An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Then we really need to go and check on them. Ordinary people haven't experienced major disasters before, so we shouldn't cause any more trouble.

Then one's own heart will not be at peace.

In the future, it would be incredibly difficult to find someone without a phone number or WeChat account.

Because we couldn't find out, and nobody knew him.

These days, it couldn't be easier.

When asked, the shopkeepers next door all told him that Yang Lao Er's house was along "Dragon Beard Ditch" but hadn't reached "Goldfish Pond".

So they went there and asked around for Yang Lao Er, who sold pancakes at the entrance of "Xiehe".

If you ask two people, one of them will surely know him, and so people will gradually point him in the right direction:

"Keep going, it'll be about a mile from there."

"Keep going straight, it'll be there soon after that turn."

When we arrived at the approximate location they indicated, we first saw four little kids in the distance.

Although the clothes were patched, at least the girl had a pair of pants.

The older boys were left with only their underwear.

The little one, on the other hand, was completely naked.

Their small bodies were tanned as dark as coal.

A man was squatting in the middle, his face full of sorrow as he banged on a broken tin stove.

Jiang Baobin was immediately delighted. Hey! Isn't this Yang Lao Er?

It's like you're choosing the path to heaven when it's available... wait, I'm getting the words mixed up.

It's like searching high and low without finding it...

Forget it, forget it, what's with all this jargon from engineering students? It's completely irrelevant.

The guy grinned and leaned closer: "Hey buddy, is it being repaired? Can it still be fixed?"

"Master—" When Yang Lao Er turned around and saw it was him, his voice choked up instantly, and he was about to kneel down.

Jiang Baobin quickly helped him up and got straight to the point: "What happened yesterday was my fault for not thinking things through. I came here specifically to apologize. You didn't get beaten up, did you...?"

Yang Lao Er repeatedly said he didn't deserve it, and then tried to invite people into the house, but Jiang Baobin glanced at him and decided against it.

Good heavens, they're really poor. The couple and their four children live in a shack that's only as tall as a person.

If I went in by myself, I'd probably have trouble even turning around.

"Old Yang, to be honest, I have something important to do later."

"Your house was so hard to find, it took me a lot of time, so I didn't have time for formalities."

"Just tell me how much you lost yesterday, and I'll compensate you."

"I can't let my mistake cause your family of six to go hungry, can I?"

Yang Lao Er then reported the losses with great embarrassment, clearly having already mentally calculated the amount dozens or even hundreds of times:

The stove can still be used after some tapping, and although the pot was overturned, thankfully it didn't break.

All that's left are the discarded buckets and basins, and the lost dough...

Although Jiang Baobin found him rambling, he had no choice but to listen patiently.

Until he hesitantly mentioned the two dollars and three cents he had spent, he even offered to give him three cents back.

He would be satisfied with just two yuan in compensation from Jiang Baobin.

Jiang Baobin was left speechless – everyone else was asking for more, why were you trying to cover your own debts?

These days are so strange; there are bad people like Gu Huaiwen who are utterly wicked and commit all sorts of evil deeds.

There are also honest and simple people like Yang Lao Er, who have been bullied all their lives and don't even dare to ask for more compensation when offered to them.

Jiang Baobin didn't say much, just stuffed three silver dollars into his hand and left—he had intended to give him a few more.

Judging from Yang Lao Er's cowardly appearance, he probably won't be able to sleep at night if he gives in.

Even Yang Lao Er chased after them for a long way, insisting on returning a piece.

In his words, "You've already been so kind, I can't take advantage of you any further."

Finally, Jiang Baobin threatened to return all the money to him if he didn't accept it, and only then did he reluctantly stay.

He ended up kneeling by the roadside and kowtowing repeatedly.

He didn't hold a grudge at all about how Jiang Baobin had tricked him yesterday; instead, he kept thinking about how kind Jiang Baobin had been to him.

Without those three silver dollars, he would have to go out and carry heavy loads until he had saved enough capital before he could set up his stall again.

Then I don't know when we'll have to wait.

Jiang Baobin was too lazy to argue with him anymore, so he quickened his pace and walked away.

What can you do when you encounter someone who won't fight back or talk back when you're hit? You can only silently remember them—this person might be useful in some way.

At the same time, I felt a mix of emotions: I hope Beiping will be liberated soon. Seeing the living conditions of these people is truly heartbreaking.

However, there are still several hurdles for ordinary people to overcome before that happens.

But having learned his lesson this time, Jiang Baobin dared not be a pushover again; it was far too dangerous!

××××××

When Jiang Baobin saw Rose again, he could clearly sense that she was in a bad mood.

It's much more negative than yesterday; I wonder what happened this time.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Baobin decided not to ask anything. Foreigners are very particular about their privacy, and he didn't want to annoy them.

Hearing that he was coming, the two children thumped and jumped down from upstairs.

Emma, ​​running ahead, asked in her childish voice, "Uncle Jiang, Uncle Jiang, are you here to tell me a story?"

Want to hear a story?

"Hmm—can you tell me the story of the monkey again?"

"no problem."

After the story of "Borrowing the Banana Leaf Fan Three Times" was finished, Rose dressed up and prepared to go out.

Jiang Baobin accompanied her to Smith Company.

This is a fairly large company that does more than just trade; it also has a physical factory in the eastern suburbs.

It brought in wheat, corn, cotton, and kerosene from America.

Then they plant, process, and package the flowers to achieve their dumping goal.

Flowers are crops produced using human and animal power and organic fertilizer.

They are no match for the Americans' combination of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanized mass production.

Mechanization in the United States began at the beginning of the century; in 1910, its annual tractor production was only 1,000 units.

By 1940, the number had increased to 15.45 units, and it was still growing rapidly at a rate of more than 5 units per year.

This year, the United States has mechanized agriculture, becoming the first country in the world to achieve this feat.

However, the customs service of the Democratic Party is practically non-existent and cannot protect its agricultural products at all.

If things continue this way, it's highly likely that Americans will come to China to acquire land and set prices for agricultural products.

Fortunately, they were out of time.

The first thing Rose did after taking over the company was to hire an accounting firm.

Conduct an asset appraisal of Smith Corporation.

Jiang Baobin agreed, saying that although it's inevitable to be pressured to lower prices when selling property at this time, one should always be aware of the situation.

What Jiang Baobin needed to do most was to reassure the Chinese employees within the company.

This is, after all, a company that caters to flower growers, so the vast majority of its employees are flower growers.

The news of Smith's accident is now common knowledge.

That's why we need to find ways to keep people focused, at least to maintain appearances, otherwise we can expect unscrupulous capitalists to drive down prices.

Jiang Baobin's first piece of advice to Rose was—a raise!

His reasoning was compelling: the company is going to be sold anyway, and you won't be the one paying salaries in the future.

If that's the case, why not let everyone have some fun first?