Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

His voice was hoarse, trembling with uncertainty.

Qin Huairu looked at him. This man, more than twenty years her senior, stood at the door, his back hunched, tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with apprehension and fear. He looked like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for the adults to pronounce judgment.

She suddenly remembered the way He Damin knelt in the yard begging for forgiveness three years ago when he first returned. She remembered his silent figure as he fetched rainwater, chopped firewood, and swept the floor every day for the past two years. She remembered the cautious yet irrepressible joy on his face when he held the rain beam.

He is a coward. He is a selfish person. He is someone who has made mistakes.

But he is also her husband. He is the father of her son. He is a member of this family.

"I do."

She heard herself say it.

He Daqing suddenly looked up.

Qin Huairu looked at him, her lips curving into a smile, tears welling in her eyes.

"Wherever you go, I'll go. Yu Liang is going with his dad."

He Daqing stood there, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Qin Huai lowered her head, gently rocked Yu Liang in her arms, and hummed an unknown tune.

Outside the window, moonlight spilled onto the pomegranate tree, casting a soft glow on the ground.

When He Daqing returned to the main room, He Damin was still sitting there, his wine glass empty.

"She's willing," He Daqing said, his voice slightly unsteady. "She's willing to come with me."

He Damin nodded without saying anything more.

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the moonlight outside.

"Then it's settled," he said. "Let's go together after the New Year and in the spring."

He Daqing stood behind him, unsure of what to say in gratitude.

"Go back and rest." He Damin didn't turn around. "Take these few days to prepare and get everything tidied up. I'll handle the house situation."

He Daqing responded and turned to leave.

"Big brother."

He stopped in his tracks.

He Damin remained with his back to him, looking out the window.

"Once we arrive in Hong Kong, everything starts anew. Let bygones be bygones in Beijing."

He Daqing felt a lump in his throat, nodded vigorously, and pushed the door open to leave.

Long after he left, He Damin was still standing by the window.

Chen Xueru walked in quietly and stood beside him.

"Have you found out?"

"Yes. Qin Huairu is willing to leave."

"That's good." Chen Xueru paused, "The rain trough is too small, so we need to prepare more things for the journey. Bottles, diapers, changes of clothes..."

He Damin turned around and looked at her.

She's already starting to worry about these things.

"Xue Ru," he suddenly said.

"Um?"

"When we get to Hong Kong, I'll teach you some things."

Chen Xueru looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What is it?"

He Damin paused for a moment.

"Something...different."

He offered no further explanation. Chen Xueru did not press him for details.

She simply took his hand gently and said, "Okay."

Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear as water.

The pomegranate tree in the east courtyard rustled in the night breeze, as if whispering some ancient secret.

The next morning, He Yuzhu came to find He Damin.

"Uncle, I also want to go to Hong Kong with you."

He Damin looked at him.

He Yuzhu stood there, his back ramrod straight. In three years, he had grown from a kitchen apprentice who could only toss woks and chop vegetables into a soon-to-be master chef who could drive, repair cars, and train apprentices independently. His eyes no longer darted around, and he no longer spoke as timidly as before.

"Did your dad tell you?"

"I said so," He Yuzhu nodded. "I want to go."

Why?

He Yuzhu remained silent for a while.

"Uncle, I have no ties here. The master at Hongbinlou taught me for three years, and I've learned almost everything I need to. As for 'Red Star,' they won't need me after the merger. I want to go somewhere else and see if I can make a name for myself."

He paused.

"Moreover, I want to learn some real skills from my uncle."

He Damin looked at him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Okay," he said. "You're coming with me."

He Yuzhu grinned, his smile as wide as a child's.

Over the next few days, He Damin began to handle various matters before his departure.

Regarding the house, he contacted Yang Chengdong. The property rights to the east wing belonged to him personally and could be retained, but someone needed to look after it. Yang Chengdong introduced a reliable distant relative who was willing to help look after the house, charging a small monthly rent as a token gesture.

At the silk shop, Chen Xueru made clear to the manager that the monthly accounts would be sent to a designated address in Hong Kong. The manager was an old acquaintance whom she trusted.

At the "Red Star" headquarters, He Damin attended one last meeting. Director Zhou was very polite to him, saying, "Advisor He, please come back and visit often." Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong also came, sitting in the corner of the meeting room with complicated expressions.

After the meeting, Yan Bugui chased after him.

