Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Three days after Yi Zhonghai's burial, the heavy atmosphere, a mixture of sorrow and feigned busyness, that had hung over No. 95 Nanluoguxiang finally began to dissipate somewhat. The white banners were taken down, the neighbors who had helped went home, and the door to the Yi family's house in the middle courtyard, which was always half-open, was finally tightly shut, with only a few suppressed sobs occasionally escaping from within, as if they were being smothered by a quilt.

Li Yun, also known as Aunt Yi, sat alone in the suddenly empty and cold room, her gaze fixed blankly on the newly hung, black-framed portrait of Yi Zhonghai on the wall. The man in the photo wore a Zhongshan suit, his expression solemn, his gaze seemingly fixed on her. In just a few days, she seemed drained of all her energy, having lost a great deal of weight, her eyes sunken, and her temples suddenly streaked with glaring white hair. The compensation note from the factory lay under the straw mat on the kang (a heated brick bed), a thin piece of paper that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds—it was earned with her husband's life. The matter of her replacement's job hadn't been finalized yet; her mind was in turmoil, and she felt utterly lost about the future.

In this dazed and numb state, a thought, like a bubble rising from the bottom of water, silently surfaced—

The east wing of the backyard... a deaf old lady!

She jolted awake, slapping her forehead, her face filled with regret and self-reproach. She'd been so busy these past few days, so preoccupied with her own heart-wrenching situation, that she'd completely forgotten about the old woman living alone in the backyard! When Old Yi was around, he'd checked on the old woman almost daily, reminding her to bring her food and clean. With Old Yi gone, the first two days had been chaotic, and yesterday and today… she hadn't thought of her at all!

"Could it be that the old lady..." Li Yun's heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition rising within her. With Yi Zhonghai's accident and funeral arrangements causing such a commotion, the deaf old lady hadn't made a sound, nor had she shown up. In the past, if Old Yi had even a minor ailment, the old lady would, even with her frail legs, come over with her cane to check on him and ask a few questions. Now that Old Yi was gone, she hadn't even come to pay her respects? Was she... also overwhelmed with grief and ill? Or... had something happened?

A mix of guilt and unease gripped Li Yun. Old Yi was gone; in this courtyard, she and the deaf old woman were both women without support. From now on… from now on, they would truly have to rely on each other. Thinking this, she couldn't sit still any longer. She hastily tidied her hair, picked up the half-bowl of cornmeal porridge left over from lunch—now cold—and scooped a dried radish from the pickled vegetable jar. She hurried out the door and headed towards the east wing of the backyard.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, but the small gate to the east courtyard was tightly shut, exuding an unusual stillness. The old lock on the gate was loose, not fully locked. Li Yun's heart sank even further. She remembered Old Yi saying that the old lady was hard of hearing, and the gate was usually bolted from the inside to prevent stray cats, dogs, or unruly children from wandering in.

"Grandma? Grandma, are you there? It's me, Li Yun!" she called out as she pushed open the courtyard gate.

The courtyard was covered in fallen leaves, clearly untouched for days. The doors and windows of the main house were tightly shut, the window paper yellowed and torn. Li Yun walked to the door and knocked again: "Grandma? I've brought you some food, please open the door!"

There was still no response. Only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the eaves.

Li Yun's heart was pounding faster and faster, and an ominous premonition was about to burst out of her chest. She tried to push the door, but it wasn't latched and opened with a creak.

An indescribable stench, a mixture of decay, excrement, and the distinctive aroma of something that had died, assaulted Li Yun's senses, causing her to stumble back and nearly drop the bowl in her hand. The room was dimly lit, and the air felt heavy.

She forced herself to endure the discomfort, squinted to adjust her eyes to the light, and looked towards the kang (a heated brick bed).

The deaf old woman lay quietly on the kang (a heated brick bed), covered with the slightly worn blue quilt, her head turned inwards, motionless.

"Grandma? Are you asleep?" Li Yun's voice trembled as she moved step by step to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). The closer she got, the stronger the smell became, but the person on the kang remained completely silent.

