Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

As the aroma of tea wafted through the air after the meal, Master Dan took out a pulse pillow from his sleeve: "It's been five years since we last met. Judging from your complexion, you seem weary. May I take your pulse?"

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Dan!" He obediently placed his hand on the table.

With a light touch of his fingertips on the cun, guan, and chi positions, Master Dan's snow-white brows furrowed: "The pulse is deep and wiry, indicating damp-heat stagnation in the bladder meridian." He withdrew his hand, his expression grave. "Do you often feel a distending pain in your lower abdomen, or frequent urgency to defecate? This is a sign of prolonged sitting damaging your qi, leading to damp-heat descending."

Seeing the gentleman nod slightly, Master Dan took out his acupuncture needle pouch: "Fortunately, it's in the early stages. You need to take a modified version of 'Wu Ling San' for one hundred days, supplemented with acupuncture every other day." The silver needles gleamed coldly under the lamp. "Acupuncture points such as Sanyinjiao and Pangguangshu will be needled in rotation to promote urination. You need to abstain from tea and alcohol for the next six months, and get up and move around every quarter of an hour."

Mrs. Deng hurriedly asked, "Mr. Dan, this illness..."

"It's alright." Old Dan twisted the moxa wool into a pagoda shape. "Treating it now is like mending a garment before it tears. If it's delayed too long..." He glanced at the snow falling outside the window, "it might develop into urinary retention."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Deng's eyes filled with heartache and reproach, and she couldn't help but gently pat her husband's arm: "You..."

Knowing he was in the wrong, the gentleman coughed lightly and turned to Lin Yan, trying to change the subject: "Xiao Yan, shall we go to the study to talk?"

Lin Yan's eyes crinkled with amusement at the clumsy turn of events. He leaned close to his husband's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Uncle Zhou, I'm helping you out of this predicament now, but later... don't blame me for taking advantage of the situation and making demands of you."

The three settled into the mahogany chairs in the study, with Lin Sanjing standing by the door to serve them. The teacher took the teacup, smiling as he looked over: "Xiao Yan, where have you been enjoying yourself these past few years?"

"Uncle Zhou, you're really wronging me," Lin Yan said, refilling the teapot. "With such a large business at home, I'm busy all day long."

"Really?" The gentleman blew away the foam on the tea, his smile lines deepening. "I see you're quite comfortable being a hands-off manager. This time you're not just here to spend the New Year with your third brother, are you?" A wise glint shone in his eyes.

Lin Yan sighed and rubbed his forehead: "How come I can't keep anything from you?" Before he finished speaking, the couple opposite him were already laughing so hard they were doubled over.

"Uncle Zhou, I originally wanted to negotiate with you slowly, but since you've made things clear, I'll get straight to the point."

Lin Yan gave Lin Gang a wink, and Lin Gang understood and withdrew. A moment later, he returned with a brown paper envelope and gently placed it on the desk.

"Uncle Zhou, I've come back to ask for someone back." Lin Yan pushed the envelope forward. "Please take a look first."

The husband and wife exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. "They need someone?" The husband hesitated, then opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. As their gaze moved over the densely packed names and brief introductions, the couple's expressions gradually became serious.

"Xiao Yan, what's wrong with you...?" The man's voice was heavy with disbelief.

Lin Yan sat up straight, his gaze sweeping over the two elders: "Uncle Zhou, Aunt Deng, our conversation tonight may influence the country's development over the next thirty years. Please allow me to finish."

He took a deep breath: "The people on this list are those I want to take with me. To be precise, they are a group of people I believe must be protected."

"You are jeopardizing the foundation of the nation!" the gentleman said, his voice filled with anguish.

"You're right." Lin Yan met his gaze frankly. "I intend to shake those foundations that are being eroded. To be honest, I sensed something unusual upon my return. After some initial investigation, I wrote down this list."

He paused, and seeing the focused expressions of his two elders, continued, "The nation is at a critical juncture. After conquering the land, it's natural to feel anxious about consolidating power. However, since the publication of 'Hai Rui Dismissed from Office,' some people with ulterior motives have been misleading him. If you two don't stop them, China's cultural and educational circles will face a catastrophe."

The couple stared at him in shock, and Aunt Deng couldn't help but say, "Xiao Yan, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

"Uncle Zhou, you've been through so many struggles, you should understand what I mean. His initial intention was good—to eliminate bureaucracy and hedonism. But never gamble with human nature. If personal interests are mixed in at the execution level, then another form of bureaucracy will be bred in the process!"

Lin Yan spoke sincerely.

"I did this simply to preserve some of the flame of Chinese civilization."

Lin Yan gently placed the teacup back on the table, the porcelain clinking together with a crisp sound. "I don't need you two to make a decision now. I'll give you a year—a year is enough for you to prove my judgment."

The gentleman and lady exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed with deep worry. "Xiao Yan," the gentleman's voice was low, "how did you arrive at these conclusions?"

"Uncle Zhou, you actually had a premonition all along, didn't you?" Lin Yan's gaze was like a mirror, reflecting the deep worry hidden in the other man's eyes. "Starting in 1959, those monsters and demons began to stir. Now, this trend is beyond your individual power to stop."

He lightly tapped a name on the list with his fingertip: "This is an ideological revolution. How many people will die from this may not be known for more than ten years. I estimate that the death toll will not be less than that of the War of Resistance against Japan. Every single one of your old comrades who fought alongside you will not escape it..."

The study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Lin Yan's last words were spoken very softly, yet they made the backs of the two listeners stiffen slightly.

"Uncle Zhou, if possible, I hope to take as many university professors and students as possible with me—especially those scholars with overseas backgrounds. You and I both know that they will be the first to be hit in this coming storm."

He picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip: "I'm only staying in the country for a year. After I finish what I need to do, I won't set foot on this land again for the next ten years. During this year—if there's anyone you want to protect but can't show your face, have Third Brother contact me anytime."

The cold wind howled outside the window. Lin Yan stood up, his clothes fluttering in the breeze, and paused briefly at the doorway.

"Those gentlemen fiddling with vials and jars in the lab should continue their unfinished research, shouldn't they? It's better to have them work for me than let those scumbags kill them!"

As the Volga sedan was about to start in the darkness, Lin San quickly caught up to the car window and handed a slip of paper folded into the car. The gentleman unfolded the paper and saw four names, one of which was circled in vermilion.

"Sir," Lin San lowered his voice, "Xiao Yan specifically instructed you to pay special attention to these four people." He lightly tapped his finger on the cinnabar circle, "especially this one, who commands an uncontrolled private army."

The couple exchanged a glance, their pupils suddenly contracting. The husband clenched the note tightly in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Understood."

The car window slowly rolled up, shutting out the heavy night.