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

The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the holes in the paper windows, casting dappled patterns of light on the simple cement floor.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged on the hard bed, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air. After a night of cultivation, he had mastered the first level of the "Tai Xuan Zhen Jing" mental cultivation method, and a wisp of spiritual energy had condensed within his body. Although he was still far from being a true cultivator, this wisp of spiritual energy had made his five senses more acute and his energy more abundant.

"System, check-in for today," he thought to himself.

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: 5 jin of national grain coupons, 1 jin of meat coupons, 5 yuan in cash, and 1 basic cooking skills experience pack]

Chen Yu raised an eyebrow. Grain coupons and meat coupons were hard currency in this era, and basic cooking skills... With a thought, a warm current flowed into his mind, and he instantly mastered various basic cooking techniques, including knife skills, heat control, and seasoning.

"Interesting, this system is quite useful."

He got up, quickly washed up, and changed into a set of slightly worn blue overalls—his best clothes. Today, he had an important plan.

According to the original owner's memories and his own understanding, it is currently autumn of 1962, and Qin Huairu should not have married into the Jia family yet. In the TV series, Qin Huairu married into the courtyard house around 1965, so there are still three years to go.

"Now that I'm here, this fate should be changed." Chen Yu straightened his collar in front of the broken mirror. The young man in the mirror had a handsome face and clear eyes. His temperament after the marrow cleansing was far beyond that of ordinary people.

He pushed open the door and stepped out; the courtyard was already bustling with activity.

"Hey, Little Chen, you're up?" In the front yard, Uncle Yan Bugui was squatting by his door tending to a few wilted potted plants. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, good morning, Uncle San." Chen Yu nodded politely.

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and looked him over: "Xiao Chen, you look much better than a few days ago. Have you found a job yet? If you ask me, with your status as an orphan of a martyr, the neighborhood committee should at least arrange a proper job for you..."

Chen Yu gave a few perfunctory replies and then left the courtyard.

The mornings in Nanluoguxiang are full of life. Queues form in front of breakfast stalls, bicycle bells ring out incessantly, and several children in patched clothes chase and play in the alley.

Following his memory, Chen Yu found the home of Liu, the matchmaker, that Director Wang of the neighborhood office had mentioned yesterday.

Liu, the matchmaker, was in her fifties with a round face and shrewd eyes. She was a well-known matchmaker in the area. She was sitting in her courtyard picking vegetables when Chen Yu entered, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh, isn't this Xiao Chen? Director Wang mentioned you to me yesterday. Come in and have a seat!" Matchmaker Liu greeted him warmly.

Chen Yu didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose: "Aunt Liu, I would like to ask you to help me find a match."

Matchmaker Liu looked him up and down, then smiled: "Great news! Young Chen, although you're new to Beijing, you have a good family background and are quite handsome. Tell me, which girl have you taken a fancy to? I'll make sure she gets you!"

"I would like to ask you to go to Qin Family Village and help me propose marriage to Qin Huairu."

Matchmaker Liu was taken aback: "Qin Family Village? Qin Huairu? I've heard of this girl. She's the village beauty of Qin Family Village, and suitors line up from one end of the village to the other. But..." She paused, "Little Chen, not to discourage you, but although the Qin family isn't wealthy, Qin Huairu is ambitious and wants to marry into the city. Your circumstances..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear—Chen Yu doesn't even have a proper job right now, and he lives in an empty room in a courtyard house. Although he comes from a good family background, he can hardly be considered a good family.

Chen Yu was prepared. He took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and inside were five brand-new 50-yuan bills. In those days, an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan, so fifty yuan was a considerable sum.

"Aunt Liu, this is part of the pension my parents left me," Chen Yu said sincerely. "I know my current situation isn't great, but I'm young and hardworking, and the neighborhood committee is helping me find a job. As for the bride price, as long as the Qin family's demands are reasonable, I can find a way."

