Courtyard House: Home Alone

"Great! With this spiritual spring space, the food problem is fundamentally solved, and we can even develop industries based on it!"

"Furthermore," Ju explained, "this is my domain. I wonder what teleportation within this domain would be like outside. I can only try it at night or outside the city." Lin Yifan excitedly paced around the space a few times.

Lin Yifan stayed in the virtual space for quite a while, until he felt somewhat mentally exhausted, before exiting. Back in reality, his face was filled with undisguised joy and anticipation.

He knew that this spiritual spring space was his biggest trump card for making a living, killing Japanese soldiers, and even turning his life around in this difficult era.

"The most urgent task is to get the seeds and seedlings." Lin Yifan calmed down and began to think about the next step of the plan.

"I still have start-up capital. 100 yuan isn't much, but if I use it sparingly, I should be able to buy some things I urgently need." He touched his pocket. Although the money was still in the system space, a sense of security welled up inside him.

He glanced at the sky outside the window and at the faint noise coming from the courtyard, thinking to himself, "Life in the courtyard will definitely not be peaceful. I must make good use of the system and space as soon as possible to improve my strength and survival skills."

Only then can I gain a foothold in this complex environment, protect myself, and then find my parents! While I'm still young and don't attract attention, I'll find the Japanese devils and collect some interest.

Thinking of the Japanese invaders, Lin Yifan's eyes hardened once more. He was no longer the fearful seven-year-old boy who had just arrived; the system and the spiritual spring space had given him hope and strength. His new life was just beginning.

"Knock! Knock knock!" Just then, a knocking sound woke him up. He used the domain ability granted by the system to look outside and found that it was Grandma Long (a deaf old lady) next door. So he stood up and opened the door.

The deaf old woman was only in her fifties. Her hair was neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head, with a few strands of silver hair peeking out from her temples. This added a touch of maturity to her weathered yet still somewhat delicate face.

She was wearing a dark blue silk-lined cotton-padded jacket with a diagonal placket, and in her hand she was holding an exquisite porcelain bowl with a small portion of golden corn porridge, with a few strands of pickled vegetables floating on top.

Seeing Lin Yifan open the door, a barely perceptible light flashed in the deaf old woman's eyes, and then a loving smile spread across her face. Her voice was a little hoarse but full of concern: "Xiao Fan, you're awake? Here, this is some corn porridge that your Aunt Xiao Lan just made. Drink some while it's hot to warm yourself up."

As she spoke, she handed over the floral porcelain bowl she was holding. The steaming corn porridge carried a simple, earthy aroma of grain.

Lin Yifan looked at the deaf old woman in front of him, his heart filled with mixed feelings. In his original memory, this Grandma Long was usually quiet and rarely went out. When she did go out, she was usually accompanied by Yi Zhonghai.

When he first transmigrated yesterday, this same Grandma Long brought him two steamed buns. Although he didn't eat them himself, it showed that she cared about the original owner quite a bit.

Looking at the steaming corn porridge in the bowl, Lin Yifan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. In this era of scarcity, a bowl of corn porridge was a rare treat, and he remembered Grandma Long's kindness in thinking of him.

"Thank you, Grandma Long." Lin Yifan took the bowl and thanked her softly, trying to make his voice sound more obedient. He could feel the warmth emanating from the bowl, which warmed his heart.

The deaf old woman waved her hand, grinned, and said, "No need to thank me, we're neighbors. You call me 'Grandma' every day, so how did it go? Did you find your parents yesterday? Are they too busy with work to come back, or...?"

"Grandma Long, I couldn't find her. I went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital yesterday. My mom's colleague said my dad called her away, but she doesn't know exactly where she went!"

Lin Yifan lowered his head and gently stirred the corn porridge in the bowl with a spoon, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible sadness.

He knew that now was not the time to tell outsiders the whole story of his parents' disappearance, especially in this unpredictable era, where saying too much would only lead to trouble.

The deaf old woman looked at him, so young yet bearing such worries, and felt a pang of heartache in her eyes.

She stretched out her bony hand and gently patted Lin Yifan's shoulder: "Hey, good boy, don't worry, your parents are blessed with good fortune, they'll definitely be alright."

They might have had something urgent to attend to and will come back as soon as they're done. You'll be home alone, so please take good care of yourself. If you need anything, just tell Grandma, okay?

"Okay, I understand, thank you Grandma Long." Lin Yifan looked up and gave the deaf old woman a grateful smile. Although the smile was somewhat forced, it put the deaf old woman at ease a little.

"Alright, it's not easy for a little kid to be home alone. Eat it while it's hot, and Grandma will bring you some firewood when you're done. Look at your coal stove, it won't burn for much longer." Her eyes were fixed on the coal stove, with a hint of worry in them.

Lin Yifan's heart skipped a beat; he did indeed need to replenish some fuel. Although the coal stove was still burning, the coal briquettes were about to burn out.

He nodded and said obediently, "Yes, thank you, Grandma Long, you're so kind."

The deaf old woman beamed at his words, "You're so kind," and patted his little head. "This child is so thoughtful. Eat up, Grandma's going back now. I'll bring you some firewood later."

After saying that, she turned and slowly walked away, leaving behind a slightly hunched back. Lin Yifan, holding the bowl, stood at the door, watching Grandma Long's figure disappear into her own doorway before gently closing the door.

He looked down at the corn porridge in the bowl. Although it couldn't compare to the tofu pudding and fried dough he had just eaten, it tasted especially sweet at this moment.

He walked to the stove, sat down, picked up a spoon, and began to drink in small sips.

The corn porridge had a slightly rough texture, but it had a natural grain flavor, and the pickled vegetable shreds were also very refreshing. In no time, he finished off the small half-bowl of corn porridge.

He put the bowl aside, thinking to himself, "I can be a little closer to Grandma Long, but I can't rely on her too much. The most important thing right now is to improve myself and make good use of the spiritual spring space as soon as possible."

At the same time, it's essential to be fully familiar with the functions of the space, because in this era, life can be lost at any moment. Therefore, the sooner you master and utilize the functions of that space, the more advantageous it will be for you.

With that in mind, he decided to first test the range of his spatial domain, and then see how he could collect things.

He concentrated his mind, his consciousness sinking into the spiritual spring space, while silently trying to perceive the boundaries of his own domain.

At first, he only felt as if there was an invisible membrane around his body. As he concentrated his mental energy, this membrane began to extend outward.

He could clearly "see" that a spherical area with a radius of about one hundred meters was enclosed around him.