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

December 5th, 6:00 AM.

On Qianmen Dashilan West Street, a new signboard has been hung in front of "Huaixiu Snacks"—red with gold lettering, twice the size of the previous one, specially rewritten by Yan Bugui.

"Uncle's handwriting is getting better and better!" He Yuzhu stood at the door, looking up at the signboard and praising it.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and said modestly, "Not at all, I'm just making a fool of myself."

Today is the day "Huaixiu Snacks" expands its store. The original store was too small, and business was good, so after discussing it with Qin Huairu, Zhang Xiulan rented an empty room next door and converted it into one large space. Now the store can accommodate eight tables, double the size of before.

Chen Yu stood inside the shop, watching Zhang Xiulan and Qin Huairu bustling about, while He Yuzhu's wife helped wipe the tables and set the table. Several regular customers were already waiting at the door, peeking inside.

"Boss Chen, when will you open for business?" Grandpa Li asked with a smile.

"Right away!" Chen Yu said with a smile, "We'll start it after the firecrackers are done!"

He Yuzhu came in carrying a string of firecrackers: "Ready? When do we set them off?"

"Now!"

Firecrackers crackled and popped, and amidst the billowing smoke, the new store officially opened.

Guests poured in, and soon all eight tables were full. Zhang Xiulan was busy at the stove, sweating profusely, while Qin Huairu and He Yuzhu's wife carried steamed buns and mantou between the tables, their feet barely touching the ground.

Chen Yu wasn't idle either; he helped collect money, give change, and refill tea and water. Although he didn't come to the shop often, the regular customers all knew him and called him "Boss Chen" affectionately.

"Boss Chen, your steamed buns are so delicious!" a middle-aged woman exclaimed as she ate.

"That's because Aunt Zhang's cooking is so good," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"Aunt Zhang? You mean the one who works at the stove?"

"Yes, she's Huai Ru's aunt, and they're the ones who opened this shop together."

The middle-aged woman nodded, took another bite of the bun, and praised it repeatedly.

Just as I was busy, someone suddenly walked in through the door.

Chen Yu looked up and was taken aback—it was a young woman, in her early twenties, dressed simply but neatly, with two braids, a pretty face, but her eyes looked somewhat tired. She stood at the door, looking at the shop with some restraint.

"Miss, would you like to eat?" Qin Huairu greeted her.

"I..." the girl hesitated for a moment, "Excuse me, are you hiring here?"

Qin Huairu looked at Chen Yu. Chen Yu walked over and sized up the girl—an ordinary person with no cultivation, but she had a faint medicinal smell about her, as if she had been to a pharmacy.

"What did you do before, young lady?" he asked.

"I used to be an apprentice at a pharmacy, but then... then the pharmacy closed down." The girl lowered her head. "I can do accounting, I can dispense medicine, and I can do odd jobs."

A pharmacy apprentice? Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat.

"What's your name?"

"Ding Qiunan," the girl said softly.

Ding Qiunan? Chen Yu felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

"We're a breakfast stall here, it's not the same as what you used to make," Qin Huairu said.

"I'm not afraid of hardship." Ding Qiunan raised her head, her eyes pleading. "I can do any kind of work, as long as... as long as I can eat."

Qin Huairu looked at Chen Yu with a questioning look in her eyes.

Chen Yu thought for a moment and nodded: "Then let's give it a try. It's fifteen yuan a month, including two meals, and you'll have to find your own accommodation."

Ding Qiunan's eyes lit up: "Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss lady!"

"Don't call him 'boss,' just call him Brother Chen or Sister Qin," Qin Huairu said with a smile. "Come on, let's eat first, and I'll teach you after we finish."

Ding Qiunan nodded and followed Qin Huairu inside.

As Chen Yu watched her retreating figure, he felt like he had heard the name somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

Never mind, I probably heard about it somewhere before.

The shop was still busy, and Chen Yu quickly put the matter out of his mind.

Around noon, the number of guests gradually decreased. Zhang Xiulan cooked a few dishes, and everyone sat down together to eat lunch.

Ding Qiunan sat in the corner, eating with her head down, barely saying a word. He Yuzhu's wife, however, was very enthusiastic, constantly piling food onto her plate: "Eat more, you're so thin!"

"Thank you, sister-in-law," Ding Qiunan said softly.

Chen Yu observed her for a while. This girl ate very politely and with measured movements, unlike someone from an ordinary family. Moreover, although she was tired, her eyes were clear, and she didn't seem like a bad person.

"Qiu Nan, where are you from?" he asked casually.

Ding Qiunan paused with her chopsticks and said softly, "From Nancheng."

"Who else is in the family?"

She was silent for a moment before saying, "That's all."

Two words, yet they evoke endless sorrow.

A few seconds of silence followed. Qin Huairu placed a piece of meat on Ding Qiunan's plate: "From now on, this is your home, don't be shy."

Ding Qiunan looked up, her eyes slightly red, but nodded: "Mm."

In the afternoon, there weren't many customers in the shop. Qin Huairu showed Ding Qiunan around, teaching her how to greet customers, how to collect money, and how to clean up the dishes. Ding Qiunan learned quickly and was able to get the hang of it in less than half a day.

In the evening, Chen Yu and Qin Huairu returned to the courtyard.

"Don't you think Ding Qiunan is a bit strange?" Chen Yu asked.

"Strange? What's strange about it?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Chen Yu frowned. "She smells of medicine. She's supposed to be a pharmacy apprentice, but a typical pharmacy apprentice wouldn't be so refined."

Qin Huairu thought for a moment: "You suspect her?"

"It's not that we suspect anything, it's just that we feel this girl might have a story," Chen Yu said. "But as long as she works well, we won't ask any more questions."

Qin Huairu nodded: "That's true. She looks so pitiful."

After dinner, the two sat in the courtyard.

The moon rose, and its cool light spilled into the courtyard, casting the shadows of the pomegranate trees that swayed on the ground.

"Chen Yu," Qin Huairu leaned on his shoulder, "do you think we'll always be like this?"

"What?"

"A peaceful life, running a small shop, raising a few chickens, growing vegetables, and watching the moon at night."

Chen Yu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Yes."

"real?"

"Really." He put his arm around her shoulder. "No matter what happens, I will make this day come true."

Qin Huairu smiled and said nothing more.

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

Chen Yu lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Ding Qiunan... Ding Qiunan... Where have I heard this name before?

He thought about it for a long time, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck him—

In the TV series "Full House of Love," there's a character named Ding Qiunan! She's a girl who moved into the courtyard later and had a relationship with He Yuzhu...

But that's just a TV drama plot. Will the real world be the same?

He shook his head, thinking he was overthinking things. The world was no longer the same; how could it possibly still follow the script?

Forget it, forget it.

He closed his eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Outside the window, the moonlight remained the same.

The courtyard was quiet.

Meanwhile, the girl named Ding Qiunan was lying on the small bed in her temporary accommodation, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

What is she thinking?

Nobody knows.