Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

For several nights in a row, He Damin's soul would quietly drift to the vicinity of that cave in Xishan.

He didn't approach, but hovered at a distance among the branches of an old pine tree, observing silently like an owl. His divine sense, like an invisible thread, gently probed into the cave, sensing the woman's condition.

The injury is indeed improving.

On the first night, she managed to sit up with difficulty and clumsily changed her dressing. When the gauze was removed, the wound on her left arm had begun to scab over, and the swelling in her right leg had subsided considerably—thankfully, no bone was broken. If the bone had been broken, in this cave where medical care was scarce, it might not have fully healed even in a hundred days.

On the second night, she tried to stand up by holding onto the rock wall. Her right leg buckled as soon as it touched the ground, and she staggered, almost falling. But she gritted her teeth, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and managed to stand for more than ten breaths.

On the third night, He Damin "saw" some more traces outside the cave entrance—the grass blades showed signs of being bent, and there were several fresh handprints on the rock wall. She had tried to leave the cave, perhaps to scout ahead, or perhaps to find food and water. But given her current physical condition, she couldn't walk more than two miles.

The biggest problem is that the food is almost gone.

The few cans of beef and the pack of compressed biscuits that He Damin left behind would only last three to five days if eaten sparingly. Tonight is the fourth night, and there is only half a can of beef and two biscuits left in the cave, and the water in the military canteen is almost gone.

By the day after tomorrow at the latest, she will either starve to death in the cave or risk going down the mountain with her injured leg—and her injured left hand is completely useless, so going down the mountain is not much different from rolling off the cliff.

"Tsk."

He Damin, in his soul form, clicked his tongue. In his past life, he never did anything that didn't benefit him; saving someone halfway was as good as not saving them at all. Since he had already gotten involved, he might as well see it through to the end.

Moreover... his secret observations over the past few days have made him increasingly curious about the woman's identity.

Her behavior was unlike that of an ordinary female student. Although her technique for changing dressings and bandaging was clumsy, her steps were standardized; she was extremely vigilant, and every night before going to sleep, she would set up a simple warning device at the entrance of the cave—wrapping a few pebbles with thin vines, which would make a sound if someone touched it; even in her sleep, her brows were always slightly furrowed, and her right hand was always unconsciously placed at her side, as if there should be a gun there.

"A member of the Red Party?" He Damin wondered to himself.

The fourth night, at the end of midnight.

His soul returned to his body, and He Damin opened his eyes on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east courtyard. Moonlight streamed through the window paper, spreading a soft glow across the ground.

He got up and took a worn blue cloth bundle from the kang cabinet. Inside were several changes of clothes. He took the clothes out and set them aside, then began packing things into the bundle:

Four cans of beef—US Army Spam luncheon meat, with English printed on the tin cans. These were "stolen" from a Japanese warehouse, probably also supplies captured by the Japanese.

Two packs of compressed biscuits—also US military rations, high in calories and easy to store.

A large bag of fried noodles—he fried them himself in the Tai Chi Space, with flour, salt, and lard, wrapped tightly in oil paper.

Three military water bottles—all filled with clean water, one of which also had some brown sugar mixed in.

Two boxes of penicillin, a bottle of iodine solution, a roll of new gauze, and a few anti-inflammatory pills.

Finally, he put in a dagger—the blade was about six inches long, with a leather scabbard. It was a Japanese officer's saber, which he had "borrowed" and then re-sharpened, making it exceptionally sharp.

The bundle was tightly tied, and it was heavy.

He Damin changed into dark clothes and trousers, and put on a dusty old cotton-padded jacket. He slung his bundle over his shoulder and pushed open the door to go out.

The courtyard was silent. From the main house came He Daqing's even snores, and Xiao Yuzhu smacked his lips in his sleep. He swept across the courtyard like a shadow, his toes barely touching the wall before his figure gracefully landed in the alley.

He didn't use his light-footed skills to move quickly, but simply walked towards the west of the city at a pace slightly faster than the average person. The streets of Beiping were deserted in the dead of night, with only the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing from afar, drifting erratically in the night wind.

When he encountered a patrol team on his way out of the city, He Damin hid in the shadows beforehand and continued on his way only after the team had passed. An hour later, he had arrived at the foot of West Mountain.

Looking up at the location of the cave halfway up the mountain, He Damin took a deep breath, circulating his true energy within his body. He unleashed his "Lightness Skill: Swallow Three Drops of Water," leaping across the steep mountain wall like a nimble ape. Each time, his toes lightly touched the rock face only three times, and his figure had already risen several feet.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had arrived at the bottom of the cave.

Instead of going straight up, he listened intently first. He heard steady breathing from inside the cave; the person must be asleep. He then used his divine sense to scan the surroundings, confirming there were no wild animals or other traces, before leaping up, grabbing the cave entrance with one hand, and silently vaulting inside.

