An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Jiang Baobin, of course, joined in without hesitation, constantly promoting himself with what he considered his most charming smile.

Unfortunately, 99% of the foreigners shook their heads and left, and many even showed disdain.

This infuriated him: Damn it! It's just a few bucks, what's with the bragging? We'll see!

Jiang Baobin cursed inwardly: Sixty years from now, my descendants will definitely rub your faces on the ground!

Let's see if you're still so arrogant then.

That's right, Jiang Baobin has come to "Dongjiaomin Lane" and is ready to use his foreign language skills to squeeze some money out of the foreigners.

Today, the illiteracy rate among flower growers is 80%, and among those who can read, those who can speak foreign languages ​​are extremely rare.

Jiang Baobin was at least someone who passed the CET-6 exam (the school had a bizarre rule: if you don't pass, you won't get a graduation certificate).

Although his spoken English isn't great, who can he compare himself to?

Among a group of mediocre people, he was confident that he stood out from the crowd.

Sure enough, hard work pays off, and he soon reaped the rewards.

"Yeah, I've hired you temporarily..."

A white man in his thirties, but looking tired, replied to him after a brief conversation (for ease of reading, the following is in Chinese).

Although I only half understood it (there are a hundred college students who can only speak "mute English" between passing an English proficiency test and being able to communicate smoothly with foreigners).

However, Jiang Baobin was still able to guess the general idea from the foreigner's body language (smiling, nodding).

Unexpectedly, happiness came so suddenly that Jiang Baobin was stunned for a moment before saying:

"Thank you, you're very wise. I won't let you down. You can call me Jiang."

"Okay, Jiang, you can call me Tom. I'm a reporter from New York. Now, can you take me to this place...?"

The guy then took out a postcard.

"Absolutely no problem," Jiang Baobin replied confidently.

He didn't know anything! But since the postcard had not only English but also a Chinese address, he wasn't afraid.

It doesn't matter if you can't find it yourself, as long as the tricycle driver knows, since you don't have to pay for it yourself anyway.

It was clear that Tom was extremely tired, so Jiang Baobin wisely refrained from trying to strike up a conversation with him along the way.

This is a courtyard located between "Dongjiaomin Lane" and "Taijichang Third Lane".

Through the wall, you can see the milky white two-story building inside.

"Ding-dong!" Jiang Baobin rang the doorbell.

A moment later, footsteps were heard, followed by a woman's voice: "Who is it?"

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Smith's house?"

"Yes, but who are you? If you are looking for a gentleman, please go to the company. This is a private residence and we do not receive outsiders."

"No, no, no, it's Mrs. Smith's brother who came from America and wants to see her."

"Oh, please wait a moment while I inform the madam."

Having found the right place, Jiang Baobin asked Tom for directions and then paid for the tricycle fare out of his own pocket.

"Hey buddy, give him an extra 10 percent." This Tom is pretty generous.

Jiang Baobin also knew that this was a foreigner's custom—to give tips.

This behavior was once very uncomfortable for the Chinese people. In the early days of reform and opening up, they would righteously and firmly refuse it.

However, later on, it came to the point where they had no choice but to give it to them.

"Oh my god! Is that Tom? Is it really you?" came a woman's exclamation from inside the door.

Tom suppressed a laugh and made a shushing gesture to Jiang Baobin.

Until the door opened, revealing a "foreign woman" wearing a dress.

They look familiar, but I just can't remember who they are.

However, they are quite tall. Tom is more than 10 centimeters taller than Jiang Baobin, and Mrs. Smith is no less tall than Tom.

Tom then opened his arms and burst into a hearty laugh:

"You didn't expect this, did you? My dear Rose! This is the biggest surprise I've given you in 1948!"

Rose covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes brimming with tears.

After quickening her pace and stepping out the door, she gave Tom a tight hug: "Thank you, it's so great to see you here!"

Jiang Baobin wore a silly smile as he watched the siblings reunite.

He only followed after the two people walked in arm in arm.

"Oh my God! Rose, do you know how long I traveled? From New York to San Francisco."

"Then we'll travel through Honolulu, Midway, Wake Island, Guam, Shanghai, and finally here!"

"My God, this really is the other side of the world!"

"It's indescribable, I feel like I've turned into a piece of rotten meat!"

Rose laughed heartily: "It's okay, a hot shower and you'll be that handsome young man again."

"Okay, but could you give me a few slices of bread before that? Otherwise, I'll starve to death in the bathtub."

"Yes, no problem at all. I'll give the maid the order right away."

"Thanks."

After entering the living room, Tom said to Jiang Baobin, "Thank you, Jiang, you've saved me a lot of trouble."

"This is what you deserve," Tom said, handing Jiang Baobin a banknote.

Jiang Baobin quickly said thank you, then clutched the banknotes tightly in his hand.

Damn! This is a huge profit! Tom actually gave me $2 right away.

Keep in mind that the US dollar was incredibly valuable at that time! One US dollar could be exchanged for two silver dollars.

In other words, Jiang Baobin earned ten days' salary in just one hour!

This is outrageous profiteering! No wonder there are so many half-baked translators gathered at the consulate entrance, and they can't be driven away no matter how hard you try!

It was as if he had discovered a new continent; on the way back, Jiang Baobin was incredibly excited.

Who says money is hard to earn? Isn't this easy? Just find the right person and talk to them.

The money just flowed into his pocket!

I'll keep doing this from now on, and I believe I'll soon become a small-time millionaire.

Yifei, when your brother becomes successful, he will give you a happy home.

Let those Koreans get as far away as possible! Then we can have a few more little Yifeis; they'll be a real treat for the eyes.

As Jiang Baobin pondered this, he began to chuckle foolishly, oblivious to everyone around him.

I can't help it, I'm just too happy. A bright future is just around the corner, beckoning me.

However, you might think that's all, but you're wrong! Good things always come in pairs.

"Ding! Temporary mission: 'Resolve the conflict between the Xu and Liu families' has been successfully completed. Reward: 5 Silver Coins."

Presumably, she had just bought the hen in the morning, and by the afternoon she was already laying eggs, thus ensuring the completion of her task.

This made Jiang Baobin laugh even harder.

Jiang Baobin returned home early today. After changing his clothes, he bought two pounds of pastries on the way.

I've been wanting to visit the deaf old lady to thank her for saving my life, and today is the perfect day.