The dating reality show host just wanted to give up, but the rich girl fell for him.

"Ouch! My foot!"

A sharp complaint rang out in the narrow alley.

Jiang's aunt, who was always arrogant, was leaning against the mottled brick wall, painfully pulling at her shoe heel.

Her limited-edition high heels, worth five figures, were stuck in the gap between two bluestone slabs.

After finally managing to pull it out, the heel was covered in yellowish-brown mud.

"What kind of awful place is this?!"

My aunt angrily swung her foot, nearly hitting her Hermes bag against the wall.

"Jianguo is really senile. He's ignoring all those five-star hotels in Beijing and insists on relying on that country cook!"

"They chose to hold their wedding in this godforsaken, muddy place!"

The several collateral relatives of the Jiang family following behind her also looked miserable.

They were used to traveling in luxury cars and walking on Persian carpets.

When have I ever suffered such hardship as "traversing mountains and rivers"?

"Indeed, my suit trousers are splattered with mud."

A cousin with slicked-back hair and a dark red bow tie disdainfully took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the water stains off his leather shoes.

He covered his nose, his face full of disdain.

"The air smells like fish and duck droppings, it's unbearable."

"With the financial situation of such a poor family, what kind of decent feast could they possibly put on?"

My cousin casually tossed the handkerchief into the nearby ditch and sneered.

"I think we're not just here for a wedding today, but also to help alleviate poverty."

"When we get there, everyone be smart."

My aunt straightened her expensive shawl, raised her chin, and adopted a condescending and condescending posture.

"Although that poor boy is not good enough for Ruoyun, we still have to consider our elder brother's reputation."

"Let's not embarrass him too much. Just give him a small gift, have a quick bite to eat, and then hurry back to the capital."

"I can't stay in this place for even a minute longer."

Each with their own thoughts, and filled with a sense of superiority and a desire to see the show go wrong, the group stumbled deeper into the alley.

Not long after.

An old house with a traditional Jiangnan courtyard came into view.

There were no luxury cars leading the way, nor an extravagant flower archway at the entrance.

It was simply two pieces of red silk hanging there.

It exudes an extremely simple and down-to-earth human touch.

"Pshaw, that's all?"

The slick-haired nephew looked at the slightly mottled wooden door, making no attempt to hide the mockery in his eyes.

"This storefront isn't even as impressive as a storage room in our Jiang family villa."

He stepped forward, skipping the polite act of knocking, and directly pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate.

The scene in the courtyard instantly came into view of the group of celebrities.

There were no noisy greeters, nor were there uniformed waiters.

Only a few figures were busy in the courtyard.

The slick-haired nephew's eyes swept around the yard and immediately locked onto a target.

Under the old camphor tree in the center of the courtyard.

There was an old wooden A-frame ladder.

A gaunt old man was standing on a ladder.

The old man was wearing an old-fashioned jacket that had been washed until it was gray, and wrinkled sweatpants on his lower body.

He wore thick-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

He was holding a measuring tape in his hand, repeatedly gesturing to the name of a wooden beam under the eaves.

There was also a red lantern that hadn't been hung up yet.

The old man was covered in sweat and muttering something incoherently.

"The span is 1.2 meters... the stress point is here... no, it's off by two millimeters..."

When his greasy-haired nephew saw this, he immediately burst out laughing.

He turned around and winked at his aunt and relatives behind him.

"See? I told you this poor guy couldn't afford a nice wedding."

"What kind of haphazard, misfit laborers did they hire?"

He deliberately raised his voice and strode into the courtyard with a pigeon-toed gait.

"Hey, you up there working!"

The greasy-haired nephew pointed at the gaunt old man on the ladder, his tone full of frivolity and arrogance.

"You need to take forever to measure just to hang a broken lantern? You're way too slow!"

"With your dawdling attitude, will you even be able to finish decorating this yard today?"

He shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"My uncle is really frugal to the extreme, hiring these old, weak, sick and disabled people to do the work. Aren't you afraid they'll fall and extort money from you?"

The old man on the ladder paused.

He pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and looked down at the young man below, who was dressed like a peacock, with a puzzled expression.

The old man frowned, seemingly quite displeased with this interruption of his calculations of the force points.

But he ignored it and turned back to stare at the crossbeam.