She reached out, her hand trembling, and gently touched the deaf old woman's hand, which was sticking out from under the blanket and resting at her side. It was icy cold and stiff, devoid of any warmth.

Li Yun's breathing suddenly stopped, and her pupils contracted sharply. She withdrew her hand as if burned, then incredulously and slowly reached her hand towards the old woman's forehead.

Cold. A deathly, cold silence.

"ah--!!!"

A piercing, distorted scream suddenly burst from Li Yun's throat, shattering the afternoon tranquility of the courtyard. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, the rough porcelain bowl in her hand shattering with a crash, scattering cornmeal porridge and pickled vegetables all over the floor. Her eyes were wide open, staring intently at the lifeless body on the kang (a heated brick bed), her whole body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind, unable to utter a sound other than scream.

Liu's wife, who lived in the west wing of the backyard, was hanging clothes to dry in front of her door when the sudden scream startled her, nearly causing her to drop the clothes. She listened intently; the sound seemed to be coming from the east wing. Recalling the events of the Yi family these past few days and the way Aunt Yi had hurriedly gone to the backyard, a bad feeling immediately arose in her heart. She quickly put down her work and ran to the east wing. Looking inside, she saw Aunt Yi slumped on the ground, pale as a ghost, pointing trembling as she lay on the kang (heated brick bed).

Liu's sister-in-law's heart sank. She quickly went in and glanced at the kang (a heated brick bed) as well—the old deaf woman's wrinkled face was ashen and stiff, clearly indicating that she had been dead for a long time.

"Oh my God!" Sister-in-law Liu gasped, but she was calmer than Li Yun, who had just suffered the pain of losing her husband. She first helped the limp Li Yun up from the cold ground and led her outside to a ventilated area. Then she turned back into the yard, stood by the moon gate, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help! The deaf old lady in the backyard... is gone! Something terrible has happened!"

The shout was like a boulder thrown into a calm pond. The neighbors in the front, middle, and back yards were all startled, dropping what they were doing and rushing to the backyard. One of the braver ones went inside for a quick look, then came out shaking his head: "No breath, completely cold. Looks like... it's been several days."

"With Master Yi's family holding a funeral these past few days, who has time to care about this old lady!"

"Alas, it's pitiful, childless and alone, she just left us so quietly..."

"We must report this to the military control commission immediately! This is an elderly person living alone, and their death was not natural; someone needs to take care of them!"

Soon, someone ran to report to the Military Control Commission. Not long after, Wang Hongxia, an officer of the Military Control Commission, rushed to the courtyard with two comrades from the Military Control Commission and a medic in a white coat.

Wang Hongxia's face was somewhat pale, and her eyes were slightly red, clearly from crying. As the deaf old woman's distant cousin and the street cadre in charge of this area, she couldn't avoid it, both professionally and personally. Seeing so many people gathered in the courtyard, she managed to maintain her composure, first dispersing the crowd, and then leading the military control committee comrades and the doctor into the main house of the east wing.

He Damin was standing at his own door, watching the movements in the east courtyard. With a slight shift of his divine sense, he had already clearly "seen" the situation inside the house. The deaf old woman's death was exactly as he had predicted—death due to failure of vital functions, dehydration, and starvation; her body was emaciated, and her skin was loose, consistent with the characteristics of natural death. However, the process was accelerated by the trauma he had left behind and she had lost the ability to call for help.

His gaze fell on Wang Hongxia, who was directing the doctor's examination and looked haggard but was trying to keep up a good spirit.

Just as Wang Hongxia turned to speak quietly with her comrades from the Military Control Commission, her gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep over He Damin, who was standing not far away. That glance was extremely brief, but He Damin, a Nascent Soul cultivator, possessed incredibly sharp spiritual sense. He instantly caught the fleeting, complex emotions deep within those eyes—sadness, panic, but even deeper, a very subtle hint of…doubt and hostility?

He Damin's heart stirred slightly.

Wang Hongxia… this female student he casually rescued from the woodshed in the east courtyard years ago, is now an officer in the military control commission and a relative of the deaf old woman. Judging from her expression now, she is genuinely saddened by the old woman's death, after all, they were relatives. But that hint of suspicion and hostility…

He Damin's mind raced, and he immediately understood.

