An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Chapter 190 First Encounter

Jiang Baobin, who was busy decorating his new house, sneezed repeatedly.

This guy was wondering: Who is thinking of me like this?

He went through all the women he had ever been involved with.

He wasn't sure if these guys had already forgotten about him.

In the end, all I could do was pray to all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, asking them not to betray me.

It's only been twelve years, which is just a few dozen chapters in online novels, four years less than the story of Little Dragon Girl and Yang Guo.

Although he knew it was unlikely.

terrible!

He quickly shifted his attention, nodding repeatedly as he looked at his new home.

The furniture was left by the previous owner.

To avoid attracting attention, this guy sneaked away with his family.

So the entire set of furniture was kept.

Actually, that guy thinks too highly of himself. There are thousands of people who have done bad things to betray their masters, how could he possibly keep track of them all?

Settling their accounts is still in the queue, but it hasn't been put on the agenda yet.

In TV dramas, the idiot's family doesn't have any decent furnishings.

I don't know if it's because the production team didn't have enough funds, or what the reason is.

But things are completely different now.

This set of four-poster beds alone will be worth millions in sixty years.

I wonder where Sha Zhu took it later? Did he break his uncle's body?

Sitting in a grand master's chair is definitely not as comfortable as sitting on a genuine leather sofa.

Especially the one from Rose's family, it was really nice! It's a pity she sold it herself.

However, there are still quite a few Western furniture items on the market right now, and they can be bought very cheaply.

After much hesitation, Jiang Baobin finally gave up.

Why would an ordinary person like me want to put a huge leather sofa in my home?

Although I will definitely have to make a strategic retreat before the strong winds pick up.

But that's way too extravagant; let's keep a low profile.

But when it came to other big items, Jiang Baobin showed no mercy.

Bicycle, sewing machine, radio, wall clock—it's all there.

Although they are all second-hand, I managed to get them all together.

In present-day Beiping (Beijing), he would rank among the top 10% of wealthy households.

That's bullshit, isn't it? It doesn't look reliable at all. Besides, where did this data come from?

Let me give you an example.

According to the "Beiping Gazetteer: Municipal Administration Volume: Roads", there were 17.7 bicycles in the city in 1949.

That's basically the number now, because our industrial capacity is extremely weak at this time.

The total annual bicycle production capacity in China is only 1.5 units.

Based on a total population of 400 million, and assuming each family has 5 members, that would amount to 80 households.

Then, we exclude a large number of public buses, families with multiple cars, and families that own cars but don't have sewing machines or radios.

Based on this calculation, his possession of all four major items (of an apartment, a luxury home, and a luxury property) would rightfully place him among the top 10% of wealthy households.

Of course, this is what outsiders can see. If we talk about strength beneath the surface, he can rank in the top one percent!

Jiang Baobin was admiring his new home when Matchmaker Ma burst in.

Without even bothering to offer a few words of praise, she went straight to the point: "Mr. Jiang, the person has been found!"

"Sure, I just messaged you yesterday at noon, and you've already heard back today?"

"That's right, since Master Jiang has spoken, I have to treat this as a major matter."

Jiang Baobin looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I've almost reached an agreement with the woman's family. Would you like to meet them?"

"See!"

That's obvious. What if the matchmaker makes a mistake and doesn't meet the person in person? Can you return the bride after you've married her?

Matchmaker Ma didn't seem to mind: "So, would you like to meet today or tomorrow?"

"Let's not delay, see you right away."

Matchmaker Ma smiled broadly, "Alright, I like your decisive and efficient approach."

Jiang Baobin glanced at her and said, "You just like my 50,000 yuan, don't you?"

"Shall we walk? Otherwise, we might not get back until dark."

As she spoke, Matchmaker Ma glanced at the bicycle, thinking to herself—

This is much faster than taking the bus and then walking. I just don't know if the host family will be willing to part with it.

The rural roads these days, wow!

Changping, Qinggezhuang.

Qin Huairu felt as if she were dreaming; she even got up early to pull weeds in the fields.

It wasn't even breakfast time yet (two meals a day in the countryside), when someone came to say they wanted to arrange a marriage for them.

