But it was only after his awakening that he clearly understood the true meaning of what he was seeing.
This was a major part of what made this place so bizarre.
Every night, as the fog rolled in, the scenery outside his home would change.
No one was allowed outside at night. Aside from the mysterious, wandering threats, this was the biggest reason why.
Every night, the fog outside the window would first thicken, then slowly thin out. Afterward, the scenery that became visible would be different each time.
To date, Lin Hui had seen at least several dozen different styles of bizarre courtyards from his house.
Sometimes they would repeat, but most of the time, they changed.
All sorts of ancient, Chinese-style courtyards would appear, one after another. They all shared a dilapidated, decaying aesthetic, clearly having been untended for a very long time.
Standing at the window, Lin Hui just watched the outside quietly, motionless as a statue.
He stood there until the fog outside slowly thickened once more. After more than an hour, it thinned out again, revealing the Lin Family's original courtyard.
Only then did everything quietly return to normal.
And by now, the light of dawn was slowly breaking in the east. The entire courtyard looked as if nothing had happened, completely back to normal.
Seeing this, Lin Hui finally let out a long sigh of relief. He slowly backed away a few steps, returning to the side of the oil lamp.
PHOOF.
He blew out the lamp with a single puff.
As he watched the white daylight slowly filter through the window and illuminate the room, he could faintly hear his parents waking up and getting dressed behind him.
He knew another busy day was about to begin.
The Lin Family lived in the Outer City—the Outer City of Tuyue City.
Tuyue was the name of their city. It was an enormous urban sprawl, its primary structure divided into two major sections: inner and outer.
The Inner City was the bustling Core Area. It was safe to live there, resources were plentiful, and it was said to be a No-Fog Zone—an absolutely safe area where the fog never appeared, not even at night.
The Outer City, where they lived, wasn't a single district. Instead, it was a vast region composed of countless small towns built around the Tuyue Inner City.
Between each of these towns lay vast expanses of farmland, vegetable plots, orchards, and various processing workshops.
The Lin Family lived in a town called Xinyu Town. To the outside world, they were still Tuyue People, but to those within the city, they were considered residents of the outermost suburbs.
"Why are you still standing here?" From the inner room behind him, his father, Lin Shunhe, emerged. He was draping a gray-white jacket over his shoulders, fastening the frog closures on his chest with one hand. In his other hand, he held a dark brown, wild boar hide vest, meant to be worn over his clothes for warmth.
"Couldn't sleep, so I was just looking," Lin Hui replied, turning to force a smile. He didn't want to make his parents worry.
"Sigh..." His father seemed to think of something upon seeing his expression. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then stopped himself.
He had a plain, stoic face, dark skin, a robust build, and graying hair. He worked as a supervisor at the town's oil mill. His wages weren't high, but they certainly weren't low, and it was more than enough to support his family of three.
In a normal world, a life like this would have been considered quite good. But their environment was anything but normal.
With a sigh, Lin Shunhe said no more. He put on his vest, unlocked the door, and pushed it open to leave.
"Ah He, you haven't eaten!" his mother, Yao Shan, called out, chasing after him.
"I'll skip it! I'll grab something at the mill," Lin Shunhe said without turning back. He waved a hand as he crossed the yard, opened the gate, and quickly disappeared from view.
The courtyard had now returned to its usual state.
There was a white stone well, two dark, crooked trees, and a set of gray stone table and stools. Faint, blurry lines of a game board and a few black characters were carved into the tabletop.
Uneven earthen walls enclosed the yard, and piles of dry firewood, old furniture, and farming tools were stacked in the corners.
Lin Hui watched his father leave, then grabbed a jacket himself and slowly walked outside.
His mother followed him out and pressed a vegetable bun into his hand. It was steaming hot, with the faint aroma of vegetable oil. He wolfed it down in just a few bites.
"If you have nothing to do, go outside and get some sun. I have to go to work soon, I'll be back in the afternoon," his mother, Yao Shan, said. She had changed into a bright white cotton dress, put on her sleeve protectors, and slung a small bag over her shoulder, ready to leave.
Lin Hui remembered she worked at a garment factory in town. She was a veteran employee who had been there for over a decade.
"The owner's daughter is coming by for an inspection today. I'll find a chance to ask about your situation and see if there's any hope. Don't you worry just yet," his mother carefully instructed.
"Okay," Lin Hui nodded.
Before his memories awakened, he had already reached the age where he should have been working and earning money.
But because he hadn't learned a trade and had been drifting along in a daze, he only came to his senses when his awakening finally happened. By then, it was already a little late.
Lately, his parents had been busy trying to arrange a job for his future.
Seeing his expression, his mother glanced around, then leaned in close and said in a conspiratorial whisper.
"When I told you not to worry, I wasn't just trying to comfort you. Your father took on a private job a while ago—don't you dare tell anyone. He finished it yesterday, and the client promised to secure a really good position for you..."
"A private job!?" Lin Hui's expression changed in alarm. If he was caught, there would be serious trouble.
"Just don't tell anyone, and it'll be fine. Relax. Plenty of the workshops around here do it," his mother said, clearly accustomed to the practice.
Lin Hui said no more. The deed was already done; saying anything now would be pointless.
There were more than a dozen workshops, large and small, in this town. If you really looked into it, plenty of supervisors had probably done the same. If they started making arrests, they'd catch a whole bunch of them.
He was just worried about the risk. After all, the oil mill where his father worked was town property. If he were discovered, the consequences would be far more severe than taking a side job at a private mill. He could even be exiled to the frontier to serve as cannon fodder.