In Wang Hongxia's view, although the deaf old woman was old, her health had been relatively good before, and she had been taken care of by the Yi family. How could she have suddenly and quietly died just a few days after He Damin returned, when Yi Zhonghai had just died, and the courtyard was in chaos and no one was looking after her? Why such a "coincidence" of death? She knew He Damin was no ordinary person; she had personally witnessed his skills, that he knew "kung fu," and perhaps even "lightness skill." Based on her understanding, a terrifying thought might arise—did He Damin, in order to reclaim the house, or out of revenge (after all, the deaf old woman had occupied his east wing), use some unknown means to kill her?

Furthermore, deep down, she may have harbored an unspeakable sense of guilt and remorse for having helped her aunt "legally" seize He Damin's property. When the interests of her benefactor (He Damin) conflicted with those of her relative (the deaf old woman), and her relative passed away in such an abrupt manner, this guilt easily transformed into suspicion and latent hostility towards He Damin, as if this could alleviate her own moral pressure.

"Heh..." A cold sneer rose in He Damin's heart. So that's how it is. The life he casually saved years ago wasn't rewarded with gratitude, but rather with suspicion and hostility born from entanglements of self-interest and kinship. Truly, a small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment; the human heart is unfathomable. This Wang Hongxia knows far too much. She knows he's exceptionally skilled, she knows the deaf old woman occupied his house, and now she's making dangerous connections to the cause of the deaf old woman's death...

She's like a restless seed, a potential "lid king." Once her suspicions about the deaf old woman's death grow stronger, and she even investigates privately, or at some crucial moment in the future, reveals what she knows about He Damin's "kung fu" skills, combined with the deaf old woman's and Yi Zhonghai's suspicious deaths (Yi Zhonghai's death was an "accident," but the timing was too coincidental), it could very well lead to unnecessary trouble.

I originally thought that saving her life back then would sever the karmic ties between her and the deaf old woman, saving her from a possible fate of being controlled. Now it seems that my intervention brought her into the deaf old woman's sights earlier, making her a "relative" and a pawn of the deaf old woman, and ultimately, because of the deaf old woman's death, she developed hostility towards me.

The cycle of cause and effect is truly ironic.

Since that's the case, there's no need to keep this unstable pawn. Her suspicions were a path to her demise. He Damin's eyes were calm and expressionless, but his mind had already made up its mind. Wang Hongxia had to be dealt with, quickly and cleanly, leaving no trace. Before she could let her suspicions fester and spread. He didn't like anyone disturbing his peaceful life.

Just then, the preliminary examination inside the room seemed to have yielded results. The medic came out and whispered to Wang Hongxia and the comrades from the Military Control Commission, "Based on preliminary observation, the old man died of natural causes. He was extremely emaciated, showing signs of dehydration and malnutrition, likely due to... prolonged lack of food and water leading to exhaustion. The estimated time of death is around two to three days."

Two to three days...that's when the Yi family is holding a funeral and no one is paying attention to the backyard.

As Wang Hongxia listened, her lips tightened even more, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. She looked up again, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over He Damin's direction once more. Although she tried her best to conceal the suspicion in her eyes, it was still clear to He Damin's divine sense.

He Damin withdrew his gaze, turned around, and calmly walked back into his house. He Yuzhu was standing inside the door with a worried expression, clearly having heard the commotion outside.

"Uncle, that deaf old lady in the backyard..."

"Yeah, I'm getting old, I didn't make it through." He Damin said calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with him. "Close the door and cook."

"Oh," He Yuzhu replied, obediently going to close the door, but he was a little puzzled. The deaf old woman was dead, why didn't Uncle react at all? But thinking about it, it made sense. That old woman used to occupy Uncle's house and always acted like she was old and powerful. Uncle wasn't even familiar with her.

He Damin walked to the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wall, landing on the female street official in the east courtyard who was secretly saddened and full of doubts.

Night was about to fall.