The cave was pitch black, with only a few rays of moonlight filtering through the entrance. But for He Damin, it was no different from daytime—his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation had already given him the ability to see in the dark.

Wang Hongxia slept at the bottom of the cave, covered with the Japanese army blanket. She lay on her side, facing the rock wall, breathing evenly, but her right hand always gripped a sharp stone fragment—a makeshift weapon she had sharpened from stones found in the cave.

He Damin didn't wake her, but gently placed the bundle beside her. After thinking for a moment, he took out an oil paper package from his Taiji space, containing the meat buns that Lü Bingxin had steamed that day, still warm. He put them down as well.

After doing all that, he turned to leave.

"Who?!"

A low growl came from behind, the voice hoarse from just waking up, but even more so from wariness.

He Damin paused, then slowly turned around.

Wang Hongxia had already sat up, her right hand tightly gripping the stone shard, her left hand instinctively reaching for her injured leg—where a smaller stone blade was hidden, which He Damin had "seen" a few days ago.

"It's me," he said calmly, his voice ringing out clearly in the empty cave.

Wang Hongxia squinted, using the moonlight to sized up the uninvited guest. When she realized the person was just a teenager, she was visibly taken aback, but her vigilance remained undiminished.

"Who are you? How did you find this place?" Her voice was low and scrutinizing.

He Damin pointed to the bundle on the ground: "I brought you something. You're almost finished with your food, aren't you?"

Wang Hongxia looked down and saw the bulging blue cloth bundle, and the aroma of meat emanating from the oil paper package beside it. Her Adam's apple bobbed, but her gaze remained sharp: "Why are you helping me? How did you know I was here?"

"Four nights ago, you climbed into my yard and hid in the woodshed," He Damin said succinctly. "When the detectives came to search, I helped you clean up the traces. Later, I brought you here, removed the bullet, and left you medicine and food."

Wang Hongxia's pupils contracted slightly. Fragments of memories from four days ago surged through her mind: being shot, fleeing, climbing into a courtyard, hiding in a woodpile, losing consciousness from blood loss... When she woke up again, she was in this cave, her wounds had been properly treated, and medicine and food were beside her.

She had always assumed that her rescuer was an experienced underground worker or a quack doctor sympathizing with the resistance against Japan. She never imagined it would be a boy who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old!

"You...you're a resident of that courtyard?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, east courtyard." He Damin nodded. "My name is He Damin, and I'm an apprentice at Fengzeyuan."

"A cook?" Wang Hongxia was taken aback again.

"Apprentice," He Damin corrected, "An apprentice of Tan Family Cuisine."

The two fell silent for a moment. Only the rustling of the night wind through the vines at the cave entrance could be heard in the cave.

After a long silence, Wang Hongxia put down the stone slab, but her right hand remained loosely clenched, poised to retaliate at any moment. She looked at He Damin with a complex expression: "Thank you for saving me. But you shouldn't have gotten involved; it was too dangerous."

"We're already involved." He Damin said calmly. "Can you walk now? If not, this food should last you another seven or eight days. Don't get your wound wet, change your dressings on time, and take one penicillin a day."

He spoke as if he were giving medical instructions, without any extra emotion.

Wang Hongxia looked at the bundle on the ground, then at the overly calm young man before her, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her. She remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid I'm a bad person? What if I'm a bandit, or bait for a traitor?"

"You're not," He Damin shook his head. "A traitor who gets injured will go directly to the Japanese for treatment. Bandits can't hide in the city. Besides..." He paused, "Your right hand always wants to touch your gun when you sleep; that's a soldier's habit."

Wang Hongxia was startled.

She stared at He Damin; this young man was more perceptive than she had imagined. No, not just perceptive, but terrifying—he could see right through people's hearts.

"Who exactly are you?" she couldn't help but ask again.

"He Damin, the cook's apprentice." He Damin repeated, then asked, "And you? What's your real name? You can't really be called 'Female Student,' can you?"

Wang Hongxia hesitated. Underground work regulations required her to conceal her true identity, but this young man had saved her life and was clearly no ordinary person. She could sense that he meant her no harm; in fact… there was a strange sense of trust in him.

Perhaps the loneliness and pain of the past few days had lowered her guard, or perhaps subconsciously she felt this boy was trustworthy. She pursed her chapped lips and whispered, "Wang Hongxia. Hong as in red, Xia as in rosy dawn."

He Damin nodded, his expression unchanged. But deep inside, a switch on a certain memory was triggered.

Wang Hongxia...

He felt like he'd heard that name somewhere before.

Not this life, but a past life—among the fragments of memories of those fan fiction novels about courtyard houses, there seems to be such a name.

