Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan placed the rice by the stove and looked around the room. The mud walls were mottled, and the thatch on the roof was sparse. The only decent piece of furniture was a wooden table with a missing leg propped up by stones, with a few small stools lying haphazardly to the side.

He felt a pang of sadness and took out some chili peppers and two pieces of cured meat from his spatial storage, hoping to give them some more oil and fat.

At this moment, an elderly couple with gray hair came out from the backyard, along with two girls around fifteen or sixteen years old and a young man around eighteen or nineteen years old, who must be Shen Jingbo's parents and siblings.

The elderly couple looked at Lin Yifan with suspicion and wariness, while the girl timidly hid behind her mother. The young man, on the other hand, straightened his back and looked Lin Yifan up and down with a touch of masculine stubbornness.

The woman quickly introduced, "Father, Mother, this is Mr. Lin, a friend of Jingbo. He came specially to pick us up to go to Beiping."

Shen's father's cloudy eyes brightened for a moment, then quickly dimmed again. He sighed, "Beiping... alas, in this chaos of war, where is there any safe place?"

Shen's mother held Lin Yifan's hand and asked in a trembling voice, "Mr. Lin, my son Jingbo... is he really alright? We haven't received a letter from him for almost a year."

Lin Yifan's heart tightened, knowing they must be extremely worried, and he quickly comforted them, "Uncle and Aunt, don't worry, Brother Shen is doing well in Beiping. It's just that with the chaos of war, he can't even send letters."

He specifically instructed me to bring you to his side, saying that only by seeing you safe and sound could he fight the Japanese with peace of mind on the front lines. He tried his best to be sincere in his words, hoping to put their minds at ease.

The young man couldn't help but speak up: "Is my brother really fighting the Japanese on the front lines? He said he would protect us!"

Lin Yifan looked at the young man in front of him and nodded solemnly: "Yes, your brother is a hero, and he is protecting all of us on the front line."

"So, we need to protect ourselves now. Come with me to Beiping. There are no Japanese soldiers in Beiping now. When that happens, your brother can come to see you whenever he has time." The young man nodded, but the wariness in his eyes lessened considerably.

The woman had already started working, rinsing rice and washing vegetables, and the sensible girl went over to help with the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Shen sat to the side, watching Lin Yifan, their expressions gradually softening.

Lin Yifan took out some candy from his backpack, walked up to Xiao Shitou, and handed him one: "Xiao Shitou? Your name is Xiao Shitou, right? Here, have some."

Little Stone looked at his mother, who nodded. Only then did he take the candy, unwrap it, and carefully put it in his mouth, a sweet smile spreading across his face.

Soon, fragrant rice and stir-fried cured pork with chili peppers were served. Although simple, it was an incredibly sumptuous meal for the family who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.

Little Stone wolfed down his food, and Shen's parents also ate quite a bit. When they weren't looking, Lin Yifan added some spiritual spring water to their rice and dishes, and gradually, some color returned to their faces.

After dinner, the family started packing their luggage. Actually, there wasn't much to pack; a few worn-out clothes were all their belongings.

Lin Yifan helped bundle the items into a small bundle, and also packed the remaining rice and cured meat.

"Alright, let's go." Lin Yifan slung his bag over his shoulder and said to the others.

Two young girls supported Mr. and Mrs. Shen, the woman carried Xiao Shitou, and the young man followed behind. The family walked towards the ferry.

Lin Yifan glanced back at the dilapidated town and silently said in his heart: Goodbye, Xinqiao Town. I hope the people here can also get through this chaotic world safely.

The group didn't return to Wudu until 8 PM. Driver Yao parked the car again at the entrance of Jingya Lane. When they got back to the compound, Qi Haishan's wife and children had already finished eating.

Seeing that Lin Yifan had brought back his whole family, they quickly went to help. Master Yao also came in. He pulled Lin Yifan aside and whispered, "Mr. Lin, we might have to wait a day or two before we can go to Nanchong."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Mr. Lin, our dealership is running low on gasoline. Boss Li is trying to find a way to contact Yangzi Company, but we probably won't get any news until tomorrow or the day after," Master Yao said, looking apologetic.

"Gasoline? How much gasoline do you need?"

Master Yao frowned and held up one finger: "How much more can we get? We'll be lucky to buy even a ton. All the scarce resources right now are in the hands of Kong's Yangzi Company, and the prices are ridiculously high."

Lin Yifan pondered for a moment. A ton of gasoline was indeed a considerable sum, especially during wartime when resources were scarce and gasoline was in extremely short supply.

Looking at Master Yao's anxious expression, he thought to himself: The relationships with Yangzi Company are complicated. Even if Boss Li can get in touch with them, it will probably take a lot of trouble, and there's no guarantee that he can get it in time.

He had tens of thousands of tons of gasoline in his storage space, all seized in Tianjin; other smaller seizures were left at the pharmaceutical factory. It seemed this could solve his immediate problem. However, taking it out directly might arouse suspicion. He needed to think of a safer approach.

"Master Yao, don't be in such a hurry,"

Lin Yifan patted him on the shoulder. "I might be able to figure out a way to get the gasoline. Go back and wait for my news. Come find me here first thing tomorrow morning, and we should have some results by then."

Master Yao's eyes lit up, and he asked incredulously, "Mr. Lin, you...you have a way to get gasoline?"

"Give it a try. I can't guarantee anything, but there's always hope." Lin Yifan didn't rule it out completely, but just gave him some reassurance.

Master Yao's worries lessened considerably, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! As long as we can get some gasoline, we'll set off immediately!" After saying that, he hurriedly left the compound, probably to go back and report this "good news" to Boss Li.

Seeing Master Yao leave, Lin Yifan greeted everyone and turned to run towards the general store. So many people came today; he still needed to buy quite a few things.

Half an hour later, Lin Yifan returned with a cart, carrying 500 jin of rice in addition to bedding, as well as a whole slaughtered pig. Of course, apart from the bedding and seasonings, everything else was taken from his spatial storage.

Actually, he had quite a few bedding and blankets in his space, but they were all captured from the Japanese, and taking them out would be too conspicuous, so he decided to spend a little money to buy peace of mind.

Qi Haishan's wife and Shen Jingbo's family members were stunned when they saw the supplies piled up like a small mountain on the cart.

Mrs. Shen rubbed her eyes, asking incredulously, "Mr. Lin, how much...how much will this cost? How can we let you spend so much?"

Lin Yifan smiled and waved his hand: "Auntie, don't be so polite. Now that we all live together, we're family. This is only what I should do. Come on, give me a hand and help unload these things."

Qi Haishan's wife reacted the fastest, quickly calling the two girls and the young man to come forward and help.

In no time, the courtyard became lively. Some people were carrying rice, some were carrying pork, and even Little Stone was excitedly running around, helping to hand over small cloth bags and such.