Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

Early 1950, Beijing.

The festive spirit of the founding of the People's Republic of China had not yet completely faded; many red-painted slogans still remained on the walls of the streets and beside the doors of old houses.

In a narrow alley near Nanluoguxiang.

Lin Weidong followed behind Lin Weiguo, his gaze sweeping over them, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

He desperately wanted to yell, "Hey bro! Do you know you're living in a den of beasts?"

"Are you tired, Weidong? He'll be there soon!"

In the alley, Lin Weiguo glanced back at his younger brother, slowed his pace, and raised his hand to brush the snow off his shoulder and back.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine, brother, let's go."

Lin Weidong gave a perfunctory response and urged them to continue moving forward.

He wasn't used to this intimacy, for a simple reason: he was a complete imposter.

In the memories left to him by the original owner.

His grandfather died in the banditry, his mother died in the war, his father sacrificed himself after joining the revolution in his early years, and his eldest brother followed the same path as his father when he was young.

From a young age, the only family member he was familiar with was his grandmother, who passed away six months ago.

Not long after, on a rainy night, the original owner of this body fell ill with depression and caught a cold, developed a fever, and never woke up.

That night, the system, along with Lin Weidong, usurped Lin's position.

When Lin Weidong received the original body's remaining memories, it had already used bloody methods to reshape the body!

Lin Weidong almost died from the pain on the spot!

After changing his appearance, Lin Weidong settled down in this era.

From initial resistance to becoming accustomed to it, Lin Weidong has even started applying for a job and will soon become a glorious people's teacher.

Three days ago, the original owner's older brother suddenly came back to find him, wanting to take him to live in Beijing.

If the planned goals could be achieved several years ahead of schedule, and the destination was Beijing, the central city of the country, Lin Weidong couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

His status further prevented him from being pretentious.

However, just as he got off the train, Lin Weiguo told him that Jia'an lived in a courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang!

Nanluoguxiang? No. 95? That's just Qinman Courtyard!

As he got closer to the beastly courtyard, Lin Weidong mentally grumbled as he walked, while simultaneously contacting the system to inquire about the situation.

At this moment, Lin Weiguo stopped, looked up at the familiar gate, and then rubbed the snow off the soles of his shoes against the wall.

He called out to them at the same time.

"We've arrived at Weidong, this is it! What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Lin Weidong's attention returned, and he glanced around.

This is a typical old courtyard house.

The vermilion gate wasn't spacious, but it exuded a rustic and orderly charm, and it looked quite nice.

As he was observing, a figure suddenly squeezed out from the half-open door and entered his line of sight.

The man was middle-aged, thin, wearing old-fashioned glasses and an old cotton coat.

He was shivering and had his sleeves tucked in, but his face lit up with a smile the moment he saw someone.

"Oh my! Section Chief Lin, where have you been all this time? It's been several days since I last saw you!"

"Oh! I went back to my hometown to pick up my younger brother. Teacher Yan, are you going out?"

"No, no, I was just strolling around. Oh, is this your younger brother? He looks just like you! Come, come, young man, let me help you with these things. We're home now. I live in the front yard. Don't hesitate to ask me for help!"

"No need to trouble you, Teacher Yan. My brother and I will take them home ourselves. You can continue your stroll!"

Before Lin Weidong could even speak, Lin Weiguo refused first, his polite attitude revealing a sense of distance.

Who in the courtyard doesn't know what kind of person Yan Bugui is? He's never satisfied with taking advantage of others, and asking him for help is a hassle and annoyance.

Lin Weiguo didn't like dealing with him, so he stepped over the threshold and left.

"See you later, Teacher Yan." Lin Weidong, standing to the side, smiled warmly before following.

I thought to myself, "Old Yan, you'd better watch yourself from now on. Don't embarrass yourself. I'm waiting to see what happens."

