Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

It's rare to find someone who is both hardworking and thick-skinned, regardless of age or gender.

This time, for the family reunion dinner, every family served up a hearty dish.

Some brought whole carp, others brought plump chickens...

"Ah Quan, there are over a hundred people in the compound. Don't be fooled by the fact that Tie Zhu is the director of the condiment factory and Xu Damao is the deputy director. In terms of ability and presence, they are far inferior to you." Yi Zhonghai raised his glass.

"Uncle, you can't accept that—Tiezhu has over two hundred men under his command..." Lin Quan tilted his head back and downed his drink.

……

It was 7 a.m. on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

"Is everything packed up?" Lin Quan asked.

"All done." Qin Jingru responded and stood up.

"Let's go!" Lin Quan stuffed the New Year's goods into the car, started the jeep, and took Qin Jingru, Qin Huairu, Jia Geng, Jia Dang, and Jia Huaihua with him, heading straight for Qin Family Village outside the city.

"Uncle-in-law, you drive so well!" Jia Geng's eyes lit up.

"Your aunts and uncles are the best judges of my driving skills," Lin Quan said with a smile and a wink.

"Uncle-in-law, can you teach me how to drive?" Jia Geng looked at him expectantly.

"Once you get into university, I'll teach you how to drive, step by step," Lin Quan said with a smile.

Jia Geng's heart warmed, and he couldn't help but blink: "You really aren't going to coax me?"

"When have I ever gone back on my word?" Lin Quan raised an eyebrow and retorted.

He chased three wild boars up the mountain and stayed at his father-in-law's house that night.

The next morning, Lin Quan drove the old jeep, taking everyone back to the city.

Yesterday, he took down five wild boars, but only managed to take four hind legs and about twenty pounds of spare ribs.

The whole pig was sent back to the village and distributed to the neighbors, while the rest of the meat was kept for my father-in-law's family.

In the current freezing weather, cured or smoked bacon can remain as firm as ever for three to five years.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Qin Huairu stepped into his courtyard for the third time.

"Sister, Xu Damao and Yu Haitang are getting married on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. How much should we give them as a gift?" Qin Jingru asked, leaning closer.

"I heard from Uncle San that their family gave two yuan... I was thinking..." Qin Huairu opened her mouth, but the words got stuck in her throat.

"Brother Quan, what do we mean by this?" Qin Jingru turned to look at Lin Quan.

"It's already spread throughout the courtyard—our family is well-off, and Da Mao often brings fish and meat over. Let's just wrap it up for fifty yuan." Lin Quan took a deep breath and tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table.

I worked at a machinery factory for two months a while and earned 12,000 yuan.

He would catch a few river fish and chase a few wild boars on weekdays, and gradually saved up three or four thousand yuan.

The banknotes in the old-fashioned safe at home were piled up so high they were almost touching the latch.

While doing morning stretching exercises, Lin Quan taught Qin Jingru and the others how to keep accounts, calculate profits and losses, and manage interpersonal relationships.

He had no management experience himself and relied entirely on memorizing the rules and regulations in books.

Relying on his photographic memory, he managed to memorize almost all of the dozen or so thick booklets on business operations and factory management.

After being a student for over an hour, Qin Huairu swayed her waist slightly, her skirt fluttering gently, and stepped out of the courtyard gate in the moonlight.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Xu Damao and Yu Haitang got married.

Both sets of parents were present, filling the courtyard inside and out.

The banquet had fifteen or sixteen tables set up, the air was steaming, and the atmosphere was bustling with noise.

He Tiezhu was the only one who did not show up; all the other residents were present.

As always, the renowned Lin Quan was invited to sit at the head of the table.

After finishing his meal, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, got up, and walked straight back to the central courtyard.

……

"The factory has resumed operations, the school has reopened, and I'm all alone in this courtyard again."

He stubbed out his cigarette and stepped into Earth's space.

I drove that half-old Changan SUV straight to the replica military camp.

