Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

In the other car, the atmosphere was much quieter. Yuan Ning and Yuan Jing were sitting head to head, looking at a beautiful children's picture book together. Yuan Kang, a little tagalong, sat between his two older sisters, tilting his head to look at Yuan Ning on the left and then turning to look at Yuan Jing on the right. Finally, not satisfied with that, he simply squeezed his head in between his two sisters to look at the pictures in the book together.

"Sister, look, this is a princess. She's so beautiful!" Yuan Ning whispered, pointing to an illustration in the picture book of a princess wearing a gorgeous long dress.

"Yes, this is the prince, he's riding a white horse," Yuan Jing said, pointing to a picture of a prince on another page.

"Then what am I?" Yuan Kang looked at his two older sisters in pretty dresses, then at the prince in the picture book, and asked softly, his tone tinged with envy.

"You're our little brother," Yuan Ning said gently, reaching out her small hand to pat Yuan Kang's head.

Yuan Kang pouted unhappily and muttered softly, "I don't want to be a little brother, I want to be a prince too."

"Then go tell your dad to buy you prince clothes." Yuan Jing smiled mischievously, teasing him on purpose.

Yuan Kang thought for a moment, then shook his head vigorously, and whispered, "I wouldn't dare. Daddy will laugh at me."

His two older sisters were amused by his earnest yet slightly aggrieved expression, and the carriage was filled with their silvery laughter.

The convoy smoothly traversed the fields of Yuen Long, and in the distance, the outline of an ancient city appeared on the horizon. That was Hong Kong's largest film studio. The city walls, built of large blue bricks, were over ten meters high, with crenellations and antique-style arrow towers. From afar, it truly looked like a city that had traveled from ancient times, magnificent and imposing.

"Wow—" The children exclaimed almost simultaneously, pressing their faces against the car windows.

The city gate of the film studio was a heavy vermilion, with two huge wooden doors studded with copper nails the size of bowls. Two imposing stone lions stood on either side of the gate, looking lifelike. As the car slowly drove through the city gate, the scene inside made the children's eyes widen and their mouths gape wide enough to fit an egg—the road under their feet was paved with bluestone slabs, and on both sides were antique wooden buildings with large red lanterns hanging under the eaves. Various staff dressed as ancient vendors were calling out their wares, and actors in all kinds of ancient costumes walked back and forth in the streets, some riding tall horses, some carrying loads on their shoulders... The entire film studio was like a living ancient city, making people feel as if they had instantly traveled through time.

"Dad! Dad! Look! That person is wearing a dragon robe! A yellow one!" Yuan An shouted excitedly, pointing to an actor in the distance wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown.

"Shh—keep your voice down," He Damin patted his back with a smile, "That's an actor uncle, he's filming a movie."

"I want to wear a dragon robe too! I want to be the emperor!" Yuanqing shouted excitedly, his little face full of longing.

"You can't wear it yet, it's too small, and the dragon robe is too long, it will trip you up," Yuan Ping said truthfully from the side.

"Then I'll wear it when I'm older!" Yuanqing clenched his little fist, full of determination.

The car slowly drove through the film studio, passing one ancient street after another, each with its own unique style. There were streets resembling those of the Ming and Qing dynasties, lined with shops displaying signs for "XX Teahouse," "XX Restaurant," "XX Cloth Shop," and "XX Pharmacy"—all made of wood and inscribed with powerful, traditional Chinese characters, exuding a sense of history. There was a district of small Western-style buildings reminiscent of the Republic of China era, with red brick walls, green windows, and even a few old-fashioned black cars parked in front, while "pedestrians" dressed in cheongsams and suits strolled along the street. There were also grand mansions in the northern style, with blue bricks and gray tiles, high thresholds, and imposing stone lions guarding the entrance; within the courtyard, one could vaguely see artificial hills and fish ponds. There were also arcade buildings characteristic of Lingnan, with open shops on the ground floor and residences on the second floor; in the corridors under the arcades, "pedestrians" leisurely relaxed and chatted.

"Dad, where is this? It's so lively, there are so many people!" Yuan Ning asked, pointing to a bustling street filled with stalls selling all sorts of small goods, her eyes full of curiosity.

"This place is called Qingming Riverside Scene Street," He Damin patiently explained. "It was built in imitation of the streets of Bianjing (Kaifeng) during the Song Dynasty. Doesn't it look just like the scene in the painting?"

