Life in siheyuan era

Wu Shan had a wide social circle, knowing not only Lou Xiaoning but also Bai Wenming.

Bai Wenming was a friend of Lou Xiaoning, a refined middle-aged man who currently held the position of manager at Anxin Hotel.

This hotel was located behind the Modi Western Restaurant and was Bai Wenming's family business. After his father passed away, he took over the hotel and was actively involved during the period of public-private partnerships. After the hotel was nationalized, he continued to serve as manager.

Bai Wenming was knowledgeable about history and had a great deal of research on antique calligraphy and paintings. He and Zhou Zhiyuan hit it off immediately, and as they were chatting happily, Wu Shan walked over and respectfully said, "Comrade Lou, Comrade Bai, Comrade Zhou, do you need anything else?"

Lou Xiaoning smiled and said, "Comrade Wu, no more cucumbers, please."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhiyuan and Bai Wenming laughed, while Wu Shan replied awkwardly, "If you want cucumbers, we really don't have any. I'll add a plate of potato salad, Comrade Zhou loves to eat it."

So Zhou Zhiyuan replied helplessly, "I am potato."

This sentence made everyone laugh. Then, they saw Lou Xiao'e walk over quickly, sit next to Zhou Zhiyuan, and coldly say, "Zhou Zhiyuan, consider this a warning. Next time you have an activity without telling me, see how I deal with you."

After saying this, she said to Lou Xiaoning, "Knowing that Zhou Zhiyuan is my younger brother, you contacted him privately without going through me. What are you trying to do?"

Then, she said to Bai Wenming, "Comrade Bai Wenming, without my permission, Zhou Zhiyuan will not appraise antique calligraphy and paintings for you."

In this short period, she spoke to three people, forcibly claiming a younger brother, while announcing a right, not even avoiding Wu Shan.

Wu Shan smiled awkwardly and turned to leave. Zhou Zhiyuan was about to open his mouth to speak, but he heard Lou Xiao'e continue, "Manager Bai, if my younger brother appraises for you, it will be at a clear price: emperors one thousand, princes eight hundred, famous artists six hundred, general famous artists five hundred, and others calculated according to the actual value of the objects. Cultural relics must be handed over to the state."

Lou Xiao'e spoke quickly and urgently, rattling off a series of demands. Bai Wenming exclaimed softly, "Robbery, isn't it?"

As he spoke, he quickly glanced at Zhou Zhiyuan, seeing that he was turning his face to look at Lou Xiao'e with an expression of surprise.

Zhou Zhiyuan's expression made Bai Wenming breathe a sigh of relief.

After Lou Xiao'e said a series of words, she turned to look at Zhou Zhiyuan and asked in a low voice, "What have you been doing these past few days?"

Hearing her question, Zhou Zhiyuan immediately looked distressed and replied in a low voice, "Don't mention it, I was grabbed as a conscript by the old chief. He treated me like a suicide squad member. That place is too..."

He braked suddenly, looked at Bai Wenming and Lou Xiaoning, and said in a low voice, "Sorry, I can't say."

"Understood." Bai Wenming was understanding, and Lou Xiaoning nodded lightly.

But Lou Xiao'e asked in a low voice, "Were you with Liu Wenxiang? Did you find him?"

Lou Xiao'e was anxious, but Lou Xiaoning scolded softly, "Xiao'e..."

Zhou Zhiyuan then replied, "Sister Xiao'e, I really can't say."

Bai Wenming smiled and said, "Don't make things difficult for Zhiyuan. Let's continue our previous topic. I believe that although the porcelain produced in the Qing and Republican kilns is not as good as the official kilns, the price of a few fine pieces is not lower than that of the official kilns......"

They continued to discuss the porcelain of the Qing Dynasty. Although Yuan blue and white porcelain was valuable, it was hard to come by. The porcelain of the Qing Dynasty was very exquisite, and the key was to distinguish between official kilns and folk kilns, as the price difference between the two was too great.

This meal lasted for more than two hours before it ended. Zhou Zhiyuan went to the military hospital, Lou Xiao'e followed Lou Xiaoning, and Bai Wenming took the hotel as his home.

Zhou Zhiyuan determined the scope, put down the phone and looked at Shen Lanyin. She was walking back and forth, muttering, "Lou Xiao'e, Lou Xiao'e..."

Seeing her expression, Zhou Zhiyuan quickly stood up and hugged her in his arms. Shen Lanyin nervously looked at the door and whispered, "This is the duty room."

Zhou Zhiyuan chuckled and said, "Who's not careful? Besides, I have super ears." As he spoke, he moved his face closer.

He wanted to use this trick to cover it up, but he ignored Shen Lanyin's persistence. He had to find out about the young women Zhou Zhiyuan was in contact with.

Zhou Zhiyuan's "no other way great shift" actually failed, so he could only truthfully talk about the process of their interactions, focusing on the purpose, "I just want to get to know her dad and try to make some money."

This purpose made Shen Lanyin strange, and she asked suspiciously, "Why are you in such a hurry to make money?"