"This mortise and tenon joint is amazing... The load-bearing structure for hanging lanterns must fit perfectly without damaging the wood's texture..."

The old man continued muttering to himself, completely ignoring his greasy-haired nephew.

The greasy-haired nephew felt humiliated after being ignored.

Especially in front of his cousins ​​and other relatives, he felt that his authority had been challenged.

"Hey! Are you deaf, old man?"

My greasy-haired nephew got angry, stepped forward, and reached out to slap the leg of the wooden ladder.

"I'm talking to you! Do you believe I'll complain...?"

His hand hadn't even touched the ladder yet.

Suddenly, a series of hurried, almost staggering footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Followed by.

A middle-aged man in a suit and tie, who was overweight, rushed into the yard, sweating profusely.

The man was also tightly clutching a gift box wrapped in red silk that looked quite valuable.

When my greasy-haired nephew turned around, his eyes lit up.

He knew this man.

Mr. Liu, a well-known real estate tycoon in Beijing with a net worth of billions!

Normally, at business meetings, even if my slick-haired cousin wanted to offer this General Manager Liu a toast, he would have to wait in line for ages.

"Oh my! Isn't this General Manager Liu!"

The slick-haired nephew immediately put on an extremely fawning smile and went to greet him.

"What brings you to such a humble place? You truly grace this humble abode with your presence!"

"You're here to see my uncle, right? He's at...?"

Mr. Liu didn't even look at him.

From the moment Mr. Liu rushed into the courtyard, his gaze was fixed on the gaunt old man on the ladder.

Mr. Liu heard his greasy-haired cousin's arrogant curse clearly from outside the door.

now.

The real estate tycoon, worth billions, turned deathly pale instantly.

Cold sweat poured from my forehead like a burst tap.

His legs were trembling uncontrollably.

The moment my greasy-haired cousin came up to me.

Suddenly, Mr. Liu stretched out his chubby hand and covered his greasy-haired nephew's mouth tightly!

He was so strong that he almost knocked out his nephew's front tooth.

"Waaah... Mr. Liu... what are you doing..."

My greasy-haired nephew struggled desperately, his face filled with terror and confusion.

"Shut up!"

Mr. Liu lowered his voice and let out a roar that was almost desperate.

His entire body of fat was trembling, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"Are you crazy?! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

My aunt and the other relatives behind her were also stunned.

They couldn't understand why a prominent real estate tycoon in Beijing would suddenly lose his temper like this.

"Mr. Liu, what's wrong?"

My aunt mustered her courage and asked cautiously.

"He's just a handyman hanging lanterns, why are you getting so angry..."

"A handyman?!"

Mr. Liu suddenly turned his head, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour someone.

He released his hand from his nephew's, pointed at the old man on the ladder, his fingers trembling as if he were fluffing cotton.

"You bunch of blind fools!"

Mr. Liu's voice was split.

"That's the head of the Department of Ancient Architecture at Tsinghua University!"

"He is a specially appointed lifetime expert of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage!"

"Professor Wang Cunzhen is a living fossil of Chinese architecture!"

boom!

This statement was like a bombshell.

It exploded in the ears of Jiang's relatives.

The entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence in that instant.

The greasy-haired nephew's face visibly changed from flushed to deathly pale.

His legs buckled, and he almost knelt down in the muddy puddle.

My aunt gasped, and her Hermès bag fell to the ground with a thud.

Wang's deposit?

Professor Wang, who is revered as a god in the architectural world?

That Wang Taidou, whom countless top real estate developers kneel outside his door begging for advice with millions in consulting fees, yet they can never even get a chance to meet him?!

How...how did he get here?!

He was wearing a tattered jacket.

Standing on a broken ladder.

Here, you're taking measurements for a country cook to hang red lanterns?!

Has the world gone mad?!

Mr. Liu had no time to pay attention to these snobs whose values ​​had been shattered.

He quickly straightened his bespoke suit.

He tucked the expensive gift box under his arm.

He bent his obese back, a fawning smile plastered on his face that looked more like a grimace.

They cautiously approached the ladder.

"Old Master Wang..."

Mr. Liu didn't dare to breathe too loudly, his voice so soft that he was afraid of blowing away the dust on the old man's body.

"I never expected to meet you here."

He shakily pulled a pack of specially supplied cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and handed it over.

Wang Cun finally finished measuring the dimensions on the ladder.

