An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Yan Bugui's wife was already laughing: "Don't worry, I know who's good and who's bad."

"I'll definitely speak well of you; I can't let your sister-in-law ruin your reputation."

"Alright, thank you in advance. I'll be counting on you from now on."

Yan Bugui replied, "Don't be so polite. You're such a good kid, so sensible."

"The neighbors have all seen it; we can't let honest people suffer."

Jiang Baobin chuckled to himself: So this is what they mean by being sensible; they want me to keep sending them gifts, right?

That stingy old man Yan is too calculating.

However, he still smiled and said, "Then I thank you too, Mr. Yan."

"You're too kind. We're just telling the truth."

"Okay, that's settled then. I'll go visit some other places."

"Okay, okay, take care, come visit sometime."

"I'll definitely come here to learn from you, please wait a moment."

After Jiang Baobin left, the couple looked at the plump steamed buns and laughed nonstop.

Yan Bugui's wife suddenly smacked her lips: "It would be great if you sent three of these."

"Our family can save on a meal. Not only will we not need to cook, but we won't even need to cook, which will save us some money."

Yan Bugui smiled and shook his head: "Who sends three things? Do you want two or four?"

Yan Bugui's wife laughed too: "I was just saying it casually, there are exactly three of us in our family."

Then I asked her the topic she was most interested in: "Hey, Lao Yan, have those three lads really struck it rich?"

"Look, the gifts they give are all made of two kinds of noodles. No wonder Old Jiang's daughter-in-law is so competitive."

"At first, you tried everything to get him out of the house, but then you changed your mind?"

Yan Bugui sneered: "This is what they call being too clever for your own good. You've made a fool of yourself."

"Haven't you realized yet? The third brother is the one who's truly wise in disguise."

"I was never favored by my parents, but I gritted my teeth and endured it."

"It wasn't until I grew up that I finally decided to stop serving them!"

"Just you wait and see, the Chiang family will regret this much longer."

Yan Bugui's wife exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! Can it be that mysterious?"

"No?" Yan Bugui scoffed at the question. "Do you even know why Jiang Laosan came?"

Why?

"Think about it, what did he just say?"

"Oh, stop teasing me and just tell me already. I'm too lazy to think in this heat."

Yan Bugui could only say, "Did he come in and ask if his sister-in-law had said anything bad about him? And then immediately asked you to speak well of him?"

"Yes."

"He's trying to use the steamed bun as bait, and through you, he's going to challenge his sister-in-law."

"Hey, what did I think? This is blatantly obvious."

"You're oversimplifying things, especially for a young kid like him."

"He doesn't suffer in silence, and he dares to think and act. He's extraordinary. This kid will be someone important in the future."

"real?"

"I have a good eye for people."

"So, do you think I should speak well of him or not?"

"Yes, you have to help, and you have to take it seriously, unless you don't want the steamed buns anymore."

The woman was delighted: "You mean there will be a next time?"

Yan Bugui smiled slyly: "If you help him, you might get it; if you don't, you definitely won't."

"Okay, okay, I'll find a chance to give that little wench a piece of my mind later."

"She really is despicable; even bullying an honest person doesn't go this far."

"You kick people out of their homes and then try to ruin their reputation? Isn't that like shitting on someone's neck?"

Yan Bugui gloated, "With you speaking up for Lao San, plus Lao Jia's wife, Lao Liu's wife, and Lao Xu's wife..."

"Finally, there's Old Lady Lu, who's incredibly active. Do you think that'll be enough to give the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family a run for her money?"

"Of course! If we all say the same thing, her reputation will be ruined."

"Now you know how formidable Old Man Jiang is, right?"

Yan Bugui's wife clicked her tongue: "This Jiang Laosan, he's usually so quiet, I never expected him to be so cunning."

"This is called 'the barking dog doesn't bite.' From now on, be more careful when you interact with him, and don't let him trick you."

"Okay, I understand."

Yan Bugui continued to advise, "You can't just speak up for him; you also need to find a way to let him know."

"Then I'll chime in a bit, and that way, there'll be hope for our family's steamed buns again."

"Yes, yes, you're so good at scheming. Let's do it this way."

"That's right, you won't go broke from eating or dressing..."

The woman immediately retorted, "If you can't plan ahead, you'll be poor!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, very satisfied with what had happened that day.

As Jiang Baobin continued to move around, this wind quickly reached the Jia family, the Xu family, the Liu family, the Yi family, the He family...

As for the latter two companies, Jiang Baobin went there as well, but he didn't have high hopes.

The former couple were both tight-lipped, adhering to the principle of "it's better to do less than more," and rarely spoke.

The latter, a widower with two children, has no time to worry about his own affairs.

Just as Yan Bugui analyzed, Jiang Baobin still focused on building a good relationship with the deaf old lady.

Because he knew all too well the power this person wielded.

In the TV series, why do all the "birds" give face to the old lady?

Her age is one factor, but another is that she is a "local bigwig" with a wide network of connections.

Jiang Baobin didn't mince words; he immediately launched into a long tirade, begging the old lady to help him out of his predicament.

Having just tasted the flavors of foreign canned food, the little old lady readily agreed, putting his mind at ease.

From now on, no matter who it is, if they dare to gossip about you, I, this old man, will never allow it!

It was indeed a worthwhile trip, and Jiang Baobin thanked him repeatedly.

Older people are often quite lonely, so they are very happy when someone keeps them company and talks to them.

For example, the deaf old lady now opens up and starts telling Jiang Baobin stories of the past.

The old lady had a difficult life. In her later years, she was a young lady from a wealthy family.

However, because her father committed a crime, she was sold into slavery and ultimately ended up as someone's servant or concubine.

Unfortunately, he ended up with a formidable mistress and suffered a lot of mistreatment.

They finally outlived the mistress of the house, and then had a son and a daughter.

The old lady was no ordinary person; she raised her children to be outstanding, and they all received higher education.

Unfortunately, just as they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, fate struck again—their eldest son, a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, died for his country during the War of Resistance against Japan.

The daughter inherited her brother's will and resolutely resisted the Japanese invasion.

In the end, he was betrayed by a traitor and died tragically under the enemy's sword.

This is also the thing that the deaf old lady is most bothered by.

Because her daughter died right beside her, and she was completely powerless to do anything about it.

This became a lifelong pain for the old lady.

She often cries while looking at her daughter's photos.

The current owner of No. 95 Courtyard is none other than a traitorous coward.

Although he wasn't particularly evil, he was just a troublemaker who stirred up trouble and created chaos.

But a traitor is a traitor, a stain that can never be washed away.