Chapter 45 Taking a Bath
"Hey, Deming, are you planning to move in today?"

As soon as Wang Deming, who was carrying a camphorwood cabinet, entered the front yard, he was seen by Yan Bugui, who greeted him warmly and came forward to meet him.

But why did the name suddenly change? Wang Deming secretly complained.

"Hello, Mr. Yan. I'm taking a break today. I'll move some of my books here first." Wang Deming's words were distant. "I won't move them here for the time being."

"My sister hasn't been feeling well lately, so I have to stay at her house to help her out. I also have to find time to tidy up this house."

Yan Bugui seemed not to hear the alienation in Wang Deming's words, not to mention the enthusiasm in his words: "Well, Deming, we are really relatives, why do you call me Teacher Yan?"

"Just call me Uncle Yan."

"Jie Cheng! Come over here and give your brother De Ming a hand!"

"Really, there's no need, Teacher Yan!" Wang Deming deliberately emphasized the accent on the three words "Teacher Yan"!
Yan Bugui's expression froze for a moment, and then he said with a somewhat embarrassed expression: "Well, aren't we relatives?"

Wang Deming didn't respond at all.

A man who was about 14 or 5 years old, about 1 meters tall, wearing a coarse cloth jacket with a double-breasted front, and had a watermelon-like haircut—obviously a bowl was placed on his head and cut with scissors—came out of the house reluctantly, "Dad, what's going on?"

Yan Bugui looked at the tall boy in front of him again. There was no smile on his face. He sighed in his heart, well, I tried to make friends with him by smiling, but he didn't recognize me. I was too impatient. There is still a long way to go.
"It's okay. I thought your brother Deming was going to move in today, so I wanted you to help move some things."

Wang Deming finally managed a smile, "Teacher Yan, you are busy now!"

He held the cabinet with one hand, pushed open the door with the other and returned to his two rooms. After entering, he tapped the door with his heel and closed it.

After gently placing the cabinet on the ground, Wang Deming turned around and observed through the window of the room that Yan Bugui had brought Yan Jiefang back to the door of the house. Then he opened the cabinet and took out a small shovel from it.

In the place that he had planned long ago: the ash pit in front of the kang, he dug out the remaining ash first, and then began to dig deep and fast.

The kangs in previous residences did not have floor stoves. Instead, a square fire door was left directly under the middle of the kang to connect to the fire channel. In front of the fire door was a square ash pit covered with a wooden ash pit board.

The ash pit was about 50 centimeters deep and about half a meter square. Wang Deming dug down for another meter before stopping and inserted the large and small yellow croakers vertically into it.

After backfilling, make the excavated soil as level as possible with the original level, and then sweep the remaining ash back to make it roughly the same as the original level.

Wang Deming clapped his hands, stood up, and placed the camphor wood cabinet directly on the kang.

After checking the windows and adding two locks on his door, he waved and said hello without waiting for anyone in the yard to ask questions, and quickly left No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

After returning to his sister's house, Wang Deming changed into yesterday's khaki Zhongshan suit before going to No. 82 Yard to find Old Man Chang.

Old Man Chang was drinking tea in the sun. The old man did nothing else in the morning and had to have a pot of tea first.

Otherwise I feel tired the whole day.

"Uncle Chang, shall we walk?"

"Well, man, let's go."

After leaving the courtyard, we hailed two rickshaws and in a short while we arrived at the Tsinghua Garden Bathhouse on Wangfujing Street.

Wangfujing Street is known as the "Champs Elysees" of the East, and the fact that there are bathhouses located on this street is a testament to this.

However, it was once facing bankruptcy before liberation, but after liberation it received support and reconstruction from the government.

From a distance, you can see a two-story classical brick-and-wood structure with red columns, eaves, gutters, and railings. In the middle of the second-floor roof, there is a brick sign with three large traditional Chinese characters from top to bottom: Tsinghua Garden. Tsinghua Garden Bathhouse is not like the bathing centers of later generations, which are located in one building, but a whole building complex covering an area of ​​more than 2000 square meters.

Facing Wangfujing Street, there is an open space separated by a brick and stone gate with overhanging eaves and Qing-style railings, which is specifically used for parking cars.

