An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Before the younger sister could say anything more, Jiang Ma's voice suddenly rang out from the courtyard.

The younger sister quickly agreed loudly, then said rapidly while clearing the dishes:

"Third Brother, Mom's back with the food. You should lie down and not let her know you went out."

Heeding advice and after a good meal, Jiang Baobin quickly lay down.

But to my surprise, I fell asleep very quickly.

In his dream, he became "Silly Bin" again, bringing endless joy to his fans.

Therefore, images of "airplanes" and "big rockets" were trending everywhere.

Then, well, he woke up. What else could he do?

Jiang Baobin wiped the sweat from his body and head, feeling like crying—

Success was within reach, but then everything was back to square one (wait, how apt!), who can you complain to?

Did I do something heinous in my past life to deserve this?

He knew that self-pity was useless, but he couldn't help it; that's a weakness of human nature.

The more anxious and agitated he became, the more he sweated. Since it was hot inside, he simply took his tattered palm-leaf fan and went out for a stroll.

His body, which was constantly regaining its strength, made him feel like he could no longer stay at home.

The "Benchmark" is located at the western entrance of the intersection of Nanluoguxiang and Qianyuanensi Hutong.

The monument is 1 meter high and 0.2 meters wide, made of white marble, with the inscription "Measured Level of Beiping" on the front.

A total of 30 stone tablets were erected between 1914 and 1916, but only 3 have survived to the present day.

Among them, Nanluoguxiang marks the highest point of the old inner city of Beiping (49 meters above sea level), which is especially valuable.

This place is 4 meters higher than the northeast corner of the Forbidden City.

It shouldn't be counted as the height of Jingshan Hill, because it was built by human hands.

Therefore, Nanluoguxiang was once renamed "Luoguoxiang" because of its high elevation, which prevented it from being flooded.

Jiang Baobin came here not to see the stone tablet, but to find a job pulling a rickshaw.

This is a gathering place for rickshaw drivers. No matter when you pass by, there are always at least three or five rickshaws waiting for fares here.

Jiang Baobin approached a few people who were chatting and took off one of his cloth shoes to put on the ground.

Once you're sitting on it, take off your other shoe and step on it with both bare feet.

Then, based on the place names he saw on the map, Jiang Baobin started chatting with them.

Don't underestimate rickshaw pullers; "Camel Xiangzi's" ultimate dream was to own his own rickshaw.

Nowadays, rickshaw pullers earn more than ten silver dollars a month. On the surface, one rickshaw puller's salary is equivalent to that of two rickshaw pullers.

People from old Beijing love to chat; they can pick any topic and talk on and on.

That's why crosstalk is so popular, with one place in Tianjin and the other in Tianjin – because people in both places are always talking.

Jiang Baobin brought up the topic of how many tram lines there were in Beiping.

He even deliberately talked nonsense.

Therefore, he was ridiculed by the rickshaw pullers.

Zhang San: "Brother, if you don't understand, then just stay silent and don't talk nonsense."

Li Si: "That's right, you've revealed your true colors like that, making you sound like a complete idiot!"

Jiang Baobin wasn't annoyed: "I'm just throwing out an idea to get the ball rolling. Actually, I really don't know, so I'd like to ask you guys for some guidance."

Zhang San immediately laughed: "Hey, that's a nice thing to say. Fourth brother, why don't you tell him that?"

"Alright."

Li Si agreed, then began counting on his fingers, recounting the details as if they were his own treasures:

"To talk about this tram system, that's a long story..."

Jiang Baobin tried hard to remember it, but unfortunately he had no paper or pen.

He didn't care about the stories told by the rickshaw pullers; what he wanted to remember was how many routes there were, their final stops, and where they passed through...

Then, he asked them for advice on how to divide the family property.

The result surprised Jiang Baobin greatly.

These days, it's not like later generations where you can just pack a bag and travel alone.

At this point, a formal "family division agreement" must be drawn up, and the distribution of houses, land, and property must be written down.

It is also necessary to clarify the issue of elderly care, including how to share the costs of support and funeral expenses.

It also requires the witnessing of authoritative figures such as clan chiefs and gentry, and confirmation by official personnel such as village heads.

Only in this way can the division of the family be successful.

Just as Jiang Baobin originally thought, he could simply move out on his own and that would be the end of it.

That's simply not true.

Without a document to separate the family property, they could neither find a job nor a place to live.

Unless he is willing to become a vagrant, he is doomed!

Damn it! This lousy house isn't going to be easy to get rid of!

Jiang Baobin's heart was utterly chilled!

Why is it so hard for me?

Other transmigrators, on the other hand, can simply tremble and get whatever they want.

Why is it that every step I take is an obstacle?

Despite encountering many setbacks, it must be said that Jiang Baobin, despite his young age, is very reliable in handling affairs.

Before doing anything, I make sure to find out everything clearly.

You won't end up with nothing after a reckless act!

He hit a wall again, and no one came to comfort him, so he could only console himself.

Now that I have a cheat code and memories from the future, what am I afraid of?

As long as we maintain a stable mindset and actively pursue development, we will definitely succeed in the future.

He encouraged himself in this way, while racking his brains to find a way to get out of his current predicament.

Just then, two men wearing straw hats and carrying loads came from the south, one after the other.

The basket the man in front was carrying was enormous, and he was calling out as he walked: "Tinder rope—to repel mosquitoes!"

Jiang Baobin noticed them precisely because they were people he was interested in.

Otherwise, once you miss it, there's a very high chance you'll never see it again in your lifetime.

Fortunately, Jiang Baobin was almost sitting on the ground, looking up from below.

This allowed them to avoid the straw hat obscuring their faces and see people clearly.

The middle-aged man shouting ahead was nothing special; he looked like a farmer.

And behind him is a thin, silent person who only knows how to walk.

But it was her face that firmly attracted Jiang Baobin's attention.

The other person's downward gaze clearly saw him, but their expression was cold, and they passed by without saying anything.

He stood there stunned for a good ten seconds before he finally reacted.

He jumped up from the ground and hurriedly put on his shoes.

This guy forgot to even say hello to the driver before chasing after them!

"Hey! Who's this person? They ran off without making a sound."

"That's right, two hundred and fifty each!"

The two rickshaw pullers, who were chatting excitedly but were abandoned halfway through their journey, cursed in dissatisfaction.

At this point, Jiang Baobin didn't care about them anymore and chased after them all the way.

The other person was walking quickly, and he was afraid of losing them.

The two men carrying loads walked along "Shajing Hutong" and "Fangzhuanchang Hutong" before heading up "Gulou West Street".

Then they continued walking northwest until they reached the foot of the north city wall, at which point they turned into a large courtyard.

When Jiang Baobin asked the locals, they told him that the place was called "Xitao Hutong".