He frowned in thought. The head of the neighborhood committee... yes, the later head of the neighborhood committee, nicknamed "King of the Lids," I think her name was Wang Hongxia. In many novels, this character has some connection with the deaf old woman; some say they are distant relatives, others say they had some interaction in their early years.

In this world, he saved Wang Hongxia, but what about the deaf old woman who was supposed to save her? If he hadn't intervened, would Wang Hongxia have been saved by the deaf old woman? If so, will his intervention, which interrupted this cause and effect, change anything?

"What's wrong?" Wang Hongxia asked, noticing his strange expression.

"It's nothing." He Damin collected his thoughts. "I was just thinking about something else. You should focus on recovering. This place is relatively safe; the detectives can't search this far."

As he spoke, he pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it over: "There are thirty silver dollars and some change in here. You can use it if you need travel expenses after you recover."

Wang Hongxia didn't answer, but just looked at him and said, "Why are you so nice to me? We're complete strangers."

He Damin remained silent for a moment.

Why? He himself couldn't quite explain it. Perhaps he had witnessed too much death in his past life and wanted to try to save a few people in this one; perhaps Wang Hongxia reminded him of the underground workers who sacrificed themselves for their ideals in his past life; or perhaps... he simply didn't want someone who might be helpful to the future to die here.

"Just consider me a busybody cook." He placed the cloth bag on the bundle and turned to walk towards the cave entrance.

"Wait!" Wang Hongxia called out to him.

He Damin turned around.

Moonlight streamed in through the cave entrance, casting a silvery glow on him. The boy stood tall and straight, his eyes clear and deep, seemingly out of place in this chaotic world.

"He Damin," Wang Hongxia said solemnly, "I will remember this kindness. If you ever need any help in the future, go to 'Liu's Teahouse' at Xisi Archway, tell the manager you're looking for 'Hongxia,' and he will pass the message on to me."

He Damin nodded, said nothing, and leaped out of the cave.

His figure disappeared into the night, only the night wind carried his last words: "Eat the buns while they're hot."

Wang Hongxia sat in the cave, staring at the blue cloth bundle, speechless for a long time. She untied the bundle and saw the complete supplies inside, especially the dagger—when she pulled it out, the blade gleamed coldly; it was made of high-quality steel.

She opened the oil paper package again, and the aroma of meat buns wafted out. She picked one up and took a bite; the pork and cabbage filling was oily, savory, and the dough was soft and fluffy. She hadn't had a hot meal for four days.

As she ate the steamed buns, Wang Hongxia's vision gradually blurred. Not because of the pain, but because of the warmth that suddenly descended upon her in her desperate situation.

A cooking apprentice, a boy barely out of school, risked his life to save her, treat her injuries, bring her food, and even give her travel expenses. He didn't ask about her identity, didn't expect anything in return, and didn't even say a word more than necessary.

There are still such people in this world.

She wiped her eyes, forcing back the tears. Now was not the time for sentimentality; she needed to recover from her injuries as quickly as possible, return to her organization, and continue fighting.

And that boy… Wang Hongxia will remember the name “He Damin” deeply. If she has the chance in the future, she will definitely repay this kindness.

Meanwhile, He Damin has returned to Nanluoguxiang.

He didn't go straight back to the east wing, but instead went to the window of the main house first. He used his divine sense to enter through the window and confirmed that He Daqing and his family were all safe and sound before returning to his own room with peace of mind.

Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), he couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Wang Hongxia... Gai Zi Wang... Deaf Old Lady...

If he hadn't saved Wang Hongxia, would she have been saved by the deaf old woman? If so, wouldn't he have unintentionally severed a link in the deaf old woman's karmic connection?

What impact will this have on the future? After Wang Hongxia becomes the street director, will she take care of the He family? Or will she, for other reasons, still favor Yi Zhonghai as in the original story?

He Damin rubbed his temples. The advantage of a time traveler is knowing the plot's direction, but now he was already changing it. From transmigrating into a ghost, to gaining a physical body, and then saving Wang Hongxia, every step he took deviated from the original path.

"Forget it, there's no use thinking about it so much," he told himself. "Let's just take it one step at a time. At least for now, Wang Hongxia is alive, and maybe she'll have another friend in the future."

A rooster crowed outside the window; dawn was approaching.

He Damin closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep. Tomorrow he was going to Fengzeyuan Restaurant again; Chef Wang said he would teach him a new dish—braised shark fin, one of the signature dishes of the Tan family cuisine.

In chaotic times, simply surviving, learning a skill, and protecting one's family is already a feat. As for the intricate web of causes and effects, let time be the judge.

In his dream, he seemed to see the cave again, with Wang Hongxia sitting under the moonlight, slowly eating steamed buns. In the distance, in the courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, an oil lamp was lit in the room of the deaf old woman, who was mending an old garment by its light, completely unaware of everything that had happened that night.