This question was quite sharp, and Zhou Zhiyuan could only solemnly say, "My brother has fallen in love with a widow..."

After telling the truth, Shen Lanyin was even more strange, and asked in a low voice, "Isn't your hard work to make money encouraging your brother's attitude?"

"What can I do?" Zhou Zhiyuan sighed, "My brother is more pretentious than you."

As soon as he said this, he immediately got kicked in the leg. Zhou Zhiyuan immediately used the "no other way great shift", and the two cuddled for a while. Zhou Zhiyuan whispered, "Even if you're pretentious, I still love you."

"You love my appearance." Shen Lanyin said impolitely.

Zhou Zhiyuan immediately replied, "Wrong, I love your inner self. You are so talented and so intelligent. Just in terms of medical skills, how many people are proficient in both Chinese and Western medicine..."

As he spoke, he praised her, and found that he was becoming more and more skilled, with great potential for flattery. Seeing Shen Lanyin take out a needle bag from her pocket, he asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"Acupuncture." Shen Lanyin spread the needle bag on the table.

Seeing her take out a few silver needles, Zhou Zhiyuan whispered, "It's completely healed."

"Consolidate it." Shen Lanyin replied.

Then, looking at the door, she whispered, "We've been together for too long."

Shen Lanyin actually used acupuncture as a cover. Zhou Zhiyuan said, "Isn't it normal for us to be together?"

Then he said, "You can't use my hand as a cover either."

Zhou Zhiyuan argued with reason, but Shen Lanyin actually had a reason, "This hand of yours is too lazy. If it's sick, treat it. If it's not sick, make it work harder."

She said this because she remembered what Prince Rui said, and stuck eight silver needles into the four fingers of his right hand, then asked in a low voice, "I'll buy a hat for your dad, a shirt for your mom, and a box of drawing pens for your brother. What else do you need?"

"That's good, my parents aren't picky." Saying this, Zhou Zhiyuan suddenly thought of something and said in a low voice, "Introduce Liu Junling to my brother."

He wanted to use the "cutting off the fuel under the cauldron" plan, but he heard Shen Lanyin reply softly, "Junling has a boyfriend."

Then she comforted him, "Junling won't work, I'll find you another one. What kind of person does your brother like?"

This question made him scratch his head. Zhou Zhining was too individual. When it came to his partner, Zhou Zhiyuan was also unsure. Liu Junling was just a helpless choice.

Liu Junling's appearance could only be considered average, a little worse than Qin Huairu. Zhou Zhiyuan was also grabbing at straws, thinking that Liu Junling's personality was quite good, and this cheerful energy might be able to make Zhou Zhining's heart flutter.

But she has a boyfriend, so Zhou Zhiyuan had to make other plans. He pondered all the way to Ping'an Hutong. As soon as he drove into the alley, the star map suddenly rose, and an orange thread shot into his eardrum, and then he heard a slight sound shooting towards him.

Without thinking, Zhou Zhiyuan leaned to the side and fell to the ground. As a thud came, the alley returned to silence.

The other party's ambush point was well chosen. It was past 10 p.m., the lights of the small store had been turned off, and the streetlights in the alley were more than 50 meters away. The starlight in the sky could not reach here.

Zhou Zhiyuan was lying on the ground, with the bicycle frame pressing on his leg. He listened carefully for a while, opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. The darkness here was not comparable to the Yin Formation. Having adapted to the darkness of the Yin Formation, he could clearly see the surrounding scenery.

But what he saw were still high walls, and he didn't even see a shadow.

Surely the other party had already left. Zhou Zhiyuan slowly got up, put his bicycle away, and squatted on the ground to search carefully. The sound was very slight, like a needle.

How easy is it to find a needle in the dark, but he had to find this needle. If the other party could assassinate him once, they could assassinate him a second time or a third time. There is only a thief for a thousand days, no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days.

The other party assassinated him in Ping'an Hutong, indicating that they already knew his residence. This was what he feared most.

Only by finding this needle could he follow the clues and catch that person, and eliminate the hidden danger as soon as possible.

This needle was so important that Zhou Zhiyuan, squatting on the ground to look for it, was single-minded and would not pay attention to the car lights that were shining on him. Instead, he used the light to search carefully.

"What are you looking for?" Lou Xiao'e's voice came from his ear.

Zhou Zhiyuan waved his hand, concentrated his eyesight and moved slowly. Suddenly, he leaned forward, then reached into his pocket and took out a handkerchief, carefully wrapping the needle.

This needle was black all over. No wonder it was so difficult to find. If it weren't for the two car lights illuminating him, it would have been even more difficult to find. Once it was stepped into the mud, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky to find it again.

Finding this needle made him breathe a sigh of relief. He was about to put it in his pocket, but Lou Xiao'e grabbed his arm and said urgently, "Let me see."

Lou Xiao'e was really curious, and she grabbed his arm tightly and leaned over to look.

But she ignored the speed of Zhou Zhiyuan's right hand. She only saw that the palm of his hand was empty, and that thing, along with the handkerchief, had disappeared.