An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Why is Jiang Baobin taking this so seriously?

Because starting tomorrow, it really will be a do-or-die battle!

Life or death, it all hinges on this!

That night, even Four-Eyes was puzzled as to why Jiang Baobin was so excited.

It's not just because I can leave this godforsaken place tomorrow; my future is uncertain.

But there were other things that were stimulating him.

At midnight, the system notification arrived as scheduled:

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

Current time: December 8, 1948;

Player: Jiang Baobin;

Health level: 85%;

"Physical Attributes:"

"Wisdom: 20;"

"Five senses: 20;"

"Explosiveness: 20;"

Endurance: 20;

"Agility: 16;"

"Game Map: The main character's activity area has been expanded to 'Pinggu District';"

"Task (No. 10): Jade that is not carved cannot become a useful object..."

"The mission is complete. The system has rated the player's performance as 'Excellent'!"

"The following rewards will be given: ① Expanding the main character's activity area;"

"②, 4 free attribute points can be allocated."

New mission: —

××××××

The system had barely refreshed when Jiang Baobin, with the speed of someone grabbing tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush, immediately...

Put all your attribute points into "Agility".

The system didn't disappoint him, responding instantly with a "Ding!"

"Because 'Jiang Baobin' is one of many parallel 'courtyard virtual worlds'."

"Ranked #1, the player who reached the maximum for the fifth individual item."

"Your professional skills are already strong enough, but you should also pay attention to balancing work and rest."

"Don't get so caught up in improving your attributes and skills that you miss out on the beauty of life."

"Therefore, the system has prepared rewards related to interests:"

"① Passionate-level cultural hobbies: writing, painting, calligraphy, dance, sculpture;"

"②. Enthusiast-level sports hobbies: rock climbing, gymnastics, equestrianism, ice skating, skiing, skydiving, paragliding, tennis, golf;"

"③. Enthusiast-level hobbies: cooking, baking, perfumery, bartending, gardening, tea ceremony, interior design, pet training."

Players can choose one of the three options, ①, ②, and ③, as their personal preference.

Jiang Baobin's thinking was completely out of sync.

Then: "Ding! Conditions met, system version update in progress..."

"The time it will take for the version update is uncertain; players will need to wait patiently."

"Task releases will be suspended during the version update."

"However, players' physical attributes, skills, hobbies, and available space are not restricted and can be used normally."

Jiang Baobin was very excited to receive this result!

He couldn't help but raise his arms and roar, "I'm No. 1!"

The bespectacled boy, who was in his sleep, was startled awake by his shout!

Then I saw this scene—

After glancing at him like he was an idiot, the dog lay down and went back to sleep.

Being ranked number one is certainly good news.

But there was bad news too—as he expected, there was no portal.

To escape, you have to rely on your own hands and feet.

Thinking of the waist-deep snow outside, Jiang Baobin couldn't help but tremble! Could he really get out?

I quickly shook my head to dispel these bad thoughts.

The best way to deal with negative emotions is to distract yourself with things you enjoy.

For example, the benefits the inventory system gives him.

So far, his "cultural interests" include: public speaking and performance, antique appreciation, and music.

Regarding his "sports hobbies," he chose: boxing, fitness, and swimming;

Regarding his "hobbies," he chose yoga and handicrafts.

With the completion of this mission, especially with Jiang Baobin's late surge, great success was achieved!

You will have two choices in each of the three major categories.

So, which one should he choose, given his indecisiveness?

I'm overwhelmed by all the choices and don't know where to start!

After racking my brains, I finally found a good method for him—the process of elimination!

For example, cultural options include: "Writing, Painting, Calligraphy, Dance, Sculpture".

First, we can rule out "dance," because it will be taboo for the next thirty years.

Next, we ruled out "sculptures" for no other reason than that they didn't seem very useful.

Next, we'll rule out "writing," simply because it's too tough for struggling writers in later generations!

Working from dawn till dusk, exhausting oneself, suffering from aches and pains in the buttocks, back, neck, and fingers, only to be met with ingratitude and ridicule in the end!

Let's not do this!

Then there's no choice but "painting" and "calligraphy" left.

It feels pretty good, although these two things are a bit difficult to get started with.

Now that I have a basic understanding, I can doodle whenever I have free time, and it will make me look pretty cool.

It's said that painters and calligraphers are incredibly popular with women!

And they live very long, generally into their eighties or nineties, and they get more and more playful as they get older, hehe.

Using the same method, Jiang Baobin quickly made his selections.

In the category of "sports hobbies", he chose: "rock climbing (to increase strength)";

"Ice skating (a tradition in Beiping, where large groups of people would go ice skating together)."

In the "Hobbies" category, he selected "Cooking" and "Pet Training".

There's really not much to choose from; they're all too bourgeois.

Many hobbies, if placed in the new century, would have to be described as "high-end" or "sophisticated".

But in these days when even food is scarce, it's really not practical.

Like a sudden enlightenment, I suddenly mastered a vast amount of knowledge and skills!

Jiang Baobin's sense of accomplishment instantly soared—"Hehe, from now on, please call me the all-around little prince!"

Jiang Baobin kept his word and prepared to set off at daybreak.

He threw all his gold and silver treasures into the shack.

Compared to life, these things are insignificant.

Only four things are needed to free up space: food, firewood, weapons, and tools.

Of course, I'll still take the imperial seal and the precious sword with me; they're just too valuable! Hehe.

There's also a dragon throne.

If he still ran out of fuel at the last minute, he was prepared to burn the thing.

This boast is going to be a huge exaggeration from now on!

Has anyone here ever burned a dragon throne?

I'll burn it like firewood, believe it or not?

Step forward! Who's in favor? Who's opposed?

However, before setting off, we need to let Four-Eyes get a feel for the directions and smells.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Compared to himself, a complete idiot, Four-Eyes, who came from a hunting dog background, was definitely more reliable.

The dog raised its head high and sniffed around.

Clearly, the results were not as expected.

Then it looked around with its eyes.

If Jiang Baobin had to choose, he would definitely go southeast.

That's the direction into the city, and that's where he came in.

But the dog insisted on going north, doing the opposite.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Baobin chose to believe Gouzi.

Because the route we took was at least thirty or forty kilometers.

With the current supplies, it's a big question whether we can even get out of here.

Rather than doing that, I'd rather trust the dog this time.

It saved my life, and I believe it won't let me down this time either...