Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, but there was already movement in the courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. Low voices and suppressed sobs came from the direction of the Yi family in the middle courtyard. Two female cadres sent by the steel mill's union had arrived early in the morning and were helping Li Yun with the funeral arrangements for Yi Zhonghai. White cloth and black gauze were hung out, and a somber atmosphere of grief permeated the courtyard.

Inside the main house of the He family in the Intermediate People's Court, a long-lost, warm and lively atmosphere could be heard.

He Damin had gotten up before dawn. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he didn't need long hours of sleep; he simply sat quietly, regulating his breathing, while his divine sense enveloped the entire courtyard, confirming that the two children were sleeping soundly—He Yuzhu was snoring softly under the thick new quilt, while He Yushui was curled up, her little face no longer showing the fear and anxiety of yesterday, but rather a satisfied and relaxed expression. In the corner of the room were piles of flour, cooking oil, and several sets of slightly worn but clean and sturdy Japanese school uniforms that he had brought back the previous night.

He quietly lit the stove fire that had been dormant for years, kneaded dough with the flour he had brought back, cooked a small pot of golden millet porridge, and then cut the leftover braised meat from the previous night from the oil paper package, arranging it neatly on a plate. The aroma of the food, for the first time, dispelled the musty smell and coldness that had accumulated in the house over the years.

He Yuzhu was awakened by the aroma. He sat up groggily, rubbed his eyes, and saw his uncle's tall, upright figure in front of the stove, and the steaming porridge and meat on the table. He stared blankly for a while before realizing this wasn't a dream. He quickly nudged his younger sister, who was still sleeping beside him: "Yushui, wake up! Uncle's cooking!"

As the two children sat at the kang table, holding steaming bowls of porridge and eating soft flatbread with braised meat, He Damin had already tidied up. He had changed into a set of dark blue clothes, also old-fashioned but clean and crisp, his long hair still tied back with a wooden hairpin, his face calm and his eyes clear.

"Eat slowly, I'll take you out when you're done," he said.

"Out?" He Yuzhu looked up, crumbs of biscuit still clinging to his lips. "Uncle, where to?"

"Take a shower, get a haircut," He Damin said succinctly, "Then make some new clothes and buy some daily necessities."

He Yuzhu and He Yushui were both stunned. Taking a bath? Going to a public bathhouse? That would cost money! Getting a haircut? Making new clothes? This... these were things they wouldn't even dare to dream of. He Yuzhu subconsciously touched his messy, unkempt hair, then looked down at his tattered cotton-padded jacket, patched upon patched, its original color almost unrecognizable. His face flushed instantly, but a warm current of embarrassment and anticipation welled up inside him.

After breakfast, He Damin had He Yuzhu roll up the old clothes and the stiff, thin quilt that had been changed out of the night before and throw them directly into the garbage dump in the backyard—where a lot of debris from the Yi family's funeral had already piled up. This swift and decisive action left several neighbors who were secretly observing the backyard speechless. Those tattered clothes and quilt might not be worth much, but for the He siblings, they represented their entire fortune. This second son of the He family certainly had some nerve!

When He Damin walked out of the main house with Zhu Zi, who was dressed neatly (although his clothes were strange in style, they were clean and thick), and rainwater, he inevitably had to pass through the middle courtyard.

A few people were gathered at the entrance of the Yi family's house. Li Yun, dressed in mourning white, her eyes swollen like peaches and her face ashen, was being helped by a union official and was speaking quietly to her factory colleagues who had come to pay their respects. When she saw He Damin come out with his two children, Li Yun's gaze swept over them blankly, without any focus. Her entire mind was now occupied by the sudden grief of losing her husband and the uncertainty of the future, leaving her no time for anything else—naturally, she had completely forgotten another thing she did every day without fail: to go to the east wing to deliver breakfast to the hard-of-hearing old lady and tidy up the house.

Several neighboring women who had helped looked over, their eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry. He Damin ignored all the gazes, merely nodding slightly to a few familiar old residents (such as Yan Bugui's wife) as a greeting, his expression remaining indifferent and unapproachable. Without stopping, he led Zhu Zi and Yu Shui, who followed closely behind him, looking somewhat reserved yet excited, straight out of the hanging flower gate.

"See? The second son of the He family has taken the child out." A woman muttered softly.

"Looks like you need to go out and get ready? The two kids really need a good wash and grooming." Another comment.

"What kind of clothes are you wearing? They look a bit odd, but they're quite neat."

"His uncle is back, how can we ignore him? Judging from his demeanor, he's someone who has his own ideas."

