An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Apart from the deaf old lady complaining a couple of times about the Jiang family, the couple worked silently the whole time.

Regardless of whether the couple had any ulterior motives towards her.

But the fact that they can seize the right moment to lend a helping hand shows that there is a reason why they have earned a good reputation in the courtyard house.

After seeing everyone off, Jiang Baobin looked around and couldn't help but grit his teeth in hatred—

Damn it! What kind of blood relatives are these? The house is exactly the same as it was before.

The things I bought from the ghost market this morning were either taken away or smashed. There was nothing left except for water everywhere.

Jiang Baobin thought fiercely: No, this matter can't be left like this. I'm not going to be a sucker!

Then he began to reflect on himself—he had been too optimistic, thinking that moving out would solve everything.

How naive! They should have anticipated this would happen.

Times have changed, so we can't look at things with old perspectives.

Poor and desolate places breed unruly people, so how could the Chiang family easily let go of such a big blood bag?

Then he thought that the current situation might not be a bad thing.

Those old women in the east courtyard are no pushovers; they'll definitely go out and spread the word.

I'll think of another way to get them to spread the word about the Chiang family's actions more effectively.

By then, their reputation will be completely ruined!

Thinking about it that way, it actually feels quite satisfying.

The term "social death" was far more serious back then than it is today.

Once you get stuck in it, it can take years to recover!

Jiang Baobin has a naturally keen sense of smell.

Now the room is full of water, and the peculiar fishy smell produced by the combination of water molecules with mud and dust hits your nose.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Jiang Baobin, and he realized what was going on—

Wait a minute! Others might not know, but I know perfectly well that it was a whole tank full of water before!

But after the jar was broken, there wasn't that much water in the room. Could they fly away on their own?

Jiang Baobin's gaze involuntarily fell to the ground.

A thought suddenly popped into his head, instantly exciting him—

Could there be a hidden treasure chamber in this house? The water is leaking out.

He forgot which novel it was, but it contained such a scene.

If it really exists, then I've turned misfortune into blessing and made a huge profit!

Just then, the system joined in the fun:

"Ding! Player has triggered a hidden quest—'Find the Secret Room.' A reward will be given upon completion."

The system has already provided the answers; the remaining task is to find the entry point.

It wasn't actually that difficult; the main problem was that the water vat was broken so well that it immediately revealed something fishy on the ground.

The rest is just a matter of following the clues.

Jiang Baobin first looked at the bookshelf, which was empty.

Why look there? Because it's in "Shooting the Eagle".

The secret room where Huang Rong helped Guo Jing heal his injuries was opened using a plate on a shelf.

So where is the mechanism for this underground secret room? They can't just dig up the ground, can they? That would be incredibly low-class for the owner.

But he couldn't find it no matter how hard he looked, and he even knocked on all the surrounding walls.

Jiang Baobin simply sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and scanned the entire room with his eyes. Sure enough, he discovered the problem—

Everything else was moved, even the pots and pans, so why didn't they leave the bookshelves, tables, and chairs behind?

The bookshelves are too big to move around easily, so what about the tables and chairs?

These two items look very exquisite and are old objects. There's no need to leave them to the tenants.

Moving the chair aside is fine.

Then I moved the table... Hehe, I finally caught him!

The trick is in the table itself; the original four table legs are now stuck in grooves.

Those who don't understand might simply think it's a design to prevent the table from shifting, but little do they know there's more to it than meets the eye:

Three of the legs were fine, but the last one was connected to a steel wire underneath.

Lift the table upwards forcefully, and the steel wire will be pulled, thus triggering the mechanism.

A board bounced up from the ground.

It turns out there was a clever cam mechanism hidden underground.

The steel wire drives the switch, which in turn causes the cam to lift up the cellar entrance...

Lifting the cover and looking into the dark, sealed room, Jiang Baobin forced himself to calm down instead of rashly going in.

You should know that in various historical novels, the road to the treasure is always fraught with danger, and you could easily lose your life if you're not careful.

This guy first lit a piece of paper, threw it down, and confirmed that there was oxygen below.

The fire was extinguished by the water, but as it fell, it became clear that the area below was empty, making it unnecessary to set up any traps.

He then slowly walked down the stairs.

Halfway there, he struck a match and then took off his shoes.

When we got to the bottom, we found that the water was almost up to our ankles, which indirectly indicated that the space was not large.

But that wasn't the point. When I struck another match, I noticed three boxes and several jars against the wall.

Jiang Baobin, his eyes red, pounced on him!

If this place is filled with gold and silver treasures, why would I need to work hard at all? I could just win without lifting a finger!

Haha, the gap between ideals and reality is often at least across the Pacific Ocean.

I opened the box and saw that it was completely empty.

He opened another hole, and his nephew, holding a lantern, did the same thing again.

Until the last box was opened...

Jiang Baobin rolled his eyes first, then picked out a copper coin from inside.

Then it was time to rummage through those jars and pots.

Well, Jiang Baobin has given up hope by now.

As expected, nothing was gained.

Just then, a system notification arrived: "Ding! Hidden quest 'Find the Secret Room' completed."

"Rewards: ① One 'Xianfeng Heavy Treasure (worth fifty cash)' coin; ② One silver dollar."

That's good, at least I have money for breakfast tomorrow.

But that's not right. Where is the silver coin besides the copper coin I just found?

After searching thoroughly, Jiang Baobin finally found the precious silver dollar in the water under a box.

He rinsed it in the water and then happily stuffed it into his pocket.

It feels so good to be rich!

Only then did this guy finally have the mood to study the secret room.

First, raise your arm and you'll touch the ceiling.

First, measure the distance by step, then measure the length, width, and height by opening your arms.

He is 1.7 meters tall, so his outstretched arms would be about this length.

The final cellar volume was determined to be a space of 3.6 × 2.7 × 2.3 meters.

With nothing left to see, Jiang Baobin climbed up the ladder.

Halfway through, a thought struck him, and he backed down again.

He pulled out the $4 he had earned that day from the lining of his tattered cloth shoes.

They also put the "Xianfeng Treasure" that the system rewarded them into the largest jar.

The guy smiled broadly. Since it's a treasure trove, of course there have to be some hidden gems.

After performing these maneuvers, Jiang Baobin finally returned to the ground, satisfied.

Just as I restored the mechanism to its original state, I heard my younger sister calling from outside: "Brother, Third Brother."

"I'm here, come in."