The matchmaker's eyes lit up even more when she saw the stack of money. She took the money, weighed it in her hand, and her smile widened. "Little Chen, don't worry, leave this to me! Qin Family Village is only about thirty li from the city; I'll go today!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Aunt Liu." Chen Yu handed over a pound of meat coupons and two pounds of grain coupons. "This is a small token of my appreciation; please use it to buy some food on your journey."

After a couple of polite refusals, Matchmaker Liu accepted the gift, patting her chest and promising to handle the matter perfectly.

After leaving Matchmaker Liu's house, Chen Yu did not return to the courtyard house, but instead found a secluded corner and entered his little world.

Within the ten-acre space, the spiritual spring still flowed gurglingly. Chen Yu scooped up a handful of spring water and drank it; the cool liquid, carrying a faint spiritual energy, nourished his entire body. He still had one more chance to sign in today—according to the system's newly adjusted rules, weekly sign-ins might yield better rewards, including beginner-level cultivation items and a small number of pseudo-humans.

"System, weekly sign-in."

[Ding! Weekly check-in successful]

[Received: 1 Beginner Alchemy Skill Experience Pack, 10 taels of gold (disguised as a reasonable form), 1 Beginner Spirit Gathering Array Diagram, 1962 Seagull brand camera (with two rolls of film)]

Chen Yu's eyes lit up. Gold, though not openly usable in this era, was still a form of hard currency; rudimentary alchemy would be helpful for his cultivation; and a camera... that was a rare commodity!

What interested him most was the basic Spirit Gathering Array diagram. According to the system's instructions, this array could gather the surrounding spiritual energy. Although the effect was weak, in an era where spiritual energy was scarce, even a small amount was still beneficial.

After receiving the reward, Chen Yu found himself holding a heavy little cloth bag containing ten taels of gold, which looked like an ordinary metal block. At the same time, a brand-new Seagull brand camera appeared before him, with a black leather case and a metal body—an absolute luxury item in that era.

After using the skill experience pack, a wealth of methods on herb identification, fire control, and basic pill refining flooded my mind. The rudimentary alchemy technique could only refine the most basic pills, such as the Bigu Pill and the Rejuvenation Powder, but in this era, it was already quite remarkable.

"Looks like I'll have to find an opportunity to go into the mountains to collect herbs," Chen Yu thought to himself.

He attempted to set up a spirit-gathering array in the small world. According to the array diagram, materials containing spiritual energy were needed as the array's core. Chen Yu thought for a moment, then took out a pebble that had been soaked in the spiritual spring for a long time. Using it as the center, he arranged ordinary stones to form a simple array.

The moment the formation was completed, he clearly felt that the concentration of spiritual energy around him had increased slightly—about 50 percent higher than the outside world. Although it was still thin, the effect would be considerable over time.

"You'll cultivate here from now on." Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction.

When Chen Yu returned to reality after exiting the mini-world, it was already noon. He bought two steamed buns from a street vendor and ate them while planning his next move.

Liu, the matchmaker, has been trying to persuade Qin Huairu, but success is still uncertain. He needs to make more preparations and also begin to establish his influence within the courtyard.

In the afternoon, Chen Yu went to the subdistrict office to see Director Wang and inquire about the progress of the work arrangements. Director Wang told him that the steel rolling mill had one temporary worker position available, but it would take a month to confirm.

"Xiao Chen, don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news," Director Wang comforted him.

Chen Yu expressed his gratitude and, after leaving the street office, found a deserted alley and summoned Pseudo-Man Number One.

The shadowy figure emerged, transforming into the appearance of an ordinary middle-aged man.

"Owner."

"You will continue to be in charge of intelligence gathering and material exchange in the black market," Chen Yu instructed. "Also, send two spies to the vicinity of Qin Family Village to secretly observe the situation of Qin Huairu's family, but do not expose yourselves."

"Yes," replied Fake Man Number One.

"Also, try to build a few safe houses in Beijing as our future bases."

The fake man number one accepted the order and left. Chen Yu believed that with the fake man's abilities, these missions could be completed successfully.

