Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

"Old Xu, are you asleep? That deaf old lady needs your help. She asked me to call you, so go and see her."

Xu Fugui recognized the voice as his neighbor's, responded, got out of bed, and reached down to look for his shoes on the floor.

"What does that old deaf man want from you?" Xu Fugui's wife asked with a look of disgust.

At the far end of the bed, Xu Damao was busy hanging the bed curtains. He poked his head out and advised, "It's definitely nothing good. Our family has nothing to do with that old lady. Dad, why should you interfere?"

"I'm just going to take a look, it's just a neighborly visit," Xu Fugui explained casually, stepping out the door in his heels.

He guessed it was related to Yi Zhonghai, and he could just push it away. This old lady seemed to have some connection to him, so he decided not to offend her if possible.

He made up his mind, and as a result, he went quickly and returned quickly.

With a gloomy face, he sat at the table, puffing away on his cigarette. He didn't answer when his family asked him anything, silently calculating.

He waited until late at night, estimating that He Daqing would return, before going to the He family's house.

Before entering the He family's house, Xu Fugui glanced towards the side courtyard, thinking to himself, "Better to die than to die like my friend!"

……

In the main bedroom of the courtyard, the oil lamp was not lit, but Lin Weidong's eyes lit up.

The module for the glorious era has finally finished loading.

[The Glorious Era storyline module has been successfully integrated; integration rewards are now available.]

[1. Congratulations, host, you have acquired the skill: Fixed-point teleportation; Items: Imposter Mask; 10 large and 10 small yellow croakers; 365 pills of the Complete Tonic Pill]

[2. Successfully interacting with story characters Bai Ling and Hao Pingchuan will reward you with 2 Beginner Clone Users]

[3. The Glorious Era sign-in function is now available. Signing in daily will earn you corresponding resources, and there is a certain chance to receive special rewards.]

[Note: Fixed-point teleportation: Instant teleportation to a fixed point based on the existing coordinates of the clone (can land within a radius of 100 meters)]

The Mask of the Imposter: Appearance reflects the heart; with a single thought, wearing it can alter one's physical appearance (compatible with corresponding identification documents).

Good heavens! Lin Weidong exclaimed inwardly! He immediately sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

His clones can be deployed at will!

If fixed-point teleportation is added, wouldn't the imposter mask allow them to go wherever they want?

Lin Weidong immediately turned his gaze to a certain spot, a sense of curiosity rising within him.

But in the blink of an eye, he rejected the idea in his mind. It wasn't worth it to waste a clone just to pay homage to the existence of a great being! It's not like we've never had a chance to see one before; it's only been a few years!

Not to mention his ghostly movements; if he startles anyone, wouldn't he become a sinner for all time?

Suppressing his mischievous thoughts, Lin Weidong turned his attention to No. 13 Suoyi Hutong.

The next moment, the stars shifted.

Lin Weidong appeared in courtyard number 13.

In the main bedroom, Tian Zao, who has been staying up late these past few days, was lying in bed, examining a booklet with a flashlight.

The booklet was full of absurd pictures and explicit descriptions, which made her blush and her legs tense.

A thought popped into my head: Chunxi isn't reliable either!

This is hardly a strategy for defending against enemies! It's practically adding fuel to the fire and aiding and abetting evil!

If she actually went to school according to the booklet, wouldn't Lin Weidong be ecstatic?

"Zao'er! Open the door!"

The sudden knocking startled Tian Zao, who quickly covered her head with her hand.

When she came to her senses, she realized it was Lin Weidong's voice, and hurriedly stuffed the booklet under her pillow.

The door opened, and under Lin Weidong's eyesight, which made the night seem like day, Tian Zao's blush and fine beads of sweat were clearly visible.

Add to that her flustered greeting and the "shy" status message in her status bar.

Something was off about him from head to toe.

If it weren't for the fact that the goodwill had already been fully established, Lin Weidong would have suspected that he had been cheated on!

Lin Weidong hung up the coat he had just put on outside the courtyard and pulled Tian Zao into his arms.

"Tell me honestly, what were you doing just now? Were you mining?"

"what?"

Tian Zao's mind was filled with lewd thoughts, and she couldn't keep up with Lin Weidong's conversation at all.

Lin Weidong then gave a mischievous smile and described it to her in detail.

Tian Zao immediately compared the image in her mind to the picture, and her whole body turned red!

Lin Weidong could hardly contain himself at that half-shy, half-angry look.

……

After the absurdity, Lin Weidong, with a flashlight in hand, forced Tian Zao to study the small picture book with him.

He flipped through the pages one by one, explaining his insights and outlining the experimental projects for the next few days.

Tian Zao covered her face, her heart and eyes filled with helplessness.

She knew it! This thing was useless; it would only excite Lin Weidong more.

Lin Weidong was unhappy with her avoidance, so he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Have some sense of propriety! These are cultural treasures! Can't you at least show some respect?"

Tian Zao didn't look at it; she just kept asking for leave.

"The boss? Is he alright? Wei Dong? Comrade Lin Wei Dong? Brother Wei Dong~"

"hiss!"

"Ah! I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't shout anymore!"

After another round, Tian Zao was exhausted and needed several minutes to recover.

Then, disregarding the exposed skin, she sat up and faced Lin Weidong again, asking for leave.

When Lin Weidong asked her if she was comfortable, Tian Zao was no longer shy and nodded frankly, but then she changed the subject and told him about her difficulties.

"I'm very comfortable, but precisely because I'm comfortable, I can't muster the energy to do anything else. Every day when I wake up, all I do is eat and think about you. But you're the one who's busy with everything at home, and I can't help with anything. I don't even need to do small things like cooking or washing clothes. I feel so anxious and useless..."

Having grown accustomed to a life of hardship, Tian Zao felt more unease than happiness at being suddenly taken in by Lin Weidong.

For the first time, Tian Zao opened up to Lin Weidong, and tears streamed down her face, but she still stubbornly finished speaking.

"I... I was thinking that even though I can't help you right now, at least I can learn something, keep up with your thoughts, understand what's bothering you, and comprehend what you're saying. But for several days in a row, I haven't been able to concentrate on going to school..."

At this point, Tian Zao couldn't help but bury her face in Lin Weidong's chest and weep bitterly.

Every day, she would sleep until the sun was high in the sky, then think about Lin Weidong for a while, and the whole day would pass by without her doing anything.

She didn't know how Lin Weidong could have the mind to work and take care of everything inside and outside the office; she just couldn't do it.

These days made her sink deeper and more afraid. She was afraid that one day her beauty would fade or Lin Weidong would get tired of her, and she would lose everything.

She'd seen this kind of thing far too many times since she was a child!

She didn't want to force Lin Weidong to give her any guarantees; she just wanted to do something valuable and meaningful for Lin Weidong and for this family through her own efforts.

She has witnessed the coldness and indifference of human relationships and understands what kind of people are valued and relied upon.

She wasn't qualified before, but now the country has given her, a local resident, the opportunity to learn.

She wanted to seize this opportunity to study hard, and even if she couldn't become Lin Weidong's support, she would try her best to keep up with him.

Time passed with the ticking of the clock in the main room, and the system's forced sign-in notification pulled Lin Weidong back from his reverie.

Lin Weidong slowly pulled himself out of Tian Zao's embrace, covered himself with the quilt, turned around, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and lit a cigarette.