Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

The wind atop Victoria Peak carried the salty scent of the sea, whistling softly as it swept past the villa's French windows. Twilight, like a velvet cloth soaked in ink, slowly enveloped the area from the direction of Victoria Harbour, bathing the lights of the hillside in a warm, yellow glow. In the living room, the pendulum of the old-fashioned wall clock swung gently, its ticking mingling with the aroma of braised spices wafting from the kitchen, spreading a soothing pattern across the mahogany floor.

He Damin sat at the rosewood desk in his study, his fingertips tracing the wristband on his palm. The dark blue cotton cloth was warm from his body heat, and a faint scent of soapberry wafted from it—the scent of Chen Xueru's favorite herbal soap. The stitches were as fine as silkworm silk, forming tiny cloud patterns at the edges, with a deliberate cross knot at the end of the stitch, leaving a slight ridge to the touch. He turned the wristband over; on the inside, a tiny "Min" character was embroidered in red thread, hidden in the folds of the cloud pattern, almost invisible unless one looked closely.

"This girl." He chuckled softly, his thumb rubbing against the word repeatedly, the cotton fabric making his fingertip slightly warm. The wristband was folded into a neat little square and stuffed into the inside pocket of his shirt. The fabric felt against his chest, like holding a freshly baked sweet potato, the warmth slowly spreading through his internal organs.

Suddenly, He Yuzhu's loud voice rang out from downstairs, making the stair railing vibrate: "Uncle! Come down quickly! Boss Liu, who booked the entire venue, gave us a bottle of 30-year-old Moutai! It even has a red stamp on it!"

He Damin pushed the chair back half a foot, the wooden legs scraping against the floor with a creak. As he reached the study door, he saw He Yushui running down the stairs, carrying a rag doll, her pigtails swinging back and forth, her canvas shoes making a thumping sound on the steps.

A feast had already been set up on the round table in the restaurant. He Yuzhu was twirling a white porcelain liquor bottle, the five characters "Guizhou Maotai" on the bottle were embossed in gold, and the edges of the label were slightly yellowed. He Yushui was leaning over the table, her nose almost touching the blue-and-white porcelain wine glass, her eyes wide open: "Brother, this liquor smells like sweet water!"

"Go away, what do kids know?" He Yuzhu moved the wine bottle closer to himself, but Chen Xueru, who was carrying braised dishes, slapped his hand. Today she was wearing a moon-white floral cheongsam, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair wrist. The muscles in her arm were slightly tense when she carried the plate, showing a homely neatness.

"The braised dishes are greasy once they cool down." Chen Xueru placed the plate on the table. The glistening beef slices were still covered with amber-colored braising sauce, and the pig ears were sliced ​​as thin as cicada wings, with translucent gelatinous edges. The aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and star anise mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted out, and He Yushui's stomach immediately rumbled.

"Children aren't allowed to drink alcohol." Chen Xueru took out a bottle of orange juice from the cupboard. It was a glass bottle, and the sunlight shining through it made the orange-yellow liquid look like molten gold. She poured half a glass and handed it to He Yushui. Fine droplets of water immediately condensed on the glass and slid down the side of the glass to the table, leaving a small dark water stain.

When He Damin sat down in the main seat, He Yuzhu had already poured him some wine. The Moutai swirled gently in the glass, so clear that the patterns at the bottom were visible. He brought it close to his nose, first releasing a rich, soy-sauce aroma, followed by a sweet, fruity fragrance that made his throat tingle as he swallowed. He took a small sip; the liquid rolled on his tongue, not harsh, but rather like silk, sliding down his throat, leaving a warm, lingering aftertaste.

"Uncle, please try this beef!" He Yuzhu picked up a piece of beef with tendons and put it in his bowl. "Today, Boss Liu booked the whole place. He said he has more than 300 workers in his textile factory in Kowloon. From now on, they will order boxed lunches from our restaurant every day at noon. That's more than 10,000 yuan a month!" He said excitedly, and his spittle splattered on the tablecloth. Chen Xueru quietly took out a tissue and wiped it clean.

