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

December 6th, early morning.

Ding Qiunan woke up before dawn. She lay in bed, looking at the mottled roof above her, and heard the crowing of the landlord's rooster next door.

This is her seventh day in Beijing, and her second day working at "Huaixiu Snacks".

Seven days ago, she emerged from that dilapidated alley in the southern part of the city, carrying only two yuan and thirty cents and a small bundle. Inside the bundle were a few changes of clothes, a worn-out book of "The Formulas of Soup Recipes," and a yellowed photograph—in which a middle-aged couple held a little girl, smiling so happily.

Those are her parents.

Three years ago, they were all gone. Her father, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, was labeled a "reactionary academic authority" during a political movement and imprisoned in a cowshed, never to be released again. Her mother, consumed by grief and anger, fell ill and passed away less than six months later. Seventeen-year-old Ding Qiunan became an orphan overnight.

She relied on the little traditional Chinese medicine knowledge her father had taught her to work as an apprentice in a pharmacy, barely making ends meet. But last year the pharmacy closed down, and she could only do odd jobs here and there until she ran out of money and had no other choice but to muster up the courage to go back to that little shop.

"From now on, this is your home. Don't be shy."

The woman named Qin Huairu spoke with such sincerity in her eyes that it almost brought tears to Qin Huairu's eyes.

Ding Qiunan took a deep breath, got up, and dressed. There was no mirror in the landlord's house, so she simply combed her hair with her hands, braided it, and then went out the door.

The alley was quiet in the early morning, with only a few elderly people taking a stroll. She walked quickly to "Huaixiu Snacks," where the door was already open and Zhang Xiulan was busy at the stove.

"Qiu Nan's here?" Zhang Xiulan looked up and smiled. "So early?"

"Good morning, Aunt Zhang, I'm here to help." Ding Qiunan tied on her apron and started kneading the dough. She had worked in a pharmacy before, so she had a lot of strength in her hands, and kneading dough was no problem for her.

Watching her skillful movements, Zhang Xiulan praised, "This girl is so clever; she learns everything so quickly."

Ding Qiunan blushed slightly and lowered her head to continue kneading the dough.

At 6:30, the first group of customers arrived. Qin Huairu and He Yuzhu's wife also arrived, and the shop immediately became lively.

Ding Qiunan was in charge of collecting money and greeting customers. She had a good memory and was quick at calculating accounts. She could remember what the customers ordered as soon as she heard it and never made a mistake.

"Qiu Nan, two bowls of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and four jiaoquan (deep

"Okay!"

"Qiu Nan, one sugar-coated sesame seed cake and one bowl of noodle porridge!"

"Coming right away!"

She moved among the tables, a faint smile always on her face.

When Chen Yu arrived, he saw her carrying a tray past him. There were several bowls of soy milk on the tray, and she walked steadily without spilling a drop.

"Brother Chen is here." Ding Qiunan nodded slightly when she saw him, and then went back to her work.

Chen Yu walked to the stove and asked Zhang Xiulan in a low voice, "Aunt Zhang, how's the girl?"

"Great!" Zhang Xiulan gave a thumbs up. "Diligent, skillful, quick learner, and not afraid of hardship. Huai Ru said she wants to keep her."

Chen Yu nodded and looked at Ding Qiunan's back.

Yesterday, he thought about it for a long time and finally remembered who Ding Qiunan was—there was indeed such a character in the TV series "Full House of Love". But that Ding Qiunan appeared later, and her background was not quite the same as what he knew.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence of names," he thought. The world is no longer the same as before; there's no need to take everything personally.

Just then, someone suddenly walked in through the door.

The man was in his forties, wearing a Zhongshan suit and glasses, and appeared refined, but his eyes held a somewhat gloomy look. He glanced around after entering, his gaze landing on Ding Qiunan, and his expression hardened slightly.

"Comrade, what would you like to eat?" Ding Qiunan greeted him.

The man looked at her and suddenly asked, "Your surname is Ding?"

Ding Qiunan was taken aback: "You know me?"

"Are you Ding Zhongming's daughter?"

Ding Qiunan's expression changed instantly. She took a step back, her voice trembling, "You...who are you?"

The man smiled slightly: "I am an old friend of your father's. Would you mind having a word with me in private?"

Chen Yu watched from the side, his brows slightly furrowed. He walked over and stood in front of Ding Qiunan, saying, "Comrade, you can say what you need to say here."

The man glanced at Chen Yu, his eyes flickering slightly: "You are...?"

