An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Tom pulled out a stack of banknotes, all of them bearing the same "Lincoln portrait (face value 5 yuan)" design.

When it comes to money, Americans are always so direct, they don't know how to be subtle at all.

However, Jiang Baobin liked it very much—giving money readily is a virtue, better than any hypocritical gesture.

Tom smiled and counted the cards out for Jiang Baobin one by one; there were eight in total.

"Jiang, this is what you deserve. Thank you for your hard work over the past few days."

Wow, so much money!

I've worked so hard for so long, all for this moment.

Jiang Baobin blushed with excitement: "Tom, you're so generous!"

"The bonus they offered was twice as much as our agreed-upon salary!"

Tom was pleased with his attitude: "Like I said, this is what you deserve, Chiang."

"Your work is excellent, and your help to me far exceeds the value of this money."

"But please forgive me, my authority is also limited, buddy, this is the most I can do."

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Tom! This money is so important to me!"

"I will always remember your help!"

"I'm glad I could help you, Jiang. You're smart and hardworking, and you're sure to succeed in the future."

Tom pushed the money towards Jiang Baobin, indicating that he should put it away.

The guy gave a shy smile and "reluctantly" accepted it.

The two quickly packed their things and walked out chatting as they went.

"Jiang, I will be leaving this vast and magical country early the day after tomorrow."

Tom invited, "But I'm having a farewell party tomorrow night, you'll definitely come, won't you?"

"Of course, I not only congratulate you on the successful interview, but also wish you a safe journey."

"That's great, Jiang! I'll introduce you to some of my friends later; maybe you'll find a new job."

Jiang Baobin wanted to tell him that after making this money, he was ready to quit.

But after thinking about it, I held back.

It wasn't that he had a new idea, but rather that foreigners are generally arrogant.

There aren't many people as outgoing and easygoing as Tom, so his idea will most likely turn out to be wishful thinking.

The two left the coffee shop and got into a tricycle together.

Of course, Jiang Baobin had to take Tom home; he had to do his duty until the very end.

The car followed "Goldfish Alley" to the second intersection and turned south.

Wangfujing Street was bustling with people and was the most prosperous place in old Beijing.

After passing "East Chang'an Street", it was renamed "Taijichang Street".

At this point, they were not far from "Smith's Mansion," where Tom lived.

However, the two who had been chatting and laughing suddenly fell silent.

Five or six people ran out of a store and came running.

It was clear that one person was running away while several others were in hot pursuit.

These guys are no pushovers; they're all carrying shiny weapons!

The person in the lead was in excellent physical condition and quickly left the pursuers behind.

He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the situation suddenly changed.

Suddenly, seven or eight men in black appeared in front of him, blocking his escape route.

The man was very clever and immediately went back to deal with his pursuers.

Because there are relatively fewer people here, and after running for a while, one's physical strength will be depleted.

What followed was a life-or-death struggle.

The fleeing man was agile and quickly defeated several people who tried to stop him.

However, his opponents were also top-notch masters, especially the last two martial arts masters, one offensive and one defensive, whose exquisite teamwork made it difficult for him to break through for a while.

However, those who practice martial arts believe that if one step is slow, all steps will be slow. If he fails to break through at the crucial moment, his fate is sealed.

Among the group of people who arrived later, there was a "skinny monkey" who was particularly fast and ruthless!

Seizing the opportunity, Skinny Monkey darted up behind the man whose attention had been drawn to his opponent.

He thrust forward with lightning speed, then retreated as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water.

Severely wounded, the man suddenly threw his weapon.

The skinny monkey was in the middle of a rapid retreat and easily dodged the attack.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the man mustered his remaining courage and charged toward the tricycle that Jiang Baobin and Tom were riding in.

The carriage had already stopped, and the two of them, along with the driver, were all craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

Tom, in particular, took several photos during the session out of professional habit.

The man was already at his limit, and he collapsed onto the footboard of the tricycle.

He only managed to utter the words "Save me! I will..." before he fainted.

The people chasing him didn't take Tom and Jiang Baobin seriously at all.

Especially that skinny guy, who, as if no one else was around, grabbed the man's head and was about to slit his throat.

"Hey! What are you going to do?" Tom asked.

As mentioned earlier, he was an anti-war activist and hated killing more than anything else in his life.

However, he spoke in English, which these rough men couldn't understand at all.

However, judging from his expression, one can roughly guess what Tom meant.

The skinny monkey grinned: "Big white pig, mind your own business."

After being stunned for a while, Jiang Baobin finally spoke:

"Friend, if I were you, I wouldn't speak recklessly, but would think twice before I act."

"Who the hell are you?" the skinny monkey arrogantly cursed.

Jiang Baobin didn't take it seriously and raised his hands to indicate that he had no malicious intent whatsoever.

"Friend, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Tom from America."

"He's a top reporter from the best-selling newspaper over there. He was invited by Chiang Kai-shek to report on the great progress of China in exchange for more loans."

"If you anger him and he reports this to the American newspapers, Chiang Kai-shek will be furious."

"You should know the consequences." With that, the guy shrugged.

"This is not my business. I only reminded you because my employer spoke up."

"The rest of you are free to fight or kill as you please, but keep them at a distance so they don't end up on me."

After Jiang Baobin finished speaking, he ignored the skinny monkey and started chattering away to Tom.

Tom was a little agitated and pointed to the injured man.

Then, pointing at a group of somewhat bewildered men in black, he launched into a long speech.

The skinny monkey's expression changed several times before he finally slammed the injured man's head against the tricycle with a thud.

He pointed at Jiang Baobin with his finger, the threat couldn't be clearer: I'll remember you, you just wait!

Jiang Baobin grinned and said, "Hey! Friend, don't target me. I'm just a mouthpiece."

But they completely ignored him and scattered in a flash.

What can he do? He can't exactly chase after him to explain, can he? Without Tom's support, he'd be throwing good money after bad.

He could only curse his bad luck, having offended someone for no reason.

If you were to ask why Jiang Baobin suddenly spoke up to save people, it wouldn't be because he was stubborn or had a change of heart.

There was a reason for it...