Chapter 1134: The Slum

The Aston Martin stopped in front of an unknown alley. This alley was no different from the hundreds of old alleys in Beijing. White bricks and red walls were interlaced. On the right side of the alley was a large sycamore tree. It was tall and handsome, with a straight trunk and broad leaves. Because it was late summer and approaching autumn, the leaves were half golden and half green. It might be golden in another month.

Lin Nian sat in the co-pilot seat and looked out through the glass. There were many chess tables under the old sycamore tree. A group of elderly men sat under the sycamore tree, with a cattail leaf fan in their left hand and a teacup in their right hand, concentrating on the chessboard. From time to time, elderly people supported each other and walked towards the alley. Against the background of falling sycamore leaves, it looked quite interesting.

Originally, when it came to drinking tea at "Longfeng Garden", Lin Nian thought that he would either enter the Forbidden City or the Prince's Mansion today, but in the end, he came to such a common alley residence in Beijing. The courtyards and houses in these small alleys are not luxurious, and some are even dilapidated and in disrepair.

For a courtyard residence like this, although the location is very good, either close to Chang'an Avenue or next to Wangfujing, the actual housing area is very limited, and even crowded.

Usually the entrance to this kind of courtyard is a small red door in the alley. When you open the red door and look inside, you can see a narrow and old path. Usually, the left and right sides of the path are full of daily necessities, and the walls can see the red bricks under the chalk. A door and window on the left and right sides are the residence.

The real older generation lives in this kind of place called "Da Zayuan".

This kind of compound is very common in Beijing. The small ones have 10 to 20 rooms, and the big ones even have 40 to 50 rooms. It is not uncommon for a compound to have more than 100 people. Although there are many people, they are not mixed. Basically, each compound will naturally produce a "highly respected" person to lead the compound.

This kind of "leader" is mainly elderly men, with high prestige. If there is any dispute in the compound, usually the old man is asked to take a look and give a fair word. If it is still entangled, then "report to the government." But basically no one will deliberately offend the old man. If the old man makes a decision, most people are still willing to make a big deal out of a small matter. In dealing with disputes, this kind of "leader" is always more reliable than the government.

Such a shanty town looks poor, but in fact, it is full of hidden talents. If you go back to the last century and walk through such an old courtyard, you can't guarantee that the old man sitting on the steps at the door of the alley smoking a dry pipe, who is so old that you can't see only a slit in his eyes, is the former county magistrate, and the old woman sewing and washing clothes may have been a princess in the palace during the Qing Dynasty.

If Lin Nian understands the culture and origin of the shanty town, he may be able to comprehend some secrets about the "orthodox" people in charge. For example, the "leaders" of some shanty towns are not fixed, but are replaced in turn according to years and seniority. For example, there has always been a saying of "Lianlizhi" in the shanty town. But unfortunately, he is not a native of Beiyi, so he can't really taste some "orthodox" metaphors from it. The only feeling he has about this kind of hutong and courtyard is that it has a lot of life and traditional culture.

He opened the door of the Aston Martin and got out. He walked around the front of the car and found that many of the old men playing chess under the sycamore tree turned their heads to look over here. He just thought that the car driven by Li Huoyue next to him was too eye-catching, so he didn't pay much attention to it. But when he looked back at the car, he found that the driver's seat had not opened for a long time, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"Bang Bang"

The driver's window was gently knocked by the bent knuckles. Because of the anti-peep film, Lin Nian in front of the car door could not see the people inside, and could only see his reflection from the dark window.

After knocking twice and finding no response from the car, he frowned and was about to knock a few more times, when the frameless window was finally lowered, revealing Li Huoyue's face that was stunning even with a little color. One glance can ruin a lifetime, and a glance can make you think about which house in the BJ school district is better for your child. This is the kind of beauty that brings disaster, and it is not an exaggeration.

However, this makeup was done by Lin Nian himself. Sculptors are never satisfied with the works produced by their own hands. Michelangelo always creates works that he is not satisfied with with pain. This made him not moved by the other party's heart-throbbing color. That's why he could notice this beautiful face so clearly. Like the slowly lowering car window, both of them were vaguely hesitant and uncomfortable.

