An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

In the west room, Gao Yueyuan, dressed in a gorgeous cheongsam, played the piano and sang a song.

Mrs. Gao, all smiles, bustled around serving them.

As for the guests, they couldn't see them because their bodies were blocked by a screen.

This design is quite ingenious.

Just then, Yueya came out carrying a thermos, smiled at Jiang Baobin, and walked towards the east wing.

Old Gao took the empty thermos and handed it back to her with a full one.

Jiang Baobin took a few steps toward the moon gate, frowned, and looked at the main house again.

Gao Yueyuan smiled, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and sang with great enthusiasm.

Madam Gao was also busy as a butterfly flitting among flowers.

Although her voice couldn't be heard, her mouth was opening and closing, so she must have been saying flattering things.

Jiang Baobin was now very curious about who this guest was, that he had such an air of importance.

Unfortunately, he didn't have X-ray vision and couldn't pass through the screen.

"Never mind, nothing beats a good night's sleep," he thought, yawning.

It's perfect to listen to Gao Yueyuan's little tune; it's very soothing.

However, he hadn't been asleep for long when a notification sound came:

"Game cheat codes for virtual world players in courtyard houses"

Current time: November 14, 1948

Player: Jiang Baobin

Health Status: 61%

"Physical Attributes:"

"Wisdom: 13"

"Explosiveness: 14"

Endurance: 12

Agility: 11

"Five Senses: 14"

"Game Map: The main character's activity area has been expanded to the 'FT Zone';"

"Task (No. 4): Launch a public opinion counterattack to render your sister-in-law's attempts to smear your reputation futile;"

"Task complete, reward issued:"

"① Expand the main character's activity area;"

"②, 1 free attribute points can be assigned;"

"New mission (No. 5): Help Rose sell her company as quickly as possible at a relatively high price so that she can return to America."

"The level of the reward will be directly linked to the company's selling price and the speed of transaction."

××××××

This is great news! My sister-in-law has finally given in.

This woman is really stubborn; she endured it for over ten days just to slander herself.

However, a generous reward always brings forth brave men, and this time they finally behaved themselves.

So where should he put this precious 1 "freely allocable attribute point"? Jiang Baobin was truly at a loss.

Logically, the attribute should be added to "Agility," since it's currently the lowest among all the attributes.

Adding it on top to make up for the shortcomings is perfectly reasonable.

What was that saying again? It's something like, the shortest plank determines the size of the bucket.

But I always feel that egalitarianism is wrong, and there should be better options.

Forget it, let's leave it for now and see how it goes.

When people are in high spirits, they are in good spirits. As usual, Jiang Baobin got up early to practice his skills.

I noticed that Lao Gao was acting strangely today. He had actually moved a recliner to the covered walkway in the main room and was currently dozing off on it.

However, he woke up immediately as soon as Jiang Baobin came out.

When he saw that Jiang Baobin was about to greet him, he quickly waved his hands, indicating that he should not make a sound.

Jiang Baobin couldn't understand what he meant—since you don't need to greet me, then I won't bother with you.

So he went off to practice his skills on his own...

That evening.

As agreed, Jiang Baobin accompanied Rose to meet someone.

Weinberg, just by hearing this name, you know he comes from a greedy ethnic group.

This guy is a jerk; in his mouth, Smith Corporation is utterly worthless, just a pile of junk.

The accounting firm actually valued "Smith" at $73.5.

Jiang Baobin was truly shocked when he first saw the quote.

The arrogant Mr. Smith turned out to be a shrewd businessman.

What does $735,000 mean in 1948?

This can be analyzed from two perspectives.

In terms of salary levels: the average monthly salary in the United States this year is $180, while it will be $4952 in 2024, an increase of 27.5 times.

If this company moves to 2024, based on this standard, its value should be $2000 million!

In terms of gold prices: it was $35 per ounce in 1948, and has now risen to $3400.

In less than eighty years, it has increased 97 times.

Smith Corporation would be worth $7000 million today!

Even considering the realities, the value of an American millionaire in 1948 was far greater than that of a multi-millionaire in 2025.

Therefore, no matter how badly Mr. Smith's character is criticized, his outstanding achievements as a businessman cannot be denied.

But that damn Weinberger offered only $13.5 for the acquisition.

This is absolutely outrageous; it's no exaggeration to call it taking advantage of someone's misfortune!

This is cut in half at the waist, then cut in half again, and it even has a curve!

Rose and Elizabeth considered the offer an insult.

But only Jiang Baobin knew that even at this price, Rose wouldn't lose money.

If Weinberg can recoup $10 from this investment a few months later, he'll be incredibly lucky.

However, in order to complete the task assigned by the system, Jiang Baobin would certainly not easily persuade Rose to sell.

As Rose's employee, Jiang Baobin clashed with Weinberg.

The two of them glared at each other, neither willing to back down.

Finally, Jiang Baobin spoke first, asking, "I would like to ask Mr. Weinberger a question."

Do you know how much money Smith Corporation made last year?

Weinberg's expression froze. As the target of the acquisition, he had, of course, investigated it thoroughly.

Jiang Baobin gave a mocking smile: "142,000 dollars, according to your quote."

"Mrs. Smith could earn more money in a year than the acquisition price by simply hiring a professional manager."

"And she herself can go on vacation anywhere in the world."

"Don't let others laugh at you for being a fool who sold your company for an incredibly low price!"

Having his sinister intentions exposed, Weinberg glared at him angrily.

"Who exactly are you? How dare you spout such nonsense here?"

If you can break down your negotiating opponent's defenses, it means you've succeeded in the first step.

Jiang Baobin smiled, took out a business card, and pushed it in front of him.

"I am but a humble person, my name is Jiang Baobin, and I am Mrs. Smith's secretary."

"Responsible for handling all matters related to the sale of Smith Corporation."

Weinberger grabbed the business card and stubbornly declared, "That's my price, don't even think about asking me for a penny more!"

He then gave Rose and Elizabeth a threatening glare, the implication being—

No one but me would be willing to take over this lousy company. Don't regret it if you miss this opportunity!

Watching the guy's thin back as he walked away, Jiang Baobin scratched his chin.

Another stubborn and arrogant guy.

I really don't understand how such a scoundrel, who's as hard as a rock in a latrine, managed to get rich.

Well, wealthy people have different personalities, but being extremely stingy with others is almost a common trait among them.

When Weinberg left, Elizabeth was furious and swore that she would rather let the company rot than sell it to him!

Jiang Baobin was a little confused—wait a minute, when did the company become yours?