Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Autumn arrived quietly in Hong Kong in 1967. The summer heat gradually faded, and the morning and evening breezes carried a hint of coolness, rustling the leaves on the leaves of the trees atop Victoria Peak. In the courtyard of He Damin's villa, the old pomegranate tree bore an unusually heavy load of fruit this year. The plump, ripe fruit, red like clusters of small fireballs, weighed down the branches, some almost touching the cobblestone path. Several sparrows hopped among the leaves, pecking at the occasional fallen pomegranate seeds, chirping and adding a touch of life to the tranquil afternoon.

He Damin stood on the carved teak balcony on the second floor, holding a white porcelain covered bowl filled with freshly brewed Longjing tea. The tea leaves unfurled in the hot water, releasing a delicate fragrance, and the rising steam blurred his view into the distance. Victoria Harbour stretched out like a vast, deep blue ribbon at the foot of the mountains. On the sea, ships of all sizes came and went; cargo ships sounded their low horns, while ferries swiftly shuttled between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

His gaze fell on a white yacht that had just sailed out of the harbor. The yacht had sleek lines and reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight. Its stern carved a long white trail of waves, like a shimmering silver ribbon, stretching into the distance.

"It was just shipped from Italy last month," He Damin thought to himself, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. "It's sixty meters long, four stories high, with eight bedrooms, a small swimming pool, a movie theater that can show a dozen or so films, and a helipad on the roof..."

When Chen Xueru first saw this ship, her eyes widened, and she stood there speechless for a long time before finally uttering softly, "This...this is too big! It's like a small apartment building."

He Damin smiled, walked over and gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Not too big. Later, when we have children, the whole family can go out for a trip, and it will be just the right size to live in."

Chen Xueru's face flushed instantly, like a ripe apple. She playfully pushed him away and didn't say anything more. But He Damin could tell from her slightly burning earlobes and the subtle upturn of her lips that she was secretly delighted.

For the past few months, he had been waiting. He waited for Chen Xueru to fully recover from her miscarriage and for her complexion to regain its rosy glow; for the daily operations of the television station to be smoothly handed over to He Yushui, that girl was smart and quick to learn, and with Xueru's hands-on teaching for half a year, she was already capable of handling things independently; for He Yuzhu to manage the restaurant business in an orderly manner, and for the new dishes to be well received, which in turn boosted the business of several branches; and for He Daqing and Qin Huairu to settle the household chores... Only when everything was on track could he feel at ease taking Xueru out for a walk.

Now, everything is finally arranged.

"Uncle! Aunt!" He Yushui's clear, slightly boisterous voice came from downstairs, "When are you two leaving? If you don't leave soon, I'm going to ruin this TV station!"

He Damin smiled and shook his head, then turned and went downstairs with his teacup. In the living room, He Yushui was standing by the mahogany table, holding a stack of documents, her brows slightly furrowed, as if deep in thought. Today, she wore a well-tailored white suit skirt that accentuated her tall and straight figure. Her hair was neatly styled in a bun, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck. The pair of round pearl earrings she wore were a graduation gift from He Damin last year; the pearls were full and gleamed softly under the light.

"I'll leave this afternoon." He Damin walked to her side, glanced at the document, which was a proposal about the program schedule for the next quarter.

He Yushui looked up, pursed her lips, and said with a hint of reluctance, "How long will it be before you guys come back? I'm worried about managing such a big business all by myself."

"It could take a month or two, or three to five months at the latest," He Damin thought for a moment. "Your aunt wants to go to Europe to see those old buildings, and she also wants to go to the United States, Japan, Australia... Anyway, there's no rush, she can take her time and see where she ends up."

Hearing him say that, He Yushui laughed instead, her eyes sparkling: "So you really trust me with the TV station matter? Aren't you afraid I'll lose money for you?"

"What are you worried about?" He Damin reached out and patted her shoulder, his hand firm. "Your aunt has been teaching you for half a year, from program planning to GG's business development, and then to human resources management. You've learned everything you need to know. The rest is up to you to figure it out in practice. Go for it. If you lose, I'll cover it; if you make a profit, it's your bonus."

He Yushui nodded vigorously, her eyes a little red, and her voice lowered: "Uncle, Aunt, you...you have fun. If anything happens, I'll call you."

As they were talking, Chen Xueru came downstairs. She was wearing a beige casual suit made of high-quality cotton and linen, soft and breathable. Her hair was casually draped over her shoulders, like a black waterfall. She wore a pair of white magnolia-shaped jade earrings that He Damin had given her a few days ago; the jade was warm and lustrous, and the carving was exquisite, making her skin appear even whiter. She walked up to He Yushui, took her hand, and touched her well-maintained, warm and soft hands.

"Rain, just do your best with the TV station stuff, don't overwork yourself." Chen Xueru's voice was gentle. "If you really can't make up your mind, ask your brother Zhu, or call me and your uncle. Don't try to handle it all by yourself."

"Okay, Auntie." He Yushui hugged Chen Xueru back, buried her face in her shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, "You and Uncle must have a good time and take lots of pictures to show me."

"Silly girl," Chen Xueru gently patted her back.

Just then, He Yuzhu rushed in from outside, carrying a thermos, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Auntie! Uncle! I'm here!" He placed the thermos on the table, opened the lid, and a rich aroma of chicken soup immediately filled the air. "This is fresh fish maw and conch that I specially bought at the market this morning. I'm making you a fish maw and conch chicken soup; it's the most nourishing! Take it with you on your way."

Chen Xueru smiled as she took the thermos; it felt heavy and was still warm. She reached out and patted He Yuzhu's head, just like when they were children: "Zhuzi, that's thoughtful of you. You're not getting any younger; it's time to find someone. Don't just spend all your time studying recipes."

