Chapter 93 People in the Courtyard
The setting sun cast its last rays of light, the sky gradually darkened, and it turned blue.

Chen Mo and the other two walked to the entrance of the village.

"Hey, there seems to be a small shop up ahead. Let's see if they have slippers. If they do, I can come down and walk." Xu Hongdou said on Chen Mo's back.

"I can just carry you back on my back." Chen Mo said.

"You're too tired."

"It's okay. Don't you know whether I have good physical strength or not?" Chen Mo hinted at something.

Xu Hongdou didn't know what she was thinking about. Her pretty face turned red and she whispered in Chen Mo's ear: "You're going to die. Nanxing is right next to you. Don't keep saying these things."

"What did you say?" Chen Mo pretended to be confused. "Didn't I just say that I exercise regularly? You know that."

Xu Hongdou saw a smile on Chen Mo's lips, and she knew that Chen Mo was playing dumb, so she bit Chen Mo's shoulder lightly.

"Oh, if you want to reward me, just go back and talk about it. You're having a very bad influence." Chen Mo smiled.

Hearing this, Xu Hongdou twisted Chen Mo's ear again, this time using more force, "Then I'll reward you well again."

Chen Nanxing, who was standing aside, said helplessly: "Gentlemen, I am not deaf or blind, could you please consider my feelings?"

Xu Hongdou smiled sheepishly. The sweet and sour taste of love sometimes brews and emits involuntarily.

Approaching the store, Chen Mo put Xu Hongdou down and asked her to sit on the long wooden bench at the entrance of the store first.

"Hello, boss, do you have slippers?" Chen Mo asked when he entered the store.

Behind the counter, a short-haired girl pointed with her finger, "Yes, it's on the shelf over there."

Chen Mo walked over and picked out a pair, but there weren't many styles.

"Try it and see if it's the right size." Chen Mo handed it to Xu Hongdou at the door.

Xu Hongdou tried it on and said, "Yeah, it fits perfectly."

"Boss, I have this pair. How much is it?"

"Twenty-five dollars."

Chen Mo scanned the code to pay, then squatted down to help Xu Hongdou tear off the label of her shoes.

"Let's go find something to eat."

"Ah."

The three of them wandered around for a while, found a barbecue stand, and ordered some food.

"There aren't many restaurants in the village. I don't think there's even any midnight snacks."

Chen Mo looked at the village which had already darkened. Instead of the bright lights of a big city, there were only a few dim street lights.

The pace of life in the village is slow and it is very quiet at night, with the sound of cicadas and occasional barking of dogs.

Although it's not to the point of resting at sunset, there's obviously not a lot of nightlife entertainment.

"Boss, what time does your stall close?" Chen Mo asked the owner of the barbecue stall.

"I open my stall around 6 o'clock and close at around 12 o'clock at night," said the owner Yang Guanjun.

Chen Mo nodded, "Yes, even the barbecue stall is open so early."

"Then we have to prepare some food in the refrigerator, otherwise we will get hungry in the middle of the night and have nothing to eat," said Xu Hongdou.

"I'm tired of eating takeout in the capital, but I didn't expect that there is no takeout now. I feel uncomfortable again." Chen Nanxing said with a smile.

"What we are tired of is the food in takeout, not the convenience of takeout itself." Xu Hongdou said after thinking for a while.

"That's right. After all, we always eat at the same few restaurants." Chen Nanxing nodded.

While the three were chatting, a man with a guitar on his back also came to the stall.

"Champion, help me grill some skewers and pack them up."

"Hey, Lao Hu, it's time to get off work."

"Yeah, business is good today."

"It's okay, it's passable." Yang Guanjun said with a smile.

Chen Nanxing, who was eating skewers, noticed this scene and said with a smile: "I didn't expect this place to be small, but there are so many handsome guys. I've seen the second one today."

"Ok?"

Hearing Chen Nanxing's words, Xu Hongdou, who had her back to the barbecue stall, turned around and looked in the direction Chen Nanxing was looking.

Chen Mo didn't turn around, but just asked, "Is he handsome?"

Xu Hongdou nodded, "Yes, it's okay."

Chen Mo asked again, "More handsome than me?"

Xu Hongdou reacted, smiled awkwardly, and then said seriously:
"How is this possible? You are the most handsome in my eyes."

"The most handsome ones are all in front of you, so why are you looking at anything else?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

Chen Nanxing, who was sitting opposite the two of them, tried to hold back his laughter.

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes and explained, "I just wanted to check for Nanxing. I'm worried that she would be deceived by such superficial appearance."

Chen Nanxing blinked innocently when she heard that. She just said there was a handsome guy, but she didn't say she liked him.

Xu Hongdou signaled with her eyes, you were the one who brought it up first, so you should take the blame.

