Courtyard House: Starting in 1938, kill enemies and loot equipment.

The streets of Beiping in the first month of the lunar calendar remained desolate, with only a few temporary markets at the intersection of alleys showing a faint trace of human activity. Zhou Ye took the pretext of buying herbs and went out with a few silver dollars in his pocket. He wanted to check the black market for grain supplies and also find a secluded place to ponder the cultivation of high-yield grains in the space.

Most of the shops lining the street had their doors half-closed, and emaciated beggars could be seen everywhere along the walls. Occasionally, vendors carrying loads would hurry by, hawking only wild vegetables and dried sweet potatoes. The once bustling market was now reduced to a few scattered stalls in the corners. Zhou Ye walked on the bluestone path, his spiritual senses lightly spreading out, paying attention to the movements around him, both wary of patrolling soldiers and vigilant against the roaming thugs.

As Zhou Ye approached the corner of an alley, he suddenly heard a noisy argument, mixed with a woman's screams and a man's angry curses. Zhou Ye paused slightly and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw three or four thugs, looking like street thugs, arguing and behaving violently against a small mountain produce stall in the far corner of the market. Beside the stall, a middle-aged couple was protecting a young girl, and a young man in his early twenties was clenching his fists and confronting the men. He seemed to be at a disadvantage.

The stall displayed chestnuts, dried wild mushrooms, and walnuts—all local products from the countryside, presumably sold by farmers to supplement their income. Zhou Ye approached and could see more clearly that the young woman had thick braids, wore patched coarse cloth clothes, had delicate features, and her face was full of fear, yet she still tightly protected the bamboo basket in front of her; the old man beside her had graying temples and a dark face, presumably the girl's father, and was using his body to block the stall, breathing heavily, his forehead already bleeding from a punch; the young man was probably the girl's brother, his arm twisted by a thug, wincing in pain, yet still refusing to let go.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from, daring to set up a stall on my turf? If you know what's good for you, leave your stuff here, and let this girl have a couple of drinks with us, and we'll call it even!" The leader of the thugs had a mustache and a roguish look on his face. He reached out and grabbed the girl's braid, his eyes full of lewdness.

"Don't do anything reckless! This is something we painstakingly gathered from the mountains; we're selling it to buy food!" The girl's eyes reddened with anxiety. She slapped away the hand of the man with the mustache; it was Qin Huairu. She had come to Beiping from the countryside with her parents and brother, hoping to seek refuge with distant relatives in the city. However, her relatives had already moved away, and she was running out of money. So, she had no choice but to put out the mountain produce she had brought to sell, hoping to exchange it for some cornmeal to at least fill her stomach.

When Qin's father saw the thug harassing his daughter, he became enraged and grabbed a carrying pole from the ground, aiming it at the man with the mustache: "You beast! How dare you touch my daughter! I'll fight you to the death!" But at his age, he was no match for the young thug. The carrying pole had barely been swung when the man with the mustache dodged it and punched Qin's father in the chest. Qin's father groaned and staggered down beside the stall, knocking over half a basket of chestnuts.

"Father!" Qin Huairu and her brother Qin Jianguo exclaimed simultaneously. Qin Jianguo broke free from the thug's grasp and rushed to help their father, but was kicked in the waist by one of the thugs behind him, falling heavily to the ground. Seeing this, the thugs immediately started laughing and grabbing the mountain produce from the stall. The bamboo basket was overturned, and dried wild mushrooms were scattered all over the ground. Qin's mother rushed to protect them, but was pushed to the ground and cried in distress.

The surrounding vendors and passersby, recognizing this group of notorious street thugs, dared not speak out and quickly moved away, no one daring to intervene. Seeing that no one dared to interfere, the man with the mustache became even more arrogant, reaching out to grab Qin Huairu: "You little brat, you're quite stubborn. Come with me, and I guarantee you'll have food and drink!"

Just as his hand was about to touch Qin Huairu's arm, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly gripped his wrist. The force was so great that the man with the mustache instantly turned pale with pain, howling, "Who the hell dares to interfere with my business? Are you tired of living?"

Zhou Ye slowly stepped forward, loosened his grip on the man with the mustache's wrist, and shoved him. The man staggered back a few steps, bumping into his accomplice behind him. Zhou Ye stood in front of Qin Huairu's family, his tall figure and cold eyes sweeping over the thugs: "Robbing in broad daylight and harassing women, do you really think there's no law in Beiping?"

When Qin Huairu's family saw someone suddenly come to their aid, they were all stunned. Looking at Zhou Ye's back, their eyes were full of gratitude.

The man with the mustache rubbed his aching wrist. Seeing that Zhou Ye was all alone, he mustered his courage and spat, "Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in my business? If you know what's good for you, get lost, or I'll take care of you too!" As he spoke, he gave a wink to his three accomplices behind him. The men immediately surrounded him, rubbing their fists together, looking ready to fight.

