Chapter 179 Newspaper
The winter vacation ends on the 26th, which means that Imperial University of Peking will officially start classes on the 27th.
Song Yuanchao returned to Yanjing on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. He met with Luo Yang on the sixth day. On the seventh day, which was Friday the twenty-second day, Song Yuanchao made an appointment with Yue Laoer to meet the leaders of the newspaper.
The newspaper office was located in the courtyard that Yue Laoer mentioned. Song Yuanchao met Yue Laoer at the intersection on time, and they walked towards that place together after meeting.
When we arrived at the place, we saw a big gate at first sight. The gate was quite imposing, with a horse post at the door. In addition, we could vaguely see that there should have been stone lions on both sides of the gate, but now the stone lions have disappeared. I'm afraid they were taken away and smashed a few years ago, leaving only some vague traces of the base.
Half of the paint on the gate has fallen off, but the entire gate is still intact. There are a few steps leading up to a high threshold, and one can see at a glance the former glory of this courtyard.
There was a sign of the company hanging on the right side of the gate. Song Yuanchao glanced upward and saw the words "a certain newspaper company" written in black letters on a white background.
In his previous life, Song Yuanchao had never heard of the name of this newspaper, including the newspaper they published. Firstly, it was because Song Yuanchao had been staying in Shanghai and had not come to Yanjing. Secondly, this newspaper was originally just a local tabloid under the Second Light Industry Bureau of Yanjing City, with limited circulation and coverage. Later, it was probably either cancelled or merged with a major newspaper, so it was normal that Song Yuanchao did not know about it.
There is nothing noteworthy about the origin of the newspaper. Song Yuanchao was mainly paying attention to the situation of this courtyard house. What Yue Laoer said was right. This was indeed a very good courtyard house. Those who lived here in the past were probably either royal relatives or high-ranking officials. Ordinary people's residences were simply not as grand as this.
"Master Yue, you are here." The door was open. A newspaper office is not a government agency, so it is easy to get in and out. As soon as I entered the door, I ran into a man walking out. The man was wearing thick glasses and holding something like a manuscript. I didn't know what he was doing. He ran into Yue Lao Er and greeted him.
"I'm here, Happy New Year, Teacher Chen. Is President Gu in there?" Yue Lao Er greeted the other party with a smile and asked at the same time.
"Happy New Year to you too. Mr. Gu is in the office. Please go in by yourself. I won't accompany you today. I have to go to the printing factory right now. There is a problem with the manuscript I sent yesterday. If I go too late, I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble."
"You've worked hard, you've suffered a lot, so you go ahead and do your work, and we'll go on our own?"
The two chatted for a few words and the man left in a hurry. After he left, Yue Laoer told Song Yuanchao that the man was Editor Chen from the publishing house. Editor Chen was a friend of Yue Laoer and they had a good relationship. Editor Chen helped to take charge of this matter. Song Yuanchao nodded without comment and continued to follow Yue Laoer inside.
After entering the gate, there is a courtyard. On this side of the courtyard are the offices of ordinary employees of the society. President Gu's office is in the second courtyard. Inside is a corridor. Walk straight along the corridor and the room in front is President Gu's office.
The office door was closed, with a sign hanging on it that read "President's Office". Yue Laoer walked up and knocked on the door, and soon someone from inside asked "Come in" to respond.
Pushing the door open, Yue Laoer first stuck his head in to take a look, then walked into the house with a smile on his face.
"President Gu, Happy New Year." Yue Laoer greeted President Gu, who was sitting at his desk writing something, with a smile. Seeing President Gu looking up at him after hearing his voice, Yue Laoer quickly stepped forward and placed the cakes and other things he brought on the table.
When he saw Yue Lao Er, President Gu, who had put down his pen, immediately smiled: "It turns out to be Old Yue! Happy New Year on what day of the year is it? You're here so what are you bringing?"
"It's the New Year, so we still have to give the necessary gifts. Besides, it's not even the 15th yet, so how can it not be New Year's Day, don't you think?" Yue Lao Er smiled and handed over a cigarette.
"You, you're so good at talking that I'm impressed." President Gu took the cigarette and lit it with a smile. He looked at Song Yuanchao who came in with Yue Laoer and said, "Old Yue, who is this comrade...?"
"Oh, look at my brain, I forgot to introduce him to you." Yue Lao Er slapped his head and apologized, then said: "This is Mr. Song. I mentioned to you last time about this yard." Yue Lao Er deliberately lowered his voice for the last sentence.
"Hello, President Gu, nice to meet you. My last name is Song, Song Yuanchao, you can just call me Xiao Song." Song Yuanchao stepped forward and greeted President Gu politely, and at the same time took out a digital watch from his pocket. This digital watch was certainly not a Japanese product nor one of the expensive Hong Kong products, but one of the low-quality electronic watches that Qin Zhengguo brought back.
However, Song Yuanchao had it glued again, so at least the case will not fall off. In addition, although the quality of this electronic watch is not very good, it can be worn for a year or two without any problems. Moreover, the design and style are very novel and have never been seen in China before.
