An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Chapter 257 Don't Say It Was Me (Thanks to the big voter, I'll write as much as I can to repay them, damn it!)

After pondering for a long time, Gao Yueyuan shook her head: "Sister Dandan, how could I do that?"

"Huai Ru and I are acquaintances. She just gave birth, and I'm already stealing her man."

"No, Sister Dandan, I can't do such a despicable thing."

Gao Danyan stamped her feet anxiously: "Are you really stupid! Or are you just confused?"

What Gao Danyan didn't say was: Have you forgotten what you do for a living?

What's wrong? You've lost your skills after being taught a lesson?

Then, with earnest and persuasive words, she said, "Who told you to take him?"

"If you do that, you'll really make things worse; he won't let us off the hook."

"You think he's a good person because he's always smiling? He's ruthless at heart!"

"Look how well he's managed to deal with Old Jiang and his wife; they even avoid him in the hallway."

"But that's what makes a real man! If he didn't do that, he'd be bullied to death by Chiang Kai-shek and his wife!"

"As the saying goes, 'No poison, no hero!' He's capable of great things."

"Didn't you say it during the day too? We women need someone to rely on."

"Otherwise, anyone could bully us."

"And as you've seen, he's our protector."

"But if he helps us once or twice, why should he keep helping us?"

"Besides being members of his cultural troupe and his neighbors, what other reason could there be?"

"But it's different now that you slept with him today. Don't you understand men?"

"Once you've slept with him, you'll be in his heart. And when good things happen, you'll share in the good things too."

"Of course, don't even think about taking his place as his first wife. If you do, he'll get annoyed and won't like you anymore."

"You should just be a good concubine and use all the skills you used to have for serving men."

"Now that he's comfortable, our good days are coming. At least we won't have to worry about going back to pasting cardboard boxes anymore."

"If you have any other plans, we can talk about them in the future. Let's focus on living well in the present."

"Let me tell you, Yuanyuan, I've had this thought in my mind for a long time, and I've been thinking about him all along."

"But none of them dared to make any rash moves, because they were unsure of themselves."

"We may have served men, but we're not those cheap sluts."

"We can't afford to lose more than we gain, can we? Wouldn't that just make him look down on us?"

"But things are different now, you must listen to your sister."

"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"We can definitely take him down in one fell swoop!"

"If we miss it, there's no telling when we'll get another chance."

"There might never be another chance!"

"Yuanyuan, we can't let our guard down just because things are going well for us right now!"

"Have you considered the current relationship between us and him?"

"He only needs to say one word, and we'll all have to obediently get out of here!"

"Don't think he can't function without us!"

"Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are everywhere!"

"In this art troupe, everyone else is just a supporting character; only he is the backbone."

"He can kick us out anytime he wants and set up a new team."

"By then, we'll be completely finished."

"Just imagine, what a terrible thing it would be if we were left with no one to turn to for help!"

If Jiang Baobin were there, he would surely admire this woman's cunning.

If I can get through these ten years, I definitely need to switch to a different game mode, otherwise time will be running out!

I'm not a saint, and by then, some of those things will definitely have to be thrown away.

This arts troupe, too, can only wither away on its own.

Therefore, Gao Danyan's analysis is absolutely correct.

Unless there are extraordinary coincidences in the last ten years (but Jiang Baobin really couldn't think of any such coincidences).

If they manage to escape and then face another major storm, they'll be lucky if their fate remains unchanged and fades into obscurity.

The moon rose, bright and clear as a plate.

Gao Yueyuan listened silently until Gao Danyan finally stopped talking.

He walked out silently, head bowed in thought.

Seeing that she left without saying a word, Gao Danyan was extremely anxious: "Oh dear! I've been trying so hard to persuade her!"

"At least say something! You're driving me crazy!"

He then stamped his foot: "No, I have to make this silly girl change her mind today!"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Then, with alluring steps, she chased after him—

More than half an hour later, a furtive figure crept back.

She pulled on the door; it was already bolted.

So he walked over to the guest room and gently knocked on the window.

"Who is it?" Old Gao's voice came from inside immediately, clearly still awake.

"It's me, open the door," the woman said in a low voice.

Those who have worked with large teapots must have keen eyesight and sharp ears.

So Lao Gao immediately recognized who it was: "Oh, they're here."

At this point, the woman couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "Well, I was worried, so I came to check on him."

Old Gao stepped over the threshold and said calmly, "That's perfect. Could you watch over him for a while? My stomach suddenly hurts."

"Okay," the woman agreed.

The two exchanged a glance; both were seasoned veterans, and everything was understood without a word.

Old Gao's eyes were full of admiration; she really was that "little horizontal wave"!

When the time is right, act decisively and without hesitation.

