I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Lin Feng watched as a group of children set off firecrackers everywhere in the yard. Suddenly, he felt playful and took out a large string of small firecrackers from his spatial storage. He had gone to great lengths to get his hands on these.

He hung the firecrackers on a wooden stick and lit them amidst the envious gazes of a group of teenagers.

The crackling sounds quickly drew everyone's attention in the courtyard. As the smoke cleared, it signaled the end of the last event of the year! Clever children ran over and rummaged through the areas where the firecrackers had been set off. Every time they found a firecracker that hadn't been lit, a burst of laughter would erupt from the crowd.

Seeing Lin Feng close the door again, standing out from the others in the courtyard, the Third Uncle curled his lip in displeasure. "These young people nowadays have no respect for rules!"

Lin Feng tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. This era was just too boring. All he could do at home was eat and sleep. Helpless, Lin Feng entered his spatial dimension!

I first observed the 12 old pigs, who had been castrated and were now completely quiet, lying in the pigsty by the lake, leisurely enjoying their pig life!

To Lin Feng's surprise, the ducks he had raised for over a month had started laying eggs, while the pheasants hadn't yet done so. It seemed that the animals were gradually adapting to the constant temperature environment and beginning to adjust their physiological habits.

What's giving Lin Feng a headache is that there's a huge pile of wild lotus roots in the warehouse. These things are used to feed pigs, chickens, and ducks, but the number of animals in the space is limited, and they only eat a tiny fraction of what's available. Sensing the situation in the lake, he noticed that new lotus roots are starting to grow wildly again. By the time this batch arrives, there probably won't be any room left to store them.

Lin Feng shook his head. At least it was New Year's Day, so he didn't have to worry about these troublesome things. With a thought, a breeze suddenly rose by the lake, making the huge lotus leaves sway left and right. Lin Feng, feeling relaxed and tipsy, fell into a deep sleep on the lakeside deck chair.

A knock on the door startled Lin Feng awake. He groggily opened his eyes, quickly dressed, and left the space, walking briskly to the door. "Who is it? Up so early on New Year's Day!"

Upon opening the door, Yan Jiecheng was standing there. "Lin Feng, Happy New Year!"

"Jiecheng, Happy New Year! Is something the matter?"

"The New Year's gathering is about to start in the courtyard. Get ready and come to the central courtyard to meet up later."

Lin Feng frowned, then instantly put on a smiling face. "Understood, I'll go in a bit."

After Yan Jiecheng left, Lin Feng was finally wide awake. He breathed in the cold, fresh air, and his irritability disappeared. Since he was alone anyway, he figured he might as well join in the fun.

Back at the lake, he washed his face, ate something casually, and patted his stomach comfortably. Suddenly, he remembered something, took two boxes of the snacks Lou Xiao'e had brought, put them in a cloth bag, packed them up, and then left the space.

When I arrived at the Intermediate People's Court with the bag, it was already packed with people. Everyone was beaming with joy, showering each other with compliments as if they were free.

Lin Feng immediately spotted Yu Shui at the edge of the crowd. Like him, Yu Shui seemed out of place. Lin Feng quietly walked over and whispered in Yu Shui's ear, "Take this!"

"What is this?" Receiving gifts during the Lunar New Year always brings joy. Yu Shui, like a child, stared at the cloth bag, countless thoughts already flashing through her mind about what was inside.

"It's food! Just some snacks, I don't really like them, but you girls get hungry quickly, so eat them slowly inside!"

Rain took the cloth bag, opened it, and peeked inside. Instantly, her pretty face flushed bright red. "These snacks are too precious! I can't take them!"

"Don't be shy, classmates! Even the mice in your house would cry if they got in! Just take this in case you need it; I don't like eating things given to me by others!"

Rain rolled her eyes at him; a perfectly good matter had been ruined by how he brought it up! She carefully held the bag. "Then I'll accept it!"

"Don't mention it! After you graduate and become a high-ranking official, just take care of me!"

"What a disgrace!" Rain was, after all, a girl. As she said this, her face felt hot. She quickly went back into the house, clutching the cloth bag to her chest.

Standing not far away, Qin Huairu narrowed her eyes as she watched all this. She turned to look at Sha Zhu, who was still chatting with Yi Zhonghai, completely unaware of her sister's situation.

"What a terrible older brother! His own walls are almost gone! What an idiot!"

Yu Shui returned indoors and took the snacks out of the cloth bag. Don't underestimate these things; they're not cheap! Most importantly, ordinary people can't buy them at all.

"I wonder where this thing came from!" This was the first time Yu Shui had received such a precious gift since her father passed away. She looked around her room and pondered for a long time before finally finding the location!

After placing the snacks down, Yu Shui patted her chest as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, a smile she couldn't suppress on her face. She closed the door and walked out with light steps.

When Sha Zhu returned to his brother's side, his face had turned quite pale. Looking at his sister and then at the nonchalant Lin Feng beside him, Sha Zhu felt a tightness in his chest.

Just as Qin Huairu had said, the two of them were drawn together like magnets, and before they knew it, they were chatting and laughing. Yu Shui would occasionally let out a silvery laugh. Sha Zhu, standing not far away, saw all this and felt a pang of sadness.

"Dear neighbors! Fellow workers! Happy New Year!" Three old men stood in the middle. There was no table set up today, which made the atmosphere feel much more relaxed.

All the neighbors clasped their hands in greeting and offered New Year's wishes to the three old men in the middle and the neighbors around them.

"Please welcome the old lady!" Ever since the letter of complaint was written against him, Yi Zhonghai has never dared to call her "ancestor" again.

The old lady's hair was neatly combed today, and her clothes fit her perfectly without a single wrinkle. Her full head of silver hair made her look very energetic.

Supported by an older woman, he slowly walked to the chair in the middle, leaning on his cane, and sat down, looking at the group of neighbors. "Let's begin!"

Everyone took turns going up to wish the old lady a Happy New Year!

This year is different from previous years. No one knelt down or kowtowed. Some neighbors walked up to the old lady, clasped their hands in greeting, and the old lady returned the greeting with a smile!

Lin Feng could accept such courtesy, after all, respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a Chinese tradition. Lin Feng clasped his hands in greeting and said some auspicious words. The old lady did not refrain from being impolite and gave Lin Feng a red envelope as usual. Everyone wanted good luck.

When it was Sha Zhu's turn, he knelt down in front of the old lady and respectfully kowtowed three times. The old lady was overjoyed and took out a large red envelope from her bosom, which looked quite substantial.

The older brother's sudden action caught his younger sister off guard, and everyone's eyes were focused on Yu Shui. Yu Shui bit her lip, took a deep breath, stood next to her brother, and simply clasped her hands in a fist salute.

"Rain, kneel down! Your brother is kneeling! What kind of posture are you standing there for?"

Yi Zhonghai's voice made Yu Shui's thin body tremble. She stood in front of the old lady with her fists clasped, feeling countless gazes like needles around her, making her feel uncomfortable all over.