An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

It was so embarrassing. No matter what his father asked, Jiang Baobin didn't know how to answer.

So the thought of leaving this home as soon as possible resurfaced.

But how can it be as simple as it seems?

If he goes out now, Jiang Baobin won't even be able to protect himself!

This is a dog-eat-dog world! Who knows how many dangers await outside the door.

Therefore, he cried out again: System Master! Grant me power!

Stop leaving me with a barebones machine! I need some awesome cheat codes! From now on, I'll sweep across the land and dominate the world!

……

Well, his boss completely ignored him.

East wing. Evening.

The Jiang family members, who were already sitting in a circle, were waiting for the pillar of the family to announce that dinner was served.

These days, most families eat two meals a day: one around nine or ten in the morning and another around three in the afternoon.

Around six or seven o'clock, when it was just getting dark and I was starting to get hungry, I would quickly go to sleep.

The Chiang family, however, was special; they ate three meals a day.

Because Jiang Mantang and Jiang Baowen both had to get up early to set up their stalls, they couldn't skip meals; they couldn't even last until noon on thin porridge.

Therefore, the whole family eats three meals a day.

The only exception was Jiang San'er, who went out to collect old clothes after lunch.

I headed home before lunchtime.

Because all the housewives were busy cooking and serving their husbands after work, they didn't have time to take care of his business.

However, today was an exception. Before announcing that dinner was served, Jiang Mantang asked his youngest daughter:

"Da Ya'er, have you brought dinner to Lao San yet?"

Jiang Daya looked at her mother and shook her head.

Jiang Mantang said, "Give him a cornbread and a bowl of porridge later."

"Starting tomorrow, I'll send him three meals a day."

Seeing that his wife was about to object, he added:

"Since he's sick, let him eat more, so the neighbors won't laugh at us."

Jiang Ma shut up; everyone has to save face.

The woman, holding her child, pouted in dissatisfaction and repeatedly gave her husband meaningful glances.

Jiang Baowen pretended not to see it and reached out to grab the bottle containing bulk liquor.

The eldest sister-in-law felt ignored and was quite dissatisfied, so she snorted.

The toddler in her arms, not even two years old, was reaching out and grabbing at the table, eager to eat...

As a result, Jiang Baobin got an extra meal, which was certainly a great thing.

Food is the most important thing for people. These days, the biggest problem is still filling our stomachs.

The next morning, Jiang Baobin was woken up by scratching himself.

"Ah..." he screamed hysterically!

Although he dared not speak too loudly, his mouth was wide open and his expression was extremely ferocious, in order to express his inner anger.

Yes, he was ambushed!

Overnight, I was covered in hundreds of mosquito bites!

The clothes I had covered myself with to protect myself from the bites had long since been kicked off in my sleep because of the unbearable heat.

The mosquitoes are in for a feast!

This was the first terrible attack Jiang Baobin encountered after transmigrating!

Revenge! I will avenge myself!

"Smack!" A "bloody plum blossom" appeared on the wall, which was of course the mosquito he had swatted dead.

Because they were so greedy and drank so much, they could no longer fly.

It could only rest on the wall, which gave Jiang Baobin the opportunity to take revenge.

Okay, he only killed about ten of them, and let the rest go.

After all, with his current small frame, catching mosquitoes is quite tiring for him.

Later, his younger sister brought him breakfast.

It took Jiang Baobin a lot of effort to suppress the urge to ask her questions.

He decided to continue playing dumb, hoping that each extra day would improve his health and give him a better chance of leaving.

Because he had "lost too much blood" last night, he was starving when he woke up this morning, so he ate that precious egg.

I don't know if it's just psychological or what, but it smells more than ten times better than in later generations!

Man is made of iron, and food is made of steel. After a few days of being half-starved, he successfully changed his picky eating habits.

He ate the sorghum rice with pickled vegetable strips in the morning with great relish!

It was alright during the day, but at night it was torture for Jiang Baobin!

I didn't sleep a wink all night, just swatting away mosquitoes with a tattered palm-leaf fan.

He was really puzzled about how his predecessor had survived.

This dilapidated house has doors and windows that can't be closed properly, so it's impossible to keep out mosquitoes.

He slept for two hours only after the buzzing stopped at dawn.

By noon, the sun was blazing, and the room felt like a steamer.

He went outside and sat in the doorway to doze off; there was a breeze through, making it especially cool.

There are quite a few children in this courtyard: He Yuzhu, Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangqi, Liu Guangtian, and He Yushui.

He Yuzhu has dropped out of school; this academically challenged student simply can't concentrate on his studies.

Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangqi are all in primary school.

Liu Guangqi, in particular, is a good student and the pride of the Liu family.

The one who was beaten so badly earlier was Liu Guangtian, the second son of the Liu family.

The little guy is treated much better at home than the original owner.

The original owner experienced emotional abuse—being abandoned by her family in a dark corner, out of sight, out of mind.

On the contrary, Liu Guangtian was the punching bag for the Liu couple, who would beat him every few days.

This kid is six or seven years old, with a chubby face, the kind of age that everyone hates.

I was hit by a feather duster yesterday and I'm still limping when I walk.

Today, taking advantage of the bright sunshine and the absence of people outside, I climbed onto the roof to raid sparrow nests.

Mischievous boys are very annoying; they can have fun and break tiles without saying a word.

When the weather changes, the residents will be in trouble; the roof will suddenly leak for no apparent reason...

Jiang Baobin was most interested in Sha Zhu'er, of course.

Unfortunately, this kid is already thirteen or fourteen years old, which is the age when he should be running wild.

Aside from appearing at mealtimes, he is rarely seen at other times.

When the sun wasn't so strong in the afternoon, Jiang Baobin quietly slipped out of the house.

I've recovered a bit, it's time to go out and get some fresh air.

There's an old saying in old Beijing: "The east is rich, the west is noble, the north is poor, and the south is lowly."

Nanluoguxiang is located in the eastern part of the city, a well-known affluent area.

Historically, many famous people have lived here, including Wanrong, Duan Qirui, and Wu Peifu.

Even in such an "upscale community," the surrounding environment can only be described as terrible.

Urine and feces filled every nook and cranny, and the stench was unbearable!

Countless refugees huddled along the walls, squatting, sitting, or lying down.

Their eyes were vacant and lifeless; they were just passing the days.

The appalling environment was something Jiang Baobin could hardly imagine—

Where do the wealthy people living here get such a high level of tolerance? They can calmly accept such conditions and coexist peacefully.

So, what was Jiang Baobin up to? — He was truly fed up! He came to buy mosquito coils.

Then, I was completely dumbfounded and spent a full minute questioning my existence.

This is a previous conversation with the grocery store owner:

"I'll buy mosquito coils."

"Thank you, 420 million French francs."

"How much?" Jiang Baobin shouted, his voice cracking.

The grocery store owner was taken aback, looking completely bewildered: "420 million!"

Jiang Baobin gripped the banknotes in his pocket tightly.

"Then I'll buy a box of matches."

"Thank you, 12..."

Without saying a word, Jiang Baobin turned and left.