Courtyard House: Home Alone

Within fifteen minutes, two trucks arrived carrying silver dollars, stacking them box by box at the entrance of the Tang family's courtyard. The total amount was exactly ten thousand silver dollars, not a single one was missing.

Lin Yifan nodded, then turned to Tang Guoan and called him out to put the silver dollars away. He then said to Kong Lingwei, "Alright, you've got the money. You can take over the land in three days. Now, take your men and get out of here."

Kong Lingwei covered his burning cheek, clenched his fists tightly, and said, "I will remember your kindness today." Not daring to stay for even half a minute longer, he led the remaining people to collect the bodies and hurriedly drove away.

The onlookers then erupted in gasps of surprise, all giving Lin Yifan a thumbs-up. Tang Guoan and his family, holding ten thousand silver dollars, were so excited they didn't know what to say, repeatedly kowtowing to Lin Yifan in gratitude.

Lin Yifan quickly helped the man up, smiling and saying it was all the right thing to do. He then urged the Tang family to deposit the silver dollars into the bank and hurry up and pack their things so they could set off with the other families heading north in a couple of days, lest things get complicated.

Tang Jia nodded repeatedly and packed his luggage that day, waiting to leave Wudu with Lin Yifan the next day and head north to meet up with Tang Juye.

After leaving, Kong Lingwei didn't go anywhere else. Instead, she drove directly to a villa in the nearby mountains. The villa was heavily guarded, and she was checked twice before she was allowed to enter.

The servants led her to a small, elegant living room. She had barely sat down when they said, "Xiao Wei, where have you been running off to again? It's been so long, and you haven't come to see your aunt. Your aunt has been spoiling you for nothing."

As soon as she finished speaking, a middle-aged woman appeared at the entrance to the living room. Upon seeing the woman, the fearless second young lady of the Kong family burst into tears.

Madam Song paused, then quickly sat down beside her. Looking at her swollen face and listening to her sobbing as she finished telling the story, her expression immediately darkened.

"How dare someone treat my niece like this? They're not taking the Song family seriously at all!"

She gently patted Kong Lingwei's back and asked in a low voice, "You said he told you to go back and ask Dai Yunong? What does he look like, and what's his name?"

Kong Lingwei choked up as he described Lin Yifan's appearance and name, and then recounted how the six bodyguards had died silently. Upon hearing this, Madam Song frowned. She knew that someone with such skills was no nobody, and immediately ordered someone to summon Dai Yunong to verify his identity in person.

Within half an hour, Dai Yunong arrived. Upon hearing the name Lin Yifan, he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said to Madam Song and Kong Lingwei with a wry smile, "Madam, Second Miss, we really can't touch this person. Not to mention us, even if the principal came, he would have to give him some face. Let's just let this matter go and accept this as a loss we have to suffer in silence."

Kong Lingwei was stunned, even forgetting to cry. She never expected that Dai Yunong would say such a thing. Madam Song also frowned and pressed for details about his background. Only then did Dai Yunong lean over and whisper a few words.

Madam Song's face changed instantly, and she couldn't say a word for a long time. In the end, she could only sigh softly and wave her hand at Kong Lingwei: "Forget it, let's leave it at that. Don't mention it again. Consider the 10,000 silver dollars as a way to avoid further trouble."

Even though Kong Lingwei was unwilling, he could only grit his teeth and accept the loss, and dared not mention revenge again.

Meanwhile, Lin Yifan left after agreeing on a time and place with Tang Guoan. He dealt with the two people who were following him and went straight back to Fu'anli, where he spent two days playing with his mother and sister.

Early on the third day, he bid farewell to Yu'an, who was clinging to his clothes, and his tearful mother. He went to Jingya Lane, had his people disperse, and found about twenty rickshaws to head towards Chaotianmen Wharf.

German Schmidt was also waiting at the dock early in the morning, as were Tang Guoan's family of nine. When they saw Lin Yifan arrive, they quickly came to greet him, and Schmidt asked the crew to help them get on the ship.

After boarding the ship, Lin Yifan pulled Schmidt aside and stuffed a small yellow croaker into his hand: "Mr. Schmidt, as you just saw, this time it's mainly women and children. Please take good care of them along the way. Try to make sure their meals are good. As for expenses... don't worry, I won't let you suffer any losses."

Schmidt squeezed the small yellow croaker in his hand, then immediately smiled and patted his chest: "Mr. Lin, don't worry, the food on my ship is the best. I will take good care of these guests and ensure that you get to Shanghai safely."

Lin Yifan smiled and nodded, then turned and went to the cabin. He checked on everyone after they boarded the ship, and gave them some instructions, telling them to be careful on the way.

The cargo ship slowly sailed away from the dock, and he came to the side of two female students. These two female students were only fourteen years old this year, a little younger than Xia Yan and Xin Yi. One was named Shen Yun, and the other was named Hua Yue.

"Since you've decided to come to Beiping with me, have you contacted your families these past few days?" Lin Yifan asked the women who were chatting with Guo Yanfang and the others.

The more outgoing Hua Yue spoke first: "Young master, we wrote back home when we got to Chongqing. This time when we go to Beiping, I must find that 'ghost' in Beiping."

"By the way, young master, you've been in Beiping the whole time, have you seen the 'ghost'?"

Lin Yifan smiled and shook his head, saying, "The real 'ghost' doesn't know anyone, so it's even more impossible for a kid like me to see him."

By the way, the reason I came to you is that we'll be on this ship for about half a month. Could you two take this time to teach the children and girls on the ship?

"Let them learn to read a little, so that even if they go to Beiping in the future, they can find an easy way to make a living. It's better than being completely clueless."

Hua Yue and Shen Yun were both educated and progressive students. Upon hearing this, they immediately agreed and asked Schmidt for paper and charcoal pencils. That very day, they started a temporary literacy class in the cabin. A group of uneducated women and children gathered around to learn, making the ship much more lively.

Lin Yifan, relieved by the lively scene, returned to his room. When he boarded the ship, he had used his mental power to scan the entire vessel and discovered that, aside from some cargo, only Schmidt and a few crew members were on board; the rest were people he had brought with him.

Finding nothing amiss, he closed the door and sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing, waiting for the cargo ship to dock.

The journey was smooth sailing. Occasionally, they encountered Japanese patrol boats on the river, but Schmidt managed to evade them all by using the German flag he was flying. Three days later, the cargo ship docked smoothly at the Xiaguan Wharf in Nanjing.

Lin Yifan gave Schmidt a small yellow croaker in advance, asking him to stay in Nanjing for two days, because there was a family named Sun Xiwei in Shecun, a suburb of Nanjing, whose parents and two younger brothers lived there.