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

Zhou Feng took three steps at a time, almost running back to the house.

As soon as the door opened, the two people inside looked over at the same time.

A hint of teasing appeared on Qin Jingru's face as she raised an eyebrow at Zhou Feng: "Brother Zhou Feng, you're back?"

She had witnessed the interaction between Zhou Feng and Yu Li.

Although she also felt that the two of them were getting a little too close, she didn't need to say anything about it!

Sure enough, Bai Ling sat at the table on the other side, holding a teacup in her hand. She didn't say anything, but her expression was tense, her lips were turned down, and she stared straight at Zhou Feng.

"Well..." Zhou Feng coughed and closed the door first.

Qin Jingru stood behind Bai Ling sensibly and asked softly, "Sister Bai Ling, are you angry?"

Why would I be angry?

Bai Ling's tone was somewhat indifferent, but her expression towards Zhou Feng was not so friendly.

"Some people were chatting quite animatedly outside just now, did they forget that the other person is married?"

Zhou Feng sighed somewhat awkwardly.

He had the intention of stirring things up when he went out, so he deliberately got so close to Yu Li in front of Yan Jiecheng, just to push up the last 1% of the progress of the double-door project.

He knew beforehand that there was a possibility of trouble at home, but with so little progress left, he couldn't resist!

"Bai Ling, listen to me..."

"Go ahead," Bai Ling replied casually, holding her teacup.

Zhou Feng sat down opposite her, carefully choosing his words: "I went out earlier to check what was going on outside. Just then, Yu Li came over to report on things at the factory, so we chatted for a bit, nothing else."

"Nothing at all?" Bai Ling put down her teacup, looked into his eyes, and said, "Zhou Feng, I'm asking you, isn't Yu Li a married woman?"

"Yes."

"Do you think the way she talks to you is normal?"

Zhou Feng opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

To be honest, he had indeed had contact with Yu Li once before, so he probably knew what she was thinking.

Moreover, Yu Li's attitude was indeed abnormal. She ignored her own man but smiled sweetly at him.

Anyone who saw this would say that something was off between the two of them.

Therefore, Zhou Feng felt a little guilty.

Otherwise, with his temper, he wouldn't be able to say a word to Bai Ling.

"Comrade Zhou Feng, I'm not angry at you, but you should know your place. How many people are watching you? You're being all entangled with a married woman; what kind of talk will that make?"

Bai Ling took a deep breath, composed herself, and decided to offer him some advice.

There's nothing I can do; he's the man I chose.

She had tried before and found that she couldn't live without Zhou Feng, so all we could do was try to persuade her gently.

"I didn't pull..."

"I know you didn't pull anything," Bai Ling interrupted him, "but what others think is irrelevant. Did Yan Jiecheng not see Yu Li's attitude? His eyes were practically spitting fire. You may not have had those intentions, but Yan Jiecheng doesn't see it that way. If things escalate, will you look good?"

Zhou Feng was stunned by what she said.

He knew Bai Ling meant well and was saying all this out of concern for him, so after a few seconds of silence, he nodded: "You're right, I really didn't think this through."

Just as Bai Ling was about to say something, Zhou Feng became impatient. He just wanted to hurry back and check on the Double-Passage Gate!

But Bai Ling is still angry, so we can't just abandon her, can we?

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Feng turned to Qin Jingru and asked, "Jingru, you're here to pick up something, right?"

Qin Jingru was taken aback: "Huh? Yes... I've almost finished the meat over there..."

Although it wasn't the first time she had come to pick up something, Qin Jingru still blushed a little.

If it were just Zhou Feng, then it would just be a matter of her acting cute.

But now that Bai Ling is here, Qin Jingru feels a little embarrassed.

"Okay, I might have to go out of town for a couple of days, so I'll bring you extra!"

Zhou Feng took out several large pieces of meat from the refrigerator, along with a small bag of eggs from the kitchen, and then took out several kilograms of meat coupons and cash, which he handed to Qin Jingru.

He wasn't sure if Bai Ling would still live there after he left.

What if Qin Jingru comes to collect her things after he leaves and has a conflict with Bai Ling?

I might as well give her a larger portion at once. If Zhou Feng hasn't returned by the time she finishes eating, I'll go and buy her some more.