The woman stood there for a while, waiting until her eyes adjusted to the darkness, before groping her way into the inner room.

Without further hesitation, the woman looked at the fast-sleeping Jiang Baobin and began to fuss over herself.

He was still muttering to himself, "What sins did I commit in my past life?"

"None of them have given me a moment's peace!"

"Why would you choose to cross a narrow bridge when there's a wide, smooth road available?"

"You silly girl, you can wait, but I can't! Things could go wrong if I wait any longer!"

As she spoke, Gao Yueyuan had already climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jiang Baobin was really drunk, and because he felt unwell, he kept falling asleep and waking up.

He never expected that the "sweet potato sprouts" from the countryside would be so amazing!

It's a strong drink that really gets you drunk.

This stuff doesn't exist in later generations; it's all concocted, so it's not as intoxicating as it is now.

Previously, although Jiang Baobin had gotten drunk a few times, it was always from foreign liquor, and the reaction was never this severe.

He felt dizzy and disoriented.

My brain has turned to mush; it no longer belongs to me.

It took him a lot of effort to finally feel a soft, fragrant object in his arms.

"Huai Ru, what brings you here?"

"Ugh————"

"It's good that you're here. I've missed you."

"Wait a minute, aren't you having children anymore?"

"And who are you? Rose?"

"You're here!"

Gao Danyan rolled her eyes: I just wanted you to sleep for a bit!

For such a small request, do I really need to learn bird language first? That's ridiculous!

Because she didn't know what Jiang Baobin was saying, she could only mumble something indistinctly.

But people weren't idle.

Hard work pays off.

Gao Danyan swayed gracefully like a willow branch in a gentle breeze.

Old Gao, who was locked out, deeply regretted not bringing his palm-leaf fan with him.

There was no other way but to gather some foxtail grass, tie it into a bunch, and wave it around to scare away mosquitoes.

It felt like an eternity before I finally heard the roar of a tiger echoing through the mountains.

Then, the tiger's mouth seemed to be covered.

A while later...

"Knock knock—" A soft knocking sound suddenly came from the window.

Old Gao, who had been listening intently, quickly threw away the bundle of straw and went inside.

Having tidied up, but feeling utterly exhausted, Gao Danyan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "Old Gao, help me up, my legs are weak."

"Yes." Old Gao agreed and reached out to help her up.

Old Gao couldn't hold back any longer: "You guys—what's wrong with you?"

Gao Danyan said bitterly, "Don't even mention it! What sins must I have committed in my past life to deserve this pair of sworn enemies in this one!"

"One's an idiot, forcing me to take the fall for her, and the other's just trying to ruin me!"

"Are you alright? Should we call a doctor?"

"Are you stupid? How can you let anyone know about this? I'm fine, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Old Gao helped her into the yard: "He really drank too much—"

Old Gao is probably the only person who understands her now, and there are some things Gao Danyan still wants to tell him.

He then said, "I know he's drunk, and I shouldn't have provoked him."

"But if we miss today, when will we ever have another chance?"

"Sigh, don't say anymore, this is my fate. From the moment I was born, I was born to suffer."

Seeing that she was standing still, Lao Gao knew that she had something to say.

Gao Danyan changed the subject: "What will you say if he asks about it tomorrow?"

Old Gao was taken aback, not understanding what she meant. Could I possibly say something else?

Gao Danyan then instructed him, "You can't say it's me who's here; you have to say it's Yuanyuan."

"Huh?" Old Gao was completely baffled by this bizarre move.

Gao Danyan said impatiently, "Stop it!"

"Otherwise, you'll just be a big teapot, because your brain just won't work."

"How old am I? How many more years can I hold on?"

"Who knows, one day that disease might flare up and he'll kick the bucket."

"But Yuanyuan is still so young; she has a long and beautiful life ahead of her!"

"If she does well, Junbao will benefit from it in the future."

"Don't worry, he's so drunk he can't even tell who's who."

Then he added, "Did you remember? If he asks, just say what I told you."

"Okay, I've got it."

Gao Danyan repeated her instructions: "He's very cunning, so stick to this point and don't let go!"

",good."

"Alright then, you can tell me the rest."

"Ugh, I really need to rest. That donkey! It's not even human!"

"Alright, I'll help you back." Old Gao said with emotion, "Young lady, you've really gone through a lot."

"Didn't I already say this? This is my fate!"

"When he kicks his own leg, that's when he'll be able to enjoy life."

"Don't think like that, young lady. Things will definitely get better in the future."

Gao Danyan gave a wry smile: "I hope so."

He then gritted his teeth and said, "You just wait, you brat!"

"If you dare to make any more excuses, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Old Gao suppressed a laugh: These are all bickering lovers! It's amazing how they ended up together.

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