An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

A wise man doesn't waste his breath. This fellow looked around to make sure no one was watching, then said, "Idiot... He Yuzhu, want to earn some extra money?"

He Yuzhu asked dismissively, "What do you mean? Do you have money?"

Jiang Baobin gestured with his chin towards the house.

He Yuzhu curled his lip and walked inside nonchalantly.

Seeing He Yushui following along, Jiang Baobin said, "Little Yushui, you play outside obediently, and your brother will buy you candy tomorrow."

The little girl's eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

"Of course, brother keeps his word."

Jiang Baobin moved aside a pile of autumn and winter clothes, revealing two camphor wood chests underneath.

Pointing to the padlocks hanging above, he said, "Open one, and I'll give you ten coins; open both, and I'll give you one silver coin."

When watching TV dramas, He Yuzhu was shown to have this skill; it's just unknown whether he has mastered it yet.

He Yuzhu gave a mocking look: "So, you've got guts, daring to steal from my house?"

"Get lost!" Jiang Baobin grinned. "You said it was from home, so how can that be considered stealing?"

He Yuzhu gave a knowing smile, clearly agreeing with Jiang Baobin's words: "Can a son taking from his father be considered stealing?"

This kid is clearly a very audacious individual.

"Give me a straight answer: can you open it? If not, I'll get someone else."

Is this a form of reverse psychology?

The tactic may be old, but it worked.

He Yuzhu retorted, dissatisfied, "What are you saying? Take away the 'no,' and I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

"Then stop standing there and get started."

He Yuzhu retorted, not to be outdone: "Where's the money?"

Well, he's still the kind of guy who won't act until he sees the benefits.

Jiang Baobin had no choice but to take out a silver coin from his hidden money and show it to him.

"Well done, you little thief, I didn't realize you were so cunning!" He Yuzhu said, looking rather bewildered.

Jiang Baobin ignored him and just gestured with his chin toward the box.

He Yuzhu grinned slyly and pulled two short iron wires from his pocket...

After dinner, Jiang Baobin was unusually summoned to the large house rented by the Jiang family.

There were also many summer clothes in the house, and with so many people living there, the house felt quite full.

Jiang Baobin looked in the mirror first, and then he smiled.

The deviation from one's own reality is no more than 15%.

Why is there a discrepancy? Because he's gotten darker, thinner, and his hairstyle is a really silly pompadour.

So when you look at someone for the first time, you might feel that they are different from the person they were before, but in fact they are the same person.

If there is any difference, it's that people are younger.

Jiang Baobin has forgotten what he looked like at seventeen.

I was in high school then, doing so much practice problems that I was completely absorbed and had no time to think about anything else.

Even after I got to university, things didn't get much better.

Those who study "construction engineering" are surrounded by single people, so no matter how handsome they are, it's useless.

Jiang Baobin's strengths only became apparent after he started live streaming...

By looking in the mirror, all my memories came back.

Just as Jiang Baobin was admiring his own stunning good looks.

A staring face suddenly appeared behind him, startling him.

Aunt Jiang, the person who dislikes her the least in this family.

Hmm, is this "most" referring to her or her sister-in-law?

Before he could even think it through, he had already nimbly rolled onto the small stool that had been specially placed for him.

In Jiang Ma's eyes, this third son was a fool; he would stare blankly or giggle like an idiot when he looked in the mirror.

If he weren't a bit dim-witted, why would he behave like this?

Jiang Hongsheng, who is less than two years old, is the precious baby of this family.

Children are naturally very curious.

He clearly sensed that Jiang Baobin was different from others, and staggered toward him.

You can smell the milky scent on him from a great distance.

Wow! This kid is so lucky, he's so big and still not weaned?

As the little guy got closer and closer, Jiang Baobin even opened his arms.

As a result, her quick-thinking sister-in-law snatched it away.

No matter how much he twisted and turned, trying to get down, he was not allowed to.

Jiang Baobin was a little disappointed, as he still really liked children, especially babies, who were at their most fun.

Jiang Mantang filled a pipe with tobacco and slowly began to smoke.

Soon, Aunt Jiang and Boss Jiang were seated.

Only the younger sister was still washing pots and dishes in the outer room, but I'm sure her ears were already perked up.

Immediately afterwards, the eldest brother also started packing cigarettes, and soon he was puffing away in the smoke.

Jiang Baobin looked at his little nephew with a bit of sympathy. He was so young to have to go through such a test. He must be immune to all poisons in the future, right?

Everyone was waiting for Mr. Jiang to speak, so the atmosphere was quite tense.

Jiang Baobin, however, was already lost in thought.

At this moment, he had no psychological burden.

Because no matter what they say to me, leaving this house is a done deal.

The problem is finding a way to break up peacefully, ideally.

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard a "knock knock knock" sound.

This is Mr. Jiang tapping the grime from a tobacco pipe pot.

Clearly, the conversation was about to begin.

Jiang Mantang was also a straightforward person: "I've already said it'll be your apprentice in a few days."

Jiang Baobin waited for ages, only to be met with loneliness.

Holy crap! That's it?

Jiang Baobin was both amused and exasperated; this parenting style was truly something else.

Since the other party didn't take him seriously at all, he simply let go as well:

"Where can I become an apprentice? There has to be somewhere where I'll find out what kind of work to do, right?"

As soon as he said that, all five pairs of eyes turned to him, including the little brat Jiang Hongsheng, who seemed to be taken aback.

Jiang Baobin immediately realized that he had probably gone a bit too far with his behavior just now.

This doesn't fit the image that the original character has always projected to the public.

So he instantly adjusted his posture, and his gaze, which was originally going to look at Jiang Mantang, quickly shifted to his toes.

Seeing that his third son still looked timid and submissive, Jiang Mantang finally realized it was normal and, for the first time ever, began to explain:

"Go to a steel rolling mill, you'll either work as a furnace operator or a forging machine operator. You'll be an apprentice for three years, and the salary will be quite good in the future."

Jiang Baobin was speechless. All the jobs were hard and dangerous. Wasn't this pushing me into a fire pit?

So I immediately found an excuse for myself: "I'm not energetic."

Jiang Mantang was getting impatient: "I'm not asking you to go now, it'll be in a few days."

The eldest sister-in-law couldn't help but interject, "This spot was secured by Father using his connections."

"Third brother, don't be ungrateful. With this skill, you'll be set for life, able to get married and have children."

Jiang Baobin sneered inwardly: Do you think I believe you? Nobody cares about safety these days.

Upon entering, you must sign a waiver, stating that your life or death is entirely your responsibility and has nothing to do with the unscrupulous capitalists.

Whether you can live to retirement depends entirely on luck.

The sister-in-law's words clearly indicate her desire for her to leave as soon as possible so that her family could enjoy the family fortune all to themselves.

Jiang Baobin wasn't about to give in so easily: "I'm stupid, I can't learn it..."