"This is a little gadget my friend brought from Hong Kong. I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything with me, so consider this a New Year's gift to you."
President Gu's eyes fell on the electronic watch, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Is this an electronic watch?"
"Haha, you really deserve to be the president. I recognized you at first sight." Song Yuanchao gave a thumbs up and flattered him.
President Gu was a little proud: "We work in the news industry, so we naturally know more about these things. This thing is a rare item, so the price is not cheap, right?"
"Actually, it's not worth much. It's made in Hong Kong, not Japan. It's very cheap to buy locally. It's okay for children to wear for fun." Song Yuanchao explained happily.
President Gu smiled and nodded, and without any hesitation, he put away his watch, asked Song Yuanchao and the others to sit down, and then personally made two cups of tea for them.
He stood up to take the tea and put the cup aside. After he sat back down, President Gu, who was already sitting next to him, said, "Xiao Song, and Lao Yue, are you here today to discuss this courtyard?"
"You are wise, I came here today for this matter." Yue Lao Er said. Song Yuanchao didn't say anything, but when President Gu looked over, he smiled and nodded slightly at him.
President Gu nodded and said immediately, "I have already told you the company's decision on this matter last time. The price is what it is and there is really no way to lower it any further. In addition, there are payment requirements. I think you all know this, right?"
Seeing that Old Yue nodded, President Gu continued while smoking a cigarette: "To be honest, our company originally didn't plan to sell this yard. After all, everyone has stayed here for so many years and has feelings for it. If it weren't for Old Yue, this offer would never be made. Xiao Song, so I hope you can understand ."
"President Gu, I understand this, but can I ask a few questions?" Song Yuanchao asked.
President Gu nodded slightly to Song Yuanchao, who immediately asked, "If the transaction is completed, how long will it take to complete the transfer procedures for this yard?"
"Well, the property rights of the yard are all in the community. Once the transaction is completed, both parties can go directly to the Housing Authority to handle the transfer procedures. Lao Yue is very familiar with this matter. You can ask him."
Yue Laoer said that this was the case. There was no problem with the property rights and the transfer procedures. It could be completed in one day at the fastest and two days at the slowest.
Song Yuanchao continued to ask: "So how long will it take for the newspaper to move out after the transaction is completed?" Song Yuanchao had to ask this question clearly. If the house was transferred, but the newspaper office could not move out, it would be a troublesome matter. What if the newspaper office did not move out at that time? Song Yuanchao could not sue for this matter, right?
What's more, this is not the future, and this kind of lawsuit is difficult to win. Even if you ask the police, it will be useless. At most, they can just mediate or something. And if this matter gets made public, it will not do Song Yuanchao any good.
"Well..." President Gu thought for a moment and said, "Moving is not an easy task. We need to give us some time. So, I promise you that you can move out within a month. What do you think?"
Song Yuanchao smiled and shook his head: "President Gu, this month is a bit long. Think about it, I bought this yard to live in it. I can't wait another month after I get the yard, right? Besides, if I waste a month, the rent in Sijiucheng is not a small amount, don't you think?"
"Xiao Song, since I promised you this, it's settled. Besides, there are so many rooms in the club, so many people, and so many things..." President Gu raised his hand and pointed around and said, "It will take more than a day or two to move all this. Give me some time."
"Yes, yes, but how can you ensure that you will move out within a month?" Faced with this problem, Song Yuanchao did not give in. It was impossible for Song Yuanchao to do so without ensuring his own interests. He said the ugly words in advance to avoid confusion. This was Song Yuanchao's purpose.
Hearing what Song Yuanchao said, President Gu couldn't help but get a little angry. He felt that Song Yuanchao clearly didn't trust him. If he didn't trust him, how could he talk to him? Could it be that he, as the president, would lie to a young man?
"Don't be angry. When discussing things, we have to take care of both sides, right? It will save trouble in the future if we make some things clear now. This is the first time you've explained things to me. Old Yue knows my temper and I tend to speak directly. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."
Yue Lao Er hurriedly tried to smooth things over and said a few good words for Song Yuanchao, and explained these issues to President Gu. Song Yuanchao just wanted a guarantee. If the society could, wouldn't it be enough to give him a guarantee?
President Gu is a scholar after all. Although he is a leader, he is different from a real official. He has less official taste and a strong personality of a scholar. After thinking about it, his expression softened slightly and he asked Song Yuanchao directly what guarantee he needed.
Song Yuanchao's request was very simple. He wanted the commune to directly issue a document promising the follow-up of relocation after the transaction was completed. In addition, he also set restrictions on payment. The commune's price for this courtyard was 15,000 yuan, of which 6,000 was on the surface of the contract, and the other 9,000 would not be entered into the public account, so Song Yuanchao could pay 6,000 first, and as for the 9,000 that went into the slush fund, he would have to wait until the relocation was completed.
Upon hearing Song Yuanchao's request, President Gu refused without a second thought. In his opinion, the risk of doing so was too great. If Song Yuanchao withheld the 9,000 yuan, what would he use to control him? How could this be possible?