Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

December 3rd, early morning.

The mist hadn't yet dissipated in the small courtyard in front of the gate. Chen Yu pushed open the door and stretched. Late autumn in Beijing was already quite cold; his breath condensed into white mist in the air. He walked to the hand pump, pumped it a few times, and cool water gushed out. He washed his face, feeling completely refreshed.

"Are you up?" Qin Huairu poked her head out from the kitchen. "The porridge will be ready soon."

"No rush, take your time." Chen Yu wiped his face and went into the kitchen.

The kitchen wasn't large, but it was spotless. On the stove, a pot of millet porridge was bubbling away, and on the cutting board next to it were chopped pickled vegetables and leftover steamed buns from last night. Qin Huairu, wearing an apron, was stirring the porridge around the pot to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

"I'll start the fire." Chen Yu sat down in front of the stove and added a few pieces of firewood to the firebox. The firelight shone on his face, making him feel warm and cozy.

"You can even start a fire?" Qin Huairu asked with a smile.

"I burned some when I was a kid," Chen Yu said. "But after I moved to the city, I never had the chance to do it again."

The two of them, one tending the fire and the other cooking porridge, occasionally exchanging a few words, created a peaceful and warm scene.

The porridge was ready. Qin Huairu ladled out two bowls, heated up some steamed buns, and placed them on the table in the main room. Chen Yu sat down and took a sip of the porridge—the millet was cooked until soft and melted in his mouth, with a faint sweet aroma.

"It's delicious," he said sincerely.

"That's right." Qin Huairu smiled proudly. "I learned how to cook porridge from Aunt Zhang."

As the two were eating, He Yuzhu's loud voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Chen Yu! Huai Ru! Are you up yet?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the door was pushed open. He Yuzhu strode in, carrying a bag of things: "I brought you some good food!"

"Brother Zhu, what is that?" Qin Huairu went up to him.

"This is cured pork sent by my wife's family, authentic Sichuan stuff!" He Yuzhu put the food on the table. "Have a taste."

The cured pork was wrapped in oil paper. When you opened it, you could see that it was bright red, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and it emitted a rich smoky aroma.

"This is too valuable!" Qin Huairu said.

"What's so valuable about it? We're neighbors, of course we should share what we have." He Yuzhu plopped down. "Chen Yu, I heard your little shop is doing quite well?"

"It's alright." Chen Yu nodded. "Huai Ru and Aunt Zhang are too busy, and they're planning to hire another person."

"Hiring?" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up. "Let my wife go! She's just sitting at home doing nothing anyway."

Qin Huairu looked at Chen Yu. Chen Yu smiled and said, "Since Brother Zhu has spoken, then it has to be done. Let your wife come over tomorrow and give it a try."

"Alright!" He Yuzhu slapped his thigh. "I'll go back and tell her right now!"

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Chen Yu and Qin Huairu exchanged a glance and both smiled.

In the morning, Chen Yu went to "Huaixiu Snacks".

The shop was bustling, with seven or eight customers filling the seats. Zhang Xiulan was busy at the stove, while Qin Huairu (an avatar from the small world—a phantom created by Chen Yu using magic, imperceptible to outsiders) was greeting customers. He Yuzhu's wife had also arrived and was helping to clear the dishes.

"Boss Chen is here!" a regular customer greeted.

"Good morning, Uncle Li," Chen Yu replied with a smile, walking to the stove. "Aunt Zhang, are you managing all this?"

"It's alright!" Zhang Xiulan wiped her sweat. "It's just that we can't keep up with the demand for steamed buns; the steamers are too small."

Chen Yu looked at it and saw that the steamer only had two layers, so it couldn't make many buns at once. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll have someone make two more steamers, and we can use them tomorrow."

"That's great!"

Chen Yu sat in the shop for a while, and seeing that everything was going smoothly, he left.

He went to Qianmen Street, ordered two-tiered steamers from a carpenter's shop, and bought some daily necessities from the supply and marketing cooperative. By the time he returned to the courtyard, it was already noon.

Qin Huairu was cooking in the kitchen when she saw him return and smiled, "Perfect timing, almost done."

Lunch was a simple home-cooked meal—scrambled eggs, cabbage stew with glass noodles, and a small plate of the cured pork that He Yuzhu had given him. Chen Yu took a bite of the cured pork; it was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry, and left a lingering fragrance in his mouth.

"This cured meat is really good," he praised.

"Eat more if you like it." Qin Huairu put a few slices on his plate.

After finishing his meal, Chen Yu helped Qin Huairu clear the dishes, then returned to the west wing and entered the small world.

In the small world, the sun still shone brightly. The medicinal herbs in the spirit field were growing well, and there were a few more chickens and rabbits, running happily on the grass.

Chen Yu sat down in the bamboo building, took out the inheritance left by Huo Lingzi, and studied it carefully.

This inheritance was all-encompassing—it included cultivation techniques, alchemy secrets, the art of formations, and all sorts of strange and wondrous tales. Chen Yu read through it one by one, finding it increasingly unfathomable.

"After the Golden Core comes the Nascent Soul," he murmured. "At the Nascent Soul stage, one can condense their divine soul into an infant, existing independently of the physical body. Only then can one truly transcend the mortal realm."

But the Nascent Soul stage is incredibly difficult to reach. Huo Lingzi cultivated for two hundred years and only reached the late Golden Core stage. To break through to the Nascent Soul stage requires an extraordinary stroke of luck.

"No rush." ​​Chen Yu closed the jade slip. "Let's take it one step at a time."

He took out several medicinal herbs he had gathered from the spirit field and began refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill. Although he was only at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, the Qi-Nourishing Pill had limited effects, but it was better than nothing.

Refining elixirs, cultivating skills, studying the inheritance... life in the small world is peaceful and fulfilling.

In the evening, Chen Yu exited the small world and returned to the courtyard.

Qin Huairu was feeding the chickens in the yard when she saw him come out and said with a smile, "Perfect timing, dinner's ready."

After dinner, the two sat in the yard watching the stars.

"Chen Yu," Qin Huairu suddenly asked, "Do you think our lives will always be this peaceful?"

Chen Yu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know. But I promise, no matter what happens, I will be with you."

Qin Huairu nodded and leaned on his shoulder.

As night deepened, the two went back to their room to rest.

Chen Yu lay in bed, listening to the occasional chirping of insects outside the window, and a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

These days are wonderful.

But he knew that peace wouldn't last forever. The path of cultivation was long, and countless unknown challenges awaited him ahead.

However, that's all for the future.

Now, he just wants to enjoy this moment of peace.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

The courtyard was peaceful and serene.