She didn't want to leave the car, this was Lin Nian's first judgment.

"What are you doing? Are you ashamed?"

"." No words, sullen.

Lin Nian didn't know what was wrong with this girl. In his impression, Li Huoyue was always the type of Sun Erniang who would put down the half-eaten noodles and take out the machete from under the table and walk out the door if you said, "Let's go and chop someone." Today, the sun really came out from the west, and Sun Erniang would act like a little woman.

"Turn your face around." Lin Nian said lightly.

Li Huoyue slowly turned her head to look at the boy outside the car window. The other party staggered to let some light in, which hit her face and made her unconsciously lower her eyes slightly and raise her hand to cover her eyebrows.

Seeing Li Huoyue sitting steadily in the driving seat, Lin Nian felt for a moment that the other party was questioning his makeup skills, so he took advantage of the natural light coming in from the lowered car window to look at Li Huoyue's face with clear shadows, three-dimensionality and a slightly sculptural beauty. There were no flaws, that was his evaluation. Even if there were a few unruly hairs hanging on the sides of her face, it could be said to be a messy beauty.

——If there is room for improvement in this makeup, then Lin Nian should consider taking out the Dragon Roar Sword Box from the trunk, and taking out a suitable knife to remove the girl's left hand. Maybe she will be deified? (Lin Nian was secretly complaining that Li Huoyue and Venus both had a broken arm in common, and the latter was deified because of the broken arm)

"No flaws, very beautiful, get off the car." Lin Nian still patiently encouraged the girl.

"I won't." Li Huoyue said.

?

Lin Nian wanted to lean back to show his incomprehension at the moment. He stared at Li Huoyue who was looking at him expressionlessly in the driver's seat. He also had no expression on his face, mainly because he didn't know what expression to use to deal with this situation.

"It's less than fifteen minutes before the agreed time. Counting the distance in the alleys, we should not have much time. You should know the importance of this meeting, right?" He asked calmly in a low voice.

He didn't quite understand why he, as a guest, had to remind the other party of the importance of this meeting. The Sima family's clan leader was a member of the orthodox high-stage table, and his status was only higher than that of the school board in the secret party. If Lin Nian was late for such a meeting, he shouldn't be in trouble, but Li Huoyue, who led the way, would probably be held accountable.

So in the end, he was worried that the other party would be scolded and advised him to be more generous? It's better not to put on makeup. Li Huoyue, even if she doesn't dress up, can touch the threshold of the top three on the list hidden deep in his heart with a big white T-shirt that covers her denim shorts. Now after putting on makeup, she has a vague tendency to win the second place. So what is the other party hesitating about? Does she think she is too beautiful? Or does she finally feel that makeup is not suitable for a cold-faced female killer like her who licks blood on the edge of a knife?

Lin Nian didn't understand. He thought Li Huoyue was a rare, simple and pure woman, but in the end he found that he was wrong. It seems that women are all wave-particle duality. If you observe them from a different angle, you will always give you incredible feelings.

"You can go first, I'll be there later." Li Huoyue finally said this while holding the steering wheel with both hands. Her tone was very calm, but Lin Nian could see that she was not calm at all, as if she was deliberately avoiding something.

Lin Nian looked back at the sycamore tree and the old people playing chess not far away, and said after a moment of silence, "I don't know the way."

"I can tell you how to get there."

Lin Nian began to feel that this girl was hiding something from him. Maybe this afternoon tea was actually a Hongmen Banquet. As soon as he entered the door, Zhengtong opened the prepared Qingwushu killing formation to freeze him. It would be strange if Li Huoyue didn't go with him because she was afraid of being injured by mistake.

Lin Nian calmly reached out his hand to press the Aston Martin's door. When he made this move, Li Huoyue calmly raised her hand to unlock the car. Unfortunately, she forgot that she had already lost to Lin Nian once in terms of hand speed. The last time she lost, she suffered a terrible fate. She flew from the Moniach to the lifeboat and could hardly get off. This time, if she lost, Lin Nian would get her off the seat.

