An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

To be honest, Jiang Baobin, as a man, brought his culinary skills from another world that are far superior to Da Ya's—

Most importantly, he's willing to put oil and seasonings in the dishes, unlike her, who's so stingy.

Sigh, you can't blame her.

Just like Yang Lao Er's family before, their biggest wish was to have enough to eat.

Actually, the Chiang family wasn't much better off.

Chiang Kai-shek was determined to buy a house in Beiping, but where would he get the money?

The only option is to bind the stomach!

In this situation, it is really asking too much of women to cook dishes that are visually appealing, delicious, and fragrant.

Although Jiang Dajie was confident in his cooking skills, he dared not suggest that he take charge of the cooking himself.

Because Da Ya would explode! She considered it an insult to her.

In these days, the stove is considered a woman's private domain.

If she has to hand over even this to a man, what value does her life have?

At that time, housewives truly stayed at home, never leaving their homes.

It would be very embarrassing if word got out that they couldn't even cook properly in the kitchen.

Jiang Baobin asked cautiously, "Little sister, where's the meat I bought this morning?"

"It's oily," Jiang Daya replied matter-of-factly.

Jiang Baobin smirked: "The fatty parts simmer for oil, so what about the lean ones? It would be much better to just slice some meat into strips and stir-fry it."

"I've marinated it, bro. Meat is too expensive, and it'll definitely get even more expensive in the future. Marinating it will keep it for longer."

"Let's wait until it's more expensive to eat it later, then we'll save even more money."

Jiang Baobin really wanted to ask her—what should I do if I want to eat now?

He decided to let it go, thinking it best to avoid trouble. He slipped off the table.

Jiang Daya couldn't help but roll her eyes.

As expected, he returned shortly afterward with a can of luncheon meat.

Jiang Baobin first scooped out a large piece to put into Jiang Daya's bowl.

The little girl got angry and not only covered it with her hands, but also turned her whole body away.

It means: Since you're not satisfied with my cooking, then you can cook for yourself.

That won't do; girls tend to hold grudges.

Jiang Baobin chased after her with a grin and finally stuffed the meat into her bowl.

"Oh, I don't want to." The little girl was still being coy.

"Eat up, eat up, you're still growing, you'll need to be at least 1.6 meters tall in the future."

Jiang Daya immediately fell silent; growing taller had always been her goal.

There was nothing she could do; her three older brothers were all at least 1.7 meters tall, while she was only 1.5 meters. It was too hurtful to her self-esteem.

Seeing that the little girl had started eating, Jiang Baobin took the opportunity to coax her: "Little sister, let me tell you something."

"This money is never saved, it's earned."

"Your brother here has made a name for himself now, unlike before when we were starving."

"So let's eat well, it's okay. Only what's in our stomachs is truly gained."

"Think about Jia Dongxu's father. He was frugal, reluctant to eat or dress well, and then he kicked the bucket. What a waste!"

The little girl couldn't help but interject, "Third brother, but you want nice clothes, nice housing, and nice food. Where will you get that much money?"

"Although we made a lot of money selling things, didn't you say that money will become worthless in the future? We should save money now."

Jiang Baobin was speechless. What kind of logic was this? If it's going to be worthless in the future, who's going to save money for?

He had no choice but to patiently continue persuading, "Your brother is so smart, I've already invested the money, and we'll become even richer in the future."

"Really?"

"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"

"That's great! Third Brother, you're amazing! Actually, I was just worried about not having enough money, hehe."

The little girl took a bite of luncheon meat, chewed it a few times, and couldn't help but ask:

"Third Brother, what did you invest in? You can't have gotten scammed, can you? There are so many scammers these days!"

Jiang Baobin looked at her suspiciously—had she been assimilated by him after spending so much time together?

This paranoia is so similar to my own.

But I really can't tell her the details.

Goodness, in such a short time, his net worth has multiplied several times. The little girl is probably going to be living in fear again.

In the early hours of the morning, the system refreshed its message again:

"Game cheat codes for virtual world players in courtyard houses"

Current time: November 1, 1948

Player: Jiang Baobin

Health Status: 61%

"Physical Attributes:"

"Wisdom: 18"

"Five Senses: 20"

"Explosiveness: 20"

Endurance: 12

Agility: 11

Game Map: The main character's activity area has been expanded to the "MTG Zone";

"Task (No. 8): Acquire the first item in the collection. Rewards will be given based on the quality of the item."

"Task complete (collection assessed as a rare item), first-class reward awarded:"

"① Expand the main character's activity area;"

"②, 3 free attribute points can be assigned;"

"New mission (No. 9): Find the real culprit who killed Jia Jinwang, and thus establish authority in the courtyard;"

××××××

Jiang Baobin was very disappointed. Tang Yin's "Listening to the Waterfall in Spring Mountains" would have fetched tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, at auction houses in later generations.

However, the reward given by the system was only first-class.

You should know that Jiang Baobin has won the top prize twice, each time with 4 points!

Presumably, there are even higher levels above "rare treasures" and "priceless treasures".

Unfortunately, I am not fortunate enough to have it.

He simply couldn't wait any longer; he waited a full month just to complete this task.

Okay, let's admit it, even if such a rare treasure existed, he couldn't afford it.

Good things are never cheap.

Take this painting by Tang Yin in his possession, for example. If it weren't for an expert who believes it's not an authentic work at all...

Can he afford it?

And even with all that, you still have to pay five small yellow croakers!

This is already most of his net worth (cash that he can readily access), isn't it?

If it's a recognized authentic work, the price should be at least double or triple!

Unless he could find a bargain, like when he discovered a "Guo Ji Zi Bai Pan" that a farmer used to feed his horses.

However, even if one were to find such a colossal find, it would probably shorten one's lifespan, wouldn't it?

So it's best to stop while you're ahead.

As for Jiang Baobin's boast to Liu Decai that he was not short of money...

If there really is some good treasure, he's not afraid. At worst, he can sell the pile of coal and the grain he's been accumulating.

In any case, the price of coal has already doubled, and as for grain, it's even more remarkable, at least ten times higher.

However, from a long-term perspective, antiques obviously have a higher appreciation rate!

Jiang Baobin allocated the 3 attribute points he was awarded to "Intelligence" and "Endurance".

He originally thought this "wisdom" would only be useful when learning foreign languages.

That's completely wrong!

Since adding "wisdom" to his vocabulary, he has clearly felt that his learning and knowledge transformation abilities have improved significantly.

When practicing, one can achieve the effect of learning by analogy and getting twice the result with half the effort.

Therefore, he understood why this attribute was ranked first among the five major attributes.

Add 2 points to "Wisdom" and you'll reach the maximum level.

Therefore, the system refreshed a bunch of information again...