He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

In the quiet of the courtyard late at night, one could hear the low chirping of crickets at the base of the wall. He Yuzhu's even breathing came from the earthen bed, long and drawn out with the unique characteristics of a child, occasionally interspersed with a couple of murmurs, probably dreaming about the half-eaten osmanthus cake from earlier that day.

He Yuyang, however, was wide awake.

He stared at the ceiling covered with newspaper, his mind replaying the events of the day—Jia Zhangshi's domineering stance with her hands on her hips, Yi Zhonghai's ambiguous smile, Liu Haizhong's sour tone, and Yan Bugui's eyes that kept lingering on the cloth bag… These faces flashed by like a revolving lantern, finally settling on his mother Liu Yan's furrowed brows and his father He Daqing's helpless sigh as he hid the cloth bag.

"In chaotic times, the kind are often bullied." He sighed softly to himself.

As a modern person who has watched the entire TV series "Full House of Love," he knows better than anyone how much filth is hidden in this courtyard. In the original story, the father, He Daqing, later abandoned his wife and children, the mother, Liu Yan, died young in childbirth, the younger brother, He Yuzhu, became "Foolish Zhu," who was bullied by everyone in the courtyard, and the younger sister, He Yushui, also lived a life full of hardships... The root of all this, besides the unpredictability of people's hearts, is more importantly "lack of confidence."

Without strength, backing, or sufficient resources to inspire fear, one can only be manipulated by others.

"I can't let this happen again." He Yuyang clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, bringing a sharp pain that also made him more aware. He wasn't the original character who could be manipulated at will; he carried memories from the future, and...

Goldfinger!

This thought flashed through the night like lightning, instantly illuminating his mind. The golden finger—a standard feature for transmigrators! He had been so focused on the shock and dealing with the immediate trouble that he had completely forgotten this most important thing!

He suppressed his excitement, carefully turning to the side so as not to wake He Yuzhu beside him. In the darkness, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently prayed, "Golden finger? System? Space? Is it here?"

no respond.

The only sounds in the air were He Yuzhu's breathing and the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window.

He Yuyang frowned. Was he overthinking things? Or was the activation method wrong? He remembered reading in novels that some cheat abilities required specific actions, some required chanting incantations, and some... required concentration?

He steadied himself, cleared his mind of all distractions, and focused all his attention on the depths of his mind, imagining a void interface, a passage that could connect to the future or another dimension. Time passed second by second, the coarse cloth mattress on the kang (a heated brick bed) rubbing against his back, making it a little itchy, but he dared not move, afraid of interrupting this subtle sensation.

Just as he was about to lose patience, a soft "ding" sounded in his mind.

The voice was very soft, yet exceptionally clear, as if it came from the depths of his soul, with a synthetic electronic quality, somewhat similar to the notification sounds of mobile games he had played in his previous life.

Immediately afterwards, a line of pale blue virtual text appeared out of thin air in his consciousness. The characters were clear and had a soft glow, like stars floating in the darkness:

[Detected strong host intent, binding in progress with the check-in system... Binding successful!]

[Welcome host He Yuyang to activate the "Pioneer of the Times Sign-in System". This system is dedicated to assisting the host in surviving, developing, and rising in a specific era. You can sign in once a day and randomly receive rewards such as technology, knowledge, resources, and skills from the 21st century and earlier.]

[First sign-in triggered. Congratulations, host, you have received a newbie gift pack: a simplified version of "Basic Internal Energy Cultivation Methods," which has been stored in the system's knowledge base and can be directly retrieved for study.]

He Yuyang's heart pounded wildly, his blood rushed to his head, and he almost cried out. It's here! It's really here!

He bit his lip hard to keep himself from making a sound, his fingertips trembling slightly with excitement. Suppressing his elation, he mentally clicked on the line of text about "Basic Internal Kung Fu Techniques," and the next second, a massive flow of information, like a flood bursting its banks, rushed into his mind.

It wasn't specific words, but a more direct "comprehension"—about the circulation of breath, the location of the dantian, how to transform the "qi" in the air into "jin" in the body... Countless obscure terms and diagrams exploded in his consciousness, then quickly reorganized and settled, finally becoming an instinctive cognition, as if he was born knowing these things.

"So this is internal energy cultivation..." He Yuyang exclaimed inwardly. He tried to follow the guidance of the mental cultivation method, sinking his shoulders and elbows, adjusting his breathing, and imagining a stream of air being inhaled through his nose, descending down his throat, passing through his chest, and finally converging in the lower abdomen, specifically the dantian.

At first, he felt nothing, just like an ordinary person taking a deep breath. But he didn't give up, trying the mental technique over and over again, so focused that he didn't even notice He Yuzhu turning over.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt a faint warmth in his lower abdomen, like a small hot water bottle, so comfortable that he almost groaned out loud. The warmth was extremely faint, as thin as a spider's thread, yet it was real, and it pulsated slowly and rhythmically with his breathing.

