Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 140 Frost descends on chrysanthemum petals, a kind face arrives in the old courtyard.

In Beijing after the Frost's Descent, the wind carried fine shards of ice, stinging like tiny knives against the face. The old chrysanthemum in the courtyard, which had just been in full bloom, was half-withered by last night's cold wind; a few golden petals lay on the edge of the public pond, frozen translucent by the morning dew. When Lin Chen returned from his morning exercise, he bumped into Liu Guangtian squatting beside the chrysanthemum bushes, sighing, a fallen flower head clutched in his hand.

"These flowers were fine just a few days ago, how did they wither overnight?" Liu Guangtian looked up and saw Lin Chen, his voice tinged with regret. Ever since the mutual aid group was established, he would go to the central courtyard every morning to check on this clump of chrysanthemums—they were planted by Aunt Yi herself in the spring, and she had even said with a smile that she would wait for the flowers to bloom to make chrysanthemum tea for everyone.

Just as Lin Chen was about to speak, Aunt Liu from the backyard stumbled out, wrapped in a patched cotton-padded coat, her hair disheveled, and her face streaked with tears: "Xiao Lin! Guangtian! Go check on Aunt Yi... she... she's not breathing!"

These words struck them like a ton of ice. Lin Chen dashed towards the backyard, Liu Guangtian close behind. Just as they turned into the backyard passageway, they saw that Aunt Yi's door was ajar, and they could hear Yan Bugui coughing rapidly inside. Pushing the door open, a faint smell of herbs wafted out. Aunt Yi lay on the earthen bed covered with a coarse cloth, her eyes closed, a faint smile on her face, as if she were simply asleep. Yan Bugui was squatting beside the bed, checking her breath with his finger, shaking his head gravely.

"When did you find her?" Lin Chen walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and reached out to touch Aunt Yi's wrist; it was icy cold. He remembered seeing Aunt Yi sewing shoe soles in the yard yesterday evening. At that time, she handed him the plum blossom insoles she had embroidered for Su Qing, saying that Su Qing should wear them to keep warm in the cold weather. How could she have stopped breathing overnight?

"I came to deliver hot water this morning, but no one answered after I called out a few times. When I opened the door, this is what I saw." Yan Bugui stood up, dusted off his hands, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "She's been saying she has chest tightness these past few days. I told her to go to the hospital, but she always says she'll wait until Lao Yi comes out so we can go together..." He choked up halfway through his sentence and couldn't continue. Since the mutual aid group was established, Yan Bugui has been delivering a kettle of hot water to Aunt Yi every morning. Over time, they've become much closer than before.

Liu Guangtian had already run off to call for help, and soon all the neighbors in the courtyard gathered around. Qin Huairu held Huaihua, who had just woken up, with Jia Dang beside her; both mother and daughter had red eyes. Sha Zhu was the last to arrive. He had just finished get off work at the military district guesthouse, carrying meat buns for the elderly in the courtyard. As soon as he entered and saw Aunt Yi on the kang (heated brick bed), the buns in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Auntie...why did you leave like this!" Sha Zhu rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grasped Aunt Yi's cold hand, and tears streamed down his face like broken beads. He had lost his mother at a young age, and Aunt Yi had always been very kind to him. When he used to deliver lunchboxes to the Jia family, Aunt Yi would always secretly slip him a piece of candy, saying, "Zhu Zi, don't deprive yourself." Later, he saw through Yi Zhonghai's scheming and had a falling out with the old couple, but whenever he encountered difficulties, Aunt Yi would still secretly help him—once when he had a fever and was bedridden, it was Aunt Yi who made ginger soup, brought it to his room, and stayed with him until he drank it before leaving.

Aunt Yi's hands were rough, her knuckles deformed from years of sewing shoe soles, but Sha Zhu remembered those hands patting his back countless times, giving him a warmth he'd never felt before. He recalled his last argument with Yi Zhonghai, saying, "I'll never set foot in your house again," and his heart ached as if pricked by needles. If he'd known it would turn out this way, even if he didn't forgive Yi Zhonghai, he should have visited Aunt Yi more often.

"Zhu Zi, please accept my condolences." Lin Chen patted Sha Zhu's shoulder and comforted him softly. He knew the guilt in Sha Zhu's heart, just like the mixed feelings he had when he learned of Yi Zhonghai's death. In this courtyard, hatred and scheming might make people hold grudges for a while, but those unintentional acts of warmth can always be etched into the softest part of the heart.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was exceptionally heavy. Aunt Liu covered Aunt Yi with a clean blue cloth shirt, a dowry from her youth that Aunt Yi had always cherished and kept hidden away at the bottom of her trunk. Qin Huairu asked Jia Dang to boil some water and gently wiped Aunt Yi's face and hands, her movements as tender as if she were caring for her own mother. "Auntie's life has been hard. She worried about Old Yi her whole life, and in the end, she didn't even live to see him come out," Qin Huairu sighed as she wiped, tears dripping onto Aunt Yi's sleeve, leaving a small damp patch.