At first, the Qin family didn't pay any attention, as there were many matchmakers, but they didn't like any of them.

So he continued working tirelessly in the field.

From October of last year to March of this year, land was allocated in three batches to the suburbs of Beiping.

Now each household tends to the land that fell from the sky and now belongs to them, as if it were their own eyeball.

Some people are so strict that they don't even allow a single thorn in the ground.

They really wished they could lie in the field and sleep with the rice seedlings in their arms.

It's the first year, so it's completely understandable.

You can relate to the feeling of buying your first car.

It wasn't until the matchmaker revealed the groom's conditions that the Qin family took the matter seriously.

At this moment, Qin Huairu sat in the courtyard, stunned, with only one thought repeatedly swirling in her mind: Am I really going to get married?

Qin Ma hurriedly came out of the thatched house.

She was really going all out, giving up half a day of work to stay home and clean.

Seeing that his daughter had been staring blankly for a long time, he immediately flew into a rage!

Just as he was about to reprimand her, he suddenly had a change of heart. His daughter was about to get married, and to a wealthy family at that.

We'll inevitably need her help in the future, so we can't afford to offend her now.

So she forced a smile and said, "Oh my, my dear daughter, are you trying to drive your mother crazy with worry?"

"Huh?" Qin Huairu was completely bewildered.

That makes sense, she's so young, how could she not be flustered when she suddenly encounters such a big thing?

The mother sighed, "Hurry up and get dressed! Didn't the matchmaker say the groom might be coming this afternoon?"

Qin Huairu's face flushed red: "Mom, it's not aunt yet, it's son-in-law."

Aunt Qin laughed happily: "Oh dear, it's almost perfect. Didn't you hear what the matchmaker said?"

"They've found out everything about our village, down to your name. Doesn't that mean they've chosen you?"

Qin Huairu was even more of a country girl, unsophisticated and unworldly.

She always felt that her husband was like a tiger, ready to devour her, the little white rabbit.

Seeing Qin's mother hurrying out, Qin Huairu panicked: "Mom, where are you going?"

"I'll ask your second aunt to borrow Xiao Yan'er's clothes; they're newer than the ones you're wearing."

"Mom, you'd better come back soon."

"Oh dear, it won't delay your dressing."

"Mom, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried about what I'll do alone when they come."

"I doubt it. I prepared this for you for tomorrow."

"Then hurry up too."

"Okay, go get dressed. Better safe than sorry."

"error."

Qin Huairu paced around the room twice before remembering that she should wash her face first, then comb her hair, and then everything else—

It seems like there's nothing else I can do.

Just as Qin Huairu finished washing up and was able to calm herself down a bit, a voice suddenly called out from outside: "Is anyone home?"

Qin Huairu's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "Who, who is it?"

"Haha, my surname is Ma. I'm here to arrange a marriage. You must be Miss Huairu? Come out quickly, the groom has arrived."

Qin Huairu almost fainted!

My mind was filled with only one thought: why wasn't my mom home at this time?

What should I do? Hide under the table?

No, they'll see it. It's safer in the cabinet.

She was a smart girl after all, and she immediately realized—

Oh God, I must have lost my mind! I already agreed, where am I supposed to hide now?

Jiang Baobin stood in the center of the courtyard, looking around with great interest.

He's from the countryside, and seeing sickles, hoes, and baskets of soil gives him a strange sense of familiarity.

In rural areas, you can tell whether a family is hardworking just by looking at their yard.

Some bad habits cannot be covered up by a quick fix.

Everything is formed over time.

In Jiang Baobin's hometown, there is a family that has won the praise of the entire village.

It's because the vegetables in people's gardens are all arranged neatly, like a line of soldiers.

Who has the ability to quickly arrange the side dishes into a queue?

Jiang Baobin gave Qin Huairu's family a score of 75.

However, this is not particularly important, as long as Qin Huairu is a diligent person and knows how to manage a household.

Her family background has little to do with her.

After much anticipation, Qin Huairu finally emerged shyly.

As the old saying goes, seeing is believing.

To be honest, Jiang Baobin was quite disappointed.

It's all dark and hasn't fully grown yet.

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