Zhou Ye knew that in chaotic times, it was not advisable to cause trouble, let alone reveal his strength. He simply turned slightly to the side, preparing to respond. When a thug rushed at him with a punch, he deftly parried it, tripping the thug so that he fell face-first into the mud. Another thug grabbed a nearby wooden stick and swung it at him. Zhou Ye reached out, grabbed the end of the stick, and with a slight effort, snatched it away, throwing it to the ground with a loud thud.

In just a few moves, Zhou Ye swiftly subdued the two thugs. His movements were clean and decisive, yet he didn't use any spiritual energy whatsoever, appearing no different from an ordinary man who had practiced some martial arts. Seeing Zhou Ye's extraordinary skill, the man with the eight-character mustache felt a chill run down his spine, but still forced a shout: "Kid, don't be ungrateful. This whole area is under my protection. You've ruined my plans today, so don't expect to get away with it!"

"Is that so?" Zhou Ye took a step forward, his gaze coldly fixed on the man with the mustache. "I'd like to see how you're going to make things difficult for me. Either pick up what's on the ground, apologize to this family, and get out of here; or I'll send you to the police station right now and let you experience what it's like to be in jail."

The words "police station" struck a nerve with the thugs. They were the type to bully the weak and fear the strong; they might rob small vendors on a regular basis, but if things escalated to the police station, they'd get a beating. Besides, Zhou Ye's skills were undeniable, so if a fight broke out, they wouldn't stand a chance.

The man with the mustache turned pale and then red, glared at Zhou Ye, glanced at his accomplice on the ground, gritted his teeth, and cursed as he ordered his accomplice to pick up the chestnuts and wild mushrooms scattered on the ground and put them back on the stall. Without even an apology, he helped his accomplice and slunk away.

Seeing the thugs had gone, Qin Huairu's family breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to thank Zhou Ye. Qin's father clutched his chest, bowing deeply, "Young man, thank you so much today! If it weren't for you, our goods would have been stolen, and our daughter would have been bullied. A debt of gratitude beyond words!"

Qin Jianguo rubbed his back, looking grateful: "Brother, thanks to you for your help. These thugs are scoundrels. We country folk are bullied everywhere we go in the city."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Qin Huairu picked up a bowl of freshly wrapped walnuts and handed it to Zhou Ye, her voice soft yet sincere: "Brother, thank you. These walnuts were dried by us. Please have some; it's just a small token of our appreciation."

Zhou Ye waved his hand, not taking the mushrooms, but bent down to straighten their crooked stall and picked up a few scattered wild mushrooms. He said gently, "It was nothing, don't mention it. But this place is remote and there are hooligans around. You should pack up and move to a more lively place, at least it will be safer."

He saw that the family was simply dressed and their faces were weathered, and he figured they had been forced into the city to sell mountain goods because of the famine. In chaotic times, life was hard for ordinary people.

Qin's mother wiped away her tears and nodded, "Yes, thanks to your reminder, we'll pack up now and dare not stay here any longer." As she spoke, she and Qin Huairu quickly packed up the stall.

Looking at their busy figures, and recalling the emaciated people on the street, Zhou Ye felt increasingly depressed. He took out two cornbreads from his pocket and handed them to Qin's father: "Uncle, take these cornbreads and have something to eat first. These days, food is precious."

He had taken the flatbread from his spatial storage before leaving home; it was mixed in with ordinary grains and looked no different from the cornbread sold in the market. Holding the flatbread, Qin's father's eyes instantly reddened, and he declined, saying, "How can this be? You've helped us so much; how can we accept anything from you!"

"Take these," Zhou Ye smiled. "I have more, these two won't make a difference. You guys pack up and leave quickly, don't cause any more trouble."

Looking at Zhou Ye's gentle demeanor, Qin Huairu felt a warmth in her heart and said softly, "Brother, then we won't stand on ceremony. We'll remember your kindness. May I ask your surname, brother? We'll be able to repay you in the future."

"My surname is Zhou," Zhou Ye said calmly. "No need to repay me, just live a good life."

The Qin family members thanked them profusely, packed up their stall, and hurriedly left with their loads. Before leaving, Qin Huairu glanced back at Zhou Ye and saw him still standing there, nodding slightly in their direction. She silently made a mental note of this young man surnamed Zhou.

Watching the Qin family father, son, mother, and daughter disappear into the alleyway, Zhou Ye withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the black market. The wind on the street still carried a chill, but what he had just witnessed only strengthened his resolve—that hidden farmland had to be developed as soon as possible. Not only did he need to protect the neighbors in the courtyard house, but if he had the resources, he should also help these ordinary people struggling in this chaotic world.

He reached up and touched the silver coins in his pocket. His spiritual sense swept across the surroundings, and he could faintly hear noise coming from the direction of the black market. However, hidden within that noise was still the greed and desperation caused by the food shortage. Zhou Ye took a deep breath, lifted his foot, and walked forward. The road ahead was still difficult, but his steps became more and more determined.