I am not Ximen Qing.

The artist was touched by his uncle's warm gesture. Li Xian had always mocked city dwellers who were burdened by mortgages, seeing their entire lives reduced to a debt. But for most people, having a mortgage is a matter of luck, not something you can simply choose to have. Throughout history, life has been a constant struggle with housing. A house signifies the right to survival, the right to education, and a place to retire.

In the world of *Jin Ping Mei*, housing remains the most difficult and troublesome top priority. Take, for example, the construction of Ximen Qing's mansion. How long did it take? It was a gradual expansion, built bit by bit, with Ximen Qing spending money and effort. He never dared to neglect the construction of his mansion; it was a top priority, requiring him to spend money lavishly. Come on, let's build, Ximen Qing! Ximen Qing had too many wives, each needing several fine houses and courtyards. With so many wives, the moonlight was heavy. Just imagine how large Ximen Qing's mansion must have been! His residence was quite imposing and grand in the entire Lion Street, with lions guarding the main gate and various side gates creaking. Although *Jin Ping Mei* only mentions this briefly, it's all very suggestive. Ximen Qing's mansion was no smaller than any ordinary mansion. The Ning and Rong mansions in "Dream of the Red Chamber" were definitely depicted with great detail, showcasing their splendor. It wasn't until Ximen Qing and Li Ping'er jointly acquired the houses in the beggar district that Ximen Qing's mansion was considered complete, or at least roughly finished. This was just the outline of the mansion. Then there were pavilions, terraces, gardens, covered walkways, and various rare stones and trinkets. Ximen Qing had struggled his entire life for a house and a mansion. Even Ying Bojue's follower, Zhi Changjie, repeatedly asked Ximen Qing for money to purchase a mansion. Despite the good relationship between Ying Bojue and Ximen Qing, money was still hard to come by when it came to buying a house and a mansion. Just think, even a wealthy man like Ximen Qing sometimes felt powerless to help his friends. This shows that... It's clear that buying a house, especially a residence, was extremely difficult from top to bottom. The novel *Jin Ping Mei* uses so much detail about buying and acquiring houses to show that in the Ming and Song dynasties, for everyone, rich or poor, buying a house was the biggest investment. Almost everyone spent their fortune on real estate, right? Even Earl Ying had to humbly beg Ximen Qing, who barely managed to produce the money. This illustrates the inherently expensive and difficult nature of housing. Although the courtyard of Ximen Qing's Grand View Garden wasn't as meticulously described as in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, the furnishings, furniture, utensils, objects, gold and silver items, porcelain, and antiques within his residence were still vividly depicted. While the descriptions were somewhat brief, they all represented treasures. These treasures were acquired by Ximen Qing through various opportunities and chance encounters, including antique paintings, calligraphy, ancient zithers, and bronze tripods. The gold and silver jewels brought into the imperial palace by Li Ping'er alone were worth a fortune. It's clear that building a wealthy family's fortune wasn't a matter of a single day. As for whether Ximen Qing loved Li Ping'er, of course he did. But Li Ping'er wasn't stupid. Why would she cruelly use various means to destroy Hua Zixu and Jiang Zhushan, who were both perfectly capable men? Sometimes, human nature... When they get ruthless, they can be incredibly vicious. Think about it: Lü Zhi was only after survival and power, and Li Ping'er wasn't after a place to call home. When Li Ping'er first entered the household, Ximen Qing publicly displayed his authority over her, but it was just a show for Pan Jinlian. Pan Jinlian actually wanted Ximen Qing to teach Li Ping'er a lesson and humiliate her. Pan Jinlian is the most jealous and ruthless female protagonist in *Jin Ping Mei*. Because Pan Jinlian, Ximen Qing, and Li Ping'er had different experiences, their personalities and temperaments were worlds apart. Pan Jinlian was a jealous woman, while Li Ping'er was a virtuous wife and mother. Ximen Qing initially wanted to admire Li Ping'er's fair skin, but once he saw the skin of a wealthy woman, he forgot everything else and his anger vanished. That's Ximen Qing for you. After my display of power, I immediately became chivalrous again. Ximen Qing revealed his true nature—a lecherous man—and pulled Li Ping'er into his arms. That tender moment immediately led to her moving into Li Ping'er's room. The male prostitutes and wet nurses were quickly brought out to the table: Jinhua wine, chicken, duck, goose, and all sorts of other dishes. Li Ping'er served Ximen Qing as he drank and ate. She admired the treatment Ximen Qing received in every room; her life was simply too comfortable. Most men couldn't enjoy such a wonderful life. Jinhua wine, roast duck, roast goose, and various side dishes were served, and then silk was laid on the large bed, the quilt scented. In the soft-bedroom, Li Ping'er's relationship with Ximen Qing was restored, and with Xiu Chun, Ying Chun, and the wet nurses serving him, who in the world could compare to his love and affection? My uncle drank quite a bit last night, his voice was hoarse, but he also gave my son a bottle of medicine and stayed up all night to create an oil painting. For some reason, he painted a Monet water lily for my uncle. It was just a hobby, and he even enthusiastically told my uncle that he could hang it on the living room wall when he got back, saying it would definitely bring good luck to the living room. Those days were the loneliest, saddest, and most painful days in Beijing. It felt like the world had abandoned Ax. He was just waiting for the judgment of hell. Most people can't go to heaven, and going to hell is a good choice. He could then join Satan and finally rebel against God's will. He would return to heaven, and when the artist had almost lost his soul, love and money would all come. At that time, there was a Bible by his bedside. He would resist the Bible like Hemingway, seeking inspiration from all kinds of inspiration, learning how the Bible tells stories, wouldn't he? He would often hold candlelight parties and talk about love, having a grand candlelight party. When he first saw that painting could express the raw, natural power of creation—that painting could express the beauty of instinctive desire—he realized he could make money. He could create beauty that people would accept. Of course, this was Anthony's sincere opinion. After that, he was hooked. Suddenly, he found himself enjoying this feeling of isolation, as if he had lost touch with the outside world. His way of making money changed too. Before, he would receive hundreds, even thousands, of phone calls a day. All sorts of calls, from morning till night, from clients in different regions. It could be said that Artest's eagle had been temporarily abandoned by the world. At least his uncle's meal at Quanjude and the 5000 yuan he received gave Artest renewed energy and confidence. It turned out that in his uncle's heart, Artest was still a painter like an older brother. His uncle, a real client, spent 5000 yuan to buy a Monet-inspired water lily painting by Artest. He was still familiar with the water lilies in the botanical garden and Olympic Forest Park. The uncle was quite surprised, of course, because he knew his nephew had only come to Zhongguancun to start a business, work hard, and open several computer printer sales shops. The uncle had never forgotten to use the money his elder brother Zhang Honglin earned to buy him a huge vat of pure grain liquor, Gao Hong, pure sorghum liquor! Wasn't that vat bigger than the one Sima Guang smashed? Just think, after leaving the distillery, that huge vat, with its enormous contents, must have held at least 1000 jin (500 catties) of liquor! The elder brother simply placed the vat in the corner of the living room, covered it with a specially made wooden lid, and the whole room was filled with the aroma of liquor; you'd almost think it was a liquor store. The liquor became increasingly mellow and better. It was so delicious that he drove his elder brother and sister-in-law to their hometown, Ji'an County, to visit the Yalu River. Because Xiao Su had also heard that a large number of relatives in Ji'an hadn't moved into the mountains...

