confidence!"

“Oh~” He Yuzhu looked a little hesitant, but finally gritted his teeth and said: “I told you because I saw that you were honest.

"Don't worry, there are only the two of us here, and even if I have any bad intentions, I can't prove it.

Cai Quanwu added.

"Well, that's good!" He Yuzhu nodded and said, "I often cook for the leaders above me, not those from the steel plant, but those at a higher level.

Frankly speaking, there are only a handful of people in this city who are better cooks than me.

“I often hear rumors that now is the time to set things right, but there is a lot of controversy about future developments.

At present, our problem is that we are too poor.

“Therefore, the market needs to be more open, but the implementation of policies takes time and should be done step by step.

I thought about it and decided that this was indeed feasible. With my skills, it would be a waste to keep me working in a factory, so I might as well open a small restaurant of my own.

Cai Quanwu was shocked when he heard this: "Really?"

"Anyway, I'm not short of money. I make a lot of money doing some private work. Work is not that important to me.

I have resigned and come here to get information so that I can get the upper hand once it opens.

"He Yuzhu said: "I think your place will be the first to open. As soon as there is news, you will definitely get it.

Cai Quanwu thought about it and agreed: "You are right, when the public-private partnership was first implemented, this was the pilot project.

"When there is news here, can you remind me?" He Yuzhu immediately made the request.

"No problem, I'll give you a toast.

This tavern is very important to my wife, I will tell her and promise to keep it confidential for you.

“Tsai is not telling the truth, and this matter must be made known to his wife.

“Of course it’s possible, but the fewer people who know about it, the better, so we can act immediately.

What do you think?" He Yuzhu raised his glass.

"You're right!" Cai Quanwu clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.

Afterwards, the two chatted and introduced some basic information to each other, as if they had become friends.

Because Cai Quanwu had treated them to dinner before, He Yuzhu spoke boldly and frankly, which quickly brought them closer.

After He Yuzhu left, Cai Quanwu immediately rushed to the backyard: "Wife..."

"Oh, why did you drink?" Xu Huizhen asked in surprise. She knew her husband too well. Why did he drink in the morning?

“I just met a friend, it was his first time here, we had a good chat and had a drink.

Cai Quanwu hurriedly explained.

This aroused Xu Huizhen's curiosity: "Who is it? He asked you to drink with him as soon as we met?"

"It's like this..." Cai Quanwu described what happened in detail, and Xu Huizhen's eyes became brighter and brighter.

"Is this reliable? Can it really work?" But she was a little hesitant.

"I don't know!" Cai Quanwu shook his head honestly, "But he has already resigned, so it shouldn't be fake, it's just a matter of time.

Xu Huizhen began to be full of expectations, but this expectation did not bear fruit until the end of 1978.

……

He Yuzhu was wearing a gray cashmere coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. After parking his bicycle, he took a deep breath and pushed the door to enter the tavern.

"Hey, Zhuzi is here?" Xu Huizhen greeted him with a smile on her face.

"Sister-in-law..." He Yuzhu responded with a smile, "Master Niu, you are here too?"

"Of course!" Uncle Niu smiled happily.

"Sister-in-law, have you heard about it?" He Yuzhu turned his head and asked Xu Huizhen.

"I heard that the policy is now open!" Xu Huizhen couldn't hide her smile, and the wrinkles on her face were clearly visible. She said excitedly: "I've finally been waiting for it!"

"But when do we start here?"

“It’s coming soon, don’t worry. Although it’s just a pilot project at the beginning, there are many problems with the operation of shops over there, so it may be implemented ahead of schedule.

"He Yuzhu walked to the counter and asked, "Where's Brother Cai?"

"Today is a good day, I asked him to come out and have a drink together.

"Just treat me, I want him to have a good time today.

"Xu Huizhen has already started pouring wine and inviting me warmly.

“Then it’s better to obey than to be respectful.

He Yuzhu accepted it with a smile.

Cai Quanwu soon appeared and drank with He Yuzhu.

Lao Niu was not curious about the content of their conversation. He knew what they were talking about as soon as he listened.

Cai Quanwu was talking to He Yuzhu about housing at the moment. He had indeed been helping to keep an eye on it. Now that the policy has been relaxed, many people want to leave.

This tavern is the most informed place, gathering all kinds of people, and news spreads quickly.

“Someone is indeed planning to leave, and I have found a suitable one for you.

"Cai Quanwu said: "It was a three-courtyard house. It was robbed before and then returned to them. It is their family's ancestral property.

“But their family was also scared enough and kept wanting to leave.

"Okay!" He Yuzhu nodded in agreement, "Find an opportunity for you to take me there and we can negotiate it directly. I think we can do the deal next year and then we can close it directly.

"Talk about a deal now?" Cai Quanwu thought it was inappropriate. "It would make them ask for too much!"

“I’m also worried that I’ll be used as a raft to cross the river, and I’ll be the one who suffers.

"He Yuzhu realized his impatience and said, "Then wait a moment, but you have to help me keep an eye on it.

“Don’t worry, no one will buy it then. After all, everyone is very cautious now. We’ll talk about the specific situation when the time comes.

"Tsai said without any assurance.

Time flies, and in 1979, the ban on private housing transactions was lifted. Immediately, some people began to plan to sell their properties and use the money to immigrate overseas.

The family that Cai Quanwu paid no attention to really started to take action. He brought He Yuzhu to inquire about the price. The price was not high, at least in He Yuzhu's opinion. After all, in 1979, even a three-courtyard house was not worth much.

The foundation of the house is OK, but the previous residents did a lot of random construction.

After the homeowner took back the house, he did nothing with it and just lived there.

He Yuzhu agreed to buy the house without any bargaining, and the homeowner then took him to go through the transfer procedures.

Less than a week after receiving the money, the family moved out.

The action was so quick that even He Yuzhu was surprised, but he was not interested in their future. He contacted the street engineering team directly.

Of course, we can't look for Master Zhao and his team this time, because this is another neighborhood and there is also a construction team here.

Lin Yao went to the street and found the team leader, Captain Li.

Captain Li is in his fifties and has been engaged in the construction industry for many years and is very experienced.

He Yuzhu purchased a three-courtyard quadrangle, which is a common type of courtyard in Beijing. It has a main gate, a street gate and five back rooms in the front, which together make up the width of the courtyard.

Passing through the hanging flower gate is the main courtyard, the main house and the east and west wing rooms. There is no south room here, so the courtyard appears more open.