He Yuzhu's face flushed red instantly. He scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled, "No rush, no rush, career comes first, career comes first."

He Daqing and Qin Huairu arrived shortly after. He Daqing, still with his usual honest and unassuming demeanor, stood at the door, rubbing his hands, glancing at He Damin, then at Chen Xueru, hesitant to speak. He Damin walked over and casually patted him on the shoulder: "Brother, please take care of things at home and the businesses on the mountain."

He Daqing nodded quickly, his voice a little hoarse: "Don't worry, I'll take care of things at home. Nothing will go wrong."

He Damin smiled and said, "Then we're leaving, Xue Ru."

Chen Xueru nodded, taking one last look at the home filled with laughter and joy.

They stepped out of the villa, where a black Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was already waiting quietly. The driver respectfully opened the door for them. The car slowly drove out of the gate and headed down the winding mountain road. He Yushui, He Yuzhu, He Daqing, and Qin Huairu stood at the door, waving until the car rounded a bend and disappeared from sight. He Yushui finally couldn't hold back her tears, which fell in a few drops onto the back of her hand. He Yuzhu awkwardly patted her shoulder: "Don't cry, your uncle and aunt aren't not coming back. They just went out for a walk."

He Yushui sniffed and wiped away her tears: "I know, it's just... I just can't bear to part with it."

He Daqing stood to the side, gazing in the direction the car had disappeared, and sighed softly, then said with a hint of relief, "They should go out and travel too. These past few years have been too tiring."

Inside the car, Chen Xueru leaned comfortably on He Damin's shoulder, watching the scenery rushing past the window. The car was traveling along the coastline, with lush green forests on the left and the boundless sea on the right. The sea shimmered, like handfuls of silver scattered on its surface. In the distance, several small fishing boats drifted slowly, the fishermen standing at the bow, laboriously casting their nets, creating a scene like a flowing painting.

"Brother Damin," she said softly, her voice tinged with a lazy ease, "where are we going first?"

"Let's go to Italy first." He Damin hugged her tighter. "Let's go see our 'little apartment building,' and I'll take you to the Ferrari factory while we're at it. Didn't you say you liked their red sports car last time? Let's see if we can order one and have them paint it a unique color for you."

Chen Xueru couldn't help but laugh and nudged him lightly with her elbow: "I was just saying it casually, and you actually took it seriously. Such an expensive car, it's so conspicuous to drive like that."

"I'd be willing to drive it for my wife, even if it's conspicuous." He Damin lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "I remember everything you said."

Chen Xueru felt a sweet warmth in her heart and stopped talking, simply snuggling closer into his arms.

The car quickly arrived at the private pier in Victoria Harbour. The white yacht—which He Damin named "Xue Ru"—was quietly moored there, shimmering in the sunlight like a giant white whale poised to pounce. The crew was already prepared, dressed in neat uniforms, standing in formation on the deck. As they approached, they called out in unison, "Boss, Boss's wife, welcome aboard!"

Chen Xueru looked at the enormous ship before her, took a deep breath as if to expel all the fatigue accumulated over the years. "Let's go," she said, taking He Damin's hand.

He Damin led her step by step up the gangway.

The yacht slowly sailed away from the harbor. The familiar scenery of Victoria Harbour gradually shrank behind them, the skyscrapers of Central became tiny matchboxes, and the familiar greenery of Victoria Peak became a blurry outline. Chen Xueru stood on the deck, the sea breeze blowing through her long hair, watching the receding Hong Kong skyline, and suddenly felt a surge of emotions.

"What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part with her?" He Damin walked to her side and gently hugged her from behind.

"A little," she said honestly, leaning against him. "It just feels like time has flown by. When I first came to Hong Kong, I didn't know anything, I was completely clueless, and I couldn't even speak Cantonese fluently. Now... now I even have my own boat."

He Damin lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, laughing, "This is nothing. In the future, we'll have our own plane. When we come back from Europe, we'll go to America. Gulfstream recently released a new aircraft; I heard its performance is quite good. We'll buy one then, and we can go wherever we want, which will be much more convenient."

Chen Xueru looked up at him, her bright eyes sparkling: "Brother Damin, did you plan all of this all along?"

He Damin thought for a moment and said frankly, "I guess so. I've been busy all these years. Banks, TV stations, the internet, chips... one thing after another, it feels like I've never stopped. After so many years of being busy, it's time to rest and spend more time with you." He hugged her tighter, "From now on, I want to spend more time with you and see the world."

Chen Xueru didn't say anything, but hugged him tighter, her cheek pressed against his strong back, listening to his powerful heartbeat, and her heart was filled with peace.

The yacht sailed smoothly at sea overnight. The next morning, when Chen Xueru woke in her soft bed, she drew back the heavy curtains to reveal an endless expanse of azure blue. They had entered the South China Sea; the water was as blue as a giant sapphire, so clear that fish could be seen swimming several meters below the surface. Several white seagulls circled merrily around the stern, their clear cries echoing as they chased the spray from the yacht.

Chen Xueru, wearing a bathrobe, walked onto the deck. He Damin was already there, holding a cup of coffee, quietly gazing into the distance. The rising sun was slowly ascending from the sea, its golden rays bathing the water in a dazzling gold, shimmering and breathtakingly beautiful.

"Is it pretty?" He Damin walked over to her and handed her a glass of warm milk.

"It's beautiful." Chen Xueru leaned on his shoulder, sipping her milk. "It's much more beautiful than the sunrise in Hong Kong."

He Damin laughed: "That's because you're in a good mood right now, so everything looks good to you."

Chen Xueru smiled and gave a soft "hmm".