Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

After the group finished eating, Bai Ling took out two clean sets of clothes from the wardrobe.

One was a light gray cotton dress with a thin white trim around the neckline.

The other outfit was a dark blue floral shirt paired with black trousers.

She placed the two sets of clothes on the edge of the bed, glanced back at Zhao Pan'er and Sun San Niang, and softened her tone: "You two should change into these clothes first. In our time, your fancy clothes are a bit too conspicuous. Wearing them out will cause big trouble."

This is not Bai Ling exaggerating. We are still in the midst of a storm. If you were to walk down the street dressed in the finery of the old society, wouldn't that be courting death?

Those people wearing red armbands have gone a bit crazy now, and even Bai Ling doesn't want to provoke them easily.

Zhao Pan'er reached out and touched the light gray dress. Although it looked very plain, the fabric was thick and soft, and it was quite comfortable.

Without the slightest hesitation, she curtsied to Bai Ling and said, "Thank you, sister."

As he spoke, he went to untie the jade belt around his waist.

Sun San Niang was also very efficient. In no time, she took off her imperial concubine's dress, unfolded her dark blue floral shirt, and put it on.

As she moved, the three women in the room, Bai Ling, Qin Jingru, and Lou Xiao'e, all focused their attention on her, their eyes moving up and down with her movements.

What does this Third Sister usually eat?

A question arose simultaneously in the minds of the three of them—of course, it was just a curiosity about the old society that people of this era had.

There was nothing else on my mind.

Zhou Feng also swallowed hard. Although it wasn't the first time he had seen it, every time he saw it, he felt a surge of excitement.

"Third...Third Sister, you've never worn clothes from this era before, so let me help you."

As he spoke, Zhou Feng pursed his lips and leaned closer, but Bai Ling stopped him with her hand.

"You don't need to! Pan'er... Sister... and Third Sister's clothes, we'll help them dress. You just need to change into your own!"

Bai Ling actually wanted to address Zhao Pan'er as Comrade, but since the other party was already calling her "little sister" and her attitude wasn't as confrontational as before, she felt a little embarrassed to keep a straight face.

After all, they are all from the Zhou family. If they continue to make trouble, it will only put Zhou Feng in a difficult position, and they won't gain anything in the end.

However, Qin Jingru and Lou Xiao'e were no longer at risk of being stopped. While Bai Ling was helping Zhao Pan'er tidy up, the two women simultaneously approached Sun San Niang.

As Qin Jingru helped Sun Sanniang fasten her buttons, she explained with a smile, "Sister Sanniang, you have to button these buttons from the bottom up, otherwise they'll easily get misaligned. Let me help you!"

At first, Sun San Niang was very grateful for the two women's help and looked down at their actions.

But a few seconds later, she unconsciously rolled her eyes.

When this little girl surnamed Qin was helping her get dressed, she looked exactly like her husband—her little hands were really getting restless!

She was not numb, but rather oblivious; on the contrary, she felt Qin Jingru's actions very clearly.

"Alright! Aren't you ashamed?!"

Bai Ling had already helped Zhao Pan'er change her clothes. When she turned around and noticed the situation here, she slapped Qin Jingru's hand, who was still pretending to be busy, with a hint of annoyance.

The latter then gave an awkward laugh and stepped away from Sun San Niang's side.

The two women changed their clothes, but the discipline they had received in the Song Dynasty palace had become ingrained in their muscles, so even though they were wearing coarse clothes, they still possessed a charm that set them apart from ordinary people.

Especially Zhao Pan'er, she just stood there, doing nothing, but the simple act of slightly raising her chin and looking out the window exuded an indescribable composure and ease.

"These clothes are actually quite comfortable."

Zhao Pan'er lowered her head and tugged at her sleeve, then turned to Bai Ling and smiled.

She and Sun San Niang were not born into wealthy families, and they suffered no less hardship than anyone else from childhood, so they did not show any affectation at this time.

This only increased Bai Ling's goodwill towards them. So what if the two women were empresses and concubines of the Song Dynasty?

If even Puyi could enjoy the same treatment as a normal citizen, then they certainly could too!

"Let's go out for a walk and show Pan'er and the others the world."

Zhou Feng was rummaging through his bedside table, but he found it difficult to choose clothes.

"You guys go ahead, I won't go. I need to go to the outskirts this afternoon. The organization has provided me with a car, so it's very convenient. I'll also go to Director Sun's place to get two certificates for Sister Pan'er and Sister San Niang, to avoid any unnecessary trouble. But their identities..."

Seeing Bai Ling's hesitant expression, Zhou Feng naturally knew what she was worried about, and waved his hand dismissively: "Just say it directly, our family is different now than before!"

Whether it was his status as an official in the Dream of Splendor world or the fact that the progress of the double-door system had reached 90% and was about to be upgraded, both gave Zhou Feng immense confidence.

He doesn't need to hide anything from anyone, no matter which world he's in now.

Bai Ling nodded upon hearing this.

She had no objection to this, she just wanted Zhou Feng to make the decision, since the head of the family had to make the decision about other worlds.

"Why don't you change your clothes first? Let's go out and take a look."

Zhao Pan'er and Sun San Niang left the room hand in hand and walked into the courtyard.

Whether it was Qiantang, where they lived before, or Dongjingcheng, which is Kaifeng, Henan, where they lived later, they were still quite far from here.

Therefore, the courtyard houses in Beiping (Beijing) in the north, with their blue bricks and gray tiles, may not be as grand as the flying eaves and brackets of the imperial palace in Tokyo, but they naturally have a sense of squareness and stability.

However, after Zhao Pan'er took a deep breath, she noticed that the lingering scent of soap on the clothes drying in the yard was somewhat similar to the environment they used to live in.

After all, it's just the feeling of ordinary people living their lives.

Just as the two women were looking around, a voice came from the north passageway: "Oh my, where did these two ladies come from? Are you looking for someone in our courtyard? Who are you looking for?"

A hint of surprise appeared on Xu Damao's face, his smile almost fawning.

He had come out of his house to get some fresh air, but ever since Qin Huairu got her marriage certificate with him, Jia Zhangshi would cause a scene at his doorstep every few days.

Either Banggeng missed his mother, or he abducted Qin Huairu and abandoned this lonely old lady...

Originally, Xu Damao and Jia Zhangshi had no connection whatsoever, but Qin Huairu brought them together, making him feel like a thief whenever he went home.

I finally had a chance to get some fresh air, but I saw Zhao Pan'er and Sun San Niang standing in the front yard!