Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan's gaze was like a tangible blade, piercing Jia Gui so much that he dared not meet his eyes. He nodded hastily like a chicken pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll leave! I'll leave right away! Young Master Fan, no, Master Lin! Please, have mercy on me this time! I'll never dare to do it again!"

Lin Yifan looked at Jia Gui with disgust: "Get out!"

Jia Gui scrambled out of the courtyard, grabbed his two groaning friends, and fled in a panic without looking back. He was utterly disheveled and had lost all trace of his earlier arrogance.

Lin Yifan watched their retreating figures disappear around the street corner, his eyes icy. He knew this matter probably wouldn't end there. Jia Gui had suffered such a great loss and would definitely try to retaliate, perhaps even falsely accusing him.

Seeing Jia Gui and his men flee, He Daqing walked up to Lin Yifan and patted him on the shoulder: "Xiaofan, let me know if you need anything. If I'm not home, your Aunt Han and the others are here. Everyone in this courtyard is a neighbor; we all look out for each other."

Lin Yifan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, "Thank you, Uncle He. I'm sorry you had to see that!"

He Daqing sighed, glanced at the mess on the ground, and waved his hand: "What are you talking about! You can't be soft on this kind of person! But... Xiao Fan, who did you learn your skills from? I've never seen you show them before?"

Lin Yifan had already prepared his answer, and upon hearing this, he smiled casually and said, "My father found me a teacher, and I've been learning from him since I was a child. It's just for strengthening my body, but I didn't expect it to actually come in handy today."

He Daqing was skeptical, but didn't ask any further questions. He simply advised, "Be more careful in the future. Jia Gui is a scoundrel. He's suffered such a huge loss, he definitely won't let it go."

Lin Yifan nodded: "I understand, Uncle He, thank you for reminding me."

After seeing He Daqing off, Lin Yifan returned to the courtyard. Looking at the remaining footprints and signs of a struggle on the ground, his gaze gradually deepened. Jia Gui's incident was just a minor episode, but it served as a reminder.

The city of Beiping is now in turmoil and rife with all sorts of people. Although he possesses a system that has greatly increased his strength, he cannot be too ostentatious, or he will only attract more trouble.

However, Lin Yifan's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the deaf old woman's room. Although his main focus had been on Jia Gui and the two thugs, he had vaguely sensed a gaze coming from the deaf old woman's window.

Moreover, He Daqing also said that he heard the commotion in the middle courtyard and ran over. The deaf old woman lived in the back courtyard, which was closest to him, so it was impossible for her not to hear it.

But she never came out; she just stayed inside and watched. This deaf old woman was no ordinary person.

"It seems I must leave Beiping as soon as possible," Lin Yifan thought to himself. He couldn't wait any longer.

Back inside, Lin Yifan didn't hesitate any longer and immediately began packing. Actually, there wasn't much to pack; he had kept all the important items in his personal storage space.

He simply packed some everyday clothes into a small bundle, pretending he was going on a long trip, so that he would have an explanation if the neighbors asked.

He had already thought it through. He would use a martial arts master as a cover, saying that the master had asked him to stay at his place and that he would come back to visit when he had time.

Afterwards, he placed two hundred kilograms of cornmeal in the house, preparing to give Grandpa Zhang a key later. With everything ready, Lin Yifan took a deep breath and took one last look at the home that held countless memories for him and his parents.

"Father, Mother, wait until I find you, then we'll come back together," he murmured to himself.

He then went out of the house, locked the door, went to the deaf old woman's door, knocked, and used his mental power to "see" the deaf old woman inside. He saw her slowly sit on the bed without saying a word.

Lin Yifan tapped harder and called out, "Grandma Long! It's me, Xiaofan. Are you awake? I have something to tell you."

A few seconds later, the deaf old woman replied, "Oh, it's Xiao Fan! Wait a moment, Grandma Long will be up soon." After saying that, she deliberately made some sounds of dressing.

After a while, she opened the door and looked at Lin Yifan standing there, saying, "Xiao Fan! What do you need Grandma Long for?"

Lin Yifan felt a surge of contempt. This old woman was such a good actress. If it weren't for his spiritual power and spatial ability, allowing him to see his every move, he would have actually believed her. She was the epitome of someone who had become cunning with age.

"Grandma Long, I'm going to Zhengyangmen to stay with my kung fu master for a while. I also want him to help me find out about my parents. That's why I came to tell you!"

Look, I still have some cornmeal in my room. I can't finish it all by myself, and I'm afraid it will spoil if left for too long.

I thought it must be tough for you living alone, so I left some for you. I left it by the door; please remember to take it inside.

Lin Yifan pointed to the small cloth bag by the door, which contained twenty jin of cornmeal that he had specially set aside. This was actually a test.

The deaf old woman's cloudy eyes looked at the cloth bag, then looked up at Lin Yifan, a smile appearing on her face, her wrinkles crinkling together, making her look somewhat kind: "Oh, Xiao Fan, you're such a thoughtful child. You still remember Grandma Long, how can I accept this?"

She said she was sorry, but her eyes didn't show much reluctance. "It's nothing, Grandma Long. You've always taken good care of me."

Lin Yifan smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now. I'll come back to see you when I'm all settled."

"Okay, okay. Be careful on the road, things aren't safe outside right now." The deaf old woman nodded and watched Lin Yifan turn and leave.

Lin Yifan walked to the courtyard gate and looked back at the deaf old woman's house. The door was still open, but the deaf old woman's figure had disappeared behind the door, leaving only an empty door frame.

He didn't linger, carrying a simple bundle on his back, and strode outside. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Grandpa Zhang sitting on a small stool by the door, smoking a pipe and squinting at the closed gate.

Seeing Lin Yifan come out carrying a bundle, Grandpa Zhang was taken aback. He stubbed out his pipe, stood up, and asked, "Xiao Fan? Are you... going on a long trip?"

"It's not far, Uncle Zhang, it's right next to Zhengyang Gate."

Lin Yifan stepped forward and handed a key to Grandpa Zhang. "My martial arts master wants me to stay with him for a while and learn some skills from him."

I'll leave one of the house keys with you, in case my parents come back or there's any emergency, you can keep an eye on things for me.

Grandpa Zhang took the keys and looked at him with some concern: "It's good to go to your master's place, it's good to go to your master's place. But it's very chaotic outside now, you have to be careful on the road alone."