Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Dongxinglong Street, a courtyard house.

Spring sunlight filters through the branches and leaves of the locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick ground.

Elder Dan and Elder Fu were playing chess at the stone table.

The door creaked open and Lin Yan walked out, followed by Xiao Qi.

"Young Master!" The two old men quickly stood up and were about to bow.

A gentle surge of true energy softly supported their arms.

"There's no need for so much formality between us."

Lin Yan smiled and shook his head, then walked to the stone table and sat down naturally.

Xiaoqi curiously sniffed the chessboard, then snorted softly, clearly uninterested in this "black and white pebble game," and instead wandered to the corner to catch a grasshopper rolling over a fallen leaf.

"Young Master, it's been so many years since I've seen you!"

Old Dan's voice was somewhat excited as he carefully examined Lin Yan. He felt that although the young master's appearance was still young, the light in the depths of his eyes was so calm and profound that he dared not look directly at him, as if it contained a galaxy of stars.

"Hehe, I went out for a stroll."

Lin Yan spoke in a relaxed tone.

"I've seen a lot, from the north to the south, from the Gobi Desert to the snow-capped mountains, and experienced a lot. But in the end, I feel that there's so much hustle and bustle outside, and home is still more interesting." He pointed to the chessboard.

Old Master Fu laughed and said:

"Young master, you've seen it all. Tell us, what extraordinary adventures have you had over the years?"

They were Lin Yan's core team in his early days. Although their strength was far inferior, they had a close and trusting relationship like family.

Lin Yan then picked up Xiao Qi, who had jumped back onto his lap, and began to recount the events of the past few years.

When he spoke of the vastness and life and death of the African savanna, the languor and undercurrents under the Mediterranean sun, the long scroll and heaviness of the distinct seasons in the Western Regions, and the transformation guided by painstaking efforts on the Loess Plateau... his tone was calm, but the magnificent waves contained within still captivated the two elderly men who had experienced many vicissitudes of life.

As he finished speaking, a faint light flashed at Lin Yan's fingertips, and a vibrant green tea leaf appeared between his fingers.

Also taken out was a specially made silver teapot and tea set imbued with spiritual patterns.

"This is Enlightenment Tea."

As Lin Yan placed tea leaves into the pot and poured in spiritual spring water, he casually spoke, his palms radiating true essence. The bottom of the silver pot instantly emitted just the right amount of heat, yet without any flames.

"It should be somewhat helpful for you to comprehend the essence of the art and overcome bottlenecks in your cultivation techniques. There's not much, so share it among yourselves."

He paused, then emphasized, "Remember, take it only after you return to your respective secluded rooms and calmly refine it."

"Enlightenment... Enlightenment Tea?!" Elder Dan and Elder Fu exclaimed almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the tea leaf that was slowly unfurling in the teapot, its subtle aroma emanating from it, their breathing becoming heavy.

Over the years, they had struggled to comprehend the essence of the realm, and this legendary thing was undoubtedly their greatest hope for breaking through the most critical barrier! The two were so excited that their bodies trembled slightly, and their faces flushed red.

"Thank you for your generous gift, young master! This is a great favor..." The two men were about to rise and bow again.

"Hey," Lin Yan deliberately put on a stern face, "I told you, we don't need these formalities between us. If you keep this up, I might really take the tea back!"

That's more effective than anything else.

The two elderly people immediately sat up straight like children who had done something wrong, trying to calm themselves down, but the gratitude and excitement in their eyes could not be hidden.

The young master truly considers them his own people; this reward is as heavy as a mountain, and the sentiment is even more profound.

Lin Yan watched as the steam rose and the aroma of tea began to fill the air. The fragrance was not strong, but it penetrated the soul and cleared the mind.

"Tea is a good thing, but it's just an external thing. Ultimately, you have to walk your own path, step by step."

He softened his tone, "Over the years, you've all taken good care of things here at home. Even though I'm not here, I know you've managed the business I left behind very well, and nothing has gone wrong."

Elder Dan quickly replied, "Young Master, you flatter us. It's all part of our duty. The foundation you laid is solid, and the direction is clear. We're just following instructions and making sure nothing goes wrong."

"Alright, I won't keep you two from having tea any longer. I'm going out for a walk. Xiao Qi, see you later!"

Lin Yan ruffled Xiao Qi's hair, got up, and walked outside. Xiao Qi immediately perked up and trotted after him. The figures of the man and the dog passed through the hanging flower gate and disappeared into the streets of Beijing in early spring of 1989.

The streets are more crowded and more vibrant than they were more than a decade ago.

The flow of bicycles was still vast, but occasionally you could see a few Ladas, Polonezes, or even Santanas honking their horns and awkwardly weaving through them.

On the walls facing the street, the newly painted slogans have been changed to "Building the Four Modernizations" and "Time is money". Some of the originally closed street-facing walls have been broken open and turned into small individual shops selling clothing, electrical appliances and books.