"Brother, are there any of our old relatives here?"

"Yes, I have some! Just look at these treasure pants! Treasure pants, treasure pants, treasure pants, treasure pants!"

Bao Kuzi was Zhang Honglin's childhood playmate. Although they hadn't seen each other for decades, it felt like the first time in all that time. Zhang Honglin, wearing thin trousers, saw Bao Kuzi, who seemed just like he did when they were children, run up to him.

"Brother, are any of our old relatives still here?"

"Little brother, look at these precious pants! These are my precious pants, come here!"

"Let's go home, have a meal, and have a few drinks."

Bao Kuzi and Zhang Honglin seem inseparable, unchanged for decades. Bao Kuzi insists on dragging Zhang Honglin and his uncle to his home for meals and drinks, including several stir-fried dishes. Bao Kuzi lives in a neat, independent brick house in a newly built rural area not far from the river, which receives subsidies. The new rural construction here not only requires beautiful houses, but also provides government subsidies for relatively comfortable new homes. It's crucial to solve all the previous problems with sanitation and natural gas. The village has built a unified drainage system, thus resolving the issues of toilets and flushing. With clean toilets... With bathing facilities and uninterrupted natural gas, the new rural area is definitely the most cost-effective place to live. It's certainly more comfortable than the city, more comfortable than big cities. Actually, most people are conservative, generation after generation guarding their ancestral land and unwilling to move. However, in Ji'an, fewer of the children of relatives go to school; almost all of them go to work and earn money at a young age. But Uncle Si Zhe once returned to Linhai Forestry Bureau. He visited relatives in his hometown from Beijing and also paid respects at his brother Si Ruirui's grave. Back then, the two brothers had almost gone to Beiping together, hoping for better opportunities there. However, because he had married Huang Yupei, he hadn't made up his mind at the time. Zhao Mengji and Zhang Hongying hosted Si Zhe, holding a banquet for several days on Dataizi Mountain. Si Zhe drank and enjoyed himself very much. At that time, having relatives in Beijing was a blessing. It's no joke. Everyone envies Si Zhe, who worked as a chef in a five-star hotel in Beijing his whole life, but he's truly seen the world. Zhao Mengji and Zhang Hongying are quite close to their relatives, but Si Zhe's children in Beijing strongly object. Their father, a poor relative from Northeast China, is also considered an uncle. As long as their third uncle is happy, that's all that matters. But then, their third uncle returned to Beijing and passed away. They did send a message, but nothing else, quite coldly. And so, the family ties were severed. Their second aunt's husband's third uncle's child was too arrogant, always looking down on people from the mountains. In just a few years, Bao Yu has become incredibly successful in Beijing, buying a house, a car, and a large sum of money. Hongying's second aunt said it's fortunate that their third uncle didn't become too close to the wealthy; fortunes change. Next year he'll come to my house. Thinking about it, there are so many unrecognized relatives in this vast city of Beijing. My uncle really values ​​family ties too much. I bought all sorts of firewood for my third sister to use for heating, because firewood has become increasingly expensive. Back in the forest, every household had huge stacks of firewood. We often saw the extravagant scenes of people eating barbecue in Korea. They had to use firewood to eat barbecue, putting the pork belly in a brick kiln—who would have thought? This is now the most luxurious way to eat barbecue, using only pure wood. Barbecue, charcoal hot pot, and cooking with charcoal used to be quite common. There were charcoal burners. Think back to the Tang Dynasty, to Bai Juyi's poem about the charcoal seller; charcoal was really valuable back then. Now, with forest afforestation and planting trees, logging is almost completely prohibited, and firewood is something you have to find yourself. Dead trees in the forest. Then it can be processed into firewood, but the supply is very limited, and it's difficult to buy firewood. Everything is for the growth of the forests, because the forests of Changbai Mountain in Northeast China were heavily logged by the Japanese in the past, and many rare timbers were transported to Japan and sunk to the bottom of the sea. After liberation, a large part of the forests in Changbai Mountain were distributed to