The Aston Martin's hidden door handle was gently pressed and lifted up. Lin Nian pulled the door slightly and it opened. Now, unless Li Huoyue had the guts to use "Sword Control" to weld the door again, then this door would be opened by him no matter what. If she still pulled the door and wrestled with him in public, it would be too embarrassing.

The door of the Aston Martin opened diagonally upwards. Lin Nian did not forget to hold the door with one hand to prevent the guy in the car from pulling it back. He moved sideways to make some space to signal Li Huoyue to step forward. There was already someone watching this way under the sycamore tree not far away. From their perspective, it was probably the boy in the passenger seat who was quite gentlemanly and went around to the driver's seat to open the door for his girlfriend in the car?

Now Li Huoyue had to accept this favor. If she stayed welded to the seat again, she would not only lose Lin Nian's face, but also her own face. She never cared about losing her own face, but in Beiyi, her words and deeds did not only represent herself, so she consciously and decisively gave up the original difficult entanglements, stepped out of the car threshold with a cold face, turned around and bent down to get out of the car.

Lin Nian was particularly gentlemanly and raised his hand to cover the top of the car door for her to avoid hitting her head. After Li Huoyue got off the car and stood in the sun, it was obvious that the crowd not far away had some discussions. They were probably discussing which girl was so pretty and which boy was so handsome?

Li Huoyue stood beside Lin Nian and glanced at him. The other party also glanced back. They couldn't understand each other. Li Huoyue didn't understand why Lin Nian was so stubborn. Lin Nian didn't understand what was wrong with Li Huoyue today.

The car door was closed. Li Huoyue finally took Lin Nian to the alley next to the sycamore tree. Lin Nian followed her not far away, not close. He observed the surrounding environment to see if there were any special places that deserved his attention. He also paid attention to how to plan the retreat route if something unexpected happened.

Normally, if there is no accident, it will happen soon.

But the accident at the moment is not the kind of accident that Lin Nian expected, which is related to life and death. What if social life and death is also considered life and death?

As they approached the sycamore tree, an old man in a black short coat playing chess stared at Li Huoyue for a while. After seeming to be sure of something, he suddenly pointed at Li Huoyue with the palm-leaf fan in his hand, "Hey! Isn't this the little moon?"

Lin Nian obviously noticed that Li Hueyue's steps beside him had stopped. He looked at the girl next to him with a strange expression, and double-checked her reaction and the old man in front of the chess stall pointed at Little Moon? Are you calling Li Hueyue? When did she get the nickname Little Moon? Is it a nickname or a nickname? Who are these people from Li Hueyue?

Before Lin Nian could think about it, the elders and aunties in the stall under the tree were all excited. They stopped doing what they were doing and started giving advice to Lin Nian and Li Hueyue who were not far away.

"It's really a little moon. The little girl who came out of the courtyard has become beautiful!"

"Lao Li, is that Little Moon? Don't get the wrong person."

"It's impossible to admit that I'm wrong. I'm just dressed up differently today, and I have my boyfriend with me!"

"Oh, if you didn't tell me, I almost missed it. What a handsome young man!"

Li Huanyue lowered her head and quietly adjusted her expression. After getting close, she looked up at the lively group of old people under the tree. She pretended to be calm and nodded to the old man in a black mantle who first spoke, "Mr. Li, it's me. Long time no see." , I came back this time to talk to an elder in the yard about something important."

"Look, it is indeed the little moon!" The man in the black mantle pointed at Li Huanyue with a cattail leaf fan and said with a smile to the old people around him, "I said I won't admit my mistake. Although I haven't seen her much in recent years, I have always seen her. Did I admit that I was wrong about the girl who walked out in our yard?"

Lin Nian caught some key words in the man's mantle, but still asked in a low voice: "Are you familiar?"

"Don't talk." Li Huoyue also whispered.

