Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 308 Rescue List

After dinner, Lin Yan summoned Lin San to his study. The dim light from the desk lamp cast a halo around the mahogany table. He took a kraft paper envelope from the drawer and pushed it to the edge of the table.

"Lin San," he tapped the envelope lightly with his fingertip, "there's a list inside. Tell the brothers to keep a close eye on things these next few years."

He looked up into the thick darkness of the night: "When this storm really starts to blow, have them contact the people on the list. If they're willing to leave, bring them out along with their families—send them to Hong Kong."

"Young Master, why didn't you pick them up before the wind picked up?" Lin San asked in confusion.

"Lin San, I'll say it again: you can't teach someone by just talking; you can learn it from experience!"

"If you let them go with you now, they'll think you're crazy, a spy! But when their homes are ransacked, they're criticized and denounced, and their families are implicated, they'll naturally understand that we just want to protect them!"

Lin San returned to his bedroom and carefully unfolded the list in the envelope. Under the dim light, more than three hundred names filled several pages of paper, each name clearly marked with its identity and expertise.

His gaze swept across the pages, many of the names resounding: jurist Qiu Xinglong, mathematicians Chen Jingrun, Xiong Qinglai, and Chen Jiangong, physicists Shu Xingbei and Lu Hefu, long-range rocket expert Liang Sili...

His fingers gently traced the names that shone brightly in academia, finally settling on the names of several medical giants. Lin San's lips twitched slightly as he gently placed the list on the table and gazed out the window at the deep night.

"Young Master is..." he murmured to himself, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment, "...taking away half of China's cultural heritage... Ha! Well, it's better to let them shine for you than let them kill you!"

For the next few days, Lin Yan stayed home and did nothing.

He leaned against the daybed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest. Basketball, a sport he had long since mastered, had become utterly boring. Now, his little bit of "collecting obsession" and "not feeling satisfied until it's perfect" had turned to a new area.

"Charles," he summoned the old butler in his mind.

"Young master, what are your orders?"

"Go to Fifth Avenue and pick out the best Steinway grand piano, and then find a violin with excellent tone." He paused, then added, "In addition, buy a complete set of all the sheet music and systematic teaching materials for piano and violin etudes, sonatas, and concertos that can be found on the market, whether they are beginner or advanced, and store them in the space warehouse."

Charles bowed slightly, without any questioning: "Understood, young master. I will have the best trainer accompany you."

That night, a Steinway grand piano and an expensive violin appeared in a corner of the space warehouse, next to which were neatly stacked sheet music and books covering almost all the classic tutorials in Western music history.

Three years passed quietly in the space, accompanied by the continuous tinkling of the piano.

When Lin Yan finally pushed open the door to the main room, the cool touch of the ivory piano keys still lingered on his fingertips. From the most basic Beyer to the complex Chopin etudes and concertos, he had conquered all those mountains of sheet music, turning them into muscle memory.

He lay on the deck chair in the courtyard for two days, letting his mind wander. His consciousness swept over the violin case, and the violin inside remained silent as ever.

So be it.

Let's wait a while before using it again. After all, anyone who hears the sound of their subordinates sawing wood for three years in a row would want to lay low for a while. Well, he would never admit that he lacks a little talent in this area!

Lin Yangang flashed out of the space and stepped into the north room of the courtyard. He immediately saw Xiao Qi comfortably nestled on the soft cushion of the daybed, its two front paws holding a large piece of jerky and munching on it with relish.

His gaze swept downwards, and on the satin cushion, there were several dark smudges of saliva, along with obvious oil stains.

Lin Yan clenched his teeth instantly, pointing at the mat: "Xiao Qi! Who gave you permission to eat jerky here?! Look at this mat, is it even usable?!"

Startled by his sudden increase in volume, Xiaoqi blinked its large amber eyes and reacted with lightning speed—it snatched the remaining jerky in its mouth, jumped off the daybed with a "whoosh," and darted towards the kitchen without looking back, its fluffy little tail whipping in the air as it ran so fast.

"……Oh!"

Lin Yan watched its back as it headed straight for the "refuge" without hesitation, and his anger was completely suppressed by the skillful operation. He couldn't help but laugh in anger.

"You've really grown up, now you know to run to the kitchen, seeking refuge with your sister Yuling, haven't you?"

Wang Yuling poked her head out of the kitchen, holding a spatula, and said with a smile, wearing an apron, "Young Master, please don't be angry. Xiao Qi is just very fond of you. I'll take the mat apart and wash it this afternoon; I guarantee it'll be back to normal."

Lin Gang, who was pruning potted plants in the yard, chimed in with his憨厚 (honest and simple) voice, "Xiao Qi has been so well-behaved lately; she even helped me fetch the water bottle yesterday."

