Life in siheyuan era

Lou Xiao'e was curious about Zhou Zhiyuan, but Shen Lanyin wasn't curious at all.

She was truly angry. Eating at the same table as Fang Xiang was too dangerous. She said, "I'm not eating," got up, and returned to her room. Sitting at the table, she carefully considered the matter and concluded that Zhou Zhiyuan wasn't immature, but rather "he was very stupid."

This conclusion aligned with his behavior. Because he was so stupid, he thought his right hand was invulnerable, belonging to the lowest level of the stupid category.

After having four tendons in his fingers severed, he became even stupider. The direct manifestation of this was his immaturity, his IQ dropping to the level of a ten-year-old child.

Going to the children's reading room to look at picture books was just one piece of evidence. There was other evidence supporting her conclusion. "I'm your brother" counted as one, "little girl" another, and "relying on Lanbo is like relying on a high-ranking leader"—the fact that he could even say such a thing showed that he was beyond redemption.

Reaffirming her theory of stupidity, Shen Lanyin muttered, "Stupid."

Then she heard the door open. Turning her head, she saw Fang Nan enter the room. Shen Lanyin immediately said, "Sister Nan, please advise my brother not to associate with Zhou Zhiyuan. That guy is quite immature."

But for Fang Nan, equations were not important. What was important was that Shen Lanyin insisted on the label of immaturity.

She was wary of Zhou Zhiyuan. Zhou Zhiyuan had too much influence on Shen Lanbo.

However, she couldn't speak ill of Zhou Zhiyuan in front of Shen Lanbo, as it would directly affect their relationship if it caused Shen Lanbo's resentment.

Just as she was troubled, she noticed that the conflict between Shen Lanyin and Zhou Zhiyuan was constantly escalating, and she immediately had an idea. She sighed softly and replied, "Some things are better left unsaid by me. It's better for you to say them. Whether you say them lightly or heavily, you don't have to worry about Lanbo getting angry."

Shen Lanyin nodded lightly and asked strangely, "What's wrong with you and my brother?"

"Your brother doesn't want to marry me anymore. He's afraid of implicating me."

Fang Nan's heart stirred as she said this. She suddenly realized that Zhou Zhiyuan was still useful for the time being. His attitude towards their marriage could influence Shen Lanbo.

Shen Lanbo had said that Zhou Zhiyuan supported their marriage.

Fang Nan naturally understood Shen Lanbo's meaning. He spoke well of Zhou Zhiyuan, so she should actively come forward to arrange work for Zhou Zhiyuan.

Fang Nan did this, but arranging work was one thing, and strengthening precautions was another. She must not relax on major matters.

Fang Nan would not accept Zhou Zhiyuan's influence on Shen Lanbo. They could be good brothers, but they couldn't affect Shen Lanbo.

Her positioning of Zhou Zhiyuan was Shen Lanbo's bodyguard. Where would "Shen plans, Zhou decides" place her? It should be Shen plans, Fang decides, and Zhou executes.

Fang Nan made up her mind to build a husband and wife command system. The first step was to squeeze Zhou Zhiyuan out.

But she couldn't speak on this matter, as there were too many concerns.

At this time, she needed a villain. The angry Shen Lanyin gave her a suitable candidate. She desperately wanted Shen Lanyin to come forward and snipe Zhou Zhiyuan. They had conflicts, and they were escalating. Now was the opportunity.

However, Shen Lanyin pondered for a while and replied indifferently, "My brother is not in good health. I'm afraid it will make him angry if I talk about it now, which is not conducive to his recovery. Let's find an opportunity."

Hearing her reply, Fang Nan sighed secretly, "The bookworm also knows how to grasp the timing. These years of reading haven't been in vain."

She herself was constrained by too many considerations, and so was Shen Lanyin.

She thought so of Shen Lanyin, but she didn't know that Shen Lanyin didn't think that way at all. Using Shen Lanbo's health as a shield was purely an excuse.