"Alright, alright, you two go back inside and rest, hehe... It's rather cold today!" Yan Bugui was puzzled by the two brothers' completely opposite attitudes.

I stared at their backs for a long time.

Lin Weidong followed Lin Weiguo into the courtyard house, only to find that the interior was far less orderly and stylish than the exterior! It was a large, chaotic courtyard.

The eaves of the front yard were almost entirely occupied by each household, so one could only walk through the yard in the snow.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, you arrive at the central courtyard.

The covered walkway along the courtyard wall is in a slightly better condition, but it is still barely enough space for one person to pass through. The rest of the space is filled with miscellaneous items, and some people have even set up a small room to cook in as a makeshift kitchen.

"Section Chief Lin is back? Oh! And who is this?"

"My younger brother will be living in this courtyard from now on..."

……

The snow was falling heavily in the courtyard, and the two brothers squeezed along the veranda, responding to the neighbors' greetings as they went.

Arriving at the door embedded in the east wall of the central courtyard, Lin Weiguo took out his key while explaining.

"This small courtyard is the east wing, formerly the study courtyard. It's quite spacious. Another family used to live there, but I arranged for them to move out. Once you have a job, I'll find someone to give it to you. Then you'll be living alone in this courtyard, which will be convenient when you get married in the future."

"Let's take a break first. We'll go out for a bath later, and tonight I'll take you to try some old restaurants in Beijing."

Lin Weiguo unlocked the door and went inside, explaining as he went.

Lin Weidong looked around and found that the entire courtyard was about half the size of the central courtyard, and the room layout was in the shape of an inverted "L".

Compared to the front and middle yards, the side yards appear cleaner and tidier.

The first thing that stands out is that the walkway through the mountain is free of clutter, making it look much more open and airy.

The original main study, now the main house, is located in the north-northwest direction of the courtyard. The bedroom is on the east side, connected to the main house, and both face south.

Along the east side of the courtyard wall are two rooms, one large and one small, facing east. Lin Weiguo explained that they were originally a tea room and a storage room, which were later converted into the west wing. It used to be where the family lived, but it is currently unoccupied and will be relocated when Lin Weidong comes down from work.

The small room along the south wall near the wall door is the kitchen.

Apart from that, there are no other rooms in the southeast direction of the entire courtyard. The remaining space, up to the east outer wall, is the small courtyard originally set up by the study, used for reading and relaxing in leisure time.

Only a set of stone table and benches remains. As for the potted plants and flowers, Lin Weiguo said they are long gone.

Lin Weidong looked it over and thought it was pretty good. Putting everything else aside, at least the courtyard wall provided some privacy.

Suddenly recalling the implication in Lin Weiguo's words, he asked.

"By the way, bro, you said I'll be living alone from now on? What about you?"

Lin Weiguo led Lin Weidong through the door into the main room, and chuckled upon hearing this.

"I'll have to stay with your sister-in-law. She's an only child, and her father-in-law doesn't want her to live outside. Don't worry, stay here. Your sister-in-law and I already agreed that this courtyard was reserved for you."

As he spoke, Lin Weiguo rubbed his hands together, preparing to light the stove. No one had lived there for several days, and the house was colder and more eerie than the outside.

When the stove was first set up, the temperature on the tin chimney was just right, and Lin Weiguo called Lin Weidong to put his hands on it to warm them.

"Almost there. Warm your hands first, they'll get warm in a bit. This stove is really good."

After greeting him, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, gave it to Lin Weidong, and then pulled over two wooden chairs next to the square table.

The two brothers leaned closer, lit a cigarette with a match, and sat around the stove, looking rather content.

Lin Weidong spat out a mouthful of tobacco, unaccustomed to it, and listened as Lin Weiguo recounted the past in a disjointed manner.

Through his words, and through mutual corroboration with the original body's memories.

Lin Weidong, on the other hand, had a much clearer understanding of the Lin family, especially Lin's father and Lin Weiguo.