Peeking through the crack in her door, Jia Zhangshi saw He Damin's expressionless profile and felt a sudden tightness in her chest. She quickly pulled back and slammed the door shut. She was instinctively wary of this suddenly returned second son of the He family. His eyes were too cold, too calm; he didn't seem like someone like Yi Zhonghai, who appeared outwardly virtuous but was actually easily manipulated.

Liu's sister-in-law stood at her doorway, watching He Damin's departing figure, her eyes flickering. She had also noticed the new clothes He Yuzhu and his sister were wearing (in her opinion, the style was odd but the quality was good), and He Damin's cold yet undeniable demeanor. She turned to look at the chaotic and grieving Yi family, thinking to herself: Old Yi is gone, what will happen to this courtyard in the future… He's second son doesn't seem like someone who can be easily manipulated. In a few days, her husband, Old Liu, might not be able to act as a liaison.

He Damin's divine sense took in all these subtle reactions, including Jia Zhangshi's apprehension and Liu's sister-in-law's scheming. His divine sense, like the most precise probe, gently swept over the main room in the east courtyard, where the doors and windows were tightly closed.

On the kang (a heated brick bed), the deaf old woman—or rather, Haruno Hanako—lay quietly. Her eyes stared blankly at the dark rafters, dried saliva clung to the corners of her mouth, and her limbs twitched slightly and uncontrollably. The trauma He Damin had inflicted on her the previous night had robbed her of most of her consciousness, mobility, and language, leaving her with only the most basic physiological reflexes and hazy perception. She could feel hunger, thirst, and the dampness of the bedding beneath her (due to incontinence), but she couldn't call out, couldn't move, and couldn't even think clearly. Only the most primal desire to survive and the accompanying pain silently tormented her gradually weakening body.

At this time, Aunt Yi, Li Yun, would usually have already brought in a bowl of warm porridge or noodle soup. Since Yi was sick, Aunt Yi would wipe her face, help her get up, feed her spoonful by spoonful, clean up the mess, and open the windows for ventilation. This was a routine that had been established over the past few years under Yi Zhonghai's instructions (or rather, the deal).

But not today.

Aunt Yi was immersed in immense grief and the chaos of the funeral arrangements, and the matter of "taking care of the old lady in the backyard" had long been forgotten. At this moment, she couldn't even remember that anyone else existed in the yard besides her deceased husband and her own family.

"Day 1." He Damin calmly recorded this point in time with his divine sense. Without water or food, given the old woman's current condition and her frail body, her life would be extinguished completely in a corner unnoticed within three days at most. And her treasures, lists, and radios hidden in the secret room would become the burial goods of her sinful life, until he retrieved them as evidence to settle scores with the next group of people.

The plan was flawless. Yi Zhonghai's death was the opening act; the deaf old woman's "natural" passing would be the final chapter, one that no one would delve into. By the time Aunt Yi recovered slightly from her grief and happened to remember, everything had already been settled.

He Damin withdrew his divine sense, no longer paying attention to the room that was slowly heading towards death. He took his two children and walked out of the alley, blending into the bustling streets that were gradually coming to life in the early morning.

They left the alley and entered the street. The morning sunlight dispelled the mist, and the street gradually filled with pedestrians. Zhu Zi and Yu Shui followed closely behind He Damin, feeling both familiar and strange about their surroundings. It had been a long time since they had gone out "formally" like this. Usually, they either went out to collect coal scraps or scavenge for scraps, or wandered aimlessly through the streets on empty stomachs, like two dusty, unnoticed shadows. Now, dressed in clean, thick clothes, following their well-dressed and distinguished uncle, although their clothes attracted some attention, it was more of a feeling of being incorporated into the "normal" world. This made them both uneasy and unable to help but straighten their small backs.

He Damin first took them to a larger bathhouse nearby. After paying and getting their passes, he sent the still somewhat hesitant Zhuzi and the timid Yushui to the men's and women's sections respectively (he asked a kind-looking female attendant to look after Yushui), while he waited outside.

Steam rose from the bathhouse, accompanied by the splashing of water. He Yuzhu soaked in the warm pool, vigorously scrubbing away the grime that had accumulated on his body for who knows how long, until his skin was red. The hot water enveloped his body, and the unprecedented comfort almost made him groan. He remembered how, in the past, he and his sister could only use a broken basin to fill with cold water and wash themselves haphazardly in the freezing room, shivering from the cold… His eyes reddened again, and he quickly buried his face in the hot water.

Meanwhile, He Yushui, with the help of the waitress, also took a thorough hot shower. Her dry, yellow hair was wet, soap was applied, lathered up, and then rinsed clean. The little girl was shy at first, but the warm water and the waitress's gentle movements gradually relaxed her, and her face turned bright red from the shower.