For Shen Lanyin, the goal of revenge had not yet been achieved, so how could she let Shen Lanbo stay away from Zhou Zhiyuan?

The interactions between them were all because of Shen Lanbo. Provoking their relationship would let Zhou Zhiyuan run away, and this hatred could only be buried in her heart.

Shen Lanyin understood clearly at this time that using Shen Lanbo to catch Zhou Zhiyuan would allow her to arrange things calmly. Today's hasty action had loopholes. Even a fool could be occasionally clever.

She was confident that as long as she took this fool seriously, she would definitely be able to come up with a brilliant way to deal with Zhou Zhiyuan.

Shen Lanyin fell into contemplation.

Seeing her in contemplation, Fang Nan shook her head gently, got up, and walked out. It was useless to say anything at this time.

Fang Nan left, and Shen Lanyin continued to contemplate. At this time, Zhou Zhiyuan sent Lou Xiao'e and Zhao Yongmei to the entrance of the library.

Lou Xiao'e stopped and asked in a low voice, "Besides picture books, what other projects can be invested in?"

She really wanted to clarify this matter, and she could ask at this time.

Zhou Zhiyuan replied cautiously, "I am studying antique calligraphy and paintings."

This information made Zhao Yongmei look at him, but Lou Xiao'e thought of Zhou Zhining and replied briskly, "Your brother is good at calligraphy and painting."

She was truly an excellent straight man, and Zhou Zhiyuan could continue to say, "This morning, I gave two of my brother's paintings to my master and a comrade."

"I gave my master a landscape painting. He said that the painting was resplendent, the artistic conception was magnificent, the brushwork was vigorous, and it inherited the style of the Great General Li."

"And the one I gave to my comrade was a Pine and Crane painting. He was seriously injured and should be recuperating, but he couldn't calm down and was eager to return to work. Seeing my brother's Pine and Crane painting, my comrade smiled and said, 'I am this white crane.' He can calm down and recuperate now."

He was promoting Zhou Zhining's paintings, starting to work as an agent.

Zhao Yongmei looked at him in surprise, but Lou Xiao'e said, "Old Lady Long said that your brother is full of talent, but he is young after all. Can he reach this level?"

Lou Xiao'e expressed a skeptical attitude, listening to Zhou Zhiyuan reply in a deep voice: "Different people have different opinions, and everyone has their own preferences. I'm just truthfully stating the attitude of my master and comrades."

Hearing him mention his master again, Zhao Yongmei curiously asked: "Is your master good at appraising calligraphy and paintings?"

Hearing her inquiry, Zhou Zhiyuan's face showed a respectful expression, and he solemnly replied: "My master was once the chief appraiser of Baocheng Pawnshop. His given name was Mo, a famous figure with an ailment, and he never made a mistake in appraisals throughout his life."

Hearing him say his master's name, Zhao Yongmei looked at him in surprise again.

Seeing this expression, Zhou Zhiyuan wondered to himself, "Does she know my master?"

At this moment, Lou Xiao'e's question came from his ear: "Is your master very famous?"

"He is definitely an expert in appraising antique calligraphy and paintings." Zhou Zhiyuan replied to Lou Xiao'e, his eyes scanning Zhao Yongmei, seeing her reveal an affirmative expression.

"She knows my master." Zhou Zhiyuan was certain, developing an interest in Zhao Yongmei.

His luck was really good, even the person he invited casually was someone with a story.

Thinking this in his heart, he had to stop himself in time, the language mastery skill telling him that speaking is an art, and keeping people in suspense is the key.

Now was the time to shut up. He could stop the words after considering them in his brain in time, but the curious Lou Xiao'e wanted to ask more questions, but Zhao Yongmei pulled her arm and walked into the library.

Watching the two figures disappear, Zhou Zhiyuan turned and walked towards the shopping mall. Zhao Yongmei would tell the story of his master, while he had to buy outfits for work.

Last night, Lin Shurong took out one hundred and twenty yuan and gave it to Zhou Zhining. The Zhou family bought a bicycle today, and she also took out forty yuan, giving twenty yuan to each of the brothers. This was money for them to buy leather shoes.

