Morning came slowly, creeping into the courtyard like a shy guest. Thin streaks of sunlight spilled across the cracked stones, lighting up the faded red doorways one by one.
Lin Wei hadn't slept.
He sat beneath the apricot tree, back against the trunk, the lantern Liu Fang had given him swaying above his head with the early breeze.
Today felt different.Heavier.As if heaven itself were waiting for him to move.
The Courtyard's Awakening
The neighbors emerged from their homes, yawning, stretching, rubbing sleep from their eyes.
Then they saw him.
Silent.Still.Eyes unfocused, lost somewhere deep within.
Auntie Zhang approached first, holding a bowl of warm millet porridge.
"You haven't eaten, have you?" she sniffed. "Your face is too pale."
Lin Wei forced a small smile."Thank you, Auntie."
But she didn't hand the bowl over immediately.Instead, she studied him carefully.
"Don't choose out of guilt," she murmured."You're not responsible for our comfort."
Then she pressed the bowl into his hands and walked away.
One by one, the other neighbors passed by—offering small nods, supportive smiles, awkward goodwill.
They weren't forcing him anymore.They weren't begging.
They were just… waiting.Hoping.
Liu Fang lingered longer than the others. She didn't speak.She simply looked at him as though memorizing his face.
And Lin Wei felt the world tighten around his chest.
The System Breaks Its Silence
As the sun climbed higher, the system finally spoke.
[Decision Threshold Approaching][Hard work shapes all paths.But heaven will not choose for you.Only you can decide what you will become.]
It wasn't a command.Nor a warning.
It was a reminder.
Lin Wei exhaled slowly.
A Visit to the Apricot Tree
He rose and placed his hand against the ancient apricot tree. Its bark was rough beneath his palm, yet warm from the sun.
He remembered the countless nights he had trained here—sawing wood, repairing tools, studying blueprints.He remembered collapsing here after saving the main hall.He remembered Liu Fang hanging the lantern for him with trembling hands.
Every memory was rooted here, into the soil.
If he left… would those roots tear?
Or would they carry him forward?
He didn't know.
But he wanted to find out.
An Unexpected Mentor
Footsteps approached from the gate.
Lin Wei turned—and froze.
A tall old man stood there, wearing a faded engineer's coat with ink stains on the sleeves. His hair was grey, but his eyes were sharp and bright as polished glass.
Old Madam Chen gasped.
"Professor Han?!"
Neighbors murmured in awe.Even Uncle Luo nearly dropped his cigarette.
Professor Han—the retired city engineer known for repairing half the district's historic buildings decades ago. A legend.
He approached Lin Wei with slow, steady steps.
"You're the boy everyone is talking about," he said, voice deep and warm.
Lin Wei bowed instinctively. "Sir, I—"
Professor Han raised a hand.
"No need for formalities. I came to see with my own eyes."
He walked to the nearest wall and ran his fingers along the mortar line.
"Clean reinforcement."He examined a roof beam."Accurate replacement."He touched the repaired gate."Efficient craftsmanship."
Then he turned, stare piercing.
"Who taught you?"
Lin Wei swallowed."…I learned myself."
Professor Han studied him a long moment.
Then he smiled.
"Then you are the type of person the city needs."
The neighbors visibly tensed, unable to hide their reactions.
"But," the professor continued, "you also have the heart of someone who belongs deeply to this courtyard."
Lin Wei felt his pulse quicken.
Professor Han gestured for him to follow.
"Walk with me."
The Walk That Changed Everything
They stepped outside the courtyard and wandered down the alley. The morning bustle filled the streets—vendors shouting, bicycles clattering, steam rising from breakfast stalls.
"I grew up in a siheyuan," the professor said. "Similar to yours. Same noisy neighbors. Same cracked beams. Same warmth."
Lin Wei listened quietly.
"One day I left," Professor Han continued. "For school. For work. For challenges that frightened me."
He paused at the corner of a street where construction workers were hammering boards.
"And I returned years later. Stronger. Capable. Able to protect my old home better than I ever could have if I'd stayed."
Lin Wei's breath caught.
The professor looked at him firmly.
"Leaving doesn't mean abandoning.""Growing doesn't mean forgetting.""Sometimes the best way to protect your roots… is to grow taller than the courtyard walls."
They stared at each other.
And for the first time, Lin Wei understood.
The Decision
They returned to the siheyuan.
The courtyard was silent—everyone pretending not to hover at their doors.
Professor Han nodded at Lin Wei.
"I will ask once. And only once."
His voice carried through the courtyard.
"Lin Wei, will you join the City Construction Bureau?"
Silence fell like snow.
Lin Wei looked at the walls.At the lantern.At Liu Fang.At Old Madam Chen.At Uncle Luo.At the neighbors who had become family.
He placed his hand over his heart.
And finally said:
"…Yes."
Liu Fang inhaled sharply—eyes wide, shimmering—but she did not cry.
Old Madam Chen smiled sadly but proudly.
Uncle Luo whooped.Auntie Zhang pretended her eyes weren't misty.
Professor Han nodded approvingly.
And the system chimed:
[Heavenly Path Chosen: Path of the Builder][Ambition acknowledged. Resolve confirmed.][New System Functions Unlocked: Project Analysis | Urban Planning Insight | Leadership Potential]
The courtyard erupted into mixed emotions—cheers, tears, pride, worry.
But Lin Wei felt oddly calm.
For the first time, he had chosen something for himself.
And heaven… approved.