Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

In a dimly lit room.

Li Yichuan glanced down at Yi Zhonghai on the ground.

"Tie him up first, tie him up tightly, so he can't wake up and try anything funny."

"Also, take two people to the vicinity of courtyard house number 95 to find out exactly why Yi Zhonghai appeared in that dilapidated courtyard."

"Find out exactly what happened."

The Japanese spy who had knocked Yi Zhonghai unconscious immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle and replied in a deep voice, "Hai!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he deftly took out a thick hemp rope and tied Yi Zhonghai up tightly.

He was tied up like a rice dumpling, then turned and quickly left the room, disappearing from the courtyard gate.

Li Yichuan was left alone in the room. He walked to the blueprints in the corner.

"Things are getting more and more interesting."

Meanwhile, Lin Weidong was talking to his parents about what was happening in the yard.

Zhao Xiulan handed a cup of hot water to her son, her brow furrowed and her face full of worry: "Weidong, what exactly happened in the yard?"

"It's so noisy so early in the morning."

Lin Weidong took the water glass, took a sip, and calmly recounted what had happened: "Yi Zhonghai was originally tied up and was supposed to be handed over to the police this morning, but someone secretly let him escape."

Zhao Xiulan's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Who let him escape? That Yi Zhonghai is ruthless; he'll definitely seek revenge if he gets away!"

"The deaf old lady."

Lin Weidong pondered for a moment, then said with certainty, "She's the only one in the entire compound who would release Yi Zhonghai."

"It's just strange. I checked the courtyard wall, and the snow was intact. He neither went through the gate nor climbed over the wall; he just disappeared into thin air. I still can't figure it out."

"No matter what, you must be careful." Zhao Xiulan held Lin Weidong's hand and repeatedly reminded him.

"That old bastard Yi Zhonghai is capable of anything when he's pushed to the limit. Be careful when you go out, and don't give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of you."

Lin Weidong smiled, patted his mother's hand, and said nonchalantly, "Mom, don't worry, he's just a stray dog. He can't cause any trouble. Even if he comes back, I can easily deal with him."

He didn't take Yi Zhonghai, who was fleeing in a sorry state, seriously at all.

Half an hour later, the courtyard door was pushed open, and the Japanese spy who had gone to gather information strode in and bowed to Li Yichuan to report.

"Li Jun, we've investigated thoroughly. Everything Yi Zhonghai said is true. He was tied up in the courtyard for arson but was released during the night."

"It seems that no one knows how he left. There were no traces on the courtyard wall or the gate. This has become a mystery in the neighborhood."

"Oh?" Li Yichuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "An old man, just vanished into thin air in the Jie Courtyard? Is there something fishy about this courtyard?"

He pondered it repeatedly, but still couldn't figure out the key. This bizarre disappearance only fueled his curiosity.

Just then, Yi Zhonghai, who was on the ground, let out a muffled groan and slowly opened his eyes.

The excruciating pain in his head made him grimace. Just as he tried to move, he found himself tightly bound by thick hemp rope and unable to move.

Seeing the gloomy-faced Li Yichuan and the two expressionless Japanese spies in front of him, Yi Zhonghai panicked instantly.

Struggling, he shouted, "What are you doing! I already agreed to cooperate with you, why are you still tying me up? Let me go!"

Li Yichuan waved his hand, and the middle-aged spy next to him stepped forward, bent down, and untied the hemp rope binding Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai rubbed his wrists, which were numb from being tied up, and looked at Li Yichuan with a puzzled expression.

Li Yichuan walked slowly to him, a smile playing on his lips, but his tone was tentative: "Uncle Yi, don't be angry. This is just to be on the safe side, to verify whether what you said is true or false."

"Now that it's confirmed, you're safe."

Yi Zhonghai breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Understood, understood, it's my duty! It's my duty!"

Li Yichuan's tone shifted abruptly, his gaze sharpening as he stared intently at Yi Zhonghai: "I'm just very curious, you were tied to the old locust tree in the courtyard, the snow on the walls was intact, and there were guards at the gate. How did you manage to leave the courtyard out of thin air?"

These words struck at Yi Zhonghai's secret, and his expression changed.

Finally, gritting his teeth, knowing he had no way out, he had no choice but to tell the whole story: "It's the deaf old woman! There's a secret room in her house, and she's hiding a lot of gold!"

"There's a secret passage in the locked room that leads directly to the alley next door. That's how I escaped!"

"Gold? A secret passage?"

In an instant, Li Yichuan's eyes flashed with intense greed and ecstasy. He grabbed Yi Zhonghai by the collar and excitedly demanded, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Does your courtyard house have a direct passageway outside?"

"By the way, what's the background of this deaf old lady?"

"From what I understand, she seems to be a remnant of the previous dynasty, right?"

"She has such a family background?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded quickly, "That secret room has been hidden for decades, and no one knows about it. It contains not only gold, but also all the treasures she's accumulated!"

"Moreover, the deaf old woman also hates Lin Weidong and has a considerable grudge against him!"

Li Yichuan slowly released his grip, took two steps back, and burst into laughter, laughing so hard his whole body trembled.

"What a golden opportunity!"

"A secret room, gold, hatred for Lin Weidong, and a passageway allowing free access to the courtyard!"

With the deaf old woman's secret passage, Lin Weidong was completely trapped, unable to escape!

Suppressing his inner elation, he patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder and smiled kindly, "Uncle Yi, you're truly my lucky star!"

"Don't worry, as long as you take me to the deaf old lady's house tonight and confirm that the secret room and passage are real, I guarantee you a life of wealth and luxury for the rest of your life. After this is done, I will arrange for you to go to the island nation."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's face lit up instantly. He rubbed his hands together, nodded repeatedly, and said with a fawning smile, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll take you there tonight, I guarantee you won't regret it!"

As darkness fell, Li Yichuan looked at his watch and saw that it was 11 p.m.

Li Yichuan gestured for Yi Zhonghai to set off, and soon after, several people dressed as workers and Yi Zhonghai, who had just put on some makeup, walked out of the courtyard.

After winding their way through several patrols, they finally arrived at a hutong near the No. 95 courtyard house.

"This is it. I came out from here yesterday." With that, Yi Zhonghai pushed aside a pile of garbage, then lifted a stone slab to reveal a wooden plank.

"You can go down now!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai opened the wooden plank and jumped into the cave. Several others followed suit, and Li Yichuan closed the plank behind them.

After walking for a few minutes under Yi Zhonghai's guidance, they arrived at the deaf old woman's secret room.

Within minutes, Yi Zhonghai's back was completely soaked with sweat because the people behind him kept pointing guns at his head.