Lin Yan watched the two of them, one speaking and the other echoing the other, then glanced at Xiao Qi, peeking out from behind Wang Yuling's skirt, the little guy's shiny nose still smeared with bits of meat. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "You two just keep spoiling it! This room is practically its kitchen."

At the opportune moment, Xiao Qi let out a "woof," and its fluffy tail swept triumphantly across the threshold.

The next day, after breakfast, Xiao Qi kept tugging at Lin Yan's suit trouser leg, making whimpering noises. Unable to resist its clinginess, Lin Yan had no choice but to put on his coat and scoop the little guy into his arms: "Making a fuss so early in the morning, where do you want to go?"

The white fluffy ball immediately stood up, its front paws pawing at his chest: "Brother! Let's go play on the ice! The one where it spins!"

Lin Yan was amused by its impatient appearance and probed out the window with his divine sense: "Let me see... Shichahai is too crowded, but Houhai is frozen solid." He lowered his head and rubbed Xiao Qi's cool nose, "But if you pull any more loose threads out of my coat, you'll be punished by eating boiled cabbage tonight."

Little Seven immediately tucked its paws into its fur, but its tail happily swept across his chin.

Lin Yan asked Lin Gang to go to the other side of the courtyard to get the car, and to bring along a fishing rod, a small stool, and a bucket. He glanced down at Xiao Qi, who was pawing at his chest with its paws, and said, "Today we're taking this little tyrant to Houhai for a spin."

The car stopped at a nearby street corner. The ice surface of Houhai Lake shimmered like crushed diamonds under the sunlight, and many citizens were already playing on the ice. Under the cover of the car, Lin Yan took out a bright red cotton-padded jacket from his spatial storage and dressed Xiao Qi in it. The bright color made the puppy's amber eyes shine even brighter.

Little Qi wasn't really good at ice skating; once on the ice, she could only paw at it and slide around in circles, whimpering anxiously. Seeing this, Lin Yan stopped a little boy who was skating by, took a beautifully wrapped chocolate from his coat pocket, bent down, and handed it to him with a smile: "Little friend, can you do me a favor? Let's play for a while?"

The child was stunned by his sharp suit and overcoat, and then glanced at the foreign candy he had never seen before in his hand. Suddenly, he turned and slid away into the distance, and soon came back with a middle-aged man wearing a cotton hat.

"Comrade, what's this...?" The man looked at the two strange men, dressed in suits and ties and even wearing red cotton-padded jackets for their dog, with suspicion. His gaze lingered on the watch that was faintly visible on Lin Yan's wrist.

Lin Yan handed over the chocolate, his smile gentle: "Don't misunderstand, my little guy wants to learn to ice skate." He pointed to Xiao Qi, who was trying to chase ice shards by scratching at the ice. "Let the kids take it out to skate."

Lin Yan called out towards the other side of the ice, "Xiao Qi, come here!"

The little white dumpling, which was chasing after the ice shards and having a blast, immediately stopped and ran back, its bright red cotton-padded jacket making it look like a lucky dumpling.

"Say hello to Uncle and Big Brother." Lin Yan gently patted Xiao Qi's head.

The little guy nimbly circled around Da Mao and his son, then affectionately rubbed against Da Mao's cotton trouser leg, tilted his head back, and let out a soft "woof".

Da Mao's father immediately beamed with joy, squatted down, and tentatively patted Xiao Qi's head: "This dog is so intelligent!" He turned to Lin Yan and said, "Young comrade, don't worry, I'll take the children to play with it."

The little boy boldly leaned over, carefully tore the chocolate in his hand in half, and offered the larger piece to Xiaoqi's mouth: "Here, have some!"

Seeing this, Lin Yan chuckled, "It doesn't eat chocolate, you guys have it." He then pulled out a handful of toffee from his coat pocket and distributed it to the children who had gathered around, "Thank you all for looking after our little Qi."

The children cheered as they received the candy and quickly took Xiaoqi to play on the ice. Da Mao's father skated up to Lin Yan and remarked, "You've raised such a spirited dog; it's more well-behaved than some children."

Lin Gang, who was chiseling an ice hole not far away, looked up and smiled upon hearing this, saying, "Our Xiao Qi is indeed smarter than many children."

Soon, the ice cave was finished, and Lin Yan and Lin Gang each took a fishing rod and sat down on the ice. The low stool forced his long legs to be cramped. Just as he got up to stretch his limbs, a strong voice came from behind him:

"Sir, you're probably not Chinese, are you?"

He turned around and saw an old man wearing an old officer's overcoat standing on the ice, his eyes sharp!