Settling into the Courtyard

The carriage passed through many streets and alleys before finally stopping before the imposing vermilion gates of the Su Family. The last time Lin Fan had entered to choose a courtyard, he had come in through the shop's back door. But this time he was in a carriage, so he could only enter through the Su Family's main gate. Under normal circumstances, everyone within the Su Family used the main gate as well.

Before the Su Family's main gate stood two stone lions, one on either side. The walls beside them were tall, with upturned eaves and soaring corners. Two Su Family guards stood at the entrance with long sabers at their waists, their postures straight and their auras far from ordinary. Lin Fan observed them carefully and found that both were Mid Skin Tempering Realm martial artists. Naturally, they were nothing compared to his Bone Tempering Realm cultivation, but among the people of the small town, they could still be considered dragons and phoenixes among men.

Seeing the carriage approach, the two saber-bearing Su Family guards of the Skin Tempering Realm immediately stepped forward. Lin Fan stopped the carriage, then slowly took the gleaming Golden Guest Token from his robes and showed it to them. When they saw the guest token reflecting golden light beneath the sun—

The guards' gazes instantly sharpened, and they hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Lord Guest! The young lady instructed us that if you arrived, we were to personally lead you to your courtyard."

Including Lin Fan, there were fewer than five guest retainers in the entire Su Residence who possessed a golden token. Every one of them was a guest retainer of immense importance to the Su Family. Even family members had to treat them courteously.

"Alright, then one of you can come along." Lin Fan leisurely drove the carriage into the residence, while one Su Residence guard swiftly followed behind.

After Lin Fan's carriage entered the estate, it traveled along the broad avenues of the Su Family compound paved with bluestone. The wheels pressed against the stone, producing crisp bursts of sound. Along the way, they passed a place resembling a leisure garden, its covered walkways twisting and winding, its courtyards lush with flowers and trees, and its artificial hills and ponds arranged in pleasing layers. Even the buildings were adorned with carved beams and painted rafters. In the distance, three or five people from the residence could be seen resting and chatting there.

Lin Ruoruo's eyes widened as she leaned against the rear carriage window, looking left and right with curiosity written all over her face. Along the way, Lin Fan occasionally chatted with the guard beside him. He deliberately slowed the carriage, allowing the guard to keep pace without difficulty.

The carriage stopped at Lin Fan's Courtyard No. 9527. Lin Fan got down, pushed open the courtyard gate, and saw two bedrooms and a small study within. The courtyard was quite spacious, covering at least two hundred square meters. In one corner, a decorative tree had been planted against the wall, leaving the place clean and secluded. The tree happened to block the latrine next door, clearly the result of deliberate design.

After Lin Fan entered his courtyard, the guard carefully explained, "Lord Guest, servants will deliver your and Miss Lin's daily meals and necessities on time. The Pill Pavilion is to the west; you may enter and leave freely with your token. As for any other needs, simply ring the large bronze bell hanging in the courtyard. Its sound can carry very far, and nearby patrolling servants will come to await your orders when they hear it." Having finished his instructions, the guard bowed and withdrew.

Only the brother and sister remained in the small courtyard. Lin Fan looked around and indeed found a large bronze bell hanging high in the courtyard, with a rope tied beneath it. It had to be said, the design was quite good.

Lin Ruoruo jumped down from the carriage and entered the courtyard, looking here and there. At last, she gazed at the flowers in a small flower bed in the courtyard, a faint smile blooming across her face. "Brother, it's so pretty here." Lin Fan stepped forward and patted her head. "From now on, we'll settle down here. Sometimes I'll go to the Su Family's Pill Pavilion to refine medicine, but the rest of the time, I'll stay in this courtyard with you, Ruo Ruo."

Just then, light footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.

Su Qingwei approached in a long dress, a faint smile in her eyes. Several Su Family servants followed beside her, carrying clothes, bedding, pots, bowls, and other daily necessities.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Su Qingwei entered in an emerald-green gauze dress. "Young Master Lin, after I finished work today, I thought that since you had only just arrived, you likely had not prepared all your daily necessities. So Qingwei brought some new supplies from the residence for you. Young Master Lin, are these to your satisfaction?"