"Are you still keeping watch for others? Then let me ask you a not-so-superficial question." Chen Mo said.

"You said."

"If three people confess their love."

“The first person said: I don’t like this world, I only like you.”

“The second person said: Because of you, I like this world.”

“The third person said: I like this world, but I like you more.”

"If it were you, what would you choose?"

Xu Hongdou thought about it seriously and said, "Third one."

"The first and second feelings are a bit pessimistic and tend to be extreme."

Chen Mo said calmly: "If it were you, you should tell them: I already have a boyfriend."

"Puchi~~" Chen Nanxing on the side couldn't help laughing out loud.

Xu Hongdou said in an aggrieved tone: "You can't do this. You know I can't think straight."

Hearing Xu Hongdou's disguised coquettish tone, Chen Mo smiled and rubbed Xu Hongdou's head, with doting love in his eyes.

After Chen Mo, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing finished their meal, they returned to Youfeng Courtyard.

As soon as he entered the door, Chen Mo saw three people sitting in the yard. Apart from Ma Qiushan who had been meditating during the day, the other two were a man and a woman he had never seen before.

Hearing the noise at the door, a man who was drinking beer looked back, stood up and greeted: "Hello, are you the new tenants?"

"Yes, hello." Chen Mo nodded with a smile.

"Hey, were you at the barbecue stall just now?" Chen Nanxing asked with a familiar look.

"Huh? Were you there just now?" The man was a little surprised, obviously he hadn't noticed it just now.

"Yes, we were eating there just now, and I saw you carrying a guitar." Chen Nanxing explained.

"Oh, that's a coincidence. Let me introduce myself. My name is Hu Youyu. You can just call me Lao Hu."

"Hello, my name is Chen Mo, and this is my girlfriend Xu Hongdou."

"My name is Chen Nanxing."

"I'm Nana." A girl with two pigtails also spoke.

"Xiaochun should have told you about me. If you have any questions, you can come to me. I live in room one."

"Hello, Nana."

"Let me introduce you again. This is Ma Qiushan, Master Ma." Hu Youyu said.

Ma Qiushan, who had been twisting the beads with his eyes closed, opened his eyes, raised one hand in front of his chest, and nodded to the three people. "I saw you during the day." Chen Nanxing smiled and nodded.

"Come, sit down and eat together." Hu Youyu called.

"No, no, we just finished eating."

"Then let's drink together, just as a welcome treat for you." Hu Youyu opened a can of beer and handed it over.

Seeing Hu Youyu was so enthusiastic, Chen Mo did not refuse and took it with a smile, "Thank you."

Hu Youyu handed another can to Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing. Since they were other people's girlfriends, he could no longer be so enthusiastic in helping them open the can.

Xu Hongdou smiled and refused: "Thank you, I'm a little tired after playing all day today, so I won't drink for now."

Chen Nanxing also apologized: "I'm sorry, I'm too full and can't drink anymore."

At this time, Ma Qiushan opened his half-closed eyes and asked, "Would you like some tea, please?"

Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing were both a little surprised to hear Ma Qiushan speak.

After all, Machushan has always been "silent", acting like an "expert" who thinks the outside world has nothing to do with him.

I just heard Ma Qiushan talk about the health-preserving methods of drinking tea:
"Drinking a moderate amount of black tea at night, especially around the hour of Hai, can help the peristalsis of the intestines."

Upon hearing this, Chen Nanxing said in a literary manner: "Then I'd like to have a cup of tea."

Ma Qiushan smiled and nodded, then looked at Xu Hongdou.

Xu Hongdou thought for a moment and replied, "It would be disrespectful to refuse."

Ma Qiushan gestured for the two to sit down, then picked up the tea set on the table and started brewing some tea.

"Okay, then it's just the two of us who drink it." Hu Youyu looked at Chen Mo and shrugged.

"So you were the only one drinking just now?" Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh.

"There's nothing we can do. One of them doesn't eat after noon, and the other doesn't drink after noon." Hu Youyu shook his head and looked at the two people next to him.

"I have something to do tomorrow morning." Nana said.

Chen Nanxing counted them and asked, "Where is the other one? I see there is a light on in the room upstairs, right?"

"That's Damai. I called her just now, but she didn't want to come down." Hu Youyu said.

"Da Mai is writing a manuscript, and she doesn't like to join in the fun." Nana helped explain.

Chen Nanxing nodded when he heard this. The last person was probably really socially anxious.

However, I now know all the tenants of the courtyard.

The few people had just met and just sat for a while, chatting a little, getting to know each other, and then went back to their rooms.

Silent all night.

The sun rises and the rooster crows at dawn.

After being tortured by mosquitoes all night, Chen Mo couldn't sleep anymore and decided to get up.

