Life in siheyuan era

Two bowls of corn porridge, four sesame flatbreads, and two plates of pickled vegetables were their breakfast.

Mo Youji took a sip of porridge, put down his bowl, and said calmly, "In times of peace, land is important; in times of chaos, gold is king. Many people understand this principle, but understanding doesn't mean they can do it. Those who can do it may not have the vision."

"Many people don't see this at the beginning of a peaceful era. Lacking confidence, they buy gold at sky-high prices."

"And those who have confidence and still hold onto gold at this time are fools. If they have the opportunity and don't resell it a few times, they'll be itching with impatience. So, it's important to cultivate your skills and broaden your knowledge daily, so you don't miss opportunities."

Mo Youji explained the reason for his wealth and took the opportunity to offer some words of wisdom. Zhou Zhiyuan understood and asked in a low voice, "Do you also understand economics?"

"Not too much..." Mo Youji smiled and said, "As a chief appraiser, to meet the requirement of speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts, how can I not have a wide range of knowledge?"

"Everyone has their own accounting when it comes to their money. If you want them to spend it, you have to say something they don't understand but feels reasonable."

"Isn't that deceiving people?" Zhou Zhiyuan frankly voiced his doubts.

Mo Youji replied seriously, "Why does a piece of pottery fired from clay sell for a sky-high price? The things used by the emperor are essentially no different from those used by ordinary people. A teacup is just a teacup, a chamber pot is just a chamber pot. Even if they are more exquisite, the price shouldn't be so drastically different."

"What's drastically different is the status of the emperor and the common people, not the teacup itself. So, the key is to see who used this item before."

"Antiques and calligraphy have countless fakes since ancient times. That's the value of a chief appraiser. As long as you can distinguish the authenticity, you don't need to bargain. Someone will naturally offer a high price to buy it. Why deceive people?"

"Learning to distinguish authenticity is an important step into the antique world, which requires a broad base of knowledge..."

Mo Youji took the opportunity to give Zhou Zhiyuan a vivid lesson on antique knowledge, and finally said with emotion, "This is the first time in so many years that I've taught someone these things!"

After expressing his feelings, Mo Youji picked up his bowl and continued to drink porridge.

But Zhou Zhiyuan stood up, straightened his clothes, knelt down, and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Master."

Seeing him kneel down and kowtow, Mo Youji laughed loudly. After the laughter, he said solemnly, "You are a promising student."

Zhou Zhiyuan kowtowed three times to formally become a disciple, then stood up and sat down. Looking at Mo Youji's pleased expression, he smiled and said, "Aren't you going to test me first?"

"Test my ass..." Mo Youji replied cheerfully, "My old man and you are destined. If you小子misbehave in the future, I can only accept it."

Mo Youji spoke seriously, but he didn't think Zhou Zhiyuan would misbehave.

And Zhou Zhiyuan said solemnly, "You've taken in an outstanding disciple. To celebrate, shouldn't you trim this white beard? Otherwise, I'll lose face taking you out."

Hearing this, Mo Youji said angrily, "I'm your master."

Zhou Zhiyuan replied solemnly again, "A master is kept in the heart, not on the lips."

He said this somewhat disrespectfully, but Mo Youji actually laughed, touched his white beard, and replied, "Disciple speaks reasonably. I'll go to the barbershop later."

Mo Youji accepted his suggestion. After the two finished breakfast, Aunt Tao took away the tableware. Zhou Zhiyuan took out "Gu Jiu Yi" from his satchel and asked Mo Youji to explain it to him in detail.

An hour later, Mo Youji was tired and waved his hand, saying, "Learning too fast is not a good thing. Calming down and carefully pondering is the key to entering the field. That's all for today. Go do your thing."

Mo Youji announced the end of the lesson. Zhou Zhiyuan got up to say goodbye, walked out of the small courtyard, made a phone call, and then went straight to the bathhouse to retrieve the cleaned cotton clothes, carrying two backpacks towards the military compound.

Arriving at the entrance of the compound, he saw Shen Lanbo waiting there. Zhou Zhiyuan observed for a while and asked in a low voice, "Is no one watching you?"

Shen Lanbo replied in a low voice, "They give me some freedom, but I can't go too far. The time is set at one hour."

Zhou Zhiyuan asked, "What about going to substitute teach?"

Shen Lanbo replied, "We reached an agreement, do what you can. If I can't handle it, I'll rest and you can substitute."

Shen Lanbo's thoughts were surprisingly consistent with his.

Zhou Zhiyuan pondered for a moment and replied, "My mom has been very angry these past two days."

Hearing him suddenly say this, Shen Lanbo was surprised and asked, "Why?"

"Sigh..." Zhou Zhiyuan sighed and replied, "My mom gets angry when she looks at me. I carefully asked the reason, and my mom said angrily, 'You were lovable when you were little, but now you're getting uglier and uglier. I get angry when I look at you.'"

"But is it my fault? Can you say it's my fault? Time can't be turned back, and I've grown up like this. What can I do?"