He Damin nodded, brought the wine glass to his lips, and took another sip: "The dishes must be fresh, and the portions shouldn't be skimped on. The He family values ​​repeat customers in business."

"Of course!" He Yuzhu patted his chest, making the wine glass in front of him tremble. "I'll have the kitchen staff go to the meat processing plant before dawn every day to pick out meat, guaranteeing the workers will want more!"

"Brother, did you sneak some braised chicken feet today?" He Yushui suddenly pointed at He Yuzhu's mouth. "There's still oil on your lips!"

He Yuzhu quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand, his face turning bright red: "That's called tasting the food! Shouldn't I taste the saltiness of the dishes the chef cooks first?" This made He Yushui giggle, and a few drops of orange juice from her hand spilled onto her clothes.

Chen Xueru served He Damin a bowl of plain congee, the porridge cooked until soft and sticky, with a few specks of oil floating on top. "I called you for lunch this afternoon, knocked several times but there was no answer." Her eyelashes drooped as she spoke, the lamplight casting a soft shadow on her face. "What were you doing in the study?"

He Damin scooped a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, the aroma of rice mixed with the salty fragrance of braised pork spreading in his mouth: "Thinking about something." He didn't elaborate, and Chen Xueru didn't press him for details. She simply sprinkled the chopped scallions into his bowl, the green color of the scallions making the white porridge look especially appealing.

After dinner, He Yushui took the big yellow dog to play in the yard. The dog's tail swept across the stone path, making a "rustling" sound, mixed with her shouts of "Big Yellow, catch!" He Yuzhu went back to his room to practice his martial arts, his footsteps thumping on the stairs, occasionally punctuated by shouts of "Hey ha!" When Chen Xueru finished clearing the dishes and entered the study with a cup of hot tea, she saw He Damin standing by the window, his shadow stretched long in the moonlight, trailing all the way to the bookshelf in the corner.

She gently hugged him from behind, her cheek pressed against his back, feeling the warmth of his body beneath his shirt and his steady heartbeat. "Thinking about something again?" Her voice was soft, like a feather brushing against the tip of your heart.

He Damin turned around and took her hand. Her fingers still carried the lingering scent of soap from washing dishes, and her fingertips were rough—calluses from years of housework. "Xueru, look up."

Chen Xueru followed his gaze and looked out the window. The night sky on the mountaintop was much cleaner than in the city. Stars were densely scattered across the black velvet-like sky, and the Milky Way stretched like a luminous ribbon from the eastern mountains to the western sea. Several particularly bright stars shone with a bluish light, as if they could be reached out and plucked.

"It's so beautiful," she said softly, her breath carrying the cool scent of mint toothpaste. "When I was little in Suzhou, on summer nights, lying on the Moon-Viewing Pavilion in the garden, my mother would point to the stars and say that each star corresponds to a person on Earth."

He Damin tightened his grip on her hand. "Those stars are so far away from us," he said, gazing at the night sky, his voice low, "but if we could build a bridge between them..." He paused, looking at Chen Xueru's confused eyes, then suddenly laughed, "It's nothing, you wouldn't understand anyway."

"I don't understand," Chen Xueru leaned on his shoulder, her hair tickling his chin, "but I'll listen when you want to talk."

He Damin lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Her skin was soft and carried a faint scent of face cream. "Go to sleep early. I need to go to the warehouse in Yuen Long tomorrow."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, He Damin took Chen Xueru and the children to the school gate. Chen Xueru was going to her elder brother's restaurant to settle accounts that day. She was wearing a gray suit jacket and carrying a black leather bag, standing in the morning light like a tall reed. "Come back early tonight, I've made some soup." She straightened his tie, her fingertips tracing his Adam's apple.

"Got it." He Damin started the car, the roar of the engine startling the sparrows in the trees, a dark swarm sweeping across the roof of the teaching building.

When he returned to the villa, the clock in the living room had just struck seven. He Damin went into the study, locked the door behind him, and drew the curtains tightly, plunging the room into darkness. He sat cross-legged on the carpet, closed his eyes, and the familiar white mist appeared in his mind. With a thought, his body passed through the barrier of space.

