An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

After the liberation of Beiping, the Kuomintang officials who took over the courtyard arrested the owner and vowed to "severely punish him without mercy!"

It's basically extortion.

But by this time, the Lu family had completely fallen into ruin and had no money to spare.

The whole family could only kneel in front of the deaf old lady's house and beg her desperately.

Even the old lady, who hated traitors more than anything in her life, was helpless.

He had no choice but to reveal his identity and plead for the legitimate son of the Lu family.

The reputation of the first batch of students from Huangpu Military Academy is still effective, especially considering the fact that two of them sacrificed their lives for the country.

No matter what, they are the younger siblings of the Lu family's legitimate son.

This is how the unfilial son was finally able to escape death.

This is also why the deaf old lady has the final say in the courtyard now – without her, the entire Lu family would have fallen apart long ago!

Hearing the elderly deaf woman recount her experience through tears, Jiang Baobin was deeply moved.

There are spineless traitors and also martyrs who risked their lives; this family is truly a stark contrast.

At the same time, I am also amazed that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure, which is absolutely true.

Who could imagine that such a short, thin woman with bound feet could actually support a family!

And what kind of pain and torment did she herself endure?

The topic was too heavy, and under Jiang Baobin's deliberate guidance, the deaf old lady began to talk about her youth.

The old master of the house, the father-in-law of the deaf old lady, was very capable.

He first served as an official in the Ministry of Revenue of the Qing Dynasty, and later served as an official in the Republic of China.

As he grew older, he moved from the main house to the side courtyard to live out his remaining years.

The side room where Jiang Baobin now lives is his study, and also his favorite place.

Jiang Baobin didn't hide anything and asked the deaf old lady if she knew there was a secret room in the house.

The old man laughed: "Of course I know! And it's not just one place!"

"Rich people used to like that, and my family did it too."

"Back then, my father-in-law had just passed away, and my husband even took me down to pay my respects."

"But it contained a lot of gold, silver, treasures, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques."

"What a pity! The descendants are unworthy; the old man's wealth accumulated over generations has all been squandered."

The deaf old lady sighed repeatedly.

But as a woman, and a concubine at that, she could only watch helplessly, with no way to stop it.

The old man rambled on for a while, then, seeing Jiang Baobin still staring blankly, asked, "What's wrong? Third son?"

"Huh?" Jiang Baobin finally came to his senses.

"I... I just feel it's just too... life is so unpredictable, and things can change so much!"

The deaf old woman then sighed again, "Ah, who can argue with that? The longer you live, the more troubles you have..."

So why did Jiang Baobin suddenly become incoherent?

Because the system is showing its presence again:

"Ding! Hidden quest 'Uncover the mystery of the deaf old lady's past' completed. System rewards are being distributed..."

Unintentionally, a mission was triggered!

Jiang Baobin abruptly asked, "Grandma Lu, can you read?"

"I can read!" the deaf old lady said proudly.

"Daughters from families like ours not only need to learn to read and write, but also to do needlework."

"There's so much to learn: how to make and taste tea, how to drink wine, and how to arrange flowers."

"Otherwise, how will you interact with other people's wives and young ladies after you go out?"

"When you grow up, you'll need to learn to use an abacus and cook, otherwise how will you manage the household and be a good housewife?"

Jiang Baobin exclaimed, "That's truly remarkable! No wonder you're from a distinguished family!"

The deaf old lady smiled smugly.

Jiang Baobin then asked, "What about the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"

His mind drifted to the beautiful women in "Dream of the Red Chamber," so many talented women!

The deaf old lady smiled and said, "Of course I have to know them all."

"Unfortunately, I was young and mischievous, so I was only a mediocre learner in everything."

"Later on, none of it was used, and the little bit I learned was just enough to make a living, haha."

"Then can you teach me to write? My handwriting is terrible."

He wasn't being modest at all; as an "engineering geek," his "chicken-chop style" had always bothered him.

Especially when fans ask him for autographs, he feels like he wants to crawl into a hole and disappear!

Writing seems to be something that's completely outside his skill range; no matter how much Jiang Baobin practices, he just can't seem to improve.

So, in a different world, he wanted to try again.

Unexpectedly, the deaf old woman asked curiously, "Can you read?"

Jiang Baobin was dumbfounded: Do I recognize it or not?

With a quick glance around, he mumbled, "When my second brother was in school, I secretly followed along and learned from him."

"I don't know much, which is why I need to learn from you."

The deaf old woman waved her hand: "No way, I haven't used it for decades, I've been eating it with rice."

If you want to learn to read, you need to find someone knowledgeable to teach you; don't end up with only a half-baked understanding.

Seeing that the old man was unwilling to teach, Jiang Baobin let it go, thinking that perhaps the old man had his reasons.

Then he asked, "Do you know seal carving?"

The deaf old woman asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

"I was just asking casually, but it turns out you really know how?"

The deaf old lady said proudly again, "My father was a master of epigraphy, and he would tell me stories about epigraphy all the time."

"He has a particular fondness for seals; he not only studies them but also carves them himself."

"Because I was an old maid, I was pampered, and he taught me step by step."

"I played with it for a few days, but then my dad passed away, so I never played with it again."

The deaf old woman became lost in memories of the distant past, and the expression on her face gradually dimmed.

Meanwhile, Jiang Baobin's side also clashed with the system:

"Complete the hidden quest 'Uncover the mystery of the deaf old lady's background'."

"Rewards will be given for: ① Introduction to Epigraphy; ② Introduction to Seal Carving."

Searching my brain's memory, I indeed found relevant information.

However, he is currently a typical case of knowing how but not why, and needs more exposure and practice to master these two skills.

Jiang Baobin was overjoyed: He never expected to receive such an unexpected reward for simply delivering steamed buns; surprises are truly everywhere!

Jiang Baobin then asked about the tenants in the cross-courtyard area.

He found it quite strange that several days had passed without anyone moving in, which was clearly illogical.

The deaf old lady knew everything about this matter—

It turns out that the house had been booked by a family who had fled from outside the Great Wall, but they hadn't moved in yet.

Jiang Baobin did some mental calculations and decided to remove his side room.

If you were to rent the entire courtyard, it would cost at least twelve or thirteen silver dollars.

Wow, that's rich!

It's getting late, the old lady should rest.

After saying goodbye, Jiang Baobin returned home.

First, register today's accounts. We must explain to Tom exactly where all the money went.

This isn't difficult; it only involves a few things: kickbacks (payment to the interviewee), hospitality expenses, and transportation costs.

Next, I took stock of my accumulated possessions: today I brought back 30 cans of food, two 44-pound bags of flour from the US...