In any case, the cash in this world isn't very useful to Zhou Feng.

Giving the money to Qin Jingru is a good way to make the most of it.

Holding all these things, Qin Jingru swallowed a few times and said, "Brother Zhou Feng, you've given me way too much."

"Just take it, why are you being so polite with me?"

Zhou Feng patted Qin Jingru on the shoulder: "Just stay at the Jia family's house for the next few days. I'll come to see you when I get back."

"Okay, be careful out there." Qin Jingru hugged the things and turned to leave.

She could sense that Zhou Feng seemed to have something to say to Bai Ling and had deliberately sent her away, but she had no intention of finding out anything.

As I always say, living your own life well is more important than anything else.

As for other matters, even if she knew, she couldn't help in any way.

If Zhou Feng and Bai Ling can't solve it, then she can only watch helplessly.

Qin Jingru left, leaving only Zhou Feng and Bai Ling in the room.

"Speak, what is it?"

Bai Ling, who was sitting at the table, looked up at Zhou Feng.

His actions to get Qin Jingru away were so obvious that it was clear he had something to tell her.

"I'm telling you, I urgently need to go on a long trip to the United States. There's something going on there, and I might be gone for a few days."

Zhou Feng said something cautiously, and Bai Ling was stunned for a moment before staring at him intently.

He said going to America basically means going back to the future.

At this chaotic juncture, Zhou Feng's decision to return to the future world inexplicably made Bai Ling's heart tighten.

"Can you make it back next month?"

After a moment of silence, Bai Ling asked a question, and Zhou Feng immediately understood what she meant, stepping forward to pull her into his arms.

"How can we wait until next month? We're getting married next month! It's only a few days away!"

Bai Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Zhou Feng really wanted to leave, she didn't have any means to stop him.

Since they said that, then something might really be wrong over there.

"But you have to promise me one thing."

"you say."

"Be careful out there, don't be reckless. Whether you get things done or not, come back soon."

Zhou Feng felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to hold her hand: "Don't worry, I'll definitely be back as soon as possible."

Bai Ling let him hold her hand without pulling away, but she didn't mince words: "Also, after you come back, talk to Yu Li less. If you dare..."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Zhou Feng quickly waved his hands. "I'll just avoid her, okay?"

Bai Ling finally laughed out loud, making Zhou Feng unable to resist leaning down.

We've spent so much time together these past few days, from morning till night, that we've almost gotten used to each other's interactions, except for the last thing we did.

"Alright, I'm leaving now."

After they separated, Zhou Feng stood up and hugged Bai Ling tightly again.

"So urgent?"

"Go early and come back early!"

"Is there anything I can bring you?"

"No need, you can go empty-handed."

Zhou Feng went out the door, glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, then went around to the back of his house, opened the double passage door, and left the courtyard world.

After returning to the modern world, Zhou Feng immediately upgraded the double portal within his body, which already had a full progress bar.

The progress bar instantly returned to zero, indicating that Zhou Feng had successfully upgraded.

The next second, a flood of information rushed into his mind, making Zhou Feng's eyes widen in surprise.

There really have been earth-shattering changes!

The previous upgrade only increased the capacity from 1,000 cubic meters to 100,000 cubic meters, and it lacked a new feature.

This upgrade doesn't change the size of the space, but it adds two new features.

First, using the two existing worlds as anchor points, we can bind another world to travel to!

Secondly, the double-passage door can mark 100 living beings, who will pass through with Zhou Feng. The number will not be restored after the living beings die!

"Holy crap, this is serious!"

Looking at the upgraded features of his double-door system, Zhou Feng murmured in amazement.

"Hey, Comrade Zhou Ming, my double-door system has been upgraded, and two new functions have been added. This is a big deal, and we need to hold a meeting to discuss it immediately."

Fifteen minutes later, the entire group gathered in the meeting room.

Lin Su sat at the head of the table and gestured to Zhou Feng before he stood up.

"Comrades, my double portal has now been upgraded with two new functions. First, it can bind to another world to travel to. Second, from now on, it can mark 100 life forms to travel with me."

"What?"

Before Zhou Feng could finish speaking, the conference room erupted into chaos, like a firecracker going off.

