An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Although Jiang Hongsheng has a round face with baby fat, his eyebrows and eyes clearly indicate that he is a descendant of the Jiang family.

In other words, this kid looks quite like him.

Perhaps because he was lonely from a young age, Jiang Baobin really likes children.

Otherwise, even though he had such a bad relationship with his elder brother and sister-in-law back then, he wouldn't have treated Jiang Hongsheng unfairly.

Even though I know this kid will be an ingrate sooner or later.

Because he has his own mother, it's impossible for him to be closer to this uncle who's only interested in him.

But kids are so much fun, Jiang Baobin just couldn't resist wanting to be a fan.

It's like when you see a cute kitten or puppy on the street, you can't help but want to pet it.

After the fun is over, we go our separate ways and may never see each other again.

Saying it's because I like small animals is more accurate to say it's for my own enjoyment.

Children as young as Jiang Hongsheng should be very forgetful.

But for some reason, this guy was quite close to Jiang Baobin, and wouldn't let go of his leg.

However, this is not the right time to amuse children.

Adding to the sorrow was Jia Zhangshi's heartbreaking crying, which made Jiang Baobin feel deeply saddened.

I greeted the deaf old lady and told her I would come back tomorrow.

The old lady nodded understandingly.

As for Jiang Hongsheng being difficult to deal with, he's just a kid; there's no one he can't be appeased with a piece of candy...

When people encounter unpleasant or strange things, they often want to confide in someone, and Jiang Baobin did just that today.

As soon as they returned to Elizabeth's home in the villa area of ​​Peking Union Medical College Hospital, they told Jiang Daya about this important matter.

Oh, I forgot to mention, just half a month ago, Elizabeth had just passed away.

Feeling very aggrieved, Jiang Baobin was kicked out of the Smith Mansion.

The foreigner's reasoning was simple and blunt—you're a Chinese person, you don't deserve to live here.

Even if Jiang Baobin makes excuses like he's helping Elizabeth look at houses and that they'll come back after Christmas, it won't make a difference.

The foreigner only gave him one word: "Get lost!"

Jiang Baobin was furious! He really didn't treat me, a time traveler, like a pushover!

That night, he wanted to set Smith's mansion on fire.

But he soon realized that in a few months, everything here would belong to the country.

If I were to impulsively destroy the mansion, it wouldn't be revenge against the foreigners, but rather vandalism of public property.

So I let it go.

As he expected, the foreigners actually sent people to monitor his move.

Fortunately, he had already taken away all the valuables beforehand.

All that was left were the bedding, pots and pans he usually used, and he wasn't afraid even if the foreigners made things difficult for him.

After leaving the Smith Mansion, Jiang Baobin faced two paths.

One option is to go back to the traditional courtyard house, which has the advantage of being grounded and avoiding future troubles.

There are also many downsides. The first one is that outsiders will think that you have fallen on hard times.

Even a fool could guess that Zhao Zhibang, who had been eyeing him like a hawk, would definitely pounce on him and bite him!

And those spies, I wonder what they'll do to me.

Jiang Baobin has never forgotten their threats.

If Zhao Zhibang is a wolf, then they are devils!

Especially now that Elizabeth is not in Beiping, her situation is very dangerous.

I don't yet have the strength to fight against these demons and monsters.

Another thing that bothered him was the thought of going back to be neighbors with Lao Gao's family.

Although his family members are all quite nice and even spoke up for me, one thing is one thing.

The business they run is truly indescribable.

Therefore, Jiang Baobin had almost no other choice.

Shamelessly, this guy moved into Elizabeth's house, bringing along his burden, Jiang Daya.

He even argued that Miss Lily had given him the key before she left, which meant he could stay there anytime.

In this way, the happiest person was none other than Jiang Daya.

Moving from one villa to another is quite a novel experience.

Four-Eyes, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He would go wherever he was told to. He wasn't going to hunt anymore. Wasn't it easy to be a watchdog?

Jiang Daya listened as Jiang Baobin recounted Jia Jinwang's ordeal.

And then, in a confusing and misleading way, I was given a lecture on medical knowledge—

What terrible consequences would occur if the femoral artery were severed, and how can one provide emergency treatment to stop the bleeding?

However, the little girl only sighed and said, "How could someone just die like that?" This made Aunt Jia and Brother Jia very sad.

Then, he calmly asked Jiang Baobin if they were going to eat right away.

Then, people went off to do their work.

Jiang Baobin was stunned for a while—do people take life and death so lightly these days?

He simply couldn't understand their thinking—

A perfectly healthy person I knew just died like that! And everyone seems to think it's normal.

Shouldn't we be filled with righteous indignation, shouting for the capture of the murderer, or heartbroken and weeping, lamenting the fragility of life?

Even if you're not that excited, at least spend a little more time reflecting on things. What's wrong with eating a little later?

Why is everyone so indifferent?

The people in the courtyard were like that, even the kind-hearted Jiang Daya he thought was like that.

Ever since Jiang Baobin saw Jia Yueting die, he has been lamenting the unpredictability of life.

Because Lao Jia's experience was similar to his previous life, he also made a wrong decision on a whim, and then he died.

But Jiang Baobin's mind is particularly sharp now, so it didn't take him long to figure it out.

These days, the average lifespan is only in the thirties (children who die before the age of ten are not included in the statistics, otherwise the number would be significantly lower).

So people have become accustomed to death.

Those who are lucky can live to their forties or fifties, while many unlucky ones die young in their teens or twenties.

Jia Jinwang was at least forty years old. Although he died unjustly, he was not short of life.

"The moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and people have their ups and downs." This is why people these days are so accepting of their fate.

To live to fifty or sixty and die peacefully in one's sleep is considered a good life.

If someone dies before reaching adulthood, that's considered bad luck.

Everything is preordained by God.

Why are people so pessimistic? Looking at Emperor Kangxi's experiences can give us some insight.

Emperor Kangxi had 35 sons, 20 of whom lived to adulthood at the age of 18; he also had 20 daughters, 8 of whom lived to adulthood.

The adulthood rate is only fifty percent!

If even the imperial family is like this, what about ordinary people? What can they do if they don't take life and death seriously?

Therefore, Jiang Baobin believed he had seen through it all—he could no longer casually say that people in the old society were callous and heartless.

Are they indifferent? No, they genuinely don't take death seriously.

He died today, but I could be the one tomorrow. What's the big deal?

Now that I understand, I should enjoy my meal. Anyway, I'm going to live a good life.

Stir-fried shredded potatoes and stir-fried cabbage slices were served one after another.

Jiang Baobin scratched his head, took a bite of each, and sure enough, they were all sour.

Why add vinegar to stir-fried potato shreds, and then to cabbage slices too? Can't you come up with something different?

However, he still held back; it's a big no-no to complain while taking something that's already been given to you.

But there was one thing he simply couldn't tolerate—

This Jiang Daya, she always acts on her own initiative and is so stingy...