Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

1965, Beijing, Hongxing Courtyard.

The cold ground pressed against his cheek, and the biting chill mixed with the sharp pain in the back of his head pierced his brain. Lin Dong suddenly opened his eyes and saw the mottled and blackened roof beams. The air was filled with a strange smell of coal smoke and mildew.

"Awake? Playing dead? You stole Huairu's eggs and you dare to hide?" A sharp curse pierced his ears like needles. A middle-aged woman with a bloated figure, wearing a patched blue homespun jacket, stood beside him with her hands on her hips, her spittle almost hitting his face.

Lin Dong's mind was buzzing, countless fragments of unfamiliar memories flooding in—a young man with the same name as him, orphaned at a young age, living alone in a small side room in the far corner of a courtyard house, a notorious "easy target" in the neighborhood. Just moments ago, two eggs went missing from Qin Huairu's house, the "bloodsucker" of the courtyard. Her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, insisted that Lin Dong stole them, and together with her son Jia Dongxu and several henchmen neighbors, they pinned him to the ground and beat him without a word.

"I didn't steal..." Lin Dong struggled to get up, but as soon as he propped himself up, a tearing pain shot through the wound on the back of his head, and his vision went black. He then realized that he had been hit by a truck on his way home from working overtime. How did he end up in this 1960s courtyard house?

"Didn't you steal it? Did the egg grow wings and fly away?" Jia Zhangshi stepped forward and kicked Lin Dong in the waist. "Our Huairu has had a hard time raising three children, and you heartless bastard, you even dared to touch a life-saving egg! If you don't hand over the egg today, I'll call the security department to arrest you!"

A circle of neighbors surrounded them. The eldest uncle, Yi Zhonghai, stood to the side with his arms crossed, his eyes darting around, clearly acquiescing to Jia Zhangshi's actions. The second uncle, Liu Haizhong, stood with his hands behind his back, displaying an air of official authority, yet making no mention of upholding justice. The third uncle, Yan Bugui, stood to the side, counting on his fingers, seemingly calculating something. As for the "victim," Qin Huairu, she stood behind Jia Zhangshi, head bowed, wiping away tears, her eyes occasionally glancing at Lin Dong. She appeared pitiful, but in reality, she was deeply scheming.

Lin Dong instantly understood. This was the world of "birds filling the courtyard" from his memory! The people here appeared to be harmonious neighbors, but behind the scenes, they were all scheming and selfish. The protagonist of the original story, He Yuzhu, was exploited by these people his whole life, living a life of extreme resentment. And now, he had become an even more miserable "easy target" than He Yuzhu.

"I told you I didn't steal!" Lin Dong's temper flared up. In his past life, he had always been someone who didn't like to suffer losses, and even though he was now powerless, he wouldn't let others slaughter him. He struggled to stand up, but Jia Dongxu kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground again.

"Still dare to talk back!" Jia Dongxu was also a reckless fellow, and he raised his foot to kick Lin Dong in the head. Lin Dong subconsciously raised his hand to block, and his forehead was grazed by the tip of the shoe, and a bloody gash instantly opened up. Blood flowed down his cheek and dripped onto a black bead hanging around his neck.

That was a family heirloom of the original owner, said to have been passed down from their ancestors. It looked unremarkable, but the original owner always wore it close to their body. At this moment, when blood dripped onto the bead, the originally dull black bead suddenly trembled slightly, as if it had come to life, instantly absorbing all the blood that had dripped onto it.

Immediately afterward, a scorching stream of air burst forth from the bead, tracing down Lin Dong's neck and into his body, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones. Lin Dong felt as if his body had been thrown into a furnace, or as if countless steel needles were piercing his meridians. The excruciating pain caused him to groan involuntarily, and then everything went black as he fainted.

In the instant he lost consciousness, an ancient and majestic voice resounded in his mind: "The Chaos Pearl recognizes its master, the primordial power awakens, and it binds itself to its host, Lin Dong..."

Those around Lin Dong were stunned to see him faint. Madam Jia Zhang pursed her lips, "He's putting on quite a show. Is he really dead?"

Yi Zhonghai then stepped forward, checked Lin Dong's breathing, and frowned, saying, "He's still breathing, but he's badly injured. Dongxu, you went too far." Although he favored He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu, he was still afraid that someone might actually die.

