Courtyard House: Home Alone

As they were talking, the goose in the pot was almost cooked. Lin Yifan turned off the heat and took the iron pot off the stove. Instantly, the whole room was filled with that rich aroma.

He scraped the cornbread off the side of the pot; it was golden and tempting. Meng Zhuolin had already set out the bowls and chopsticks, and Yu'an was placed in the stroller, her little head turning with the aroma.

The family sat together, and Lin Yifan served his parents goose meat and potatoes. He also gave An a small piece of stewed goose liver and potatoes that were very tender, which he planned to mash into a puree for her later.

Lin Qiqing picked up a piece of goose meat and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. His eyes narrowed slightly as he exclaimed, "Mmm! It tastes really good! I've been in Chongqing for so long, and I've never had such authentic stewed goose! Xiao Fan, your cooking skills are impressive!"

Meng Zhuolin also took a bite and said with a smile, "It's really delicious. My son's cooking is still the best."

Lin Yifan felt a warm glow in his heart as he watched his family enjoy their meal. This long-awaited family reunion, simple yet heartwarming, made him feel that all his previous efforts and hard work had been worthwhile.

Yu'an was babbling in her stroller, her little hands reaching out to grab something on the table. Meng Zhuolin quickly picked up a small piece of mashed potato and fed it to her with a spoon.

The little one ate with great relish, smacking her lips and even opening her mouth for more after each bite. Seeing their daughter's adorable appearance, Meng Zhuolin and Lin Qiqing beamed with happiness.

Dinner ended in a warm atmosphere. Lin Yifan took the initiative to clear the dishes, while Meng Zhuolin and Lin Qiqing played with Yu'an in the living room and discussed moving to their new home.

Listening to his parents' joyful laughter, Lin Yifan secretly vowed to ensure his family continued to live such a happy and peaceful life. No matter what storms the future held, he would stand in front of them, creating a bright and sunny sky for them.

That evening, back in his room, Lin Yifan took out five addresses from his spatial storage and checked them. He found that one household was in the countryside, another in the southern suburbs, and the third in the city, none of which were too far away.

There were two other households, one in Nanchong and the other in Nanjing. He decided to bring the households from the countryside and the southern suburbs to the courtyard in Jingya Lane first, so that they could rest for a few more days before setting off.

The next morning, just after seven o'clock, Lin Yifan arrived at Deshun Dental Clinic, and Boss Liu had also arrived early.

The two waited for less than ten minutes when a Dodge truck with a load capacity of 2.5 tons pulled up at the door. A middle-aged man with dark skin wearing blue overalls jumped out of the driver's seat. He was none other than Mr. Yao, the driver for Boss Li.

He was short and stocky, with a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile on his face. Seeing Boss Liu and Lin Yifan, he quickly walked over to shake hands: "Boss Liu, Mr. Lin, thank you for waiting! I've thoroughly checked the car and filled it with gas; I guarantee a smooth journey!"

Boss Liu patted Master Yao on the shoulder: "I trust Lao Li to get things done! Mr. Lin, this is Master Yao, Boss Li's most reliable long-distance driver. He knows the roads well and has excellent driving skills."

Lin Yifan also extended his hand and shook hands with Master Yao: "Master Yao, thank you for your hard work."

Master Yao grinned, "It's no trouble at all, it's my duty! Mr. Lin, shall we set off now?"

Lin Yifan nodded: "Okay, Master Yao, this is the address in the southern suburbs. Please come with me to the southern suburbs to pick up a few people." After saying that, he handed the address he had copied down last night to Master Yao.

Master Yao took a look and said, "No problem! Get in the car! But that place is not easy to find; it's basically all makeshift shacks built by the owners themselves." As he spoke, Boss Li opened the passenger door.

Lin Yifan said goodbye to Boss Liu and got into the passenger seat. The truck started up, emitting a muffled roar, and slowly drove away from the dealership, merging into the morning traffic.

Just then, a piercing air raid siren blared, and both Lin Yifan and Master Yao's expressions changed. Master Yao instinctively slammed on the brakes, and the truck came to a stop on the side of the road.

Pedestrians on the street panicked instantly, and the previously orderly traffic became chaotic. Cries, shouts, curses, and car horns mingled together with the piercing sound of alarms, and the air was filled with tension and fear.

"Those damn Japanese devils bomb us every few days, but we're not in the city center, so it shouldn't be a big problem!" Master Yao frowned and looked warily at the sky.

Lin Yifan's heart jumped into his throat. He suddenly remembered that starting in 1938, the Japanese had carried out a six-year strategic bombing campaign against Chongqing and its surrounding areas, resulting in the tunnel tragedy that shocked the world.

Since he hadn't encountered any bombing during his last visit to Wu, he had almost forgotten about it. He quickly calmed himself and said in a low voice, "Master Yao, let's drive to a sheltered spot by the roadside and assess the situation before we decide what to do!"

Master Yao realized what was happening and quickly turned the steering wheel to move the truck as close as possible to a row of low buildings on the side of the road, so that it could at least provide some cover.

Neither of them got out of the car, nervously observing the sky through the windows. The siren continued its shrill wail, piercing the heavens as if to tear their nerves apart.

Lin Yifan spread his mental energy outwards, closely monitoring a range of over 5,000 meters in the sky. His biggest worry right now was the safety of his family.

When I came out just now, my parents and sister should still be at home. I wonder if there are any air-raid shelters nearby?

About seven or eight minutes later, twenty-four aircraft appeared in the eastern area, including twelve "Zhong Kui" fighters and twelve Type 99 bombers, which are capable of both dive bombing and ground attack.

At this moment, anti-aircraft guns and machine guns also started firing on the outskirts of the city. Although the density was not high, it still made the Japanese pilots dare not carry out dive bombing.

Right now, with a thought from Lin Yifan, the engines of each of the twelve Type 99 attack aircraft (bombers) were hit by a delayed-action grenade. Then, the cockpits of each aircraft were also hit by two grenades.

Next came the fighter jets surrounding the bombers; each of the twelve fighters had its cockpit and engine hit by a grenade. Having done all this, he immediately withdrew his mental energy and casually looked out the window.

Almost simultaneously, a series of explosions rang out in the sky. The twelve bombers and twelve fighters, like kites with broken strings, plummeted from the sky, trailing thick black smoke. Some crashed into the wasteland outside the city, while others disintegrated in mid-air.

The Japanese pilots didn't even have time to react before they all met their end. Meanwhile, the Nationalist air defense troops on the ground and the people running and hiding all around were left speechless.

The piercing air raid sirens gradually subsided, and the chaos on the streets slowly calmed down. People, still shaken, looked up at the sky, their faces filled with shock and disbelief as they gazed at the wreckage of the fallen enemy planes.

Master Yao's mouth dropped open, and he was speechless for a long time: "What...what's going on? Did our air defense forces suddenly become superhuman today? Or is it a miracle?"

Lin Yifan breathed a sigh of relief, but remained outwardly calm, simply saying, "They were probably just inside the fire net. Anyway, we're safe now. Master Yao, let's continue on our way."

Master Yao then came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, let's get going! Today was really strange, but it's also a good thing!"