He turned his head and looked down at the fat man with a beaming smile.

His brows furrowed even more.

"What are you smoking for! Can't you see this is ancient building timber? Not even a spark can be allowed!"

Wang Cunzhun reprimanded him without any politeness.

Then, he waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"Your fat body is blocking the light!"

"If I don't find the right point of force, I might damage Master Lin's door frame a little bit."

Wang Cunzhu stared wide-eyed, his tone full of anxiety and seriousness.

"I'm not getting to eat braised pork tonight!"

"Get out of here right now!"

Mr. Liu was severely scolded.

But he not only showed no anger, but nodded repeatedly as if he had been granted a pardon.

"Yes, yes, yes! Old Wang, you're absolutely right!"

"I'll get out of here right now, I won't delay your work for Master Lin!"

Holding the gift box, Mr. Liu looked like a round ball as he slunk away to a corner of the yard.

They didn't even dare to breathe loudly anymore.

The Jiang family relatives standing on the other side were completely petrified.

As they watched this scene, they felt as if their souls were being mercilessly lashed.

A real estate tycoon worth billions was scolded like a grandson and dared not utter a word.

And that lofty academic giant.

That's why they put so much effort into hanging the lanterns.

Just because he was afraid of having a bowl of braised pork taken away from his bowl?!

What kind of terrifying courtyard is this?!

While these relatives' values ​​were still being rubbed to the ground.

The kitchen curtain was lifted. Lin Mo stepped out.

He was holding a tray with a pot of freshly brewed aged white tea on it.

He looked languid, but his steps were steady.

He showed absolutely no restraint despite the presence of so many powerful and influential figures in the courtyard.

"Old Wang, are the lanterns hung up yet?" Lin Mo walked to the stone table and put down the tray.

He looked up and shouted something to Wang Cunzhen on the ladder.

His tone was as casual as if he were greeting a shop assistant in his own store.

"Come down and have some tea, don't hang it crookedly and embarrass me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cunzhu did not feel offended at all.

Instead, he acted like a pampered old man who had been praised, quickly climbing down the ladder.

"Master Lin, rest assured! It's absolutely the golden ratio point, with an error of no more than one millimeter!"

Wang Cunzhuan took the teacup Lin Mo handed him and happily took a big gulp.

"This tea is brewed perfectly! And please save me a couple extra pieces of that braised pork tonight!"

Lin Mo smiled and shook his head.

"We'll see how you do."

Standing in the corner, the greasy-haired nephew felt his legs go weak.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his expensive silk tie.

He glanced at Lin Mo, who was chatting and laughing.

Then he glanced at Wang Cunzhu, who was fawning over Lin Mo like a lackey.

One last look at General Manager Liu, who was huddled in the corner.

The greasy-haired nephew swallowed hard, his teeth chattering.

It must be a coincidence, he desperately tried to reassure himself.

Perhaps Professor Wang just happened to be passing by, or perhaps he was interested in the architecture of this old house.

Yes, that must be it!

How could a poor guy who runs a restaurant possibly have such influence!

The aunt was also pale-faced. She was holding tightly to her cousin's arm, unaware that her expensive shawl had slipped off.

The relatives huddled in a corner like quails, no longer daring to be presumptuous, even their breathing became cautious.

Jiang Jianguo stood under the eaves, holding two walnuts in his hands.

Seeing these relatives who usually swagger around in the capital, now looking like a bunch of dumb geese, I was terrified.

The father-in-law was secretly overjoyed.

His lips curled into a wide smile, feeling incredibly proud of himself today.

"You all looked down on me, now you know how good I, Jiang Jianguo, am at choosing a son-in-law, right?"

Just then.

To alleviate his extreme fear, the greasy-haired nephew tried to distract himself.

He looked towards the main gate of the courtyard.

There, there was a low wooden table.

Another old man was squatting on the ground, holding a calligraphy brush and writing something on a piece of red paper.

The old man was dressed even more casually than Wang Cunxin.

His hair was a mess, like a down-on-his-luck fortune teller writing letters at the village entrance.

The greasy-haired nephew wiped away his cold sweat, thinking it was just a coincidence.

Just then, Jiang Jiahao (a distant relative) pointed to an old man writing couplets on the ground by the door and muttered...

"And what about this person writing? The characters are so small, they lack any grandeur..."