Courtyard House: Home Alone

Mr. Yao restarted the truck and carefully merged into the street. After the terrifying incident, neither of them spoke again, and only the roar of the engine filled the truck bed.

Lin Yifan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, but actually he was reviewing his actions. His actions had indeed been somewhat risky, but for the safety of his family and the innocent civilians who might be affected by the bombing, he had no choice but to act that way.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly and they didn't expose themselves. The truck traveled for about an hour on the bumpy dirt road and finally arrived at the shantytown in the southern suburbs, where Qi Haishan's family lived.

The houses here are mostly built of mud and thatch, low and simple, crookedly crammed together, and the air is filled with a mixture of dampness and the smell of burning low-quality coal.

In the narrow alley, children dressed in tattered clothes chased and played, while several ragged adults sat at the doorway, staring blankly at passersby.

Mr. Yao parked the truck at a relatively open intersection and said with some difficulty, "Mr. Lin, the road here is too narrow, the truck can't go in, we can only find it on foot."

Lin Yifan nodded, picked up the slip of paper with the address written on it, and carefully examined the information on it: "Qi family, living in the third house at the east end of the shantytown, there is a crooked willow tree in front of the door."

He pushed open the car door, jumped out, and Master Yao followed. After locking the car door, the two walked one after the other into the depths of the shantytown.

The road beneath his feet was full of potholes and puddles of sewage, emitting an unpleasant odor. Lin Yifan frowned, but did not stop walking.

He knew that in this era, such scenes were commonplace, and having a place to shelter from the wind and rain was a luxury for many people.

This shantytown was quite large. After walking for about seventeen or eighteen minutes, Lin Yifan indeed saw a crooked willow tree at the east end, and under the willow tree was a dilapidated thatched hut.

He stepped forward and gently knocked on the door that was pieced together from a few planks of wood.

Who is it?

A slightly hoarse female voice came from inside the room, tinged with wariness.

Lin Yifan cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound gentle: "Excuse me, is this Brother Qi Haishan's house? My name is Lin Yifan. I've been asked by Brother Qi to come and pick up my wife and child."

There was a moment of silence inside the door, as if they were confirming Lin Yifan's identity.

After a while, the door creaked open a crack, and a middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion and high cheekbones poked her head out, eyeing Lin Yifan and Master Yao warily.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing a coarse cloth garment with several patches.

"You...you really came from Haishan?" The woman's voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of disbelief and hope.

Lin Yifan took out the slightly worn pocket watch that Qi Haishan had given him from his pocket and handed it to the woman: "Sister-in-law, look, this is a keepsake that Brother Qi gave me. He said you would recognize it at a glance."

The woman's eyes instantly reddened when she saw the pocket watch, and tears welled up uncontrollably. She snatched the watch, clutching it tightly in her hand as if she were holding the whole world in her grasp.

"It's...it's Haishan's watch...he really...he's really still alive?" She choked up, her body trembling slightly.

"Yes, Brother Qi is doing well. He has settled down outside and specially asked me to come back and pick you and the children up for a reunion." Lin Yifan felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the woman's excited expression.

The woman quickly opened the door and stepped aside to let them in: "Please...please come in, the house is a mess."

Lin Yifan and Master Yao entered the house, and a strong musty smell hit them. The house was small and dimly lit. Apart from a dilapidated wooden bed, a table with a missing leg propped up by stones, and a few small stools, there was almost no decent furniture.

On the bed, two children were curled up sleeping. The older one was a boy, about five or six years old, and the younger one was a girl, who looked only three or four years old. Both of them were skin and bones, and their faces were dirty.

"Is the baby's father... really alright?"

The woman wiped away her tears and asked anxiously, "Why...why didn't he come back by himself?"

"Sister-in-law, Brother Qi has a lot of things to do and can't leave for the time being. I just happened to be visiting relatives in Wudu, so he asked me to pick you up. Don't worry, your family will be reunited soon," Lin Yifan explained simply.

"Pack up anything useful at home, and we'll buy the rest when we get out. Brother Qi asked me to bring you some money, and I'll give it to you in a bit."

The woman then seemed to snap out of her daze and quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll get it ready right away!"

She turned and walked to the bedside, carefully waking the two children. The children rubbed their sleepy eyes, looking blankly at the stranger in the room, a hint of timidity on their little faces.

The woman quickly and gently comforted them, "Xiao Bao, Ya Ya, don't be afraid. This uncle was sent by your father to pick us up. We're going to find him!"

Upon hearing the word "Daddy," the boy Xiaobao's eyes lit up instantly. He jumped out of bed and asked excitedly, "Mommy, is it true? Are we really going to go find Daddy?"

"Yes, it's true." The woman wiped away tears as she helped the children get dressed, but her face was filled with barely suppressed joy.

The little girl, Ya Ya, clung tightly to her mother, her big eyes curiously observing Lin Yifan and Master Yao.

The woman moved quickly. She dragged a worn-out wooden box from under the bed. Inside, besides a few patched changes of clothes, there was almost nothing else. She folded the children's clothes and put them inside. Then she picked up a cloth bag from the corner, which contained some dry food and a chipped rough porcelain bowl.

"That's all, nothing of value," the woman said somewhat embarrassedly. She looked around her humble home, her eyes filled with reluctance, but even more so with anticipation for the future.

Lin Yifan watched all this, feeling a pang of unease. He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to the woman: "Sister-in-law, this is what Brother Qi asked me to give you. Please take it and use it on the way. Once we arrive, Brother Qi will arrange everything."

The woman was startled when she saw the stack of money and quickly waved her hands, saying, "This...this is too much, I can't accept it...Haishan doesn't earn money easily..."

"Sister-in-law, please accept this. It's Brother Qi's kind gesture." Lin Yifan pressed the money into her hand. "The children are growing and need nutrition. Let's set off early and try to reach Jingya Lane before dark."

Master Yao chimed in, "Yes, young lady, take it! Mr. Lin isn't an outsider; Brother Qi specifically instructed him to do so."

The woman looked at the money in her hand, then at Lin Yifan's sincere eyes, and finally nodded with tears in her eyes: "Then... then thank you, Mr. Lin, thank you, brother..."