Courtyard House: Home Alone

"What's wrong? I haven't seen my parents and sister for a year. It's the New Year, I have to go see them." As they spoke, the two walked into the courtyard.

Xia Yan paused for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, "It's not that it's impossible, but once you leave, the courtyard will suddenly become deserted. Besides, the journey from Beiping to Wudu involves numerous checks, and the south is not peaceful right now either. It's too dangerous."

Besides, Wenxiu said just a few days ago, "We'll celebrate the New Year together when you come back."

Lin Yifan smiled, patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, I've already made all the arrangements, nothing will go wrong."

I'll be back after the New Year, it'll only take about ten days.

As they were talking, Yu Wenxiu and Tian Xinyi, who had heard the noise, came out of the house with gentle smiles on their faces and said, "Go ahead, it's a family New Year after all. You should go and see your uncle, aunt, and Yu'an. Just be careful on the way."

Lin Yifan nodded and followed Yu Wenxiu into the house, while Tian Xinyi ran to the kitchen.

Back in the main room, Lin Yifan slumped onto the daybed and looked at Yu Wenxiu, who was making tea for him, and said, "I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning and come back after the Lantern Festival."

"Please keep an eye on things at home, Sister Wenxiu. If there's anything urgent, just go to Chen Gongshu or Grandpa."

Yu Wenxiu put down the teapot, sat down at the table, and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong at home. Xia Yan and I will keep an eye on things for you. By the way, how are you planning to leave this time?"

Lin Yifan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied, "I'll call Commander Chen later and ask if they have a plane to the Wudu office tomorrow. If they do, I'll take their transport plane. Trains and ships are too slow; they take several days, which is too time-consuming. A plane can get there in a day, which is convenient and safe."

"Safety what? This whole route is controlled by the Japanese, and the planes flying in the sky are all theirs. If we run into them, it will be a matter of life and death."

"I think it's safer to go by land and then water. Even if it takes three to five days longer, at least we'll be on the safe side." Yu Wenxiu frowned immediately after hearing this, her tone full of worry.

Lin Yifan put down his teacup and smiled: "Don't worry, Sister Wenxiu. The Red Party's pilots are all veterans. No matter how many planes the Japanese have, they won't be hovering around all day. They won't waste aviation fuel if there's nothing to do."

Xia Yan chimed in, trying to dissuade him: "But even if the Japanese don't cause you any trouble, it's inherently dangerous for a plane to be flying in the air. What if we encounter bad weather or something..."

"Alright, alright, you two don't need to worry. I know what I'm doing. If it weren't safe, I wouldn't have taken the risk, would I?"

Lin Yifan interrupted with a smile, "I'll call Commander Chen right now to ask about the flight. The sooner it's settled, the sooner I can pack my things." With that, he grabbed the phone next to him and dialed.

The phone was answered after only two rings, and Chen Geng's voice came through the receiver, his tone tinged with amusement: "Yifan, you're back in Beiping? Kong Jie told me about you and 'Ghost.' If it weren't for your help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly in Tianjin. Please thank 'Ghost' for me."

Lin Yifan smiled and said, "Commander Chen, you're well-informed. I just got back to Beiping from Tianjin, so I called you to hitch a ride. I'm going to Chongqing for the New Year tomorrow, and I was wondering if you have any transport planes going there tomorrow that could give me a ride."

Chen Gongshu paused for a moment, then replied, "What a coincidence! There really is one. Our logistics department has a transport plane flying to Chongqing tomorrow morning to pick up people from the office and take them back to Yan'an for the New Year. If you want to go, that's perfect. I'll tell the pilot that you can come to Nanyuan Airport at 7 a.m. tomorrow."

"Thank you so much, Commander Chen. I'll bring you some preserved meat from Chongqing when I get back. I guarantee you'll want more after you try it."

Lin Yifan hung up the phone and turned to the two worried people, saying, "See, it's all settled. We'll take the plane early tomorrow morning and arrive in Chongqing by noon. It's a sure thing."

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Yu Wenxiu stopped trying to persuade him. She simply got up and went back to the house to pack his luggage, stuffed several thick clothes into the suitcase, and repeatedly told him to send a telegram to let her know he was safe when he arrived at his destination, and not to be reckless on the road.

Before dawn the next day, Lin Yifan got ready, ate breakfast, and took a car to Nanyuan Airport. Chen Gongshu was already waiting at the airport. When he saw him arrive, he personally led him onto the plane and then spent a long time instructing the pilot to make sure that the person was delivered safely.

After the plane took off, Lin Yifan leaned against the window, looking at the city of Beiping getting smaller and smaller below. He felt a little excited. He would soon see his family whom he hadn't seen for a year, and Xiao Yu'an, who always followed him around calling him "brother." Just thinking about it made his heart burn.

The plane flew very steadily, but just after passing Zhengzhou, Lin Yifan noticed that a Japanese reconnaissance plane had caught up from behind. He didn't tell the pilot or rush to take action; he simply used his mental power to monitor the reconnaissance plane behind him.

Since the Japanese reconnaissance planes have spotted us, they'll definitely send fighter jets to intercept us. Let's wait and see how the bullets fly, and deal with them all at once when they all arrive.

The transport plane was not fast, with a maximum speed of only 480 km/h. In less than an hour, two Zero fighters followed. This was a fighter designed specifically for the navy. When it first appeared, it once controlled the airspace over the Pacific, making those arrogant American pilots tremble with fear at the mere mention of the Zero.

The situation changed after Lin Yifan sold Smith the complete set of P-51 blueprints. America's industrial production capacity was indeed formidable; in less than a month, a large number of Mustang fighter jets began rolling off the production line. The U.S. Air Force regained air superiority over the Pacific.

After the two Zero fighters appeared, they and the reconnaissance plane accelerated, seemingly preparing to make an emergency landing on the transport plane.

15,000 meters... 12,000 meters... 8,000 meters... 5,000 meters. The three planes behind were getting closer and closer. When Lin Yifan saw that the Japanese planes were less than 5,000 meters away, the corners of his mouth curled up. Then, with a thought, the engines of the three planes shut off at the same time.

At the same time, the three planes disappeared into the sky.

He used his mental power to examine the aircraft in the system space, and then used his mind to throw the four Japanese pilots out of the space (Japanese reconnaissance planes usually had two people, one was the pilot, and the other was the radio operator responsible for communication with the ground). In a short while, four patches of organic fertilizer appeared on the Central Plains.

The two pilots in front had no idea what was happening behind them. They were both secretly relieved that the flight had gone smoothly. Around noon, the plane landed safely at a military airfield on the outskirts of the city.

Lin Yifan followed the pilot out of the airport. At the airport exit, there was already a car from the Eighth Route Army office waiting for him. This car was given to Mr. Lin by Smith through Lin Yifan.