He asked Shen Lanbo, but Shen Lanbo remained silent.

Zhou Zhiyuan continued, "People have to grow up and get old. I'll definitely get uglier and uglier in the future. There's no way to avoid it."

"Since you can't change it, you have to find a way. These past two days, I've been trying hard to please my mom. Finally, I got my mom to remember that even if I'm ugly, I'm still her son. There's no way to change it, so she can only accept it."

Zhou Zhiyuan seemed to be telling a story, but Shen Lanbo understood, "People will change."

Shen Lanbo accepted this view, listening to him continue, "If you're not a heartless person, then don't do heartless things. Gladly accept the other person's growth and grow faster than her."

After giving the solution, Zhou Zhiyuan shut his mouth, but Shen Lanbo frowned and asked, "Why say those words?"

Shen Lanbo asked the question, but it was to make a final decision.

Zhou Zhiyuan replied solemnly, "Different positions, different angles, different purposes. I can say it, but you can't."

Shen Lanbo thought carefully and replied in a deep voice, "I understand."

Now that he understood, Zhou Zhiyuan could proceed to the next item, unfolded the painting, pointed to the white crane under the pine tree, and said solemnly, "You are this crane now."

Shen Lanbo looked carefully at the painting and smiled, "A good painting. Why isn't it framed?"

Zhou Zhiyuan replied, "First, I don't have time. Second, I want you to give this painting to Sister Fang Nan to frame. Remember two things: first, you like it very much; second, with our relationship, the retouching fee is 200 yuan. It's definitely a brotherly price. A friendship price is 300 to 500 yuan."

Hearing him promote the painting, Shen Lanbo smiled, "Got it." Then he reached out to take it.

Then he changed the subject, "Lan Yin went to the library to read. Go supervise her. I guess Fang Xiang or Hao Zhiwen will go to join the fun."

"Forget it..." Zhou Zhiyuan refused, "Your sister's impression of me is terrible. I'd better stay away to be safe."

He didn't want to go, but Shen Lanbo encouraged him, "Lan Yin's personality is very gentle. Her cold expression is just a protective color. You don't have to be afraid. She won't do anything to you."

"Really won't do anything to me?" Zhou Zhiyuan looked disbelieving.

Shen Lanbo was certain, "Absolutely won't do anything to you."

The conversation between the two confirmed one thing: Zhou Zhiyuan could freely express himself in his contact with Shen Lanyin.

This was Shen Lanbo's strategy. He didn't like Fang Xiang and didn't approve of Hao Zhiwen, but Shen Lanyin had her own ideas.

The brother and sister had a formal conversation last night. Shen Lanyin made it clear that she had no interest in Fang Xiang, but she hesitated on the issue of Hao Zhiwen.

She and Hao Zhiwen had a common language. The two discussed medicine and promoted each other, which greatly helped her medical skills.

As for the issue of looking upwards, Shen Lanyin used Zhou Zhiyuan's words and deeds to refute Shen Lanbo.

Shen Lanbo denied, "Zhiyuan is not that kind of person."

She also denied, "Hao Zhiwen is not that kind of person either."

So the brother and sister parted unhappily.

Faced with this situation, Shen Lanbo had to find a way. After thinking about it, he could only use his big weapon.

Zhou Zhiyuan is a fierce tiger on the battlefield. This fierce tiger is not without a brain, but he is too lazy to use his brain.

He is not good at planning. When considering problems, he only has one method: if he can use his hands, he won't use his mouth.

But he is good at making decisions, and he will never hesitate when he should act.

His personality is very suitable for stirring up trouble. Give him a "sword of authority" and let him deal with Hao Zhiwen.

This was Shen Lanbo's idea, and Zhou Zhiyuan also had his own idea, "Just deal with it."

He really had to go to the library. His library card should be ready, so he pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go take a look."

"You can act as you see fit," Shen Lanbo clarified again.

But Zhou Zhiyuan didn't say anything, handed the backpack to Shen Lanbo, watched him walk into the gate, and turned to walk towards the library.

Arriving at the library, he stood in front of the service desk and said cheerfully to Zhao Yongmei, "Not resting?"

"We have staggered shifts. There are many readers on Sundays, so we try not to rest," Zhao Yongmei responded cheerfully, took out a library card and handed it to him.

Zhou Zhiyuan took the library card, turned to look at the children's reading room, saw a few small figures reading inside, pondered for a moment, and walked upstairs.

Walking up to the second floor, he saw a slightly plump figure walking out of a room.

Seeing this figure, Zhou Zhiyuan stopped and hesitated for a moment. He was not familiar with Lou Xiao'e, and he wanted to use her, so he didn't want to cause her aversion.

But Lou Xiao'e saw him, stopped, and muttered in surprise, "Zhou Zhiyuan."

She didn't expect to see him here.

At this time, Zhou Zhiyuan thought about what to say, and smiled, "What a coincidence, you're here to read too?"

This sentence was very neutral and would not cause the other party's aversion.

But Lou Xiao'e raised her head and said proudly, "No coincidence, I'm the library's administrator."