"Mr. He, are you leaving already?"

He Damin nodded.

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands, wanting to say something, but was too embarrassed to speak.

He Damin looked at him.

"Teacher Yan, are you finding the abacus easy to use?"

Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across his face.

"Sure thing! Sure thing! Boss He, don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the finance department's accounts, there won't be a single mistake!"

He Damin nodded and didn't say anything more.

He got into the car, rolled down the window, and said to Yan Bugui, who was standing by the roadside:

"Teacher Yan, take care."

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly, watching the jeep gradually drive away and disappear at the end of the road.

February 1955, the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year Yiwei.

Lantern Festival.

The streets of Beijing were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, children ran around carrying lanterns, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of glutinous rice balls.

In the courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, He Damin and his family were packing their belongings.

They will set off south early tomorrow morning.

He Daqing's luggage was the simplest: an old leather suitcase containing a few changes of clothes and a yellowed family photo—a picture taken many years ago of him and his deceased wife with their young sons, Zhuzi and Xiaoyushui. He had kept it hidden, never daring to take it out. Now that he was leaving, he carefully tucked the photo into his clothes.

Qin Huairu had more luggage, mainly belongings of Yu Liang. Bottles, diapers, baby clothes, and a small blanket filled two bundles to the brim. As she packed, she muttered, "I have to bring this, and I can't forget that..."

He Yuzhu's belongings were the most varied. Besides a change of clothes, there was a pile of car repair tools, several books on automotive structure, and a densely filled notebook filled with various troubleshooting cases and solutions. He was still hesitating about whether to bring the set of kitchen knives given to him by the chef at Hongbinlou Restaurant—a memento of his three years of culinary training. After thinking it over, he finally packed them into the box.

Chen Xueru helped He Yushui pack her luggage. It included a few pretty clothes, her old schoolbag, and the new pencil case her uncle had bought for her. She opened and closed the pencil case repeatedly, reluctant to put it down.

Chen Xueru's luggage was the simplest. A few changes of clothes, a light purple cheongsam, and a white magnolia brooch—a wedding gift from He Damin, which she had worn for three years without ever taking it off.

He Damin stood in the courtyard, looking at the pomegranate tree.

15 years.

In the winter of 1940, he returned here from another time and space, penniless, a mere ghost with a head full of memories. Now he is leaving, with his wife, nephews and nieces, his elder brother and sister-in-law, and his youngest nephew, to start anew in a completely new place.

The pomegranate tree swayed gently in the early spring breeze, and tiny buds had already sprouted on its branches.

Chen Xueru came out of the house and walked to his side.

"Everything is packed."

He Damin nodded.

"Let's go."

They turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Yan Bugui stood there, carrying a bag in his hand.

"Boss He, General Manager Chen," he handed over the package, "These are steamed buns my wife made, for us to eat on the way. They're still warm."

He Damin took the steamed bun and looked at Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said, "Have a safe journey."

He Damin nodded.

"Teacher Yan, take care."

He got into the car.

Chen Xueru, He Yushui, He Yuzhu, He Daqing, and Qin Huairu, carrying Yu Liang, boarded the car one by one.

The jeep started and slowly drove out of Nanluoguxiang.

Yan Bugui stood at the alley entrance, watching the car disappear into the morning mist before slowly turning back.

The car drove out of Beijing and onto the southbound highway.

He Yushui leaned against the car window, watching the scenery outside. Fields, villages, and rivers flashed past the window.

"Uncle, is Hong Kong far away?"

"It's far." He Damin gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "It'll take a long train ride, and then a boat ride."

"How long will it take us to drive?"

"A few days."

He Yushui tilted her head and thought for a moment, then asked, "Are there any good foods in Hong Kong?"

A soft laugh came from the back seat.

He Yuzhu teased her, "Yes, Hong Kong is by the sea, so there's plenty of seafood. Prawns, crabs, fish—eat as much as you want."

He Yushui's eyes lit up.

"Then I want to eat prawns!"

"Okay, you can eat your fill when we get there."

The car headed south in the morning light.

Chen Xueru leaned back in her chair, watching the fields rushing past the window. She suddenly recalled the scene three years ago when she first met He Damin—the man standing silently in the silk shop, wearing worn clothes, but with eyes as deep as the sea.

At that time, she didn't know who he was, where he came from, or where he was going.

Now she knows.

He was her husband. He was her everything.

No matter where you go.