Reborn veteran, lying flat since high school

The room was filled with clutter and messy bedding and furniture, making it almost impossible to move.

Zhang Lei has been tidying up for almost an hour.

Zhang Xu, the younger brother, was also helping.

He clumsily moved the wooden crate aside and untied the huge package on the ground.

The package was tied together with the four corners of a bed sheet, and inside were miscellaneous seasonal clothes and small items.

The moment it was untied, the contents that had been compressed inside gushed out and scattered all over the ground.

"Oh, alright, alright, stop making things worse, go out and have some fun."

Zhang Lei found her younger brother Zhang Xu very annoying at that moment.

Even though he had already eaten lunch, Zhang Xu stayed at home instead of going out to play. Was this really his brother who was never home?

"Sis, the house is such a mess, let me help you tidy up."

"I really appreciate the way you tidied up!"

Zhang Lei, the older sister, gritted her teeth and said, "Go play now, just to help me out, really. Don't you like playing basketball? Go, don't hold back, okay?"

"Never mind, it's too hot, I don't know anyone around here, and I don't even know where the basketball court is..."

The public basketball court in Beitan Community is Zhang Xu's second home. After moving here, Zhang Xu lost his basketball buddies. It's too far away, and it's too hot, so he's too lazy to go back.

Of course.

The fundamental reason why he didn't go to play ball was because Zhang Xu heard the truth.

The truth behind my family moving here.

The boy was sensitive, and since his home was no longer there, he was too ashamed to go back to play at the basketball court in the neighborhood where his old home used to be.

I want to contribute to my family, but I don't know where to start.

Zhang Xu was just a middle school student about to graduate, and he didn't know whether he should tell his sister the truth.

He's been feeling unwell these past few days.

"Why don't you ride my bike? Playing basketball is hotter than riding a bike, isn't it?"

Zhang Lei then considered sending her younger brother away.

It's already quite hot, so there's no need to have another light bulb in the middle of the day.

Unfortunately, my younger brother has no sense of propriety at all; no matter how much I push him, he won't budge.

"If you really don't want to go, why don't you go to the store and run errands for your parents? They probably haven't had time to eat yet, so go and take their place."

"Sis, wouldn't it be more suitable for you to go than me?"

"I still need to tidy up the house."

"I'll help you tidy up the house, you go to the shop."

The service industry is a job that requires people to be out in the public eye, and for a teenager in the sensitive period of adolescence, it is a great test of their inner self and their self-esteem.

The two siblings argued fiercely, each harboring their own ulterior motives, and neither would give an inch.

Tang Yisheng arrived at that moment.

he came.

He arrived carrying a package of delicious food.

Tang Yisheng had a large bag hanging on his handlebars, which contained several small plastic bags inside the large plastic bag.

Everything was delicious.

Moreover, only two dishes were slightly disturbed.

The rest were all freshly baked when Tang Yisheng abducted and took them away.

Song Junying was called to a private room before all the dishes were served.

Only Tang Yisheng remained.

What's the point of someone sitting outside a private room eating at Huixianlou?

Moreover, just a few steps away, separated by a wall, are Tang Yisheng's biological mother and stepfather.

It's easy to imagine that they are working hard to create a future for their daughter, Song Junying.

Tang Yisheng, the biological son, was abandoned in the main hall and was not even given a chance to participate.

What's the point of eating this?

It's tasteless and bland.

Fortunately, Tang Yisheng was no longer a helpless greenhorn by now.

The so-called "veteran" is someone who, at least mentally, doesn't suffer from internal conflict and has their own set of behavioral logic.

The same applies to Tang Yisheng.

After the last two dishes and soup were served, Tang Yisheng saw that Song Junying still showed no sign of returning, so he directly asked the waiter to pack the leftovers.

Since this place was uninteresting, he decided to find a more interesting place.

Yongquan Hutong is conveniently located nearby.