"Is your mother okay? I haven't seen your mother back in the yard for a long time. Are you getting used to living in a new house in the city?" The old man looked at Li Huanyue and said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Li, for your concern. My mother is fine, but she rarely goes out. If I have a chance, I will bring her back to see you all." Li Chengyue answered very politely and calmly, like the simplest daily greetings, But Lin Nian on the side slightly raised his head and glanced at the old people under the sycamore tree, and then at Li Hueyue, thinking about many things in his heart.

"But this time, Little Moon has brought her boyfriend back? What's strange? The few times I saw you before, you were alone with the elders in the yard, but this time you actually went back to take someone with you!" The old man in a black mantle shook his cattail leaf fan. The conversation instantly fell on Lin Nian, who was next to Li Hueyue, "You are finally willing to listen to our advice and find a boyfriend. Has your mother finally started urging you to hold the child?"

"Hey, what are you talking about? The husband has taken him to the yard, maybe he has children, and maybe he is back in the yard to have a full-moon banquet or a hundred-day banquet!" Immediately, another sarcastic old man on the side joked.

Lin Nian noticed that Li Hueyue next to him felt uncomfortable all over his body. He kept adjusting his breathing rate with an expressionless face... that is, taking deep breaths quietly.

Although there was no blushing or shy reaction that was completely inconsistent with her personality, the feeling of discomfort and wanting to escape could not be concealed at all.

Li Huoyue suddenly noticed that Lin Nian was glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, and realized that his emotional changes were seen by the other party, so his expression became even more indifferent.

But in Lin Nian's eyes, this was nothing more than a cover-up and embarrassment.

What does this mean? No matter how powerful ‘Yue’ is, she has to break her defenses under the pressure of neighbors, uncles and aunts to get married?

"Young boy, turn around and let me see what you look like!"

A group of elderly people began to laugh and make noise. Lin Nian didn't know whether to stand up and point out the other party's misunderstanding, or to remain silent.

"Mr. Li, you have misunderstood. He is not my boyfriend. We are just colleagues at work." Li Huanyue finally explained slowly.

"Nonsense, where can I bring a colleague back to the courtyard? If you can bring him back, your relationship must have reached a certain level. Besides, all of us have seen him open the door for you and pick you up. He is so concerned and distressed. Are you saying that this kid is just pursuing you shamelessly?" The old man in the black mantle didn't accept this at all, and used an experienced tone to expose the excuse of the thin-skinned girl.

There was an old lady with a kind and kind face beside the tree who seemed to be an acquaintance of Li Hueyue. She folded her hands on her knees and raised her fingers gently, laughing and teasing, "Hey, boy, you want to pick the little moon in our courtyard, how can you do it?" You have to work hard! The little moon is hanging high in the sky. If you want to take it off, you have to hang it from the sky rope!"

"Old lady, don't tell me, these two young people are a perfect match when they stand together!" Another old man sighed, looking at the young man and woman who had just fallen under the shadow of the sycamore tree, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Young man, come here, come here, let's have a chat." The old man in the black mandarin jacket waved the cattail leaf fan towards Lin Nian, his wrinkled face full of the simplest enthusiasm.

Lin Nian said nothing and looked at Li Hueyue beside him. He felt that she should make things clear at this time.

Then he found that Li Hueyue beside him was suffocated again and was looking at him indifferently from the corner of his eye. The meaning was self-evident.

Solve the troubles you make yourself.

No wonder Li Huoyue didn't want to get out of the car just now, probably because he had foreseen that such a happy thing would happen.

Just when Li Huoyue felt that Lin Nian would helplessly explain their relationship, Lin Nian, who was standing aside, glanced around and thought for a moment, then suddenly turned around and walked past her, heading straight towards He walked towards the sycamore tree and greeted the people under the tree very calmly, "Here you come, uncle."

——Come on, you big-headed ghost

Li Huoyue looked up at Lin Nian's back, who was walking away like a good son-in-law, and was completely stunned. Or it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was completely stupid.

Is he sick?