The air in the small world carried a pungent smell of rust and ozone, even stronger than the last time I visited. The industrial area was brightly lit, with robots whirring and humming as they moved between production lines. The metal plates on the ground were polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting the flashing indicator lights overhead. Kobayashi Masao and his two assistants knelt before the control panel. When they saw He Damin appear, the three of them slammed their heads against the metal floor with a thud.

"Get up." He Damin waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the data flashing on the control panel screen. It displayed the inventory of various materials: 300 tons of titanium alloy remained, silicon wafer reserves were sufficient, and lithium battery production capacity had increased by 15 percent compared to last month.

Robot 0037 slid down from beneath the flying saucer, its metal hull smudged with oil, its blue electronic eyes flashing intermittently. "Master, do you have new instructions?"

He Damin walked into the massive shadow of the flying saucer, gazing up at the silent, steel behemoth. Its outer shell gleamed with a cold, hard sheen under the lights, and scratches from battle were visible along its edges. "I want you to develop two satellite systems," he said, his voice low but carrying an undeniable firmness. "One global communications network, thirty-six satellites; one global positioning network, twenty-four satellites."

The electronic eyes on 0037 blinked faster, emitting a buzzing sound. "Communication satellites refer to artificial Earth satellites used for radio communication relay," its voice flat and monotone, like reading a textbook. "Thirty-six satellites can achieve global coverage without blind spots. Their low-Earth orbit constellation design ensures that at least three satellites are visible at any point on the Earth's surface. Positioning satellites refer to satellite navigation systems used to provide geographic coordinates. Twenty-four satellites can form a global positioning constellation, distributed across six orbital planes, ensuring that at least four satellites are visible at any location and at any time globally, achieving three-dimensional positioning. Is this correct?"

"Correct." He Damin stared at its electronic eyes. "Use the data in the photonic computer to design a solution that can be manufactured now. Then, use the production line here to manufacture them."

0037 remained silent for about ten seconds, its metal head slightly rotating, seemingly scanning the entire industrial area. "Mission analysis in progress...database retrieval...feasibility assessment..." Its voice suddenly paused, and the blue light of its electronic eyes turned a flashing yellow. "Assessment complete. Mission complexity: extremely high. Time required: approximately twenty-four months. Required resources: 90% of existing materials within the small world; energy consumption is estimated at 45% of the UFO's current energy storage. Continue?"

He Damin frowned. He knew this would be a huge project, but he hadn't expected it to consume so many resources. He walked to the holographic projection of the raw material warehouse, looking at the mountains of metal ingots and rare elements piled up inside—things he had painstakingly accumulated over three years through various channels. "So much?"

"Yes, Master." 0037's electronic eyes turned back blue. "The manufacture of sixty satellites requires a massive number of high-precision components, especially solar panels, attitude control systems, communication transponders, and atomic clocks necessary for satellite positioning. Each satellite requires independent assembly and testing, necessitating a tenfold expansion of the production line. Furthermore, placing all sixty satellites into orbit requires the flying saucer to perform at least ten orbital deployment missions, each consuming a significant amount of energy."

He Damin remained silent for a long time, his fingers unconsciously tapping the metal surface of the control panel. He recalled Chen Xueru looking at the stars last night, the ledgers of the Global Bank's New York branch, and the cargo ships lost on the high seas... "Okay." He looked up, his eyes resolute. "Initiate the mission."

"Understood." 0037 turned and issued a series of sharp commands into the air. The previously orderly production line suddenly accelerated, the robotic arms swung so fast they left afterimages, and the conveyor belts clanged loudly. Sixteen service robots dragged huge steel beams out of the warehouse and began to build the new factory frame. Sparks from the arc welding guns fell like golden raindrops, leaving a faint smell of gunpowder in the air. Three research robots surrounded a huge workbench, where complex formulas and blueprints flashed continuously on a blue 3D light screen, and orbital parameters and satellite structures slowly rotated in the light and shadow.