Courtyard House: Home Alone

Also, where did my parents go? In this chaotic era, could something have happened to them? The crucial point is that my mother is more than three months pregnant again.

Since transmigrating and merging with the original owner's memories, I feel like I have an extra attachment in my heart. Perhaps it is because when I merged with the original owner's memories, I also merged with his attachment and obsession.

Thinking of this, Lin Yifan's heart clenched. Although he had no emotional connection with the parents of this body, having merged with the original owner's memories, he could feel the original owner's deep attachment and worry for his parents.

"Don't worry, now that I've taken over your body, I'll definitely find them," Lin Yifan thought to himself.

Just then, his stomach rumbled at the most inopportune moment. Right, the original owner hadn't eaten dinner last night, and he was starving.

Laba porridge! Today is Laba Festival. In the original owner's memory, every year on this day, his mother would cook a big pot of fragrant Laba porridge, which contained red beans, mung beans, red dates, longan... Lin Yifan's mouth almost watered.

He stood up, walked to the stove, and opened a ceramic jar next to it. It was empty except for a little bit of rice bran. In another bag of mixed grains, there was only half a bowl of sorghum rice left.

It seems the family's food reserves are running low. The original owner's parents were both intellectuals; although they received salaries, resources were scarce in that era.

Rice and wheat flour were only for Japanese soldiers to eat. If ordinary people had these fine grains in their homes, they would be shot.

"Sigh," Lin Yifan sighed. It seemed he couldn't count on Laba porridge. He was lucky to have anything to eat at all.

He decided to reheat the dinner that Aunt Xiaolan had brought over yesterday and have a bite to eat.

So he added some more coal, put the pot on, added some water, picked up a bowl of corn porridge and two steamed buns from the table, put them in the pot, and waited for them to steam up so he could eat some.

Waiting always feels long, especially when you're hungry.

Lin Yifan warmed himself by the fire while listening intently to the sounds outside. The courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional distant bark of a dog.

In this era, under the rule of the Japanese invaders, Beiping was filled with oppression and unease.

He didn't know what his parents had gone through, nor did he know what his future held. How could a seven-year-old child survive in such a chaotic world? Lin Yifan's brows furrowed tightly.

"Ding!"

A crisp notification sound rang out in his mind without warning, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly pulling Lin Yifan back from his chaotic thoughts.

"Who?!" Lin Yifan jumped up from the stool, looking around warily. The room was empty; he was all alone. The crackling of the fire in the stove sounded especially clear in the silence.

Was it a hallucination? A side effect of time travel? He scratched his head suspiciously; the voice just now was too real to be fake.

Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, the voice sounded again. This time, it wasn't a monotonous "ding," but a slightly mechanical yet exceptionally clear female voice:

"The host's vital signs are stable and his mental state is good, meeting the binding conditions."

"The God-level Selection System is binding... 10%... 50%... 100%! Binding successful!"

"Hello, host. I am the God-level Selection System, at your service."

A system?! Lin Yifan's eyes widened instantly, his heart pounding wildly. As a seasoned reader of Tomato Novels, he was all too familiar with this term! It was the golden finger of a transmigrator!

"A system? It really is a system?" Lin Yifan's voice trembled with excitement. He pinched his thigh hard, "Ouch—" It hurt! It's real! It's not a dream!

"Yes, host." The system's voice remained calm and even. "This system aims to assist the host in surviving and developing better in the current world. It will issue selection tasks from time to time, and the host will receive generous rewards after completing the tasks."

Lin Yifan suppressed his inner elation and took a few deep breaths. Calm down, calm down! He was a man who had read countless system novels; he couldn't appear too naive.

"So...System, do you have a newbie gift pack?" Lin Yifan rubbed his hands together, asking expectantly. This was standard procedure; he absolutely had to have one!

"Ding! System activation detected for the first time. Newbie gift pack has been issued. Please check it."

As the system notification faded, a virtual panel appeared before Lin Yifan's eyes, clearly displaying:

[New Player Gift Pack]:

1. [Physical Enhancement Liquid (Basic)] x1: Drinking this product can slightly improve the host's physical condition, enhance immunity, and relieve fatigue.

2. [Slightly Increased Mental Strength]: Passive skill, permanently slightly increases the host's mental strength, enhancing perception and memory.

3. [Basic Culinary Skills Mastery]: Passive skill, mastering the cooking methods and techniques of common home-style dishes.

4. [Startup Capital: 100 RMB]: Automatically deposited into system space, which the host can withdraw at any time.

5. [One Spirit Spring Space] Includes a basic Spirit Spring. The spring water not only nourishes the body and improves physical condition, but long-term consumption can also strengthen the body, prolong life, and has remarkable effects on wound healing. It can also accelerate crop growth.

The space includes a one-acre planting area, a two-acre freshwater aquaculture area, a five-acre marine aquaculture area, a ten-acre poultry and livestock breeding area, and a one-hundred-acre natural aquaculture area. The initial time flow rate is 1-5 times that of the outside world, and a foldable static warehouse is included. (This space constitutes the host's domain and can be upgraded by completing specific tasks.)

Lin Yifan's mouth watered at the sight of the string of rewards! Physique enhancement fluid, improved mental strength, mastery of cooking, and money. Most importantly, there was the spiritual spring space! This newbie gift pack was a godsend!

In particular, the [Basic Cooking Skills Mastery] and [Startup Capital] solved his most pressing problems of eating and survival! And with the physical enhancement, his current seven-year-old frame was far too weak.

"System, how do I claim these rewards?" Lin Yifan asked impatiently.

"The host only needs to silently say 'receive' in their mind."

"Claim it!" Lin Yifan immediately shouted in his mind.

The next second, he felt his mind become much clearer. His thoughts, which had been somewhat muddled due to the cold and hunger, instantly became crystal clear. He could also hear the subtle sounds around him more clearly. This must be the effect of the [Slight Enhancement of Mental Strength].

At the same time, a massive flow of information flooded his mind: the methods for making various dishes, the control of cooking time and temperature, the combination of seasonings... It was as if he had been cooking for more than ten years, knowing it by heart. This is the [Mastery of Basic Culinary Skills].

Deep within his consciousness, a spiritual spring space appeared, next to which lay a small bottle emitting a faint glow in the still warehouse, along with a stack of brand-new legal tender.