An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

The Jiang father and son exchanged some words of advice—who should go and ask Jiang Baowu for help.

Nobody wants to take the lead, since it's asking for a favor.

The one the Lord wanted was Jiang Baobin, someone neither his uncle nor his grandmother cared for.

In the end, Jiang Baowu revealed a smug smile, turned around, and went inside to wait for a reply.

He really wanted to know what advice the third brother would give his father.

If that makes sense, then I can brag about it to others in the future...

The courtyard gate was ajar; it opened with a gentle push.

This was Jiang Mantang's second time setting foot in the west courtyard.

The courtyard, which had recently been filled with the sounds of piano music and singing, was now eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Mantang stepped towards the moon gate leading to the west wing room.

The first thing that catches the eye is a rope dangling in the air, with lots of vegetables hanging from it.

Then there were baskets and reed mats on the ground, covered with strips of radish.

In the courtyard next to the west wing, not only were coal briquettes neatly stacked, but also a lot of coal balls were piled up.

The gaps between the courtyard and the covered walkway were all completely covered with wooden planks.

Its top is level with the top of the courtyard wall, and it is about two or three meters high.

Judging by this setup, they're going to fill the entire courtyard with coal briquettes.

Jiang Mantang frowned as he watched, and asked his youngest daughter, who was squatting on the ground intently rummaging through the vegetables, "Where's your third brother?"

Jiang Daya was startled. Seeing that it was her father, she replied helplessly, "It's Dad. My third brother hasn't come back yet."

"Why does he prepare so much food and so much coal? Can he even finish eating it all and burning it all?"

"Does this mean you start squandering money as soon as you get your hands on some?"

Jiang Daya shook her head; she was puzzled too.

But a little arm can't twist a big thigh; if her third brother asked her to do it, how could she dare not do it?

During this period, following my third brother, the standard of food has been increasing rapidly.

It's gotten to the point where they can eat meat every night (whenever Jiang Baobin comes home for dinner, he buys meat for him).

Look at Jiang Daya's once-shriveled buttocks; now they're all bulging. That's the best proof.

Moreover, my third brother doesn't make me work for free; he even gives me pocket money.

I'm so old, and I've never seen what pocket money looks like.

Now that she finally has the money to buy the things she likes, Jiang Daya can laugh in her dreams.

Seeing that the old maid knew nothing when asked, it shows that the third brother has a lot of old-fashioned skills.

Jiang Mantang immediately dismissed the idea that he had just had of keeping his money safe.

The third child is no longer the one who could be molded and manipulated at will.

On the contrary, I still need his help, so I can't act rashly on a whim.

Chiang Kai-shek was surprised that he was so hesitant to act against his third son, and he couldn't help but sigh at the vicissitudes of life.

He then instructed the old woman, "Then you stay here. Let me know when your third brother is back."

"Ah!" Jiang Daya exclaimed in surprise, "My third brother said he sometimes doesn't come back until midnight."

"What's he doing? Keeping up until the middle of the night?"

Jiang Daya shook her head helplessly—How would I know?

Jiang Mantang said helplessly, "Then you can come here based on your guess. If they're asleep over there, then you can go back."

Let's go.

"Dad," Jiang Daya called out, "Although my third brother comes back late, he gets up early."

"He gets up to practice his skills right after dawn. If you come then, you're sure to see him."

"What kind of kung fu?" Jiang Mantang's understanding was once again refreshed.

Previously, Jiang Baobin would rather lie down than sit, which made him disliked by his whole family, who all called him a lazy bum!

That's obvious. If you can't even get enough to eat, how can you not lie down?

Why are you practicing martial arts now? It's just pointless nonsense!

Jiang Daya shook her head again. She didn't sleep here either; she had only heard a few words from Jiang Baobin and knew nothing of the details.

As expected, Jiang Mantang did not see anyone that day.

That night, unbeknownst to anyone, a major event had occurred—

By chance, Jiang Baobin learned the "Nine Yin Manual," a technique specifically designed to counter the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra."

This resulted in Liu Ling'er (Little Dragon Girl) being utterly defeated.

Just as she was about to kneel down and beg for mercy, offering herself in return—

A loud "bang" startled Jiang Baobin awake.

I quickly turned on the lights.

Finding no one inside, I felt a little relieved.

Then, I noticed a small silk package on the ground.

What the heck? My paranoia kicked in instantly—is someone trying to frame me?

It was only then that Jiang Baobin remembered that he also had something to offer.

He hurriedly rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find the pistol he had obtained from Smith.

After clumsily flipping the safety, this guy scanned the room with the muzzle of his gun.

In fact, with that much effort, the other party could have easily defeated him eight times over.

After checking, there were no signs of anyone entering the house; it must have been thrown in through the window.

He couldn't help but click his tongue. What if a grenade had been thrown in there, or someone had slit his own throat with a knife...?

Think carefully!

After Jiang Baobin finished feeling scared, he went to check the small package.

I first gently touched it and found that it was full of hard objects, and they were not very big, unlike things like hand grenades.

This guy then laughed at his own ridiculousness. If someone wanted his life, why would they go to all this trouble?

He simply took the package onto the kang (a heated brick bed). The package didn't look big, but it was quite heavy.

When he opened it—he was completely numb!

It took him a while to react, and he jumped to the ground.

Forgetting even to put on his shoes, he started swaying his shoulders and shaking his hips, shouting, "We ordinary folks are really happy today..."

Why did he suddenly go insane? Because he made a fortune.

That's right, this small package is full of valuable items.

Among them: 1 large yellow croaker; 3 small yellow croakers; a small pile of gold and silver jewelry; and more than 100 silver coins.

According to current market prices: a large yellow croaker can be exchanged for 600 silver dollars, and a small yellow croaker can be exchanged for 60 silver dollars.

With the jewelry and silver coins included, the value must be over 1000 yuan.

Jiang Baobin had already guessed who did it, because apart from the man he saved from the brink of death, he hadn't done anything that serious to anyone else.

Sure enough, there was a note in the package, with something scrawled on it:

"I won't thank you enough for saving my life."

"I offer this small gift to express my sincerity."

"If you need anything, you can ask Little Golden Phoenix at 'Sunset Temple' to pass on the message. I will definitely repay your kindness!"

There was no text or signature below, but a swallow was drawn.

The painting is much prettier than the words; the little swallow is so lifelike.

But Jiang Baobin had no interest in appreciating it; only one thought popped into his head:

Could it be Yanzi Li San? A legendary figure in the martial arts world, some say he was a chivalrous thief who robbed the rich to help the poor.

Some say he is an absolute villain!

How did I get involved with him?

Isn't this system just making things difficult for me?

Then, he comforted himself (mainly because the financial returns were too high, and he became greedy):

If anything goes wrong, it'll be Tom's fault; I'm just a lackey...