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

Many years later, the small courtyard at the front gate is still there.

The pomegranate tree is still there, thicker than before, blooming with red flowers every May and bearing red fruit every September. The roses in the corner are still there, blooming and fading year after year, never ceasing. The osmanthus tree is taller now, and in autumn, its fragrance fills the entire alley, even causing passersby to stop and smell it.

The courtyard wall has been renovated, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and is neater than before. The hand pump well has been replaced with tap water, but the old well is still there. When Nian'an was a child, he liked to lie on the edge of the well to look at his reflection, which scared Qin Huairu so much that she would always pull him back.

Chen Yu sat under the pomegranate tree, his hair already gray, but he was still vigorous and his eyes were clear. His cultivation had long since broken through the Golden Core stage and entered the Nascent Soul stage, but no one knew this except his family. In the eyes of outsiders, he was just a retired old man who spent his days tending flowers, growing vegetables, and taking care of his grandchildren.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" A little boy of about five or six years old ran out of the house and threw himself into his arms. "Grandpa, tell me a story!"

"What story should I tell you?" Chen Yu asked with a smile, picking him up.

"Let's talk about Sun Wukong!"

"Okay, let's talk about Sun Wukong."

The child's name is Chen Nuo, and he is Nian An's son. After graduating from university, Nian An became a doctor, following in Ding Qiunan's footsteps, and opened a clinic near the small courtyard. His wife is a nurse at the same hospital, and since the couple is busy, the child is left with his grandparents.

Qin Huairu came out of the house, holding a bowl of mung bean soup: "Nono, have some soup."

Chen Nuo took the bowl, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and with soup still on his lips, ran off to play again.

Qin Huairu sat down next to Chen Yu and leaned on his shoulder. Her hair had turned white, and her face was lined with wrinkles, but her smile was still so warm.

"Is Nian'an coming home for dinner today?" she asked.

"Yes, I told them I'd be taking my wife and Nuonuo home tonight."

"Then I'll go buy more groceries."

"No rush, it's still early."

The two sat there, watching the sunlight move inch by inch in the courtyard. A few sparrows perched on the pomegranate tree, chirping and chattering.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Ding Qiunan walked in. She was old, her back was a little hunched, but she was in good spirits. She was carrying a basket filled with freshly picked herbs.

"Qiu Nan, went to gather herbs again?" Qin Huairu asked.

"I went to Xishan and picked some wild chrysanthemums to make tea." Ding Qiunan sat down and put the basket at her feet. "Brother Chen, Sister Qin, the weather is really nice today."

"Yes, that's great."

Ding Qiunan lived in the east wing for decades. She never married, dedicating her life to medicine and her pharmacy. Her apprentice, Lin Zhiyuan, had long since graduated and opened a branch on Qianmen Street, where business was booming. She would occasionally visit the shop, but spent most of her time tending to flowers, gathering herbs, and reading in the courtyard.

Lin Demao passed away a few years ago, peacefully departing in his sleep. Lin Zhiyuan buried him in his hometown of Tongzhou, and returns every year during the Qingming Festival to sweep his grave.

He Yuzhu has grown old and moved in with his son, but he still comes back every now and then to visit, bringing wine to have a couple of drinks with Chen Yu. Yan Bugui passed away the year before last, peacefully, muttering, "That chess game was well played." Zhang Xiulan is in good health and occasionally comes to the courtyard to sit and chat with Qin Huairu.

In the evening, Nian'an returned. Wearing a white coat, he looked travel-worn and called out as soon as he entered, "Dad, Mom, Aunt, I'm home!"

"You're back? Are you tired?" Qin Huairu greeted her.

"I'm not tired, there aren't many patients today." Nian'an washed her hands and sat down in the courtyard. "Where's Nuonuo?"

"She's reading a comic book inside."

Nian'an went inside, took his son out, and let him play in the yard. Chen Nuo rode on his shoulders, giggling, his little hands reaching for the pomegranate fruit on the tree.

"Dad, Nuonuo should start preschool now," Nian'an said.

"Okay, you handle it." Chen Yu said with a smile.

In the evening, the family sat together for dinner. There was braised pork, stewed chicken, stir-fried vegetables, cucumber salad, and a large bowl of winter melon and meatball soup. Chen Nuo sat in his high chair, eating with a spoon, making a mess of rice grains all over the table, but he ate attentively.

"Nono, is it delicious?" Ding Qiunan asked.

"Delicious! Grandma, you should have some too!" Chen Nuo picked up a piece of meat for her, though it fell onto the table.

Everyone laughed.

After dinner, it got dark. The moon rose, round and bright. Nian'an's family went home, while Chen Yu, Qin Huairu, and Ding Qiunan sat in the courtyard.

"Qiu Nan, the moon is so round today," Qin Huairu said.

"Yes," Ding Qiunan said, looking at the moon, "just like when we first arrived at the courtyard."

"Nian'an was only a little over a year old back then, and now he's a father," Qin Huairu said with emotion.

"Time flies," Chen Yu said.

After a moment of silence, Ding Qiunan suddenly said, "Brother Chen, Sister Qin, the luckiest thing in my life is meeting you two."

Qin Huairu grasped her hand: "We're family, no need for formalities."

Ding Qiunan smiled, her eyes slightly red.

As night deepened, the three of them went back to their respective rooms.

Chen Yu lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He recalled the bewilderment he felt when he first transmigrated to this world, the days of bickering with Jia Zhangshi and competing with Xu Damao in the courtyard, the first time he met Qin Huairu, and the loud cry of Nian'an at birth…

It all feels like it happened yesterday.

"Chen Yu, aren't you asleep yet?" Qin Huairu asked softly.

"I can't sleep."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about the past."

Qin Huairu turned to look at him and said, "The past is the past."

"Yes, it's all in the past." Chen Yu held her hand. "We still have many years to go."

"Um."

Outside the window, the moon is full again.

The fragrance of osmanthus still lingers in the courtyard.

Year after year, the people remain the same.

——End of full text——

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The true closing remarks:

The story truly ends here.

Thank you to every reader who has made it this far. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 201, from Chen Yu's journey through time to the courtyard house to his old age with a full head of white hair, we have traveled together on a long journey.

This story has no earth-shattering plot twists, no heart-wrenching farewells, only the ordinary days and the enduring flow of affection. Because I believe that the most touching stories are often hidden in the most mundane days.

May we both, like Chen Yu, find someone worth protecting and live the life we ​​want.

The years are quiet and the world is stable.

End of the book