Chapter 2109: Chapter 2069: Old Huizhou Residence
The residential land in rural areas basically doesn’t change much, while the mountain land and farmland are redistributed every twenty or thirty years according to the population of each household.
Of course, in such a situation, if you transfer your household registration to a big city, then you won’t have any land in this village and won’t be considered a member of the village anymore.
Ye Weidong’s family has lived and worked in Jinling for such a long time and has moved their household registration back to the countryside. Some villagers believe he’s not really from Ye Family Village, so any land under Ye Weidong will be reclaimed.
That’s how those villagers think.
However, since Ye Weidong changed last year, no one in the village dares to say such things anymore.
Seeing Ye Weidong’s family return with so many people, those villagers are even at a loss for words.
If in the countryside, some villagers have some money, others might feel envious or jealous when talking about it.
But if someone is exceptionally wealthy and holds a high official position, then in the village, nobody dares to envy or get jealous, but instead, they try to please them.
This is the mindset of most villagers.
Now the villagers know that Ye Weidong’s luxury villa in Jinling is worth over a billion, which indicates how much money he really has.
Now that they’ve heard about visiting the old house first, Ye Qiu and Li Qianqian also want to check it out initially.
The group follows Ye Weidong and the third uncle towards the old house.
The old house is quite large, at least four or five hundred square meters.
In a big city, a space of four or five hundred square meters would either be a spacious single-story house, a duplex, or a villa, and would definitely be classified as a luxury home.
Perhaps only some residents of urban villages might have such large houses; otherwise, it’s wealthy individuals or nobility who can afford to live in them.
In Ye Family Village, these residential grounds were inherited from the past. Ye Weidong inherited his from his grandfather.
Ye Weidong’s father, being the only son, unlike other siblings, doesn’t have to divide the property, possibly ending up with just a few tens or a hundred square meters.
The old house indeed looks very nice, with Huizhou architectural features, appearing very unique.
Huizhou architecture, also known as Huizhou-style architecture, is popular in Huizhou, Yanzhou, Jinhua, and Quzhou in the western Zhejiang region.
As an important part of Hui culture, Huizhou architecture has always been admired by architects worldwide, not exclusively referring to buildings in Xin’an Province.
Using bricks, wood, and stone as raw materials, primarily wooden structures. Large beam structures are often used, emphasizing decoration, and widely adopting brick, wood, and stone carvings, showcasing a high level of decorative artistry.
Historically, Huizhou merchants operated in Yangzhou and Jiangzhou, and Huizhou architecture greatly influenced local architectural styles.
Huizhou architecture is oriented north-south, emphasizing interior lighting; using bricks, wood, and stone as raw materials, primarily wooden structures. Wooden beams bear the load, with walls built from bricks, stones, and earth; centering around the main hall, with exquisite carved beams and ornate roofs and eaves.
Huizhou merchants focused on commerce, not architecture, reflecting status through luxurious mansions and gardens after returning home in glory, restoring ancestral halls to dignify the family name, or erecting memorial archways commending Huizhou women’s fidelity.
Huizhou architecture adheres to strict specifications and etiquette, distinguishing between officials and merchants. Aside from the grand Huizhou merchant homes, small household residences are also refined and tasteful.
Huizhou architecture encapsulates the spiritual essence of Huizhou mountains and scenery, integrating the cultural quintessence of Huaxia, distinctive in style, rigorous in structure, exquisite in carving, fully reflecting local features whether in village and town planning concepts or the comprehensive use of architectural carving art and spatial and planar treatments. Especially prominent with residential buildings, ancestral halls, and memorial archways, it’s acclaimed as the three marvels of ancient Huizhou buildings, highly regarded and admired by the international architectural community.
The overall layout of Huizhou architecture is ingeniously crafted, naturally fitting the terrain; floor layouts are flexible and endlessly varied; spatial structure and use boast rich forms and pursue rhythmic beauty, most notably with horse-head walls and small grey tiles; in comprehensive use of architectural carving art, blending stone, wood, and brick carving into one, exuding grandeur.
A few years ago, an international male celebrity spent billions to directly purchase a Huizhou-style building, then dismantled it and gifted it to another country.
Now this old house, at first glance, indeed shows its age.
However, on closer inspection, it still feels genuinely nice, belonging to the category of historical relic buildings.
Of course, such buildings are common in Huizhou land.
"Ye Qiu, was your grandfather a landlord?"
"Landlord? Definitely not."
Ye Qiu is aware that if his grandfather was a landlord, Ye Weidong couldn’t have possibly found a job at the textile factory.
"His grandfather was just a commoner."
Could a commoner afford to live in such a large house?
To Li Qianqian and others, it’s hard to believe.
The old house looks quite nice, like something out of a painting.
Certainly, it currently lacks electricity and lighting, but if it had electricity and lanterns, it would be very attractive.
However, these old houses are decades old, making them unsafe to live in, so Ye Weidong and his wife don’t dare stay here. Usually, it’s handed over to family members to manage.
After touring around, Li Qianqian, Liu Lingxiu and the others, including Li Shen, get a sense of what Ye Qiu’s hometown is like.
From this perspective, they feel Ye Qiu’s grandfather should have been a cultured person.
After coming out of here, Ye Qiu says, "Dad, this house isn’t bad, it has great value. However, there’s no need to tear it down. If we really want a house in the old home, we can build one in another location."
Tearing down such a house would surely be a pity.
At least from Li Qianqian and others’ perspective, it feels very comfortable to look at.
If it’s torn down, it would be gone.
"Now there are so few rural residential lands, where would you find land to build if you don’t tear it down?" Ye Weidong asks.
"Dad, isn’t there money?"
"Money?"
Money is indeed a great asset.
When Ye Weidong thinks about it, it’s true; with money, finding a place to build a house becomes easy.
"Everyone is very hungry, why don’t we go eat first?"
Third Uncle Ye Weihong says to Ye Weidong.
"Then let’s go eat first, it’s hard to see clearly at night."
After leaving the old house, Ye Qiu plans to have it renovated tomorrow.
Now, following Ye Weihong, they arrive at a place that’s not one of their families, but a large hall in the village, which is a public area paved with stone slabs and cement.
Whenever the village hosts a big event, people gather here to eat.
Now Ye Qiu and these people have returned with more than twenty people, along with village relatives, numbering another thirty people, totaling around six or seven tables.
Yesterday, Ye Weidong already had two pigs slaughtered, and now the dishes are ready.
Now, Ye Qiu, Li Qianqian, Liu Lingxiu, Li Qianqian’s two girlfriends, Lin Xiang, Song Ying, and Li Shen are sitting at one table, while the others find seats at different tables.
