He seemed to have trouble hearing, so he unconsciously spoke very loudly. Selina Shi responded in a louder voice too.
On the contrary, this place looked rather ordinary.
From the side, you could see distant hills. At the foot of the hills was a large lake, and along the lakeshore, apart from willow and banyan trees, there was only nearly yellowed grass.
Next to them stood the famous traditional courtyard houses (siheyuan) of old Beijing, though these were much less eye-catching and grand than the ones near the Forbidden City.
In this area, you didn’t see rows of million-RMB luxury cars—most of the cars parked around were just ordinary four-wheelers in the 200,000 RMB range.
Selina Shi didn’t bother explaining who the old man was to Evan Lin, but it was obvious his identity wasn’t simple. This courtyard, which looked ordinary on the surface, had at least ten hidden sentry posts that Evan Lin had already noticed.
However, Evan Lin had never really paid attention to cars or plates, so he couldn’t see any hidden meaning here. In fact, he hardly ever cared about such trivial things, so after a casual glance, he didn’t give it a second thought.
They parked the two shared bikes off to the side.
"This place is kind of out of the way, so later you’ll have to ride the bikes back out with me. If we leave them here, they’ll just go to waste—that’d be a shame."
At the gate, Selina Shi reached out and knocked on the closed wooden door.
"When I was little, I used to hang out here all the time with Warren Wu and Allen Ju. That big lake over there—you could swim or fish in it, but there’s a lot of weeds at the bottom. People have drowned before."
It was a little girl with a ponytail, who looked quite young. When she saw Selina Shi standing at the door, her face lit up with joy.
So Warren Wu owes Allen Ju a life, and that’s why they’ve stayed close all these years.
She cried out in surprise, then threw herself into Selina Shi’s arms. Her little head rubbed against Selina, full of happiness. "Warren hasn’t arrived yet."
Every time Selina Shi saw someone, she greeted them with a warm smile.
"Little Lanlan, is this your boyfriend?"
An old man sitting there looked over and called out loudly. His voice was strong but a bit hoarse, and he sized Evan Lin up, grinning with a mouth missing a front tooth and showing some yellowed teeth: "He looks pretty good, energetic too. The real question is, can he survive a beating from Little Junjun?"
Selina Shi nodded, then introduced Evan Lin: "Grace Liu, Allen Ju’s younger cousin. She’s twelve."
"Good, very good, very good!"
The old man nodded repeatedly, looking delighted. "With a little girl like you caring about me, how could I not be well! Ha ha!"
He seemed to have trouble hearing, so he unconsciously spoke very loudly. Selina Wu responded in a louder voice too.
He seemed to have trouble hearing, so he unconsciously spoke very loudly. Selina Shi responded in a louder voice too.
"When I was a kid, any boy who wanted to play with me had to get beaten up by Warren Wu first. He said he was just worried boys would bully me."
"Originally, Allen Ju wasn’t allowed to play with me either. But after he saved Warren Wu’s life, Warren let him join us."
Talking about childhood memories like that was its own kind of enjoyment.
Selina Wu didn’t bother explaining who the old man was to Evan Lin, but it was obvious his identity wasn’t simple. This courtyard, which looked ordinary on the surface, had at least ten hidden sentry posts that Evan Lin had already noticed.
When Grace Liu brought them in, a few people glanced at Selina Shi—they seemed to know her, and greeted her with a smile before turning to look at Evan Lin.
As they walked and talked, whenever they passed someone, Selina Shi usually greeted them. Most people would glance at Evan Lin, but didn’t pay him much attention.
There was no sign of anyone flaunting their wealth here.
At the gate, Selina Wu reached out and knocked on the closed wooden door.
At the gate, Selina Shi reached out and knocked on the closed wooden door.
It was a little girl with a ponytail, who looked quite young. When she saw Selina Wu standing at the door, her face lit up with joy.
It was a little girl with a ponytail, who looked quite young. When she saw Selina Shi standing at the door, her face lit up with joy.
She cried out in surprise, then threw herself into Selina Wu’s arms. Her little head rubbed against Selina, full of happiness. "Warren hasn’t arrived yet."
She cried out in surprise, then threw herself into Selina Shi’s arms. Her little head rubbed against Selina, full of happiness. "Warren hasn’t arrived yet."
She spoke as she looked curiously at Evan Lin standing beside them.
"He’s my friend, and also Allen Ju’s friend."
Someone asked again, but before Selina Shi could answer—
Selina Shi nodded, then introduced Evan Lin: "Grace Liu, Allen Ju’s younger cousin. She’s twelve."
Her surname was Liu.
Evan Lin glanced at her and immediately thought of Thomas Liu, who was now a senior official far away in Whitewood County.
Back then, Allen Ju and his friends had gone to Whitewood to visit him, chasing after that county official.
"Oh, then you must not be a bad person."
Grace Liu nodded seriously, putting on a super solemn face. "Come on in—there aren’t many people here yet. Let’s just chill, eat some sunflower seeds, and chat while we wait for everyone else to show up."
Once inside, they saw a few people sitting around on little stools in the courtyard, cracking sunflower seeds and shooting the breeze. A few others were huddled together playing cards. The vibe was pretty chill.
Once inside, they saw a few people sitting on stools in the courtyard, munching sunflower seeds and chatting. A few others were gathered around playing cards. It felt pretty harmonious.
When Grace Liu brought them in, a few people glanced at Selina Wu—they seemed to know her, and greeted her with a smile before turning to look at Evan Lin.
"You look pretty unfamiliar. You didn’t grow up in this courtyard, did you?"
A young man in his twenties looked over and asked. There was nothing hostile in his tone.
He was just curious.
It wasn’t easy for this group to gather together. Anyone who could show up here had either grown up playing in this courtyard, or their family was high enough in status to be allowed in later.
When Grace Liu brought them in, a few people glanced at Selina Shi—they seemed to know her, and greeted her with a smile before turning to look at Evan Lin.
As soon as he spoke, more people glanced at Evan Lin.
This crowd could stand toe-to-toe with each other in terms of family background, so no one bothered to show off. Except for a few standouts, most were about equal, so there was no need for pointless probing or posturing.
"No," Evan Lin replied.
He shook his head, taking a quick look around, but didn’t feel like digging any deeper.
"So, you’re Selina’s friend?"
Someone asked again, but before Selina Wu could reply—
Someone asked again, but before Selina Shi could answer—
A loud voice rang out. A man with a square face looked around, visibly excited: "Want it? I’ve only got one card left! Four twos!"
"This hand is unbeatable! I told you I’d win this round—just let me win once!"
He grinned, but before he could throw out his last card—
"Joker bomb."
Someone played the two jokers, instantly killing his joy. His square face froze, and he slumped in defeat.