Tang Yisheng had also arranged to meet Zhang Lei this afternoon.

and--

Isn't it said that the white moonlight will eventually become a grain of rice?

Tang Yisheng once heard a beautiful female internet celebrity say that any dish goes well with white rice, and Tang Yisheng wanted to try it too.

Head north on Furong Street, turn right past the Confucian Temple, and you will arrive at Yongquan Hutong.

The entrance to Courtyard No. 7 is one of the few spacious areas in the alley, and according to the plan for it to become a popular spot for online influencers, three private parking spaces have been allocated there.

Currently, the courtyard contains the stalls and equipment of two tenants. The locked tricycle breakfast cart belongs to an elderly couple who sell fried dough twists and sweet porridge. They live in the west wing, and their shop is located in four south-facing rooms.

The mala tang (spicy hot pot) food cart, with most of its body covered by a red and blue tarpaulin, is part of Zhangjia Night Market and also the family that raised Tang Yisheng's "white moonlight" (his beloved), who had just rented three rooms in the north house.

Tang Yisheng lifted the car over the steps of the courtyard gate.

The car definitely needs to be pushed into the yard.

These days, car thieves are rampant. Even the family compounds of public security, procuratorate and court officials, and the No. 7 compound on Gongyuanqianggen Street are useless, let alone a cramped and chaotic place like the Mingfu area.

However, it will be rectified in a few years.

Not long after Tang Yisheng graduated, the houses in this area, where every family had a spring, were gradually planned and developed.

And ultimately, in the post-pandemic era when short videos were all the rage, it became the most unaffordable area in the provincial capital and a popular spot for online influencers.

This courtyard, larger and more orderly than the 200-square-meter house in the alley ahead worth 1500 million yuan, became the foundation for Tang Yisheng's financial security from the age of thirty-six.

Pushing the cart through the gate, there's a seven- or eight-meter-long bluestone path, which opens up to a bright and spacious area when you turn left at the end.

The main house has three large rooms facing south, two east wing rooms, and two west wing rooms.

The south wing has four rooms, with only a small door at the south end of the west wing.

That place was where Tang Yisheng's biological parents first came to the provincial capital to run a noodle shop. Years ago, they rented it, along with the west wing, to a family of three who sold fried dough twists and sweet porridge.

The door to the main room on the north side was ajar, and Zhang Lei's clear, sharp voice could be heard scolding her younger brother from inside.

Is it possible that older sisters are born with a bloodline advantage over their younger brothers?

Even though Zhang Lei's younger brother is in his thirties, married, and has children, he can still be scolded by Zhang Lei until he falls into a deep trance.

The east wing is currently being used by Tang Yisheng.

Yang Jinjuan was unaware of this.

Tang Yisheng now feels that even if he knew the truth, it wouldn't matter.

He's settled into this little home.

There is a public restroom in the northwest corner of the yard, and I remember that a water heater was installed there last year.

Tang Yisheng parked his mountain bike under the soapberry tree in the northeast corner.

Take the packed food down.

The clear spring, built of bluestone blocks, has not yet been expanded into a fountain pool, and no longer has the appearance of flowing water.

He took out his key and opened the door to the east wing room.

An L-shaped sofa set is placed directly opposite the door in the outer room.

I still vividly remember the scene when the carpenter came to measure the space and started building the sofa in the yard.

These foam-cushioned wooden sofas were very popular a few years ago.

Tang Yisheng remembered that besides the navy blue sofa cover he was currently wearing, there was also a maroon one as a spare.

The sectional sofa paired with a marble coffee table with wooden edges has a very retro feel.

In Tang Yisheng's view, it can be described by the Hubei Enshi specialty store diagonally opposite the entrance—it's incredibly rustic.

The cement floor and the white walls with putty removed complement each other, adding a touch of life to the house, which is cold in winter and warm in summer and windless all year round.

Aside from a little dust and cobwebs, it's not bad.