The rickshaw carrying Wang Deming and Old Man Chang had to stop at the gate. After paying the fare, the two of them staggered into the Tsinghua Garden Bathhouse.

The semi-circular arched European-style glass door has round columns on both sides of the door with the words: Upper floor pond, Pentang, Guantang, Lower floor pond, Pentang, Sanke;

As soon as you enter the door, you will see an open, half-height cashier counter. The cashier has a crew cut and a pure white double-breasted jacket. Behind him, there is a key cabinet with rows of small drawers against the wall.

On the top wall, in a prominent position, hung a price list in a glass frame, with bathing fees of varying degrees: the most common shower and pond, 1 cents; basin pond, 3 cents; official pond, 2 yuan;

There are two shower curtains on the left and right sides. From time to time, loud laughter, the waiters' shouts, and the sound of opera singing can be heard from the left shower curtain.

Wang Deming is familiar with the place: "On the second floor, Guantang, back scrubbing, pedicure, and haircut."

"Two comrades, Guantang 2 yuan, each person: 3 cents for back scrubbing, 3 cents for pedicure, 3 cents for haircut, the total for the two of you is 1 yuan, a total of 3 yuan."

3块8毛什么概念？一斤三级大米1毛4分6厘，一斤标准面粉2毛1分，一克黄金才11块钱！

Wang Deming directly handed over 5 yuan and exchanged it for a wooden sign.

The waiter called out, "Second floor, No. 3 Guantang, two distinguished guests!"

A waiter with a crew cut and a white jacket came out immediately. He leaned slightly towards Wang Deming and Old Man Chang, extended his hand to lead the way, and lifted the shower curtain. "Comrades, please follow me."

Only after following the waiter through the door on the right did we truly enter the interior of Tsinghua University.

The building facing you has a patio in the center with an arched roof, and is surrounded by beautifully decorated corridors and wooden railings.

Outside the corridor are two-story buildings, and the windows of each room are inlaid with gorgeous colored glass.

From time to time, there would be guys carrying buckets and brushes running up and down in quick steps, and from the room on the left you could occasionally hear the sound of someone warming up their voice.

I followed the receptionist up to the second floor and pushed open the door of a room. As soon as I entered, I saw the floor covered with floral patterns made of colorful porcelain tiles.

This room consists of an inner and outer suit. The outer room is very large, about 5 to 60 square meters, and is furnished with traditional Chinese hardwood furniture: tables, chairs, coffee tables, cabinets, dressing tables, beds, etc. There is also a telephone installed, just like the presidential suite in a luxury hotel in later generations. It can be used for meeting guests, dining, and playing mahjong.

There are also vanishing cream, perfume, powder, soap and hair oil in the dressing table.
The inner room is for bathing: there are two bathtubs facing each other, both imported from Germany, and the taps are gold-plated.
Because it can accommodate two guests at the same time, Guantang is also known as "washing in a pair of basins", so the bath ticket is only 2 yuan.

As soon as he entered the outer room, Wang Deming handed over the bamboo teapot in his hand and said, "Please make a pot of tea."

Then he turned around and asked Old Man Chang: "Uncle Chang, what would you like to have for lunch today?"

"I'd like to order a set of Donglaishun's stir-fried lamb and fried lamb tail to help me gain some fat. I'd also like to order Fengshenggong's milk skin to help me get rid of the greasiness."

"Got it!"

Wang Deming picked up the phone and dialed the numbers of Donglaishun and Fengshenggong according to the numbers on the table and ordered takeout.

There are many takeaways you can order here, such as: Jishilin's crispy chicken noodle box, Daoxiangchun's southern-style pastries, Quansu Liu's delicious food, Lu Gaojian's meat, Wufangzhai's crystal pork trotters and crab roe, Dong'an Market's candied fruits, and Bianyifang's boxed vegetables.
Therefore, there is a special type of people in the capital called: bath putty, who can soak in the bathhouse all day long.

Of course, it is not necessarily in a place as expensive as the Tsinghua Bathhouse. There are many bathhouses in alleys of all sizes, and the ticket price for individual tourists is 1 cent.

(End of this chapter)