Yan Bugui brought out an account book from home, but it wasn't the one he used to keep track of neighborly loans; it was a brand-new red notebook. He opened it, and inside were records of Aunt Yi's usual medications and expenses, all kept by everyone taking turns caring for her after the mutual aid group was established. "We need to give Aunt Yi a decent funeral," Yan Bugui said, placing the account book on the table and looking at everyone. "I have fifty yuan here, which Jie Cheng sends me every month; take it out and use it first."

"I have thirty yuan here!" Sha Zhu pulled a crumpled wad of bills from his pocket, some in whole bills and some in smaller denominations. "This is my salary for this month. I'll use it all to buy a coffin for Grandma!" He said, about to run out, but Lin Chen quickly grabbed him. "Don't rush. There needs to be a plan for a funeral. Let's discuss who will be responsible for buying things, who will contact the funeral home, and who will go to the prison to deliver a message to Grandpa Yi."

Everyone started discussing it animatedly. Liu Guangtian, being young and strong, volunteered to go to the funeral home to arrange transportation; Qin Huairu, being meticulous, was responsible for buying funeral clothes and mourning cloth from the fabric store; Yan Bugui, who knew a bit about social etiquette, was responsible for contacting the street office to get a certificate; Lin Chen and Sha Zhu went to the prison to deliver a message to Yi Zhonghai—no one wanted to go, but since Aunt Yi was gone, Yi Zhonghai had to know.

Before he left, Su Qing came to give Lin Chen a thick coat and slipped him fifty yuan: "Buy some good incense and paper money, don't let the old lady suffer." Looking at the busy neighbors in the courtyard, she said softly, "I took leave from work to stay and help look after Huaihua and Jiadang." Lin Chen nodded, took the coat, and put it on, feeling a warm glow in his heart. He knew that Su Qing had always understood him, understood his feelings for this courtyard.

The prison visiting room was cold; the walls and the table were gray. When Yi Zhonghai walked in, his hair was completely white and his back was hunched. He no longer possessed the imposing "moral sage" he once had in the courtyard house. He saw Lin Chen and Sha Zhu, paused for a moment, then his eyes dimmed, thinking that something had happened to his sentence.

"Uncle Yi, Auntie...she's gone." Lin Chen spoke carefully, trying to keep his voice calm. The enamel mug in Yi Zhonghai's hand clattered to the ground, spilling water everywhere. He abruptly looked up, his eyes bloodshot: "What did you say? Say it again!"

"The old lady passed away this morning, but she passed away peacefully." Sha Zhu took over, his voice trembling with suppressed sobs. "We came to tell you that we will give the old lady a dignified funeral. If you... want to see her off, we can try to apply to the prison."

Yi Zhonghai swayed, almost falling off his chair. He covered his face with his rough hands, his shoulders trembling violently, suppressed sobs leaking from between his fingers like the howl of a wounded beast. "It's all my fault...it's all my fault!" he choked out, "If I hadn't been greedy for that little bit of retirement money, hadn't schemed against Zhuzi, hadn't stolen those blueprints, how could Auntie have ended up like this! She's been with me her whole life, never enjoying a single day of happiness!"

Looking at the distraught old man before him, Lin Chen felt no pleasure, only endless sorrow. Yi Zhonghai had spent his entire life scheming for his retirement, but he only realized at the end that the best retirement is never about calculation, but about the companionship and genuine affection of those around you. Unfortunately, he understood this too late.

After some applications, the prison agreed to allow Yi Zhonghai to attend Aunt Yi's funeral accompanied by a guard, but only for an hour. On the way back, Sha Zhu remained silent the whole way. When they were almost at the courtyard house, he suddenly said, "Brother Lin, I always thought Uncle Yi was rotten, but seeing him like that now, I feel really bad."

"Everyone has two sides. It's true that he schemed against you, but it's also true that the old lady treated you well." Lin Chen patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder. "Let's give the old lady a proper funeral, as a way to give her an explanation and give Uncle Yi a chance to atone for his sins."

The mourning hall had been set up in the courtyard, right next to the stone table in the central courtyard. Liu Guangtian found a piece of black cloth and hung it on the wall, with the character "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") pasted on it. It was written by Yan Bugui with a brush, the strokes strong and powerful, yet carrying an undeniable weight of sorrow. Qin Huairu bought a funeral garment, a navy blue silk shirt. She and Aunt Liu helped Aunt Yi change into it, and she also styled her hair into a neat bun, inserting a silver hairpin—something Su Qing had specially asked Lin Chen to buy at the flea market, saying that Aunt Yi would definitely have liked it when she was young.