"It's done!" He Yuyang was overjoyed and his spirits lifted. He didn't dare to be greedy, knowing that this was a sign of just starting out. Forcing the flow might damage his foundation, so he slowly withdrew his thoughts and let the warm current naturally lie dormant in his dantian.

Now that you have internal strength, what about spatial abilities?

He recalled his obsession before he transmigrated. Besides the system, he also longed for a space where he could store supplies and grow crops. In this chaotic world, food and safety were more important than anything else.

He focused his mind again, and this time, he imagined a vast land and a clear spring...

The darkness before my eyes seemed to have been torn open.

It's not virtual text in consciousness, but a real scene—or rather, consciousness is immersed in another dimension of space.

He "saw" a boundless expanse of land, dark and fertile as if it could drip oil, with rolling hills in the distance and flat plains nearby. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth, damp from the rain and fragrant with the scent of grass and trees.

In the very center of this land, there is a spring that gurgles out white steam. The spring water is crystal clear, reflecting the hazy "sky" above (which is actually more like the boundary of space). You can vaguely see the pebbles at the bottom of the spring shimmering.

Beside the spring, a small villa stood alone, with white walls and red tiles, a simple style, looking like a typical two-story building in a modern rural area. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and no one knew what was inside.

On the side of the villa, there is a semi-transparent light door. Behind the door is endless darkness, but one can clearly feel an aura of "containment"—that should be the infinite storage warehouse where time stands still.

"Tens of millions of acres...it really is tens of millions of acres..." He Yuyang's consciousness "drifted" around in the space, becoming more and more shocked as he looked. This land was far more vast than he had imagined. Not to mention growing grains and vegetables, it would be more than enough to raise thousands of pigs and tens of thousands of chickens.

He tried to "fly" to the spring, his consciousness approaching the steaming water. He immediately felt a warm energy, purer than the internal energy flow in his dantian, carrying a strong vitality, as if it could heal all injuries and nourish all things.

"Spiritual Spring! This is the Spiritual Spring!" He excitedly used his consciousness to "scoop up" a handful of spring water. The spring water was crystal clear in his palm, shimmering with a faint luster. It had no weight at all, yet it carried a refreshing coolness.

He suddenly thought of a question: Can the things in this space be brought into reality?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he felt a subtle connection between his consciousness and his physical body, as if an invisible thread was linking space and his palm together. He tried to use his mind to "transfer" a drop of spiritual spring water to his fingertip.

In the darkness, He Yuyang, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), suddenly felt a drop of crystal-clear water well up from his fingertip. It flashed briefly in the moonlight (the faint light coming through the crack in the window) before disappearing from his fingertip, leaving only a cool dampness.

Yes! You really can take it out!

He Yuyang's heart pounded again. This meant that the spiritual spring water could be used to treat his mother's body, the food grown in the space could fill their stomachs, and even the supplies he received from daily check-ins could be secretly brought into the real world through this space!

He suppressed his excitement and once again immersed his consciousness in the space, carefully examining his secret base. He "walked" to the small villa and tried to push open the door with his mind. The door creaked open, revealing an empty interior with only simple furniture. It looked like it had just been renovated and had never been lived in. He noticed an electronic clock on the wall, displaying "Space-Time: 1:5000," with a line of smaller print next to it: "Space-Time Flow Rate Adjustable, Current Ratio 1:5000, Ineffective on Life Forms Inside the Villa."

"Time accelerated! 1:5000!" He Yuyang gasped. This meant that one day outside was equivalent to five thousand days inside, almost fourteen years! Everything could mature at lightning speed, it was simply heaven-defying! Moreover, time in the villa did not affect the lifespan of the residents, so if there was a chance to bring his family to live there in the future (although it was not realistic at the moment), there was no need to worry about time issues.

He "went" into the storage warehouse again, and it was indeed endless darkness inside. But he could "sense" that anything could be stored inside, and no matter how long it was stored, it would not spoil, and time was completely frozen.

"I'm rich..." He Yuyang's consciousness excitedly spun around in the space several times until he felt a little dizzy (due to excessive consumption of consciousness), and then he reluctantly withdrew from the space.

Back in the darkness of reality, he touched his fingertips, as if the coolness of the spiritual spring water still lingered. The warm current in his dantian was still throbbing slowly, and the internal energy cultivation method in his mind was crystal clear.

None of this is a dream.

He truly possessed the ability to change his destiny.

The first thing to change is the health of my mother, Liu Yan.

He quietly sat up and, using the faint moonlight filtering through the crack in the window, looked towards the other end of the kang (a heated brick bed). Liu Yan and He Daqing lay side by side; his mother's breathing was shallow, and she coughed occasionally, clearly not sleeping soundly. He Yuyang knew this was due to long-term malnutrition and overwork. If things continued like this, let alone having a child in two years, her health would probably collapse in no time.

Spiritual Spring Water!

He immediately thought of the steaming spring. The vitality contained in that spring water could definitely help heal his mother's health.