As evening fell, Chen Yu returned to the courtyard house. As soon as he entered the front yard, he heard a commotion coming from the middle yard.

"Jia Zhangshi, stop making a scene here! Let me tell you, you're not in charge of this courtyard!" That was He Yuzhu's voice.

"Silly Zhu! Who are you calling a troublemaker? My Dongxu's bicycle tire was punctured, did you do it?!" Jia Zhangshi's shrill voice was extremely penetrating.

Chen Yu walked around and saw several people gathered in the courtyard. Madam Jia Zhang was standing with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke to He Yuzhu. Standing next to her was a tall, thin young man in his early twenties with somewhat evasive eyes—this must be Jia Dongxu.

He Yuzhu scoffed, "I'd slash your tires? I'd have nothing better to do! Who knows who you've offended?"

"It's you! Yesterday, my son Dongxu had a few words with you, and you've been holding a grudge ever since!" Madam Jia continued relentlessly.

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai stood in the middle, trying to mediate: "Say less! Don't jump to conclusions before you've figured things out."

Chen Yu watched coldly, thinking that the drama in this courtyard was just like in TV dramas, with even the most trivial matters causing a huge argument. He didn't get involved and went straight back to his room.

Just as she closed the door, Jia Zhangshi's voice came from outside again: "Hmph, some people live in public housing, eating and drinking for free, and they don't even know how to be ashamed!"

These words were clearly meant for Chen Yu. Everyone in the compound knew that Chen Yu was a martyr's orphan temporarily residing there, and Jia Zhangshi was making a veiled attack on him.

Chen Yu's eyes turned cold, but he didn't react. Now was not the time to argue with this old hag.

As night fell, the courtyard gradually quieted down.

Chen Yu cultivated in the small world for two hours, and the spiritual energy within his body increased slightly. As he exited the small world, he heard faint footsteps outside.

Through the crack in the door, he saw a shadowy figure sneak up to the Jia family's window and crouch there, doing something. In the moonlight, Chen Yu recognized it as Xu Damao.

"Interesting." Chen Yu's lips curled into a slight smile. It seems that everyone in this courtyard is quite extraordinary.

The next morning, Chen Yu had just gotten up when he heard someone knocking on the door.

When they opened the door, they saw Liu the matchmaker standing outside with a big smile on her face.

"Xiao Chen! Great news! Incredibly great news!"

Chen Yu was overjoyed: "Aunt Liu, it's done?"

"It's almost done!" Matchmaker Liu entered the house, lowering her voice. "I went to Qin Family Village yesterday and met Qin Huairu and her parents. That girl, wow, she's absolutely gorgeous! You can't find another like her for miles around!"

She took a sip of water and continued, "I told the Qin family about your situation. At first, they were a little hesitant, since you don't have a formal job right now. But I emphasized your status as an orphan of a martyr, mentioned that the neighborhood committee is arranging a job for you, and also revealed that you have some savings..."

The matchmaker, Liu, took out a black and white photo from her bosom. It was a little blurry, but you could tell that the girl in the photo had two long braids, a pretty face, and big eyes. It was the young Qin Huairu.

"These are photos the Qin family gave me. Qin Huairu said she wants to meet you in person first. Her parents have also agreed; as long as you young people like each other, they won't object."

Chen Yu took the photo, a slight stirring in his heart. Qin Huairu in the photo was indeed beautiful, unlike her middle-aged image in the TV series; she now appeared more youthful and vibrant.

"When are we going to meet?" Chen Yu asked.

"Tomorrow!" said Matchmaker Liu. "Tomorrow is Sunday, and Qin Huairu and her mother will be going to the market in town. You two can meet at Shichahai. Little Chen, this is a great opportunity, you'd better make a good impression!"

Chen Yu nodded: "Thank you, Aunt Liu. I'll get everything ready."

After seeing off Matchmaker Liu, Chen Yu held the photograph, lost in thought. Changing Qin Huairu's fate was only the first step. In this era, he would forge a completely different path.

And tomorrow will be the beginning.