Courtyard Houses: From Families of Martyrs and Orphans to Giants of the Times

"Those two up ahead!"

"Stop right there!"

A flashlight suddenly shone from behind.

It was so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.

Lin Jian'an's heart tightened.

But his feet never stopped.

"run!"

He grabbed the old man and pulled him into a nearby alley.

The footsteps behind them grew closer and closer.

"Don't run!"

"Grab them!"

These days.

Getting caught in the black market is no joke.

Especially now that I'm carrying calligraphy and paintings on my back.

It was actually found out.

It's impossible to explain clearly.

"left!"

A system notification suddenly sounded.

Lin Jian'an didn't even think about it.

He grabbed the old man and rushed into the side road.

next second.

The two figures behind them indeed chased in the wrong direction.

"there!"

"quick!"

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Jian'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could catch his breath...

The old man next to me suddenly plopped down on the ground.

He clutched his chest, panting heavily.

"Huff... huff..."

"Getting old..."

"I really can't run anymore..."

Lin Jian'an frowned.

"Sir, are you alright?"

The old man waved his hand.

"He won't die."

"My legs are just weak."

Done.

He looked up and gave Lin Jian'an a serious look.

"Kid."

Why did you save me just now?

"That situation."

"Why don't you just run it yourself?"

Lin Jian'an smiled.

"smoothly."

In fact, he himself couldn't explain it.

Perhaps I was too realistic in my past life.

Now I want to do something different.

and.

He always felt that...

This old man is no ordinary person.

really.

A system notification will sound in the next second.

Special personnel detected.

[Identity: Collector from the Old Era]

[Suggestion: Build a relationship]

Lin Jian'an's heart skipped a beat.

Collector?

There aren't many people who collect things these days.

"Kid."

After the old man caught his breath...

Suddenly he spoke:

"That painting from earlier."

"You figured it out, didn't you?"

Lin Jian'an's eyes flickered slightly.

really.

The old man is testing me.

He didn't admit it directly.

He simply smiled and said:

"I just think he looks like an old man."

"Oh."

The old man immediately laughed.

"Don't pretend."

"Ordinary kids wouldn't go to the black market to buy paintings in the middle of the night."

Done.

He suddenly lowered his voice.

"That painting is real."

"Authentic work by Zheng Banqiao".

"He's just crippled."

Although I had guessed it long ago.

You can hear it with your own ears to confirm.

Lin Jian'an's heart skipped a beat.

"You know you're still selling it?"

"nonsense."

The old man gave a bitter smile.

"Knowing is one thing."

"But these days..."

Can calligraphy and paintings be exchanged for grain?

In a word.

This silenced Lin Jian'an.

Yes.

This is not the future.

Antique calligraphy and paintings.

It's not as good as a bag of cornmeal.

The old man leaned against the wall.

I lit a cigarette.

Mars flickered in the darkness.

"before."

"My walls are covered with paintings."

"Anything will do."

"That's enough for an ordinary person to live on for several lifetimes."

"But what about now?"

"Nobody recognizes it."

"Nobody wants it."

"It's not even as good as waste paper."

When he said this.

His eyes clearly showed some sadness.

Lin Jian'an also had mixed feelings.

Because he knew.

In a few more years.

These old folks will suffer even more.

Many real treasures.

It will be destroyed.

Burn it.

Even as firewood.

"What a pity..."

He couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

The next second...

The old man suddenly looked up.

Keep a close eye on him.

"What did you say?"

"I said it's a pity."

"These things."

"It shouldn't have been gone like this."

The air suddenly became quiet.

A few seconds later.

The old man suddenly laughed.

His laughter was particularly complex.

"it is good."

"OK."

"I didn't expect that."

"It's amazing that there are still young people who understand this."

He finished speaking.

Suddenly, he pulled a small wooden plaque from his pocket.

He handed it to Lin Jian'an.

"after."

"I'm looking to find vintage items."

"Come find me at the teahouse on East Street."

"Report to 'Sixth Master Chen'."

"Someone will bring you here."

Done.

He slowly stood up, supporting himself against the wall.

"This favor I'm doing for you today."

"The old man has taken note."

Before Lin Jian'an could speak...