The voices of Teresa Teng or Cui Jian drifted from the tape recorder, mingling with the sounds of the old men playing the erhu in the alley.

Lin Yan strolled along, like a pure observer. His gaze swept over the storefronts with new signs that read "Company" and "Center," and over the increasingly diverse clothing worn by pedestrians, his expression calm.

As he walked near Dongjiaomin Lane, a brand-new, modern yet dignified building came into view.

The building features a combination of light-colored ceramic tiles and glass curtain walls, a rarity at the time, and four dignified characters stand atop the building: Siyuan Hospital.

Vehicles entered and exited the gate in an orderly manner, and the staff in clean white uniforms behaved professionally.

This is a landmark project jointly built by the Lin Foundation and domestic partners, integrating medical treatment, scientific research, and high-end health checkups. The equipment and management model it has introduced are top-notch. Lin Yan paused across the street to look at it for a moment and nodded slightly.

Lin San and his team are indeed very thorough in their work.

Turning onto the busier Wangfujing Street, a rich aroma of oils, spices, and heat wafts through the air.

A three-story building, with its antique charm yet clearly the result of careful expansion and renovation, stands at the street corner, its eaves and brackets gleaming, brightly lit, and bustling with activity.

The signboard is black with gold lettering—Eight Treasures Shop.

Through the bright glass windows, you can see that the restaurant is packed with diners, who are served exquisite roast goose, shrimp dumplings, and various dim sum. The decor is indeed as described, magnificent and grand, with the style of a traditional restaurant and the refinement of a Hong Kong-style teahouse.

It seems that Xu Damao and Shazhu have successfully transplanted the experience from the south, and even surpassed their predecessors.

Lin Yan didn't go in; he just held Xiao Qi's hand and watched the lively scene from across the street for a while.

Xiao Qi sniffed and sent a telepathic message: "Brother, it smells so good."

Lin Yan laughed and flicked its forehead: "That's the aroma of seasonings and cooking, you little glutton."

Having witnessed enough of the city's changes, Lin Yan subtly concealed his aura and quietly led Xiao Qi out of the city, heading towards the Yanshan Mountains to the north.

The hustle and bustle of the city was quickly left behind, replaced by the new green of early spring, and the mountain breeze carried a chill.

"Go ahead, have some fun, find some snacks from the mountains, but don't go too far."

Lin Yan released his grip. Xiao Qi cheered and darted into the forest in a flash of golden light, startling several birds. Soon, the grunts and fleeing sounds of an unlucky wild boar could be heard in the distance.

Lin Yan stood with his hands behind his back on a mountain ridge, overlooking the continuous mountain range and the faint outline of the capital city in the distance, feeling the unique Taoist charm at the intersection of nature and the mortal world.

Suddenly, a very faint cry of a baby drifted up on the mountain breeze.

At first, he didn't pay much attention, thinking that woodcutters and hunters occasionally appeared in the deep mountains, perhaps with children.

But the crying was weak yet tenacious, intermittent, and not only did it not stop, it intensified.

Lin Yan frowned slightly.

It was already evening in this desolate wilderness... His divine sense instantly spread out in the direction from which the crying came.

About three miles away from the ridge where he was, in a sheltered mountain hollow, fallen leaves piled up under several tall trees.

An old wooden tub sat there quietly.

In the wooden tub, lined with rough cotton cloth, lay two swaddled babies side by side! A boy and a girl, their faces were a little blue from the cold, their little mouths open, crying with all their might, the girl's cries especially loud.

His divine sense swept across an area of ​​several miles in an instant.

There was no one, no trace of recent human activity, only the cold wind rustling through the treetops and the faint sounds of Xiao Qi chasing its prey in the distance.

This is abandonment; it deliberately chose this remote mountain forest.

Lin Yan's figure blurred, and the next moment he appeared under the tall tree.

He bent down and carefully cradled the two infants, still in their swaddling clothes, into his arms. His inner energy flowed naturally, and a gentle warmth instantly enveloped their two cold little bodies, stopping their trembling.

Upon closer inspection, although the two children looked somewhat disheveled from crying and the cold, their features were indeed extremely beautiful and well-proportioned.

The boy closed his eyes and sobbed softly, while the girl opened her big, dark eyes, still filled with tears, as if she had suddenly felt warmth and security.

She stared at Lin Yan's face, which was so close to hers, and suddenly a smile appeared on her lips.

The little life in my arms was so light, yet so heavy.

Lin Yan looked down at the two children in his arms who had gradually stopped crying and were even beginning to look at him with curiosity, especially the little girl who was still trying to smile at him.

At that moment, his chest was gently bumped by some softer force.

The mountain breeze remains unchanged, and dusk is gradually settling in.

He stood there holding his two children for a long time.