After loading the truck with ammunition, they drove to the firing range.

"First, shoot at the 100-meter stationary target, then move on to the 200-meter target..."

He picked up an assault rifle, his movements still a bit clumsy, but he deftly loaded the bullet, chambered a round, and raised the gun.

Aim at the bullseye 100 meters away, and tuck your index finger in—

"You hit the target! But you missed it by one point; we still need to scrutinize the details!"

With ample strength and keen eyesight, his feel for the gun becomes more and more stable each day.

"Seventy-odd rings out of ten shots, that's considered passing."

"More than 80 rings out of 10 shots, we've got a chance."

In less than two hours, a small basket of spent cartridges had been piled up at his feet.

In the following days, whenever he was alone, he would immerse himself in training on Earth.

"At a stationary target of 400 meters, assault rifles can hit the bullseye with every shot."

He paused briefly, then switched to his pistol.

The military camp was fake, but the ammunition was real and used up—plenty was available.

After half a day, within fifty meters, every pistol bullet hit the bullseye.

After two more days of practice, even from a hundred meters away, I will still hit the bullseye every time.

"We've mastered the static target practice; it's time to get moving."

With a flick of the finger, the target drone starts humming and begins to slide back and forth, sway left and right, and move at varying speeds.

He then practiced assault rifle for two more days, followed by pistol for two more days.

"At 400 meters, the assault rifle can chase and fire at a moving target; within 50 meters, the pistol can still hit exactly where it's pointed—for now, my marksmanship is good enough."

After playing with the grenade sniper rifle for more than an hour, he put the gun away, turned around, and returned to the courtyard house.

"This thing's destructive power is miles ahead of an 8x scope Barrett."

"When we encounter tough opponents at long range, we'll switch to grenade launcher sniper rifles."

At six o'clock in the morning, the courtyard was in complete chaos, like a pot boiling over.

The elderly deaf woman who lived alone passed away quietly last night.

Yi Zhonghai, Aunt Yi, He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu and several others had red eyes and tears streaming down their faces.

The older neighbors felt a pang of sadness – who hasn’t weathered storms and hardships to get to where they are today?

Everyone living in the courtyard felt a pang of sadness.

Lin Quan stood by the bed, looking at the peacefully lying old lady, his heart heavy.

"The old man passed away peacefully. Let's quickly discuss how to handle the funeral arrangements," Yan Bugui said softly, his voice hoarse.

Yi Zhonghai wiped his face, remained silent for a while, then straightened his back and began to distribute the items one by one.

Funerals cost money, and every household contributes without hesitation.

Some people rode bicycles to hire geomancers, while others rushed to the south of the city to pick up coffins...

He Yuzhu's eyes were still wet. After being persuaded by Yi Zhonghai, he put on an apron and started cooking every day.

Xu Damao, who always complained that the old lady was biased, also quietly stayed in the yard to move tables, set up sheds, boil water, and hand out bowls.

A few days later, before the fresh soil on the grave had dried, Lin Quan clenched his fists and made up his mind to study medicine.

"Medical skills aren't just for show; they're my most prized life-saving abilities!"

Who wouldn't want to enjoy the spring blossoms and autumn moon for a few more years if they're in good health?

Medicine and martial arts are essentially the same thing. Since he has already trained his muscles and bones and cleansed his marrow, he should also keep the art of traditional Chinese medicine in his heart.

Once the funeral arrangements for the deaf old lady were settled, the courtyard returned to its daily routine.

Those going to work grab their bags and head out, while those going to school run off with their backpacks.

Lin Quan was home alone. He suddenly slipped into the cloned Earth and drove straight to the library of the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

He was quick and nimble when picking out books, bringing back hundreds of volumes and neatly stacking them in the room on Earth.

He could memorize anything he read, read ten lines at a glance, and devour several ordinary books a day without much effort. When he was in a good mood, he could read dozens or even hundreds of books, and every word would stick in his mind.