An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Jiang Baobin would bet there's definitely a woman peeking out from beside the moon gate.

Jiang Baobin scooped the little guy onto the kang (heated brick bed): "What are you doing here, you little rascal? Trying to freeload off me?"

"Pull, pull..."

Since you've come to me of your own accord, I won't stand on ceremony.

Jiang Baobin bent his right middle finger and then flicked it out.

Jiang Hongsheng looked down and exclaimed, "Wow! I've been infected!"

The harm was zero, but the insult was immense.

The little guy pouted as if he was about to cry.

As if by magic, Jiang Baobin produced a piece of candy in his hand.

Uh! Jiang Hongsheng immediately swallowed his words—for delicious food, this young master can endure humiliation!

The little guy couldn't wait and scrambled over to it.

Jiang Baobin sighed, muttering as he unwrapped a candy:

"I'm really annoyed by your family, not a single one of you is any good, but you're so young, what wrong have you done?"

"If I were to harden my heart and push you out, I would really feel uneasy."

"I'll give you some, but when you grow up, you'll most likely be an ingrate."

"I've essentially fed the wolf with the food, which is stupid, so you're really giving me a hard time."

Jiang Baobin shook his head, then complained, "Logically speaking, if you can't afford to offend them, you should at least avoid them."

"I should have left, but that's where my bad luck lies."

"I can't leave this lousy place anytime soon, do you know why?"

Jiang Hongsheng is just a little kid, what could he possibly know? All he sees is candy.

Jiang Baobin was just using him to relieve his boredom and alleviate his loneliness.

"'The Courtyard Virtual World Player's Cheat Code' is the system's name. Do you know what it means?"

"In other words, if I want to upgrade as soon as possible, I can't leave this dilapidated courtyard."

"Ugh, isn't this making me really upset?"

"Pull, pull..." The little guy was obviously impatient and vigorously patted Jiang Baobin's hand.

Jiang Baobin chuckled: "Alright, since you're so good with words, I'll give you a treat later."

The chicken stew was ready. Apart from Jiang Hongsheng, who ate a few bites, there was also his younger sister.

Almost all of the chicken meat, chicken blood, and offal (offal is a good source of iron) ended up in Jiang Baobin's stomach.

This time, he didn't indulge anyone, not even sharing a bit of meat soup with outsiders.

A small favor is appreciated, but an excessive one breeds resentment! He's not a victim, so there's no reason for him to keep helping others; otherwise, he'll eventually become too powerful to handle!

I have to say, chicken these days is really delicious! Especially chicken soup!

No matter how skilled the chefs of later generations were, they could never recreate that taste.

Why is that?

I don't know if it was just psychological, but after a night's sleep, this guy felt like he was fully recharged!

However, the task of replenishing blood cannot be interrupted. As for how to do it?

He decided to eat out today—constantly stirring up trouble isn't a good idea.

It was cool when I woke up early, and after a little exercise, I took a nap and felt refreshed!

After that, he lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading books and stopped going out.

Liu Ling'er really hurt him; without a goal, he became lazy.

Jiang Daya, covered in sweat, rushed over and said, "Third Brother, are you hungry? I'll cook right away."

The child had just finished his chores at home and only had time to come over here now.

"Stop your fuss and come with me."

Where are you going?

"Have a meal."

"what?"

"What do you mean? By the time you finished cooking, my stomach was growling."

"I'll be quick. There's food at home; I can just heat it up."

Jiang Baobin glanced at her—"That's precisely why I'm going out—because I don't like to eat."

At the entrance of the alley, there is a food stall.

Jiang Baobin ordered steamed buns, porridge, and pickled vegetables.

There's no pure meat option! Thumbs down! I need to order some now.

But white flour is just so delicious!

Jiang Daya looked distressed and said, "Third Brother, why are you eating out? It costs money."

"Never mind that. You think I came out for nothing? I have things to do."

The little girl was reluctant to spend the money, but once she started eating, she was as happy as a little pig.

After finishing, Jiang Baobin wasn't in a hurry to leave.

Jiang Daya also looked around to watch the excitement; this was a rare moment of rest for her.

Now that she has someone to rely on, she feels hopeful about the future.

People carrying loads and pushing carts passed by one after another, but Jiang Baobin paid no attention until this person appeared—

"Coriander, celery, spicy Sichuan peppers—eggplant, flat beans, tender cabbage—who wants these huge cucumbers? Two for a dollar!"

"Vegetable vendor!" Jiang Baobin finally spoke up.

The vegetable farmer stopped and turned to look for someone.

Jiang Baobin raised his hand, and the man hurriedly came over.

"Sir, which one do you fancy? They were just picked this morning, I guarantee they're all fresh."

"How much are they?" Jiang Baobin looked down at the vegetables, wondering what the differences were compared to those of later generations.

First, they're more than a size too small; second, they look old. Take cucumbers and eggplants, for example—these days they're only picked when they're fully grown.

Unlike later generations, they had to be put on the market while they were still young.

This is probably due to a difference in mindset. People at that time believed that only ripe food had flavor, and that unripe vegetables were just a way to deceive people.

In the future, the priority will be to satisfy people's visual senses first, and then their taste.

The vegetable farmer, all smiles, replied, "Sir, the cilantro and Sichuan peppercorns are a bit more expensive."

"The rest can be done with the exact same amount; for every one cent, you should get at least one pound."

Jiang Baobin nodded, pointed to the eggplant, green beans, and bok choy, and asked, "What if I buy all of these?"

"Oh! I'm a big customer, so I have to give you a discount."

"Alright, come with me." Jiang Baobin said, putting his hands behind his back and walking ahead.

The vegetable farmers picked up their loads and followed.

Jiang Daya ran up to Jiang Baobin and asked, "Third Brother, why did you buy so many vegetables?"

Instead of answering, Jiang Baobin asked, "Do you know how to dry vegetables?"

"I only know a little bit, but I'm especially good at sauerkraut."

"We'll talk about pickled cabbage later. I'll invite the old lady from the backyard to teach you. From now on, you can dry vegetables at home whenever you have free time."

"Oh, why are you drying so many vegetables? Are they all for winter?"

"Never mind that, I'll need it later anyway."

"All right."

After paying for the vegetables, I made an appointment with the farmer to continue delivering them to my area tomorrow.

However, he only wants vegetables that are filling, such as eggplant, green beans, radishes, and sweet potatoes; he doesn't want anything else.

The vegetable farmer readily agreed and went.

Jiang Baobin was just about to go to the backyard to ask the deaf old lady to come and give his younger sister some pointers.

As a result, a man over forty years old limped in.

Judging from his clothes, you could tell that his family was well-off—they wore fine silks and satins.

The man was also sizing up Jiang Baobin, then clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "You must be Mr. Jiang."

"No, you are...?"

"I also rent a house in this courtyard. My surname is Gao, you can just call me Lao Gao."

"Oh." Jiang Baobin suddenly realized, "So it's you! I heard, Boss Gao, you're moving here?"

"Yes, I'd like to move here, but there's something I'd like to discuss with you first."

Jiang Baobin was taken aback—"Why don't you move your house? What are you asking me for advice on?"