Courtyard House: Home Alone

Xia Yan was the first to jump up, grabbing Lin Yifan's arm and shaking it: "Young master, you're so great! I've had my eye on that light red cloth from the fabric shop in the west of the city for a long time!"

Wenxiu tidied her hair at her temples, her eyes shining warmly, and whispered a thank you. Xinyi smiled and nodded repeatedly in response.

Looking at their joyful expressions, Lin Yifan felt a warmth and tenderness in his heart. He thought that he would continue to cherish this courtyard and its lively atmosphere, and protect the people of Beiping. One day, everyone would be able to live a peaceful and prosperous life with enough to eat.

As for the Japanese, we'll deal with them properly when the Pacific War breaks out in the second half of the year and they're too busy to attend to anything else. They've already set foot on Chinese soil with their weapons; thinking they can escape unscathed... that's wishful thinking.

"Alright, let's go buy the fabric tomorrow."

Lin Yifan patted Xia Yan's hand with a smile, "Pick whatever you want, don't worry about the price, as long as you like it."

Wenxiu smiled and scolded Xia Yan, saying that she was too impatient and couldn't hold back. Xia Yan tilted her head and snorted, saying that she had already agreed, so why should she hold back?

Lin Yifan laughed out loud at her joke. Xinyi brought him a cup of cooled tea and then mentioned that the fabric shop had recently received several batches of new fabrics, which were said to be transported from Shanghai. She said the patterns were much fresher than those from the local shops, and he could take a good look at them when he went there tomorrow.

The group chatted and laughed for a while, and agreed to go out after breakfast the next day, and take a stroll around the streets. They would then have hot pot for lunch, which Xia Yan had been craving for a long time.

As Lin Yifan watched the three girls chattering away, planning their schedule for tomorrow, a smile never left his lips. He felt that such a lively and bustling day was more reassuring than anything else.

The next morning, Lin Yifan, who had just woken up, noticed Xia Yan peeking around by the hanging flower gate and couldn't help but smile. These girls were getting impatient.

He quickly got ready and went out. Sure enough, the three girls were already standing neatly in the courtyard waiting for him.

Seeing him get up, Xia Yan quickly brought him water to wash his face, urging Xin Yi to prepare breakfast quickly, and also kept urging Lin Yifan to wash up quickly, saying that if they went late, the best patterns at the West City Cloth Shop would be taken by others.

Lin Yifan smiled and let her take care of things. After washing up and sitting down, Xinyi had already brought out warm millet porridge and freshly fried eggs. They ate breakfast with crispy pickled radishes, and then the group tidied up and went out.

Wenxiu had even prepared some change, ready to go out and pick out goods. The four of them locked the courtyard gate, hired a rickshaw parked at the street corner, and swayed along the road towards the cloth shop in the west of the city.

At this hour, the streets were already bustling with activity. Stalls selling breakfast and vendors hawking their wares were everywhere. Passersby all had relaxed expressions on their faces. It had been a long time since Beiping had been settled and people had seen such vibrant life.

Xia Yan clung to the railing by the car, his eyes darting to both sides, muttering about hot pot restaurants, which made Wenxiu and Xinyi laugh.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the fabric shop. The owner recognized Lin Yifan immediately and greeted him with a smile, inviting him into the shop and bringing out all the newly arrived fabrics for them to choose from.

Xia Yan spotted the bright red cloth hanging there immediately. It was smooth and shiny to the touch, and it was the one she had been longing for. She immediately hugged it to her chest and refused to let go.

Wenxiu chose a piece of elegant moon-white brocade, intending to make a long gown with a side opening, while Xinyi chose a piece of light blue foreign cloth with small floral patterns, which was refreshing and suited her personality.

Seeing that they had all chosen what they liked, Lin Yifan picked out two extra pieces of soft satin to make a lined cheongsam for each of them. He also had the shopkeeper take their measurements and arranged to pick them up in three days. Only then did he pay and leave the fabric shop with the selected fabrics.

After leaving the cloth shop, Xia Yan led the group to a hot pot restaurant. They found a clean spot by the window and sat down. As soon as the copper pot was served, the aroma of sweet and savory mutton soup filled the entire table. The group chatted and ate their meat, enjoying a lively and pleasant meal.

"Hey, these girls are pretty good-looking. With a little training and a bit of instruction, they could be our top courtesans at Cui Xiang Lou." Just then, an untimely lewd laugh drifted over from the table. Xia Yan and the others instantly changed their expressions, frowning as they turned to look at the corner from which the voice came.

At the next table sat three men in silk jackets. The fat man in the middle with a mustache was squinting and staring at them with lecherous eyes. He slapped his thigh and stood up, intending to walk over.

Lin Yifan's face immediately turned cold. He put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, and without getting up, he merely glanced at the fat man indifferently.

This fat man is named Wang Kaixi. He is the brother-in-law of the owner of Cuixianglou in Yanzhi Hutong. He came out for drinks today and happened to run into Lin Yifan and his group. When he saw that the three girls were pretty, he couldn't help but go crazy.

The two drinking buddies next to him were fanning the flames, pushing the fat man over here: "Brother Wang has a good eye, these three are really handsome, hurry up and go talk to them!"

If we get this back, your brother-in-law's Cuixianglou will be ranked first among the eight great hutongs of Beijing. Your brother-in-law will have to thank you properly, won't he?

The fat man, with his protruding belly, walked over and was about to reach out to touch Xia Yan's arm when Lin Yifan kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying more than two meters backward and crashing heavily into the wall. He couldn't get up for a long time, clutching his stomach and groaning.

Seeing that something had happened, the two accomplices didn't dare to utter a sound and stood frozen in place. Lin Yifan slowly stood up, his tone as cold as ice: "Where did these madmen come from, daring to act wildly in broad daylight?"

The fat man panted for a while before sliding up against the wall and pointing at Lin Yifan, he cursed viciously: "Where did this ungrateful brat come from, daring to touch your Grandpa Wang? Do you know who my brother-in-law is?"

That's Boss Liu of Cuixiang Tower, the leader of the Yiguandao sect. You dare touch me? Believe me, I'll have your bones broken. You'd better send these three beauties over to apologize, or I'll let you have your way!"

Before he could finish speaking, two patrol officers rushed in and kicked him in the face, knocking out two of his front teeth. He was coughing up blood and unable to speak a complete sentence.

The patrol captain recognized Lin Yifan. Upon entering and seeing the scene, he knew what had happened. Sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. He rushed over and bowed to Lin Yifan, saying, "Young master, we're sorry. We weren't paying attention during our patrol and this bastard offended you. Please don't be angry. We'll take him away and deal with him properly."

It turned out that the patrolman had heard the commotion on the street, but he never expected that he had provoked Lin Yifan. He cursed Wang Kaixi's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart. He immediately ordered his men to tie up the three thugs tightly and drag them away.

Wang Kaixi panicked at this point, looking at the patrolman's respectful attitude towards Lin Yifan with a crooked mouth and crooked eyes. He realized that he had kicked a hornet's nest. He struggled to kowtow and beg for mercy, but Lin Yifan just waved his hand in disgust.