Chapter 1

Du Fei frowned and stared at the calendar on the wall.

October 23, 1965, Saturday, Frost's Descent.

A cold wind whistled through the cracks in the window, and the kang (a traditional heated bed) beneath him was icy cold.

Having just arrived in this era, Du Fei's mind was a mess as he struggled to sort through the chaotic memories of his predecessor.

It took him a good ten minutes to regain his composure and understand his current situation.

The body he was in also belonged to someone named Du Fei, who was eighteen years old, had just graduated from high school, and lived in a large courtyard near Nanchizi Alley in the southern part of the capital. He had two rooms, totaling 40 square meters.

His mother had passed away early, and his father, a fifth-level caster at the Red Star Steel Plant, had died in a work accident three months ago.

The factory had given him a compensation fund and agreed to let him take over his father's position and work at the factory.

However, due to a serious illness, he had been delayed until now.

Du Fei rubbed his temples and looked around the room in the dim light.

The ceiling was covered with yellowed old newspapers, the walls were patchy, and the windows were not made of glass but of grayish window paper.

Below the window was a kang, and the bedding on it hadn't been washed in who knows how long, feeling hard and emitting a strange smell.

In the corner opposite the kang, there was a large wardrobe with a mirror, next to which were two low cabinets stacked with camphor wood boxes. There was also an eight-legged table and two official hat chairs, on which sat an old-fashioned winding clock and a set of white porcelain teapot and cups.

The furniture was old, and it was hard to tell what kind of wood it was made of, but in this era, it was considered quite good.

Du Fei stretched his neck, got up, and walked to the wardrobe.

The mirror on the wardrobe door reflected a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but his face was pale.

His hair was greasy and messy, and he hadn't washed it in days. His clothes were dirty and had several patches.

Du Fei rubbed his cheeks hard in front of the mirror.

The real sensation and pain confirmed to him that this was not a dream.

He had truly been reborn in 1965!

Du Fei's throat moved, and he swallowed, his stomach growling with a strong sense of hunger.

From last night until now, the original owner had been in a coma for a day, and it had been over ten hours since he had eaten or drunk anything.

He walked to the table, picked up the white porcelain teapot, and found it was about half full of water.

Just as he was about to pour himself a cup of water, his pupils suddenly contracted.

A grid-like space appeared in his mind, and he had a feeling that with a thought, he could put the teapot into this space.

In the next moment, the white porcelain teapot in his hand suddenly disappeared, and an identical one appeared in his personal space.

This space wasn't very large; with the teapot as a reference, it was probably about two square meters.

In the center of the space, a fist-sized white light ball was floating, and its purpose was unknown. When the teapot entered, the light ball trembled slightly and then remained still.

With another thought, the teapot returned to his hand.

Du Fei's face turned slightly red with excitement as he thought of countless ways to use this personal space, his breathing quickening, and his mouth becoming dry. He quickly poured a cup of water and drank it in one gulp.

After a few minutes, he calmed down and felt an even stronger sense of hunger.

Putting everything else aside, he decided to fill his stomach first.

Based on his memory, he went to the outer room, lifted the lid of the rice jar next to the stove, and looked inside.

At the bottom of the jar was a dry, shriveled cloth bag. He picked it up, and it weighed about four or five pounds, filled with cornmeal.

He grabbed a handful, and it felt rough, though it looked yellow and orange, it was far from the finely ground cornmeal of the future.

Du Fei frowned and decided not to cook himself. He turned back to the inner room and started rummaging through the cabinets.

Although the clothes were not good, the original owner's family was not poor.

The original owner's father, who had been promoted to a fifth-level caster two years ago, earned 48.5 yuan a month, which was more than enough to support the two of them. Over the years, they had saved about 400 yuan.

Adding the 500 yuan work injury compensation, Du Fei found nearly 1,000 yuan and several dozen various coupons in the inner compartment of the wardrobe, along with a white jade bracelet.

This was a huge sum of money!

A Forever 28加重 bicycle cost only 180 yuan, a Shanghai 160 radio cost 140 yuan, and with 2,000 yuan, one could buy a small courtyard house in the capital.

He put the money, coupons, and bracelet into his personal space and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, the space began to vibrate slightly!

The jade bracelet he had just put in emitted a layer of white light and was slowly drawn towards the floating light ball in the center of the space!

Du Fei exclaimed and quickly took the jade bracelet out to examine it.

Apart from being a bit dull, there was no other change.

However, the light ball in the space seemed to have grown a bit after absorbing the white light.

Du Fei pondered for a moment but still couldn't understand what was happening. His stomach growled even more, so he put the bracelet back.

As soon as he stepped out, a cold wind hit him, making him shiver. He turned back, closed the door, and walked towards the front courtyard.

This large courtyard was originally a three-section courtyard house. His home was in the back courtyard, and he had to pass through the middle and front courtyards to go out.

It was just past five, and it wasn't dark yet.

As soon as Du Fei stepped out, he met a fat man in a blue cotton jacket, who was walking with his hands behind his back, looking very self-important.

"Second Uncle, you're off work," Du Fei greeted him habitually, and a large chunk of new memories flooded his mind, making him frown.

He didn't stop, however, and walked through a moon gate into the middle courtyard.

The middle courtyard was the largest and had the most residents, making it the liveliest.

People were boiling water, cooking, and children were playing, creating a noisy scene.

Du Fei was frowning, trying to digest the new memories about the neighbors, when he suddenly saw a beautiful figure.

She was wearing a blue floral jacket with the sleeves rolled up, revealing two white, slender arms as she scrubbed clothes.

"Damn, isn't that the Qin widow?" Du Fei's mind was racing: "That Second Uncle just now... was Liu Haizhong."

He swallowed hard, his face turning black.

Reborn, and he ended up in a courtyard full of scandal.

At that moment, as if sensing Du Fei's gaze, Qin Huiru looked up.

Admitting it, regardless of her character, the beautiful widow was truly stunning! Without makeup, she outshone the internet celebrities of the future, and her figure was quite impressive, especially her almond-shaped eyes. The basin in front of her, filled with hot water, emitted a mist, and in the fog, her eyes sparkled with a thousand charms.

"Little Du, are you feeling better today?" Qin Huiru smiled, stopping her work and said warmly, "If you need any help, just tell Sister Qin, don't be shy."

"Thank you, Sister Qin."

Du Fei's lips twitched, and he hurriedly walked out of the middle courtyard.

Having just arrived, he didn't want to immediately confront the high-level绿茶 (green tea, a term for a manipulative and flirtatious woman) like the Qin widow.

"That boy, what are you busy with?"

Watching Du Fei's back, Qin Huiru gave a playful glare, then her eyes twinkled, and she smiled sweetly, seemingly thinking of something.

In the front courtyard, he greeted Third Uncle, who was fixing a bicycle, and finally left the courtyard.

Looking back, he saw the peeling red gate, the dilapidated door frame, and the noisy voices in the courtyard.

Du Fei suddenly smiled.

Silly Pillar, Xu Damao, the three uncles from the front, middle, and back courtyards, and that unruly Jia Zhangshi.

In this era without cell phones or the internet, where the courtyard was often in chaos, his future life was sure to be quite exciting.