Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lu Wei's mother was stunned for a moment, then quickly wiped away her tears and asked, "This...this is such a long way, our whole family is going to go? Won't that be a burden to you?"

Lin Yifan laughed and said, "How could it be troublesome? I brought a truck with me when I came from Chongqing, and it's parked at the hotel right now."

Those clothes drying in your yard probably belong to your neighbors, right? Take them to them once they're dry, and don't take any more after that. You should also get ready, as we're heading back to Chongqing in the next couple of days.

There are a few other families over there, just like yours, with children in Beiping. We'll travel together by boat. I'll arrange the boat in advance, and there won't be any problems along the way. You just need to follow along. When we arrive in Beiping, Lü Wei will naturally pick you up.

Upon hearing this, Lü Wei's mother felt both grateful and uneasy. She twisted the hem of her clothes, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, she said in a trembling voice, "This...this is so much thanks to you. How can our family ever repay you..."

Lin Yifan waved his hand and said, "No need to repay us. Lü Wei is serving the country on the front lines, so it's only right that we help him settle his family. But you should hurry up and prepare so you can return to Wudu as soon as possible, lest things get complicated."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bing quickly nodded and said, "The laundry outside will be finished soon. We'll pack up right away. We don't have much stuff at home, and my dad and brother will be back soon to finish packing. We should be able to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Yifan nodded. Lü Bing blushed, bowed respectfully to Lin Yifan, said thank you, and then went back out to continue washing clothes.

Lin Yifan chatted with Lü Wei's mother for a few more minutes, instructing them not to bring too much bulky old furniture when packing, only their personal belongings and clothes, as Lü Wei would replace anything they lacked once they arrived in Beiping.

After sitting for another half an hour, they heard footsteps outside the courtyard gate. Then the gate was pushed open, and an old man wearing a coarse cloth jacket walked in with two teenagers. They were stunned to see strangers sitting in the courtyard.

Lu Wei's mother rushed forward, wiping away her tears as she recounted what had happened. Only then did Grandpa Lu realize what had happened. He quickly grasped Lin Yifan's hand and thanked him repeatedly. The two teenagers also came over and bowed, their words filled with gratitude.

Lin Yifan explained the travel arrangements to everyone, agreeing to pick them up at dawn the next morning. He also gave them the hotel address, telling them that if they had any urgent matters, they could come to him in advance. Then he got up to say goodbye.

The Lü family insisted on having him stay for lunch, and Lin Yifan couldn't refuse, so he stayed for a simple mixed grain meal. After lunch, he chatted with them for a while before getting up and returning to the hotel. He told Master Yao about the situation and asked Master Yao to pack his things so they could leave early the next morning.

The next morning, Master Yao drove Lin Yifan to Lü Wei's house. Lü Wei's younger brother, sister and parents were already prepared. The family put their simple luggage in the car and got ready to get in.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yifan quickly asked, "Do you still have your old bedding? If so, bring it all out and put it in the car. Although the car has a canopy, it can only block the wind for a short time."

This journey will take two or three days, and we'll have to travel at night, so we should bring extra blankets to keep warm on the road.

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Lü immediately agreed and told the children to hurry back to the house to get their bedding. In no time, they had brought everything out and piled it in the truck bed.

Lin Yifan had Lü Wei's parents sit in the driver's seat, while the children, carrying their bundles, sat in the back of the truck. He then covered them with two thick quilts to block the wind before letting Master Yao start the truck and drive out of Nanchong City towards the Fog City.

The next afternoon, the truck arrived at Niutou Mountain again. Lin Yifan once again asked Master Yao to drive the truck into the woods to hide, while he himself ran towards the bandit stronghold.

After entering the five-kilometer radius, he used his mental power to check the situation inside the mountain village. He found that the village gate was closed, and behind the gate were two girls holding pistols, watching the road leading up the mountain warily. He smirked slightly; thankfully, these women were quite vigilant.

When they saw Lin Yifan come up, they immediately recognized him and quickly opened the gate to let him in, their voices full of joy: "Young Master, you're finally back! We've all been waiting for you!"

Upon entering the village gate, Lin Yifan found the courtyard spotless, with everything neatly arranged, suggesting that they had been keeping busy these past few days.

When the woman in charge heard that Lin Yifan had returned, she hurriedly came out of the house to greet him, and said with a smile that they had been following Lin Yifan's instructions all day long, had not left the village, and had not been disturbed by anyone coming up the mountain.

Lin Yifan nodded and told them to pack their things. The truck was waiting at the foot of the mountain, and they would set off immediately once they were done.

The women were delighted to hear this, and in no time they had packed their simple belongings. One by one, they carried their bundles and bedding and headed down the mountain.

Lin Yifan stayed behind last, and soon the entire stronghold was engulfed in thick smoke and flames. Before leaving, he set fire to the stronghold, which had harbored many evils, burning it completely to prevent it from being occupied by other bandits and harming others in the future.

After descending the mountain and reuniting with the others, Lin Yifan had the women squeeze into the truck bed, huddling together with the Lü family's children. He added a few more blankets to keep them warm before setting off again towards the Fog City.

Everything went smoothly without any further mishaps. By the evening of the third day, they had safely entered the Fog City. Lin Yifan led them to the courtyard in Jingya Lane, arranged for the Lü family to stay with the women, gave instructions to Qi Haishan's wife, and then left Jingya Lane, heading towards his own home.

Arriving at the small house his parents rented, he saw a lock on the gate. Hmm? They'd already moved? He used his spiritual power to look into Fu'an Lane, and sure enough, his mother and sister were inside. So he turned and walked towards Fu'an Lane.

Arriving at the door of the small building in Fu'an Lane, seeing that the gate was closed, I knocked and called out, "Mom, I'm back, open the door."

Meng Zhuolin, who was playing with Yu'an upstairs, heard the knocking and shouting. He quickly picked up Yu'an and went downstairs, talking to her as he said, "Baby, come quick, your brother is back. Let's go open the door for him."

Yu'an used her little hands to rub her mother's face, babbling incoherently. Her little hands also tugged at Meng Zhuolin's cheeks, her bright, black grape-like eyes staring at the door. Her little body kept struggling towards the door, looking extremely anxious.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Meng Zhuolin couldn't help but laugh. She quickened her pace, reached the gate, unlatched it, and opened the door. Sure enough, she saw Lin Yifan standing at the door with a backpack, smiling and nodding at her: "Mom, I'm back."

"Son, come inside quickly. How was the journey? Was it smooth?" Meng Zhuolin asked as he stepped aside.

"It's alright, we just ran into two groups of bandits. But we dealt with them, nothing serious happened, don't worry." Lin Yifan said as he took Yu'an from his mother's arms. Yu'an immediately giggled, grabbing Lin Yifan's collar tightly and rubbing her head against his chest.