"Wow! So beautiful!" Yuan Jing looked at the antique buildings and the people dressed in ancient costumes, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

The car finally stopped in front of an open area. This was the children's playground set up by the film studio specifically for the children of its employees and visitors. Inside, there were all sorts of play equipment: colorful slides, wobbly swings, seesaws that go up and down, a carousel, and a large sandpit filled with clean, fine sand.

"We're here! Let's get out and play!" Yuan An was the first to react, and he pushed open the car door, ready to jump out, but the nanny quickly grabbed him.

"Slow down! Be careful!" Chen Xueru got out of the car and stood by the car, reminding him.

A-Qiang and his bodyguards quickly dispersed, like well-trained soldiers, finding suitable positions around the children's playground to form an invisible protective circle, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

He Damin and Chen Xueru held hands and sat down on a bench. They smiled as they watched the children, like a flock of birds just released from their cages, cheer and rush into the park.

Yuan An, the most energetic, was the first to climb the tallest spiral slide. He slid down in a flash, landing on the soft plastic mat, grinning from ear to ear, revealing his two recently replaced front teeth. Yuan Qing and Yuan Kang plunged into the sandpit, each grabbing a small shovel and digging furiously, chanting, "Dig a big hole, all the way to the other side of the earth!" "And dig a swimming pool, to raise lots and lots of fish!" The two little girls, Yuan Ning and Yuan Jing, loved swinging. One sat on the swing, the other gently pushing from behind, the swing rising higher and higher, their clear laughter soaring into the sky with it.

Yuanping was the quietest. Unlike his younger siblings who rushed to the most exciting part, he slowly walked to the seesaw, carefully sat down, and quietly sat at one end, waiting like a little adult to see who would come and play with him. "Yuanping! Come here!" Yuan'an, having slid down the slide a few times, noticed his older brother sitting alone on the seesaw, so he slid down and shouted to him, "Let's play on the seesaw together!"

Yuan Ping looked at him, then at the empty other end of the seesaw, and gently shook his head: "It's too high, I'm scared." He had secretly tried it before and found it a bit frightening when the seesaw rose.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll take you!" Yuan An ran over, grabbed Yuan Ping's hand without a word, her little face full of confidence that said, "I've got your back." "I'll protect you, I promise I won't let you fall!"

Yuanping hesitated for a moment, then looked into his younger brother's sincere eyes, nodded, and followed him to the seesaw. Yuan'an had Yuanping sit on one end first, while he carefully sat on the other end, even shifting back slightly to balance his weight. "Hold on tight!" he instructed, then hugged Yuanping's waist.

"Are you ready?" Yuan An asked.

"Yes, I'm ready," Yuanping replied softly, gripping the edge of the seesaw tightly with both hands.

"Let's go!" Yuan An pushed off the ground with all his might, and the seesaw suddenly rose up, with Yuan Ping's end pointing high. Yuan Ping was so frightened that he quickly closed his eyes, his small body trembling slightly. However, there was no danger as he had imagined; the seesaw only swayed gently. When the seesaw reached its lowest point, he slowly opened his eyes and found Yuan An smiling brightly at him.

"Is it fun?" Yuan An asked.

Yuan Ping paused for a moment, then gave a slight smile and nodded: "Fun."

"Let's do it again!"

"good!"

Watching the children laugh and play in the playground, He Damin leaned back on the bench, a slight smile unconsciously playing on his lips. He thought back to his own childhood, to that era of scarcity and unpredictable people. Where could he find such carefree playtime? No one played with him, no one protected him. He could only silently endure everything alone, striving to survive. But now, his children had each other, brothers and sisters to accompany and care for one another. Thinking of this, he felt a warm glow in his heart. That was enough, truly enough.

"Brother Damin," Chen Xueru gently rested her head on He Damin's shoulder, her voice tender, "Look at Yuan An, that lively energy of his, doesn't it remind you of yourself when you were little?"

Upon hearing this, He Damin looked closely at Yuan An, who was climbing up and down the slide with boundless energy. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and laughed, "I wasn't as mischievous as him when I was a kid. Back then... I was quieter than Yuan Ping."

Chen Xueru was amused by him and reached out to take his arm: "Yuanping is just like you, not talkative, but he understands everything and is a thoughtful child."

"Maybe." He Damin said noncommittally, his gaze returning to the children.