More than an hour later, the two children emerged from the bathhouse, looking like completely different people. He Yuzhu's hair was still wet and clung to his forehead, and his face, neck, and hands showed a long-lost healthy complexion typical of teenagers. Although still thin, he looked much more energetic. He Yushui's face, after being washed, revealed its original delicate features. Her skin was fair, though long-term malnutrition had left her complexion somewhat yellow. However, her large eyes were now bright and moist. They changed into another set of clean underwear that He Damin had brought (also made of soft cotton fabric found in the Little World), still wearing their "strange" clothes over them, but they looked refreshed from the inside out.

Next came the haircuts. He Damin found a barbershop that looked quite skilled. He Yuzhu's messy hair was cut into a neat short haircut, revealing his full forehead and clear eyebrows and eyes, making him look energetic and dashing. He Yushui's soft, dry hair was also trimmed neatly, and two simple red plastic hair clips that He Damin had just bought from a small shop on the street were pinned behind her ears, making her small face even more adorable.

After getting their hair cut, He Damin didn't go straight to buy clothes. Instead, he led them into a silk shop called Xue Ru near Zhengyangmen. The shop wasn't very big, but it was clean and tidy. The old master craftsman, wearing reading glasses, was busy at his sewing machine.

"Master, take the child's measurements and make two sets of winter clothes, made of thick, warm material." He Damin pointed to He Yuzhu, then to He Yushui, "and two sets for the little girl too. Also, make two sets of light clothing for each of them to wear in spring and autumn."

The master tailor glanced at the two children, especially their unusual clothes, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he didn't ask any questions. He skillfully took out a measuring tape. "Young comrades, stand up straight."

While taking measurements, He Yuzhu's body was a little stiff, while He Yushui looked curiously at the soft measuring tape in the old craftsman's hand. He Damin watched quietly from the side, occasionally adding, "Make the sleeves a little longer, the child grows quickly." "Leave some room for allowance at the waistband."

After taking the measurements and choosing the fabrics—dark blue khaki and thick gray cotton for He Yuzhu, and floral cotton and red corduroy for He Yushui. He Damin paid the deposit and arranged a time to pick up the clothes.

After leaving the silk shop, he went to the department store. He bought a new washbasin, towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and face cream. He also bought He Yushui a new enamel mug with a lid (to use as a water cup), and He Yuzhu a sturdy canvas schoolbag (even though he wasn't in school now, He Damin felt he should have one). He also bought two jin of fruit candy and half a jin of animal-shaped biscuits. The department store still accepted silver dollars, thankfully it wasn't a joint public-private enterprise. In the small world's anode space, the silver dollars were piled up like a small mountain. Gold yuan notes had long been worthless, so he wasn't in a hurry to exchange them for RMB at the bank. Now gold had to be exchanged for RMB, but the denominations of RMB were frighteningly large, with payments in tens of thousands.

He Yuzhu and He Yushui's hands gradually filled with things, and their eyes grew brighter and brighter. All of this was as novel to them as celebrating the New Year, no, even better than the New Year! They secretly glanced at their uncle walking ahead; that figure seemed incredibly reliable and tall at that moment.

At noon, He Damin took them to a fairly clean little restaurant on the street for lunch—each of them a bowl of steaming hot shredded pork noodles, and there really was a lot of shredded pork in the noodles! The two children ate until their foreheads were sweating and their whole bodies felt warm.

In the afternoon, I went to buy some coal briquettes, matches, new pots and pans, and other daily necessities. I also bought a few pieces of cloth, intending to have Zhu Zi learn to patch up the broken window paper and make two simple curtains.

When He Damin returned to the courtyard house with the newly renovated pillars and bags full of rainwater, it was already three or four in the afternoon. The commotion at the Yi family's place seemed to have subsided. Many people in the courtyard stared in astonishment at the sight of the three uncles and nephews returning with such a "laden load."

He Yuzhu puffed out his chest, trying his best to appear less excited. He Yushui, on the other hand, hugged her new enamel mug and the bag of candy and cookies tightly, her little face beaming with undisguised joy.

He Damin remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the stares he received. He simply led the children across the courtyard and back to the main house, which was already beginning to change.

Inside, though still empty, the stove was clean, the newly bought items were neatly stacked, and sunlight streamed through the newly pasted window paper, making the room much brighter. A new life was slowly taking root and sprouting in this dilapidated old house.

His consciousness swept across the east courtyard once more. The person on the kang (heated brick bed) was breathing even weaker than in the morning. In the silent room, only dust motes floated slowly in the beams of the setting sun.

Time is silently fulfilling its duty.