support the socialist modernization of the motherland. After liberation, for a period of time, you could see the decline in river and lake water levels, the drier weather, and less water after more rain. Previously, mudslides never occurred in Changbai Mountain. It seems that even during the period of heavy logging, because of the thick foundation, mudslides were almost non-existent in the Changbai Mountain area. You can see mudslides in the Changbai Mountain area, which occurred in the south, because of the forest coverage and the good foundation of the forests in the past. No matter how much rain falls, there won't be any catastrophic mudslides. It's a miraculous natural phenomenon. Only Changbai Mountain can maintain this ability to withstand extreme climates. At least a thousand-year-old forest is needed to withstand the destructive power of extreme weather. This requires a solid foundation, just like people. To grow and cultivate talent, you need a foundation. It's not something that can be achieved overnight. This shows the importance of forests. The protection of the entire ecological environment and climate is of paramount importance. Therefore, forestry protection in the Changbai Mountain area is very strict. My uncle really values ​​family ties too much. He made things very difficult for my third sister. They were a poor household. In winter, for heating, he bought a lot of those allocated firewoods because they were getting more and more expensive. The harder it is to buy, the more precious they become. It's not that you can buy them just because you want to; you need a quota. They're the ones that were eliminated here. Useless wood. My third sister likes to live in the big forest. She's used to it. After the old farmer passed away, my third sister found another old man to live with. Thinking back to how cruel the old farmer was to my third sister. They made her work like crazy, and if she was even slightly lazy, she'd get beaten. After moving from Dajingou to the forest farm, Third Sister's status changed, and she gained more power and audacity. Yes, the old farmer didn't hold back either, making her do heavy physical labor every day, forcing her to exert herself. This was the couple's way of repaying each other in kind; they had no affection for each other, only a deep-seated hatred! The old farmer suffered a stroke, becoming hemiplegic, and his family couldn't care for him anymore, so they sent him to a nursing home. In the end, he died, reportedly in such terrible condition that even the nursing home refused to accept him. He had worked incredibly hard in his youth, and now he was being held back in his old age. Different people, different choices, lead to different outcomes in life, some of which are very heartbreaking. Back in the forest farm, every household had several large stacks of firewood, various trees were cut with chainsaws or hand saws, and logs were then chopped with axes. When the long winter arrived, with temperatures dropping to -30 or -40 degrees Celsius, it was truly bitterly cold. Every day, the stove was stuffed full of firewood, and wisps of smoke drifted from the chimney—a common sight throughout the forest farm. Sometimes, the eldest brother and sister-in-law themselves felt they hadn't cared enough for their younger siblings. The eldest brother even said that his wife had been prone to throwing tantrums at Hongmei back then, while the younger siblings ended up spending money and effort to take care of them. The second brother also argued a lot with the youngest brother, and in the end, even the funerals were paid for and arranged by the younger brother. The inheritance Old Jin left to the youngest uncle in the bureau's tenement building was intended for the third brother's wedding. Since the third uncle didn't have a house, it wouldn't be right with Uncle Li and Aunt Li. Finally, the second aunt intervened and discussed it with the youngest brother, allowing the third brother to use the tenement building for his wedding, which suited the youngest uncle perfectly at the time. There was also a single-story house where Old Jin's property had all been given to his stepson. Thinking about it, Old Jin, who has no blood relation to his son, was quite generous. No wonder his sister-in-law said it was fortunate his younger brother changed his surname; otherwise, he wouldn't have had such great fortune. Anyway, his younger brother was studying in Changchun, so he let his third brother live in the tenement building. In the end, his younger brother certainly didn't lack housing. He probably has a lot of experience buying houses, and he even advised everyone not to buy houses.