An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Jiang Mantang prided himself on being clever, yet he still made a very basic mistake—money is created by people, and people are always more important than money.

However, the Kuomintang's sudden outburst caught Chiang Kai-shek off guard, and he developed a mouthful of blisters overnight.

As the head of the family, he was genuinely anxious!

I haven't saved enough money to buy a house, unless I buy a place that's been in disrepair for years, but that's not buying a house, it's buying a plot of land.

He cursed Chiang Kai-shek's ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind (although eighteen generations ago, the two even shared the same ancestor).

Even if you wait a year or two, you could just grit your teeth and buy a house directly. Why worry so much?

Chiang Kai-shek said he was wronged, and that he would be out of a job in a year, so where would he go to plunder the people's wealth?

Since he couldn't afford a house, Old Jiang only had two options left:

One rule is to obediently exchange the silver dollars for gold yuan notes as required by the government.

But historical experience tells him that whenever the people listen to the government, they always suffer losses.

The other way is to tough it out!

But what if that device from the government is really as dangerous as the rumors say!

Wouldn't all my hard work over the years just go down the drain?

Chiang Kai-shek was so preoccupied with this that he couldn't sleep at night and even had trouble eating.

After much thought, he still couldn't come up with a definite idea, and he had to admit that he was getting old and couldn't keep up with the times.

So they sent Daya to the police station to find the second son and discuss what to do.

However, Chiang Kai-shek was really muddleheaded. Why send Da Ya? Was it a good place?

Jiang Daya waited outside for a long time but didn't see her second brother. She asked around and was told that there was an important case to handle and that she should wait.

Until a short, stout, bald old policeman returned from outside and saw her lingering there.

I asked her first and chatted with her for a while before she agreed to help me find the person.

trial room.

Jiang Baowu, looking exhausted, was called out.

"Director, you called me?" Upon seeing the short, fat man, Jiang Baowu immediately put on a fawning smile.

The latter gestured with his chin towards the interrogation room door: "How did it go?"

Jiang Baowu said embarrassedly, "I haven't confessed yet."

The short, fat man frowned.

Jiang Baowu hurriedly said, "But it won't be long. I'll be able to break through his psychological defenses soon."

The short, fat man's expression immediately relaxed, and he chuckled, "Never mind, that's not your forte."

"I'll let someone else do this dirty work, you can do some writing."

Jiang Baowu was completely baffled—when did the bureau chief become so easy to talk to? Was he trying to get back at him by saying the opposite of what he meant?

Thinking of this, his heart skipped a beat. Zhao Zhibang was a notorious smiling tiger, a man who would devour people without spitting out the bones.

He hurriedly assured, "Chief, don't worry, I'll go in and use torture right away, he'll definitely confess!"

The short, stout man smiled and tried to pat Jiang Baowu on the shoulder.

However, he was too short, while Jiang Baowu, at 1.75 meters tall, was definitely a tall man in that era.

Fortunately, the latter was perceptive enough to subtly bend his knees, making himself appear shorter.

This allowed Zhao Zhibang's chubby hand to successfully pat his shoulder.

The short, stout man was very satisfied with Jiang Baowu's performance, and said kindly:

"Baowu, don't worry, I've always valued you."

Jiang Baowu immediately pledged his loyalty: "Yes, Director, I will forever remember your kindness."

"I'm willing to serve you hand and foot, even unto death!"

Zhao Zhibang narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a grin, "Alright, alright, don't forget what you just said."

Jiang Baowu hurriedly replied, "This humble servant would never forget!"

Zhao Zhibang laughed even more heartily: "Very good, I understand. Work hard, and I will do my best to promote you."

Then he leaned closer and said a few words in a very low voice.

This made Jiang Baowu so excited he almost fainted, and words of loyalty poured out of him like water.

In his words, the bureau chief's kindness was greater than that of his own parents...

As Zhao Zhibang listened, he nodded repeatedly, clearly enjoying the conversation.

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, a girl came by outside. She said she wanted to take you home to meet her parents. Who is she?"

"Reporting to the Chief, that should be my younger sister."

"Oh, so it's your sister! She's very pretty. How old is she? What's her name?"

"I'm fifteen this year, and I haven't been given a formal name yet. My family just calls me Daya'er."

"Not bad, not bad, a humble name makes one easier to raise. Your Chiang family's offspring are all good, smooth and shiny, they're just so lovable."

Jiang Baowu replied, "You flatter me. Our humble family is far inferior to your scholarly family."

Zhao Zhibang smiled and shook his head: "You flatter me. By the way, go ahead and don't keep her waiting. We men can't keep women waiting."

"Hey, Chief, then I..." Jiang Baowu said, glancing towards the interrogation room.

The bureau chief waved his hand impatiently: "Go ahead, I have my own arrangements."

Jiang Baowu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the hot potato had finally been handed over.

He thanked her several more times before taking his leave.

The smile on the bureau chief's face gradually faded.

He rubbed his chubby hands together and hummed a little tune as he walked towards the office.

"I reached out and touched, and touched, my sister's hair—eighteen thuds of sound..."

Jiang Baowu was in a very good mood because his younger sister's arrival had actually gotten rid of a big problem for him.

He carried her on his bicycle, and they went home chatting and laughing.

But when he heard his father's question, he started scratching his head.

This wasn't the first time someone had asked him this question; several of his close friends had come to him for advice.

What could Jiang Baowu do? He could only answer that he didn't know either.

He was just a low-level policeman, neither a financial expert nor a combat engineer (that metal detector was used by the combat engineers).

How could I know whether or not I should exchange the hard currency I had for gold yuan notes?

If I say something wrong, I'll be blamed terribly.

So no matter how disappointed his father looked, he gritted his teeth and said, "I really don't know, I dare not say anything."

Jiang Mantang sighed deeply and hunched over as he prepared to go inside.

However, after working as a policeman for more than a year, Jiang Baowu has made some progress and has even learned a trick—passing the buck.

"Dad, although I don't know, I know there's one person who definitely knows."

Jiang Mantang's eyes lit up: "Who is it?"

"Third brother."

"Him?" Jiang Mantang looked incredulous.

"Yes, that's the third one," Jiang Baowu said, spitting as he spoke.

"Don't underestimate him. The third brother is really showing off now, always following the foreigners around. He's got a lot of influence now."

"He can speak foreign languages ​​now, I don't know when he learned them, it's really weird..."

Jiang Mantang didn't hear a word of what was said after that, because his mind was completely blank—

The youngest son, who had always been disliked by his whole family, has really become this successful?

Even his proud second son, when there are things he doesn't understand, asks him for advice.

Wouldn't all those years of dedicated training have become a joke?