He carefully moved to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), trying not to make a sound. On the table was a rough porcelain bowl, with a little less than half a bowl of cooled boiled water inside—that Liu Yan had prepared before going to bed so she could drink it if she was thirsty at night.

He Yuyang held his breath, immersed his consciousness into the space again, and used his mind to "scoop" a small spoonful of spiritual spring water, carefully transmitting it into the bowl through the invisible thread.

In the darkness, the surface of the water in the bowl rippled slightly, adding an almost invisible layer of shimmering luster, before returning to calm, looking no different from ordinary cool water.

He leaned closer and sniffed it; there was no odor, so there was no need to worry about being discovered.

Having done all this, he let out a soft sigh of relief, lay back down in his seat, and felt an unprecedented sense of peace. This was only the first step, but it was the most crucial one. From today onward, he would add a little spiritual spring water to his mother's water every day to slowly regulate her body, ensuring she could give birth to He Yushui healthily and live a long and healthy life.

Having resolved his mother's matter, he then thought of internal energy cultivation.

He closed his eyes again and, following the guidance of the "Basic Internal Energy Cultivation Method," tried to circulate that faint warm current. This time, the feeling was much clearer than before. The warm current circulated in his dantian and, following a specific route, slowly flowed to his limbs and bones. Wherever it passed, it brought a faint warmth, dispelling the chill of the night and gradually relaxing his body, which had been tense from excitement.

"This internal energy cultivation can not only strengthen the body and improve mental clarity, but may even sharpen the senses..." He Yuyang analyzed silently. In this dangerous courtyard, good martial arts skills are undoubtedly the best protection. He decided that he would set aside time to practice every night from now on, and quickly improve his internal energy cultivation.

As for that spiritual spring space, he planned to study it carefully tomorrow during the day. What should he plant? Wheat? Corn? Or should he plant some vegetables first? Yes, he should plant some vegetables with short growth cycles, such as bok choy and radishes, which could be harvested quickly, improving the family's meals and less likely to arouse suspicion.

He also thought of a sign-in system. "You can sign in once a day and receive a random reward..." He wondered what he'd get for signing in tomorrow? Food? Tools? Or even a more powerful skill?

As he pondered, a strong sense of drowsiness washed over him. After all, his eight-year-old body couldn't withstand such exertion. He yawned, letting the warm current flow slowly through his body, his consciousness gradually fading.

Before he fell asleep, the last thing that flashed through his mind was the faces of those people in the courtyard—whether greedy, calculating, or hypocritical.

"Just wait..." he murmured softly in his dream, "I, He Yuyang, have arrived. It's time for the world in this courtyard to change."

The moonlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, casting dappled shadows on the ground through the windowpane. The courtyard was quiet, save for the occasional bark of a dog and the faint sound of a train whistle in the distance, reminding people that this was a turbulent and difficult era.

But in this unassuming little house, a soul from the future, with his golden touch, is quietly weaving a web that will change destiny.

The next morning, He Yuyang was awakened by the noise in the courtyard.

"Zhu Zi! You stop right there! Put down that cornbread in your hand!" It was Jia Zhangshi's voice, as sharp as ever.

"No! This is what my mother made for me!" He Yuzhu's voice was choked with sobs and a little muffled, as if he were eating.

He Yuyang jolted awake and sat up abruptly. He saw He Yuzhu clutching half a cornbread, running around the yard, with Jia Zhangshi chasing after him, panting and cursing.

"It's only dawn, and it's already starting again?" He Yuyang frowned, quickly dressed, and jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Liu Yan and He Daqing were also woken up by the noise. Liu Yan quickly ran out to break up the fight: "Jia Zhangshi, what are you doing? Don't scare the child so early in the morning!"

"Scare him? I think he's starving! He stole my Dongxu's cornbread!" Jia Zhangshi, hands on her hips, pointed at He Yuzhu and scolded, "Like father, like son, just like his cook father, all he knows is how to steal other people's things!"

"I didn't steal it! This was steamed for me by my mother!" He Yuzhu said anxiously, his face turning red, and he stuffed the cornbread into his mouth even faster.

He Yuyang walked out and looked coldly at Jia Zhangshi: "Aunt Jia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. My mother got up at four o'clock this morning to knead the dough and steamed three cornbreads, one for me, one for my brother, and one for my father. Nobody took anything from your family."

"How do you know it's four o'clock? Did you see it?" Jia Zhangshi retorted, her neck stiff.

"I saw it when I got up in the middle of the night," He Yuyang lied without batting an eye. "If you don't believe me, go ask my mother. Besides, where's your Dongxu? His cornbread was stolen, why didn't he say a word?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia was speechless. She wasn't really after the cornbread; she'd just woken up that morning to find smoke billowing from the He family's chimney, felt resentful, and wanted to cause trouble, hoping to gain some advantage in the process. As for Jia Dongxu, he had already been hiding inside.