An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Jiang's mother just didn't want him to have an easy time! So she started throwing a tantrum again:

"Oh dear! I can't live anymore! What a disgrace to my family! We've produced such an ungrateful wretch..."

The old woman kept crying and wailing, and Jiang Baobin couldn't hit her or scold her, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

Jiang Wangshi's commotion had a significant impact; although there were no tenants in this courtyard, it attracted people from the neighboring courtyard.

Yan Bugui's wife asked, "Hey, Baowen's mother, what's wrong with you now?"

Jiang's mother then started to cry and complain, saying that Jiang Baobin was a complete jinx.

From a young age, he caused the Jiang family to fall into ruin, and now he is even more heinous! He has committed the heinous crime of disobedience!

Jiang Baobin appeared to be in a sorry state, bewildered and at a loss after being scolded.

Actually, I was overjoyed—the more they made a scene, the better, so that I could completely cut ties with them.

I've already acted like such a terrible person, is there any point in continuing our relationship? It would be better if we never saw each other again.

As a time traveler, Jiang Baobin didn't want to become a vengeful creature like Sha Zhu'er, being exploited by his family.

The deaf old lady felt that the time had come, and it was time for her to step in.

The lingering aroma of "Tianfuhao Braised Pork Knuckle" still lingers in my mouth, so I'm definitely biased towards Jiang Baobin.

That's why they say gifts aren't given for nothing; they really come in handy when it matters.

The deaf old woman pointed to several old women who were eating melons with great relish:

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help him up! What kind of behavior is this?"

Yan Bugui's wife and Jia Zhangshi instinctively agreed and quickly helped Jiang Wangshi up.

The deaf old woman glanced at her sideways: "Baowen's mother, talk things out properly, don't start crying and wailing all the time."

"It's good that people know, but if they didn't, they would think something terrible had happened in the hospital."

Just as Madam Jiang was about to say a few words in her defense, the deaf old lady had already turned to Jiang Mantang:

"Baowen's dad, outsiders shouldn't interfere in your family matters."

"But all you keep saying is that the money in the house was taken by the mistress."

"If anyone in our department does something dishonest, it will be a serious matter that ruins our reputation."

"We can't just sit idly by, or no one will escape responsibility."

Those who came to watch the spectacle nodded in agreement; the "Baojia system" was still in effect.

If a thief really does appear in the yard, even if he doesn't take anything from anyone else, it will still make everyone lose face if word gets out.

Unable to quell public anger, Jiang Mantang quickly clasped his hands in apology:

"We apologize to our neighbors. This is our fault. We will not speak carelessly again."

He glared at his wife as he spoke, a gesture meant for everyone to see—watch your words, don't offend anyone.

The deaf old lady then said to Jiang Baobin, "Third son, you speak."

"What exactly happened? Why is your mother so insistent that you took money from home?"

"I didn't take any money from home..."

Jiang Baobin had just started speaking when he was interrupted by his mother.

"Bullshit! Then explain yourself! Where did the money for rent and groceries come from? Did it fall from the sky?"

The deaf old woman glanced at her with displeasure and retorted:

"Don't interrupt! Let the child finish speaking, otherwise you'll know nothing! You're just babbling on!"

The deaf old lady still held considerable authority; once she opened her mouth, Jiang's mother could no longer stop Jiang Baobin.

At the old lady's prompting, Jiang Baobin recited the lines he had prepared beforehand:

"I didn't take any money from home, Grandma Lu, uncles, grandpas, grandmas and aunties."

"For the first few days, it was hot inside, so I went outside to cool off."

"A foreigner happened to be passing by and asked me for directions."

"I noticed he was carrying a rather large leather suitcase, and it was quite heavy."

"I didn't have anything else to do, so I helped him get there."

"They saw that I was honest, so they let me be their follower."

"Then... my mom kept misunderstanding me, hitting me and locking me out of the house..."

Jiang's mother couldn't listen anymore; it seemed it was all her fault:

"Damn it, why didn't you just say so earlier? Why did you have to hide it from me?"

Jia Zhangshi said sarcastically, "With your hot temper."

"He's always bullying the child; he's trying to say, 'Do you even have the patience to listen to me?'"

Jiang's mother, of course, didn't like hearing this: "Hey, Dongxu's mother, which eye of yours saw me bullying him?"

"Did we not feed him, or did we not clothe him? Otherwise, how could he have grown so big?"

Madam Jia had long disliked her. Relying on having many sons, she acted arrogantly in the courtyard. What could an outsider possibly do?

He then pouted and said, "Don't be stubborn."

"How your family treats the third child is obvious to everyone."

"Take what happened a few days ago, for example. On a sweltering day, we forced the child to go out and collect the laundry, and he almost lost his life."

"They're reluctant to even ask us to get a doctor to treat them."

"The other day, the child brought back a few pieces of fire rope from outside."

"What have you done? You confiscated everything! There are so many mosquitoes now, how could you be so heartless?"

Jiang's mother argued illogically, "He stole money from home to buy it, and we're punishing him."

"If we don't correct his bad habits, he might steal things from your house and then come to me for compensation."

Jia Zhangshi was speechless. She could make a few sarcastic remarks, but when it came to her own interests, she couldn't speak carelessly.

Seeing that she had silenced Jia Zhangshi with just a few words, Jiang Ma couldn't help but feel smug:

"Out of ideas, huh? If you can promise you won't blame our family for anything that goes missing today, then from now on..."

Jiang Mantang, who had been frowning the whole time, finally couldn't listen anymore—

Is this woman out of her mind? She just got a lecture from a deaf old lady.

Why do you keep saying that the third brother is a thief? Do you have any pride in that?

He then scolded, "Stop talking nonsense and let the third brother finish what he has to say."

Only Jiang's father could keep Jiang's mother in check.

She glared fiercely at her third son, whom she loathed from the bottom of her heart, and used this as a threat.

As a result, all eyes turned to Jiang Baobin.

Jiang Baobin knew the best moment had arrived. Whether he would continue to be oppressed or soar to new heights depended on this one move!

"Grandma Lu, and everyone else, I really have nowhere else to stay."

"Just tell the boss, do you have a place where I can sleep tonight?"

"The boss said it's not a good idea for you to sleep here; you should rent a place."

"That's why I found Grandma Lu, and we rented a room in the courtyard..."

"Bullshit!" Jiang Ma couldn't help but curse again.

"Who can earn several silver dollars for carrying bags for three days? A god of wealth?"

As she spoke, she rushed in front of Jiang Baobin and grabbed his clothes.

Its movements were so swift that they could only be described as lightning fast.

Jiang Baobin wanted to run here, but there were too many people gathered to watch the commotion, blocking the road and he had no chance at all.

In front of so many people, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't just push his nominal mother aside, could he?