"He's the one who's dishonest!" Jia Dongxu muttered.

"Alright, let's carry him back to the house first. If something really happens, our whole courtyard will be implicated." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand. He Yuzhu had just come back from get off work and was stopped by Yi Zhonghai. Reluctantly, he and Jia Dongxu carried Lin Dong back to his small side room.

The small side room was cramped and dark, containing only a broken wooden bed and a chipped wooden chest; there wasn't even a decent piece of furniture. He Yuzhu placed Lin Dong on the bed, looked at the wound on his forehead, and sighed, "That poor kid, Lin Dong." He then turned and left. Although he was honest, he didn't want to get involved in this mess.

While Lin Dong was unconscious, his consciousness entered a strange space. It was a chaotic, boundless place, with a fist-sized black bead suspended in the middle, which was the Chaos Bead he wore around his neck.

"The Chaos Pearl is a primordial treasure from the prehistoric era. It contains a chaotic space that can nurture all things, purify energy, repair the physical body, and deduce cultivation techniques..." Information about the Chaos Pearl kept flooding into Lin Dong's mind.

Lin Dong was so shocked he couldn't speak. He had actually obtained a primordial treasure? This was something that only existed in myths and legends! After the Chaos Pearl recognized him as its master, it not only healed his injuries but also came with a chaotic space where he could farm. In the resource-scarce 1960s, this was simply an incredible cheat code!

"Repair the injuries," Lin Dong silently chanted in his mind. The Chaos Pearl immediately released a gentle energy that flowed throughout his body along with his consciousness. The excruciating pain in his wounds quickly subsided, the hematoma on the back of his head rapidly receded, and his body was filled with unprecedented power.

He suddenly opened his eyes, the previous timidity gone, replaced by sharpness and coldness. Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongxu, Qin Huairu, Yi Zhonghai… he would not let any of those who had bullied the original owner of this body or schemed against him go!

Right now, his first priority was survival. He rubbed his stomach, which was growling loudly with hunger; the original owner's family had long been starving. Lin Dong looked at the Chaos Pearl, a thought struck him, and his consciousness entered the Chaos Space.

The chaotic space is currently very small, only a few dozen square meters, with black soil on the ground, brimming with vitality. Lin Dong remembers that the original owner had hidden half a bag of nearly moldy cornmeal and a few shriveled cabbage seeds at the bottom of the wooden box.

He immediately got up and rummaged through the bottom of the wooden box to find the half-bag of cornmeal and seeds. The cornmeal was somewhat clumped together and had a musty smell. Lin Dong took the cornmeal to the Chaos Pearl space, placed it on the ground, and silently chanted "purify." The Chaos Pearl released a faint light, which fell on the cornmeal. Soon, the moldy parts were peeled off, and the remaining cornmeal became as white as snow, emitting an enticing aroma.

Lin Dong then tossed the few withered cabbage seeds into the black soil of the Chaos Space and watered them with some tap water he had brought from outside. The soil in the Chaos Space seemed to possess a magical power; as soon as the seeds were planted, they sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye and grew into lush green seedlings.

"That's great!" Lin Dong clenched his fist excitedly. With the Chaos Pearl, not only would he be able to solve his basic needs, but he could also live a respectable life in this era and make those who bullied him regret it!

Just then, there was a knock on the door, accompanied by Qin Huairu's signature, tearful voice: "Brother Lin Dong, are you awake? I brought you some rice porridge..."

Lin Dong's eyes turned cold. He put down the cornmeal in his hand and walked to the door. He knew that Qin Huairu was using the pretense of delivering rice soup to probe his intentions and continue to play the role of "kind and virtuous."

In his previous life, when he read the original novel, he despised Qin Huairu's practice of exploiting He Yuzhu while simultaneously stringing other men along. Now, this woman had offered herself up, giving him the perfect opportunity to establish his authority.

Lin Dong opened the door, his face expressionless, and asked directly, "Sister Qin, did you find your eggs?"

Qin Huairu paused, her expression slightly unnatural. "Not yet... Brother Lin Dong, don't take it to heart. My mother-in-law is just like that—sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. Drink this rice porridge while it's hot; it'll help you recover."

As she spoke, she tried to hand the bowl to Lin Dong, but her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the wooden box in the room, clearly suspecting that Lin Dong had hidden the eggs.