He had already turned and disappeared into the night.

The system notification sounded again.

【Ding! 】

[The host has successfully established a special network of contacts]

[Reward: 20 points]

[Enable Feature: Networking]

next second.

The system interface has been refreshed.

Current network

[Master Chen (Old-Times Collectors Circle)]

[Relationship: Friendly]

[Can trigger special transactions]

Lin Jian'an's heart skipped a beat.

Holy crap.

"Does the system even consider personal connections?"

and.

This Master Chen is clearly no ordinary person.

People who can still be involved in the collecting circle in this era.

There are definitely connections.

Thinking about this...

Lin Jian'an's mood immediately improved.

Although things almost went wrong tonight.

But the gains were enormous.

Not only did they find fragments of Zheng Banqiao's manuscripts.

He also met Master Chen.

The key is.

He suddenly realized.

The system offers more and more gameplay options.

Recycle.

Procurement.

Connections.

It could even change the course of history.

This is nothing like a normal system.

More like...

I am cultivating myself.

Thinking about this...

His gaze deepened.

But now.

I need to get home quickly.

The patrol team made such a big fuss just now.

They might still be investigating nearby.

We took a roundabout route.

It took almost an hour to get it done.

Lin Jian'an finally returned to Nanluoguxiang.

As soon as we entered the alley...

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Because of the entrance to the courtyard house.

There was actually a person standing there.

Xu Damao.

now.

This thing is hunching its neck and swaying back and forth.

They're clearly waiting for someone.

"What's that bastard doing up so late at night?"

Lin Jian'an became alert.

really.

Xu Damao saw him as soon as he saw him.

His eyes lit up immediately.

"Yo."

"Jian'an?"

"Where have you been in the middle of the night?"

His tone seemed casual.

But his eyes kept sizing him up.

It's clearly a test.

Lin Jian'an remained unfazed.

"I can't sleep."

"Let's go out for a walk."

"Spinning around for so long?"

"What?"

"You're checking household registration records?"

Xu Damao choked for a moment.

But she still managed a smile.

No, no.

"I'm just concerned about you."

"Things haven't been peaceful outside lately."

"I heard they arrested someone on the black market tonight."

"Don't run around."

When he said this.

His eyes remained fixed on Lin Jian'an.

They clearly wanted to see the reaction.

Who is Ke Lin Jian'an?

I spent so many years in the antiques circle in my previous life.

What kind of old fox haven't I seen?

His expression didn't change at all.

Instead, he looked surprised.

"black market?"

"Really?"

"Of course it is!"

Xu Damao immediately perked up.

"I heard they caught several!"

"Tsk tsk."

"They're really brave."

"They still dare to go to the black market now."

Lin Jian'an nodded.

"That's really stupid."

Xu Damao: "..."

He suddenly began to question the meaning of life.

Could it really not be this kid?

But the problem is.

The Lin family has changed a lot recently.

It's medicine again.

Tickets again.

It doesn't look normal at all.

Thinking about this...

Xu Damao became even more determined.

The investigation must continue.

On the other side...

Lin Jian'an had already figured it out.

This guy has his eye on me.

"Looks like we'll have to go out from now on."

"We need to be more careful."

Go back inside.

Mother is still asleep.

Lin Jian'an breathed a sigh of relief.

Then immediately open the system.

Current points: 67

[Will you reclaim the fragments of Zheng Banqiao's manuscript?]

The system prompt popped up again.

Lin Jian'an stared at the 180 points.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.

But in the end...

He still chose to refuse.

"Not recycled."

Because he suddenly realized.

A truly top-quality antique.

Its future value is far greater than the points.

especially.

I now have other ways to make money.

There's no need to sell the entire system.

Thinking about this...

He carefully hid the scroll in the system space.

Then.

My gaze slowly fell on the newly added features.

[Black Market Intelligence]

[Recently High Demand Goods: Food, Pork, Medicine]

High-profit items: Industrial tickets, bicycle tickets

[Current Recommendation: Test the waters with low-volume trading]

Lin Jian'an's eyes gradually brightened.

The system is teaching me how to make money.

and.

He has it now.

There happen to be something I can sell.

food.