Watching the young woman approach with graceful steps, Lin Fan realized that this was the first time he had seen Su Qingwei anywhere other than the Su Family Shop. He had originally planned to settle his sister here first, then return the carriage and buy some necessities along the way. He had not expected Su Qingwei to be so considerate.

Lin Fan hurriedly cupped his hands in salute. His gaze swept over the brand-new items held by the servants, and warmth rose in his heart. "I must trouble Miss Su to worry over us. My sister and I arrived in haste, and we truly did not bring all these things. Lin Fan will remember Miss Su's kindness."

Lin Ruoruo hid behind Lin Fan, poking out half her little face as she timidly looked at the beautiful Su Qingwei. Her small hand quietly clenched Lin Fan's sleeve. Seeing a stranger, a child could not help but feel somewhat reserved.

Su Qingwei's gaze softened as it fell upon Lin Ruoruo, and the smile on her face deepened. She crouched slightly and said gently, "You must be Miss Lin. There's no need to be nervous. From now on, just treat this place as your own home. My name is Su Qingwei, and I'm your brother Lin Fan's friend."

With that, she raised her hand and gestured to the servants behind her. "Take everything inside and arrange it carefully."

"Yes." The Su Family servants answered and carried the clothes and household items into the two bedrooms in a file, gently placing each item in its proper place.

After the Su Family servants had arranged the items in the rooms, Lin Ruoruo chatted with Su Qingwei for a few more moments before seeing Su Qingwei and the servants off.

The small courtyard became quiet again. Lin Ruoruo stepped out from behind Lin Fan, looked at the brand-new bedding, clothes, and various items in the rooms, then ran to Lin Fan's side and whispered, "Brother, the Su Family people are so good to us."

Lin Fan raised a hand and rubbed her hair, his tone turning slightly serious. "There are many people in this residence, and it's a mixed bag. With so many people, human hearts are hard to fathom. You're still young, Ruo Ruo. It's fine to play in our courtyard from now on, but you must never wander off alone. If you want to go anywhere, you have to tell me first thing, understand?"

"Mm, I'll remember, Brother!" Lin Ruoruo obediently agreed, then excitedly ran into the room. She reached out to touch the soft new bedding, then flipped through the neatly folded dresses, her eyes filled with wonder.

Lin Fan stood alone in the courtyard, lifting his eyes toward the scattered pavilions and towers deep within the Su Family Estate. It felt as though he had returned to the home of his former self in the Capital City.

Now that they had moved into the Su Family, their small courtyard had two main rooms. He and his sister could each have one. As for Mao Mao, the Golden Rat, he could settle it in the small study and give it a room of its own. They would no longer have to crowd together as they had in the thatched hut of Small Mountain Village.

In the end, Lin Fan still decided not to release the Golden Rat. First, he had raised it for quite some time and had developed a measure of affection for it. Now, through the Beast Taming Art, he could already communicate simply with Mao Mao. Second, once he reached the Bright Force Realm in the future, he could use Inner Qi to elevate Mao Mao into a demon beast. Its intelligence would be much higher then. It could guard the courtyard or protect his sister in ordinary times.

The carriage had also been taken away by Su Qingwei, who had just arrived. After Lin Fan gave her the rental address and the shop's name, a Su Family servant led the carriage away to return it for him.

Looking at the sky, it was already late, and night was gradually spreading its curtain over the land. It was evening already. He could deal with the Pill Pavilion tomorrow. With nothing else to do, Lin Fan activated the thousandfold cultivation effect in the courtyard once more and began cultivating.

Not long afterward, a knock sounded at the gate. Before Lin Fan could move, his sister Lin Ruoruo darted out from the side and reached out to open the courtyard gate.

Outside stood a servant carrying two large food boxes. "My lord, this is today's dinner. Please enjoy." Lin Fan stepped forward to take the two food boxes and thanked him. "Thank you."

Though, according to the memories of his former self, there seemed to be no need to offer thanks, Lin Fan, who had received an excellent education on Blue Star, was still accustomed to saying thank you.