Lin Dong sidestepped her hand, looking at her with a half-smile: "Sister Qin, I can't accept something for nothing. Your family lost eggs, and I'm a suspect now. If Aunt Jia sees me drinking your rice soup, she'll think I'm in cahoots with you."

Qin Huairu's face paled instantly. She hadn't expected the usually timid Lin Dong to say such a thing. She bit her lip, her eyes reddening again: "Brother Lin Dong, I know you've been wronged, but... my three children are still waiting for these eggs to nourish themselves. If you really took them, please give them back to me. I won't blame you."

The way they said it made it sound as if Lin Dong had actually stolen the eggs. Some neighbors had already poked their heads out to watch the commotion, pointing and whispering about Lin Dong.

Lin Dong sneered, refusing to waste any more words with her. He turned and went back into the house, picked up the half-sack of refined cornmeal, walked to the door, and waved the bag in his hand: "Everyone, take a look. This is all the cornmeal I have at home, and it's even moldy. I just cleaned it. If I really stole eggs, would I be starving?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jia Zhangshi in the crowd, his voice rising a few decibels: "Aunt Jia, you're insisting I stole the eggs, what evidence do you have? If you can't produce any evidence, it's slander! I can report you to the security department right now!"

Jia Zhangshi, who had been listening to the commotion inside, rushed out upon hearing Lin Dong's words: "You little brat, you dare accuse me? If you didn't steal it, did the eggs grow legs and run away by themselves?"

"That's not necessarily true." Lin Dong stared sharply at Jia Zhangshi. "This morning when I went out, I saw you climb over the wall from the backyard, clutching something in your hand. Was it the egg your old flame gave you that you forgot about and are now blaming me?"

These words caused an uproar. Madam Jia's conduct in the courtyard was already questionable; rumors had long circulated that she was involved with men outside the household. Lin Dong's words struck a nerve.

"You, you're talking nonsense!" Jia Zhangshi was so angry that her face turned red, and she rushed forward to hit Lin Dong.

But this time Lin Dong was prepared. He dodged to the side, grabbed Jia Zhangshi's wrist, and gently twisted it. Jia Zhangshi immediately screamed in pain, "Ouch! That hurts so much! You little brat, how dare you hit me!"

Lin Dong tightened his grip and said coldly, "Aunt Jia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. If you continue to falsely accuse me, I won't just twist your wrist."

Now that he has the Chaos Pearl to repair his body, he is much stronger than before, and Jia Zhangshi has no chance to resist him.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Lin Dong, let go, let's talk this out. Aunt Jia, don't get agitated. Maybe Lin Dong really didn't steal the eggs. Let's look again."

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Lin Dong released his grip. Jia Zhangshi rubbed her wrist, glaring fiercely at Lin Dong, but dared not approach him again.

Qin Huairu stood to the side, her face extremely grim. She hadn't expected Lin Dong to suddenly become so assertive, which had instead put their family in the spotlight.

Lin Dong looked at his neighbors, each with their own hidden agendas, and sneered inwardly. This was just the beginning. He not only wanted to survive in this era, but he wanted to live better than anyone else. With the Chaos Pearl in hand, he would pursue farming, amass wealth, and seek revenge—he wouldn't miss a single step!

He turned and closed the door, shutting out the chatter outside. Then he took out some refined cornmeal, mixed it with boiling water to make a paste, and wolfed it down. The corn paste was sweet, soft, and chewy, much tastier than he had imagined.

After finishing his meal, Lin Dong entered the Chaos Space again. The cabbage seedlings inside had grown to over ten centimeters tall, a lush and vibrant green, a truly delightful sight. Looking at the fertile black soil, he formed a plan. Tomorrow, he would go to the black market to exchange for seeds and grain coupons, using the Chaos Space to cultivate a large quantity of vegetables and grains. This would not only satisfy his own needs but also allow him to secretly sell them, accumulating his first pot of gold.

As for those who bullied him, he wouldn't rush things. He would gradually reclaim what was rightfully his, making them pay the price for their actions.

As night deepened, the courtyard gradually quieted down. But Lin Dong knew that a storm that belonged to him had only just begun. The Chaos Pearl warmed slightly in his chest, as if echoing his determination, radiating an ancient power from the primordial era.