The last time Li Long had come in, he really hadn't looked closely; he had been focused on selling fish. This time, as soon as he entered, he could tell that it at least had the standard layout of a siheyuan, though he couldn't yet tell how many courtyards deep it went.
The architectural style was rather different from that of this part of the Northwest frontier.
Due north stood the old man's living quarters. The foundation alone rose more than half a meter above the courtyard. Up the steps were broad eaves and a foundation paved with strips of bluestone, much like the old buildings Li Long had seen at tourist attractions in later years.
The courtyard was paved with gray bricks, but the snow was deep, and only a narrow path from the main house to the gate had been swept clear.
He could tell that there should originally have been a screen wall just inside the main gate, but it had since been demolished.
On either side of the path was a small garden of a few tenths of a mu, now empty and heaped with snow.
The side wings were tall buildings too, with pillars made from thick, solid timber. Since they had been painted, Li Long couldn't tell what kind of wood they were, so he asked the old man:
"Sir, what kind of wood are those pillars?"
"Pine. This whole courtyard was built with good pine, painted to keep the bugs out. Not like the stuff those half-baked workers put together nowadays, which warps within a couple of years. This timber was treated properly. The place has been lived in for decades, and it's still in good shape."
"You haven't been maintaining those rooms?" Li Long pointed to the side wings.
"Where would I