Zhou Zhiyuan was assigned to work at the street office, and Lin Shurong tailored a suit and a Zhongshan suit for him, and then gave him twenty yuan to buy leather shoes.

He is a cadre and should have leather shoes, but Lin Shurong would not engage in differential treatment. What Zhou Zhiyuan had, Zhou Zhining should also have.

But Zhou Zhiyuan didn't want to buy leather shoes. The government didn't require wearing leather shoes with a suit. He walked into the mall and bought a pair of black Warrior shoes.

He likes sports, and Warrior shoes are the best choice, a well-known brand with excellent quality.

But the price is also very high. This pair of Warrior shoes costs nine yuan and eighty cents, almost the price of a pair of leather shoes.

But between leather shoes and Warrior shoes, Zhou Zhiyuan still chose Warrior shoes, stuffing the pair of black Warrior shoes into his backpack and walking up the stairs to the third floor.

The third floor of Yongan Shopping Mall is the high-end area, with watches, bicycles, sewing machines... You can also see the musical instrument area, with classical instruments like the pipa and zither... Western instruments like the guitar and violin, and even a piano.

After a turn, he found that there were very few customers on this floor, most of them were just watching.

And he was also a spectator, browsing around and walking down the stairs, coming to the second floor and finding that thin figure, he couldn't help but praise in his heart.

The thin figure didn't follow him to the third floor, indicating familiarity with the mall's business environment. The appearance here now also indicates skill in tracking.

And Zhou Zhiyuan is also good at tracking. Discovering that the thin figure was tracking him, he immediately had the idea of comparing skills, mingling and wandering around in the crowd.

The second floor of the mall mainly sells mid-to-high-end clothing and shoes, mainly suits and Zhongshan suits. Women's clothing includes LN clothing and everyday wear, paired with leather shoes, cloth shoes, sports shoes, and cotton hats, single hats, and top hats, as well as various scarves, and there are also two areas specifically selling suits and robes.

There are many customers on this floor, and you can tell from the voices coming from all over the country that there are many out-of-towners.

"Give me an insider price."

"Wrap it up, I'll take it."

"Bring that '窝 窝' over for me to see."

Hearing this voice, Zhou Zhiyuan stopped and looked at the man. This dialect might cause misunderstanding if not said well.

Looking at the female salesperson, he knew from the expression on her face that she was knowledgeable and knew the meaning of "窝 窝".

Continuing to walk a few steps forward, he let out a chuckle, slid around, and grabbed a slender wrist with his left hand. The bait he hung out finally caught this thin figure.

This thin figure followed him out of the century-old wonton restaurant, and then followed him into this large shopping mall, tracking for nearly an hour before finally making a move.

He had a blade hidden in his palm, but before it could touch Zhou Zhiyuan's backpack, his wrist was firmly grasped by a hand.

Zhou Zhiyuan's hand seemed to be cast in iron, firmly holding the thin figure's right wrist and dragging him to a secluded place, staring at those surprised eyes and asking in a deep voice: "What do you want me to do? Shout 'Catch the thief', or silently escort you to the police station?"

He was very democratic, offering two solutions.

The thin figure flashed those surprised eyes and replied in a low voice: "I misjudged. Let me go, brother."

"Impossible..." Zhou Zhiyuan flatly refused: "Before everyone reacts, you should obediently go to the police station with me and confess. This way, you can be treated leniently. Otherwise, if I shout, you won't be able to avoid a beating."

"I'll go with you." The thin figure replied in a low voice, still flashing his eyes, not daring to meet Zhou Zhiyuan's cold eyes.

Seeing him yield, Zhou Zhiyuan chuckled and said in a deep voice: "I believe you are true to your word." Then he released his wrist and took a few steps forward. A glance from the corner of his eye revealed the thin figure darting into the bustling crowd.

His height was only about 1.66 meters, and his thin figure flickered twice in the crowd and then disappeared, like a nimble monkey.