Looking at Xu Hongdou, who was also disturbed by mosquitoes and couldn't sleep well, Chen Mo said softly: "I'm going to go for a run, and I'll come back to buy breakfast for you later."

"Yeah." Xu Hongdou responded in a daze, not knowing whether he heard it or not.

Chen Mo smiled, kissed Xu Hongdou lightly on the forehead, then got up, washed up and went out.

After sleeping for a while, Xu Hongdou scratched her arms which were covered with red mosquito bites and got up yawning.

Walking out of the room, Xu Hongdou closed her eyes and basked in the sunshine, listening to the clear chirping of birds. She stretched her waist and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and refreshing.

Plenty of sunshine makes people feel better throughout the day.

When she arrived in the yard, Xu Hongdou found someone in the kitchen and went up to greet him. "Hello, my name is Xu Hongdou, and I just came here yesterday."

Hearing Xu Hongdou's voice, the people in the kitchen were obviously a little embarrassed, but they still turned around and responded: "Hello, my name is Barley."

"Red beans and barley are both food." Xu Hongdou smiled, "You got up so early."

"I haven't slept yet." Barley said softly, "Well, I'll be done with the kitchen soon."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm not cooking, I'm just saying hello to you." Xu Hongdou waved her hand.

Barley looked at the rice noodles he was cooking, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"Well, I made too much. How about I serve you a bowl?"

Xu Hongdou quickly shook her head, "No, no, my boyfriend is out for a run and will bring breakfast when he comes back."

"Oh." Barley responded softly.

The kitchen fell silent again. The two of them were silent. The only sounds left were the burning fire and the boiling soup.

Xu Hongdou noticed that Da Mai was feeling a little uncomfortable with her watching, so she stood up while scratching her itchy arm, "Then I won't bother you for now."

Da Mai noticed Xu Hongdou's movements and asked, "Were you bitten by a mosquito?"

Xu Hongdou nodded. "Yes, there are a lot of mosquitoes here. I didn't pay attention to closing the window last night."

"I have some insecticide and medicated oil. I can give them to you later." said Barley.

Xu Hongdou was a little surprised to hear that, but she still smiled and said, "Oh, okay, thank you in advance."

"Need not."

After saying this, Da Mai stopped talking and just stared at the rice noodles in the pot.

Seeing this, Xu Hongdou smiled knowingly, did not disturb him anymore, and left quietly.

After Chen Mo came back, he sent a message to Xu Hongdou.

After a while, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing came out of the room.

Chen Mo watched the two of them coming down the same staircase and asked, "Why did you go to Nanxing's room?"

Xu Hongdou smiled sheepishly: "I wanted to wake Nanxing up, but I got sleepy and took a nap there."

"Are there no mosquitoes in Nanxing's room?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

"Yes, but my window is closed, so it's okay." Chen Nanxing said.

"I bought some insecticide. Let's spray it on everything later so we can have a good sleep tonight." Chen Mo couldn't help but yawn.

"You should sleep a little longer later." Xu Hongdou saw that Chen Mo was a little sleepy.

"Okay, let's have breakfast first." Chen Mo nodded.

After breakfast, the three decided to take a break in the morning and go out again in the afternoon.

When Chen Mo and Xu Hongdou returned to the room, they found a white bag hanging on the door.

"what is this?"

Chen Mo opened it and found insecticide, wind oil and a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude. There was a note on the book that said "Here's a book to help you pass the time."

Chen Mo looked at Xu Hongdou, somewhat confused.

"It should be Damai. She just said she would give me some insecticide and wind oil." Xu Hongdou said after thinking for a while.

"Big Barley?" Chen Mo thought for a moment, "Is it the girl we met yesterday when we first arrived?"

"Well, I just met her in the kitchen. She's not very good at dealing with people, but she's a very nice person." Xu Hongdou said with a smile.

"I can tell."

Looking at the things in the bag, Chen Mo nodded. He only bought insecticide and there was no medicated oil.

Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing took the insecticide and sprayed it in the room.

Then Chen Nanxing was in the lounge area on the first floor, editing the video he had shot yesterday.

Xu Hongdou and Chen Mo were in a small shed on the second-floor terrace. Xu Hongdou was reading One Hundred Years of Solitude that Da Mai had given her, while Chen Mo was resting his head on Xu Hongdou's thighs with his eyes lightly closed.

After a while, the book covered Chen Mo's face and Xu Hongdou fell asleep.

At some point, Master Ma also started another day of meditation under the tree in the yard. He still sat cross-legged, with his hands clasped on his knees, and smoke rose from the incense burner next to him.

The breeze blew, the leaves rustled, the wind chimes swayed gently, and the courtyard was peaceful and harmonious.

(End of this chapter)