Spring sunlight spilled over the siheyuan walls, warming the bricks and melting the last stubborn patches of snow. The courtyard bustled with morning energy: Old Madam Chen was feeding her birds, Auntie Zhang was hanging laundry, and Uncle Luo was yelling at children for climbing the apricot tree again.
Lin Wei finished repairing a neighbor's kettle when a sharp knock echoed from the front gate.
A man in a brown jacket stood outside, holding a red-stamped notice.
"Is this the Chen Family Courtyard?" he asked.
Old Madam Chen stepped forward suspiciously. "Depends on who's asking."
The man smiled uneasily. "I'm from the street office. We're conducting structural safety inspections. Your courtyard… has been flagged."
"What do you mean flagged?" Auntie Zhang shrieked."This courtyard has stood for three generations!"
But the man explained briskly that the main hall collapse scare last winter had raised concerns. An official evaluation was required. If the structure was deemed unsafe… the siheyuan could be ordered to undergo compulsory renovation—or worse, partial demolition.
The courtyard erupted in chaos.
"Demolition? Impossible!""Where would we live? The government doesn't give enough compensation!""Who reported us?!"
Liu Fang looked terrified. Her eyes darted to Lin Wei as if searching for an anchor.
The official sighed. "Look, we'll send inspectors and carpenters tomorrow morning. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's everything."
And then he was gone.
The courtyard fell silent.Everyone turned to Lin Wei.
He swallowed.He knew what they were thinking.
He was the only one who understood the siheyuan's structural weaknesses perfectly.
Old Madam Chen asked quietly, "Weizi… can you help us?"
Lin Wei nodded.
"I'll do everything I can."
But inside, the system flickered with a warning he had never seen before.
[New Crisis Detected: Courtyard Stability Evaluation][Failure Consequence: Resident Displacement / Partial Demolition][Task Created: Strengthen the Siheyuan Within 7 Days]
Seven days.
Lin Wei's fingers trembled.
The hardest challenge so far had arrived.