In the evening, the hearse arrived. As Aunt Yi's body was loaded onto the hearse, everyone in the courtyard wept. Although Aunt Yi wasn't a prominent figure and hadn't left behind much wealth, she was a kind and generous person throughout her life. Even when her husband was scheming against others, she never intentionally harmed anyone. Now that she was gone, everyone in the courtyard genuinely grieved for her.

The funeral was held the following morning. Yi Zhonghai arrived accompanied by two guards. He was wearing prison clothes, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were swollen and red like walnuts. He walked to the coffin of Aunt Yi, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed three times, leaving bloody marks on his forehead. "My dear wife, I'm so sorry! I've come to send you off!" He knelt before the coffin, crying his heart out. Everyone present couldn't help but shed tears.

Sha Zhu stood to the side, watching Yi Zhonghai's appearance, and secretly wiped away a tear. He remembered how Yi Zhonghai used to say he would take care of him in his old age. At the time, he only felt disgusted, but now, he suddenly felt that if Yi Zhonghai could be a good person after his release from prison, he might visit him occasionally. After all, before she passed away, Aunt Yi must have hoped that her husband could find a good home.

After the funeral, Yi Zhonghai was taken away by the guards. Before leaving, he held Lin Chen's hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Xiao Lin, I know I've wronged you and everyone in the compound. When I get out, I will definitely be a good person and make up for my past mistakes. If I have the chance, I want to guard Auntie's grave until the day I leave this world."

Lin Chen nodded: "Uncle Yi, if you reform yourself well, and if you encounter difficulties after you get out, the people in the courtyard will not abandon you." He knew that Yi Zhonghai was speaking from the heart. After experiencing all this, the old man had finally come to his senses.

After returning from sending off Aunt Yi's body, everyone in the courtyard was exhausted and slumped into their chairs. Yan Bugui poured everyone a cup of hot water and said, "Aunt Yi is gone, but our courtyard is still here, and so is our mutual aid group. From now on, we must help each other even more, so that Aunt Yi won't feel heartbroken in heaven."

"That's right!" Sha Zhu took a sip of hot water and said loudly, "From now on, if anyone is in trouble, I, Sha Zhu, will be the first to help! My tricycle will be the 'mutual aid vehicle' for the neighborhood, always available whenever needed!"

Liu Guangtian also said, "I told my dad that if he gets drunk and causes trouble again, I'll be the first to not let him off the hook! Our courtyard needs to be peaceful from now on, and we can't have any more conflicts like before."

Holding the locust blossoms, Qin Huai said gently, "I plan to expand the sewing shop and hire two more apprentices. If any of the women in the courtyard want to earn money by doing needlework, they can come here, and I will teach them for free." She now earns money with her own skills, living a stable and dignified life, and she also wants to help the other women in the courtyard live a better life.

Looking at the people before him, Lin Chen was deeply moved. Aunt Yi's passing was like a touchstone, revealing the kindness in the hearts of everyone in the courtyard. All the past conflicts and calculations became insignificant in the face of life and death, leaving only a deep sense of neighborly affection.

In the evening, Lin Chen and Su Qing went to pay their respects at Aunt Yi's grave. The grave was in a public cemetery; it was simple but very clean. Lin Chen placed a bunch of chrysanthemums in front of the grave. Su Qing had bought them specially, saying that chrysanthemums are cold-resistant, just like Aunt Yi's personality.

"Don't worry, Auntie, everyone in the courtyard is fine. We'll help each other out from now on," Su Qing said softly. "Once Grandpa Yi comes out, we'll take good care of him and won't let him be lonely."

Lin Chen stood to the side, looking at the words "Grandma Yi's Tomb" on the tombstone, and suddenly thought of the time when he was first reborn. At that time, his mind was filled with revenge and survival, and he never imagined that he would find so much warmth in this courtyard. He remembered the plum blossom insoles that Grandma Yi embroidered for Su Qing, the mutual aid charter that Yan Bugui stayed up all night to write, Sha Zhu's tricycle, Qin Huairu's millet porridge... These little acts of warmth had become his most precious treasure in this era.

A gentle breeze carried the distant sound of bells. Lin Chen, holding Su Qing's hand, turned and walked back. The setting sun cast long shadows of them on the leaf-strewn path. He knew that although Aunt Yi was gone, the warmth she left behind would remain in this courtyard, in everyone's heart. And this courtyard, because of this warmth, would become more and more like a real home.

When they returned to the courtyard house, the moon had already risen. Although the old chrysanthemums in the central courtyard had faded, several unnamed blades of grass in the corner beside the wall remained lush and green, radiating tenacious vitality. Sha Zhu was pushing his tricycle back, loaded with sweet potatoes he'd bought for everyone. Seeing Lin Chen and Su Qing, he called out with a smile, "Brother Lin, Sister Su Qing, come and eat some sweet potatoes! They're freshly baked and still warm!"

Lin Chen and Su Qing exchanged a smile and quickly walked over.