Lin Su's hand holding the teacup trembled, and the tea almost spilled. He quickly put the cup down, his eyes wide open, staring straight at Zhou Feng.

Zhou Ming, sitting opposite Zhou Feng, was even more outrageous. As if springs were inserted into his buttocks, he jumped up, shoving his chair back with a jarring sound: "Zhou Feng, what did you say? Say it again? Can you bring people over?"

"I can bring them." Zhou Feng nodded. "One hundred people, no more, no less. But we have to make it clear first, these one hundred spots are fixed. If anyone I bring is killed, the spot is gone and can't be replaced."

"So, in other words—" Zhou Ming's eyes darted around, "these hundred people have to be carefully selected, and not a single one can be lost?"

"Yes, that's exactly right."

There was a two-second silence in the conference room.

Then came another burst of frantic discussion.

"This is incredible..." Lin Su slowly leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the table intermittently. His expression changed from shock to contemplation, and then from contemplation to excitement.

He quickly calculated in his mind: if he could bring a hundred people over, then Zhou Feng wouldn't be fighting alone over there anymore.

These 100 people can be elite soldiers, scientists, engineers, mechanics, doctors... anyone you can think of can be sent there.

Moreover, there are so many things these people can do once they get there.

Helping Zhou Feng gain a foothold, gather resources, establish strongholds, and even build a team in the new world...

The more Lin Su thought about it, the deeper and further he went, and the faster he tapped his fingers on the table.

And then there's a new world, which makes it even more important.

The project team was already incredibly busy with just one courtyard house.

If there were one more world…

Everyone in the conference room understood what this meant.

And what will the new world be like? What will its technology be like? Will there be any usable resources? Will there be any threats we need to be wary of?

These are all things they need to consider.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Lin Su raised his hand and pressed down, and the meeting room gradually quieted down. "Speak one by one, don't make it sound like a marketplace."

Zhou Ming was the first to speak: "Boss, let me say a few words. I think we should still focus on exploring the new world. After all, the courtyard world is currently in a chaotic period, and even trading has been suspended for several days. The people we have here are also idle."

"If we had resources from the new world, we could seamlessly connect the two worlds, and even double the scale of this trade!"

Although none of the people present may have experienced the events of that special period, they were all quite familiar with them, so they didn't talk much about it and knew that what Zhou Ming said made sense.

"However, among these 100 spots, at least 50 guards must be assigned to Comrade Zhou Feng! Before, we couldn't do anything and could only let Comrade Zhou Feng go alone. Now that there are spots available, we can't do that anymore."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, Lin Su nodded: "That's right. We're completely in the dark about the new world. What if it's a high-threat world? It's too risky for Xiao Zhou to go alone without anyone to look after him."

"The leader is right, but I think we should give our research group a few more spots."

The elderly man in a white coat sitting to Lin Su's right quickly followed up: "If the new world is like the world of courtyard houses, more than sixty years behind us, then it's hard to say what will happen to us. No matter how much we try, we'll only reach that level. But if we can reach the 21st century..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

A world after the 21st century, even if it's just a parallel world, even if the technological path is different...

Just picking up a few things would be enough for the Dragon Kingdom to consume for quite some time.

Listening to everyone's chatter, Lin Su didn't rush to express his opinion. Instead, he turned to Zhou Feng and asked, "Little Zhou, what do you think?"

"I think everyone is right, and those 100 spots don't have to be decided all at once. We can arrange for a few people to go explore the new world with me first, and then determine the specific arrangements based on the situation."

"However... these people need to be highly skilled, well-mannered, and quick-witted. Otherwise, if something happens in the New World, the spots will be wasted."

That's very true.

There was another round of nodding in the conference room.

Lin Su hummed in agreement, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then said, "Alright, then I'll explain the plan."

"Let's put the courtyard house situation on hold for now. It's not that we'll ignore it, but we'll maintain the status quo for the time being. Xiao Zhou, focus your main efforts on the New World. First, figure out what kind of world it is, what era it's in, what level of development it has, and whether there are any dangers."

"I will also report this to the organization and select five suitable people from the army to accompany Comrade Zhou Feng on his first exploration of the new world!"