Nanluoguxiang

Zhao Dongchuan, with his satchel on his back, walked and began to organize the original owner's memories of his Hometown in Beijing.

The original owner's father, Zhao Zhengguo, was a Level 5 fitter at the Steel Rolling Mill, and his mother, Guo Ping, had fallen ill a few years prior, making it impossible for her to work normally. She had been recuperating at home for years, sometimes even bedridden when her condition was severe.

The original owner was an only child, raised with doting affection, which led him to become spoiled and delicate, incapable of even tying a chicken.

Furthermore, the original owner liked to fawn over the children from the big courtyards, but unfortunately, none of those courtyard scions were people he, a small fry, could associate with.

Naturally, every time he ended up with his warm face meeting a cold butt, spending money to get close to them, yet still not being welcomed.

It was fine when he was in school; he only played with them after classes. But after graduation, without a job, he started to hang out aimlessly with those people.

Unless he took over his father Zhao Zhengguo's shift, he could only wander around.

Not to mention his father was in his prime and far from retirement, his own skills weren't up to par. If he were to take over, he'd have to start as a junior apprentice, but a junior apprentice's wages couldn't support their family.

It's unclear whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, but just as his parents were troubled by this, the neighborhood committee informed their family that Zhao Dongchuan was to be sent to the countryside to join a production team and settle down. Although they found it a bit strange that an only child also had to be arranged, they didn't delve deeper.

It was late 1974, the last two years of the Great Decade, and by then, large numbers of unemployed youths had already been sent down. Zhao Dongchuan had merely caught the last train.

So, with a mix of helplessness and the frustration of 'hating iron for not becoming steel,' his parents sent away their only son, Zhao Dongchuan, to settle in Shuangshui Village, Yuanxi County.

Who would have thought that after Zhao Dongchuan was assigned to Shuangshui Village, he didn't adapt to rural life. Instead, he maintained his city airs, being lazy and gluttonous all day, not working or contributing.

Moreover, his self-care abilities were extremely poor, which ultimately led to the outcome of his body being invaded and occupied by the soul of the current Zhao Dongchuan.

In fact, the current Zhao Dongchuan himself hadn't figured out whether the original owner starved to death or was taken over by him.

He just muddled through and took over someone else's body.

However, since he occupied someone else's body, he naturally had to bear a karmic responsibility. That's why he rushed back from thousands of miles away during the Spring Festival, a universally celebrated holiday.

Zhao Dongchuan walked in the direction of his home from memory, while sifting through these memories.

“Oh, Little Zhao, Little Zhao, I've returned. You can rest assured, I will take good care of your parents!” Zhao Dongchuan muttered to himself.

………

After walking for about half an hour, Zhao Dongchuan arrived at Nanluoguxiang. Passing through several low, narrow hutongs and alleys, Zhao Dongchuan saw a small shop with people coming and going.

“Nanluoguxiang Supply and Marketing Cooperative?”

Zhao Dongchuan looked at the sign on the storefront, deep in thought.

The further he walked, the more inexplicably familiar it felt, not only because of the original owner's memories, but also partly because he seemed to have heard this name and seen these scenes in his original world.

He had a strange sense of familiarity.

“Nanluoguxiang House No. 95?” Before long, Zhao Dongchuan walked to the courtyard from the original owner's memories.

“This is the original owner's home? It can't be such a coincidence. No wonder I felt so familiar…”

Zhao Dongchuan was a bit bewildered; he only remembered where he was when he arrived here… this is where!

“Never mind, let's go inside and see!” Zhao Dongchuan mused silently.

“Hey, young man, who are you looking for?” A middle-aged man's voice came, interrupting Zhao Dongchuan's thoughts.

A chubby middle-aged man asked Zhao Dongchuan.

“Hello, I'm looking for Zhao Zhengguo. Do you know him?”

“Old Zhao? I know him. You're looking for him? What are you to him?” The man looked at Zhao Dongchuan, a puzzled expression on his face.

“You boy, you look a little familiar… Ah… You… You're Old Zhao's boy, Zhao Dongchuan?”

The chubby middle-aged man scrutinized him for a long time, then asked with some uncertainty.

Zhao Dongchuan nodded silently and said, “Yes, I am Zhao Dongchuan!”

Although he had some memory fragments of the original owner, he didn't recognize everyone, and he didn't know who the person in front of him was.

“I'm your Uncle Liu, don't you recognize me?” Seeing Zhao Dongchuan look at him with a hint of unfamiliarity, the man said with some surprise.

Zhao Dongchuan frowned. The original owner had very few impressions of this person. This person seemed to be called Liu Haizhong? He was also a worker at the Steel Rolling Mill.

Liu Haizhong? No way?

Is this Full House Courtyard?

Holy cow, you can meet these people everywhere…

It's just that the timeline seems a bit off…

“Uncle Liu, I took a family visit leave and specifically rushed back for the Spring Festival to see my parents. I won't chat with you anymore; I'm going home first!”

Zhao Dongchuan inwardly grumbled a bit, then spoke and stepped towards the courtyard.

“This kid, I haven't seen him in a year and he barely recognizes me!” Liu Haizhong muttered, watching Zhao Dongchuan's retreating back.

………

Zhao Dongchuan ignored him and walked on his own towards his home.

This was a four-courtyard siheyuan, home to many families. Their family lived in the west wing of the middle courtyard.

Walking and observing, seeing the strange yet familiar surroundings, it had that distinct flavor…

Isn't this the TV series “Full House Courtyard” that Zhao Dongchuan had watched in his original world?

But in the impression of the original work, there were no figures of those “beasts” at all.

Could it be that some memories were missed during the soul transfer?

“That's not right either, the timeline doesn't match?”

“Could it be that my appearance caused a disruption in this timeline? Or rather, is it simply quantum entanglement in different space-times?”

When in doubt, quantum mechanics!

Zhao Dongchuan shook his head, clearing these thoughts.

Regardless of whether it was or wasn't, those messy affairs had nothing to do with him, and he wasn't interested in playing mind games with those “beasts.”

He just wanted to go home and take good care of his parents.

People came and went in the courtyard, and seeing him, a stranger, enter, they were all a little surprised, not knowing whose child this was.

They were all silently observing him.

“Oh, who is this person? He looks unfamiliar!” A Second Aunt in the middle courtyard, washing clothes in a large wooden basin, watched him from afar and asked the women beside her.

“I do feel like I've seen this person somewhere!” A well-built, beautiful young woman glanced at Zhao Dongchuan's face, saying with uncertainty.

“Qin Huairu, you know quite a few pretty boys, don't you!” An older woman, hearing this, retorted sharply.

“Second Aunt, I just found him familiar, like I've seen him somewhere! I don't actually know him!” The woman named Qin Huairu quickly explained.

“Look, he's going towards the west wing!” A woman said, watching Zhao Dongchuan walk to a door in the west wing.

“That's Zhao Zhengguo's home!”

“Could this person be Zhao Zhengguo's foolish son who went to the countryside to settle as an educated youth?” Second Aunt murmured.

“He's just young and ignorant, not foolish!” Qin Huairu subtly countered Second Aunt.

Zhao Dongchuan naturally didn't pay attention to what they were saying. In fact, even from that distance, he could have heard if he truly wanted to.

It was just that most of the time he didn't want to listen to such gossip, so he deliberately controlled his hearing.

Zhao Dongchuan, a little excited, patted the gate that was becoming increasingly clear in his memory.