"I'm the owner of this shop," Chen Yu said calmly. "Qiu Nan is an employee of our shop. If you need anything, you can just tell me."

The man was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. My name is Zhou Mingyuan. I used to work at the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicine, and I was your father's old colleague. I heard that he... passed away, and I've always wanted to find his descendants to fulfill a long-cherished wish."

He looked at Ding Qiunan: "Did your father leave anything behind before he died? Like... medical books, prescriptions, or anything like that?"

Ding Qiunan shook her head: "No, nothing was left behind."

Zhou Mingyuan stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "Alright, then I won't bother you any longer. If you remember anything, you can come find me at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Chen Yu watched his retreating figure, his spiritual sense subtly probing out—an ordinary person, without cultivation. But this person was suspicious.

He asked Ding Qiunan, "Do you know him?"

Ding Qiunan shook her head: "I've never seen him. My father... did work at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but after he passed away, those people took everything from the house and left nothing behind."

Chen Yu nodded and said nothing more.

At noon, the shop quieted down. Chen Yu called Ding Qiunan aside.

"If Zhou Mingyuan comes again in the future, don't meet him alone."

Ding Qiunan was taken aback: "Why?"

"The way he looked at you was off," Chen Yu said. "And the questions he asked weren't the kind of questions an old friend would ask."

Ding Qiunan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Brother Chen, my father... actually left something behind."

She took out a small cloth bag from her bosom, opened it, and inside was a thin booklet with the words "Ding's Medical Cases" written on the cover.

"This is my father's life's work. Before he passed away, he entrusted someone to give it to me and told me to keep it safe," Ding Qiunan said. "That Zhou Mingyuan is definitely looking for this."

Chen Yu took the booklet and flipped through it casually. It contained treatment cases for some difficult and complex diseases, as well as some traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. He didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine, but he could tell that the content was valuable.

"What are you planning to do?"

Ding Qiunan hesitated for a moment: "I want to... hide it. But I don't know where to hide it."

Chen Yu thought for a moment and said, "Leave it to me. I have a safe place where no one can find me."

Ding Qiunan looked at him, her eyes flashing with complex emotions—trust, but also hesitation.

After a long silence, she nodded: "Okay."

Chen Yu took the booklet and put it into his pocket. In fact, he sent it directly into the small world.

"Don't worry, this thing won't get lost."

Ding Qiunan looked at him and suddenly asked, "Brother Chen, who exactly are you?"

Chen Yu smiled and said, "I run a breakfast stall."

Ding Qiunan shook her head and didn't ask any more questions. But she knew that this Brother Chen was definitely not an ordinary person.

In the evening, Chen Yu returned to the courtyard, took out the book "Ding's Medical Cases" from his little world, and carefully looked through it.

Upon closer inspection, I actually discovered some interesting insights.

Ding Qiunan's father, Ding Zhongming, was not only a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner but also an expert in elixirs. The last few pages of the medical records contain several elixir formulas—not ordinary herbal prescriptions, but actual formulas for "refining elixirs." Although not comparable to the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, they were still rare and precious items.

"No wonder someone's eyeing this." Chen Yu murmured.

After thinking about it, he decided to help Ding Qiunan.

The next day, he asked Qin Huairu to call Ding Qiunan to the courtyard.

"Qiu Nan, do you want to learn real medical skills?"

Ding Qiunan was taken aback: "Real medical skills?"

"Yes." Chen Yu took out the book "Ding's Medical Cases." "This book your father left behind contains some content that you might not understand. I can teach you."

Ding Qiunan stared at him blankly, then suddenly her eyes reddened, and she knelt down with a thud.

"Brother Chen, thank you..."

Chen Yu quickly helped her up: "Don't be like this. Get up and talk."

From that day on, in addition to working in the shop, Ding Qiunan would come to the courtyard every evening to learn medicine from Chen Yu.

Chen Yu taught her the parts of traditional Chinese medicine skills and alchemy knowledge that he could teach her, little by little. She learned very quickly, grasped things immediately, and sometimes could even apply what she learned to other situations.

"This girl has the makings of a medical student," Chen Yu said to Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu smiled and said, "Then you'll have to teach me well."

The days passed by.

The shop's business was booming, and Ding Qiunan's medical skills were improving day by day. Zhou Mingyuan came a few more times afterward, but Chen Yu turned him away each time.

Everything seemed calm.

But Chen Yu knew that the real storm was yet to come.