Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

In 1957, before the chill of late autumn had fully permeated Beijing, a shadow more terrifying than the harsh winter had already quietly descended upon the city.

First came scattered rumors, like withered leaves blown by the autumn wind, drifting ominously through the streets and alleys. Some said a child in a certain alley suddenly developed a fever and his legs went weak; others said there were more children with strange illnesses in the hospital. Soon, the rumors became confirmed news, and panic spread rapidly like ink dripping into clear water—poliomyelitis, commonly known as infantile paralysis, had broken out in Beijing.

This is a terrifying acute infectious disease that primarily affects children under five. The virus attacks the nervous system, causing symptoms ranging from fever and limb pain in mild cases to irreversible paralysis and even death due to respiratory muscle paralysis in severe cases. Even more frightening is its high transmissibility, mainly through the fecal-oral route, which made it extremely easy to spread among children in an era of limited sanitation. Since 1955, sporadic cases have been reported in many parts of the country, but no one expected it to so fiercely strike the capital this time.

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard was not spared.

The first to fall was Banggeng, the "thief saint" of the Jia family. This boy, barely six years old, usually mischievous and playful, always teasing cats and dogs, his hands and feet not perfectly clean but still bringing a bit of "life" to the otherwise quiet Jia household, was chasing chickens in the yard the day before yesterday. Yesterday morning, however, he suddenly developed a high fever, crying and complaining of leg pain. At first, Jia Zhangshi thought the child had caught a cold, so she made ginger soup and tried traditional scraping therapy. But by the afternoon, Banggeng's right leg was clearly weak, and he collapsed after taking only a few steps. Qin Huairu, her belly already showing, was panicked and at a loss. Jia Zhangshi's scolding became laced with sobs: "My dear grandson! What's wrong with you? Heaven, you're blind!"

Soon, devastating news followed one after another. In the east courtyard, Liang Ladi's two-year-old daughter, Xiu'er, and four-year-old Sanmao, also developed symptoms of fever, vomiting, and weakness. Liang Ladi, a strong woman who had just seen a glimmer of hope in her life, who had earned dignity and stability through her welding skills and hard work, was struck hard, as if by a hammer blow. Holding the feverish Xiu'er, looking at the listless little boy, she felt dizzy and her vision blurred. Her achievements—a sixth-level welder at the factory, a model worker, a representative of women commended by the Women's Federation—all proved fragile and vulnerable in the face of illness. She was just a mother, a mother helplessly watching her two children suffer. The resilience and strength that had sustained her through countless hardships crumbled instantly. She collapsed onto the cold ground, holding her two children, and wept uncontrollably, her cries filled with despair and fear.

Several other families in the courtyard with school-aged children also received bad news. Suddenly, courtyard number 95 was shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of panic and sorrow. The usual sounds of children playing disappeared, replaced by suppressed weeping, anxious pacing, and helpless sighs. The air seemed to be filled with invisible germs, making everyone tremble with fear. Even those without sick children quickly kept their kids indoors, strictly forbidding them from going out, keeping doors and windows tightly shut, as if this could keep the terrible "plague" at bay.

This panic was not limited to a small courtyard house. The entire Red Star United Industrial Corporation, with nearly 7 employees and their families, was a vast "mini-society." Among them, a large number were children under the age of seven. The epidemic, like a silent storm, swept through countless worker families. Within just a few days, news of children being infected kept coming from the factory's staff hospital (which has since been upgraded to Red Star Hospital) and various workshops and residential areas within the factory. Those workers who had just been overjoyed by being assigned to the new "Khrushchev-style" apartments and even hearing that they would one day live in buildings with elevators, instantly plummeted from the peak of joy to the abyss of hellish grief. After get off work, the residential areas were no longer filled with the smoke of cooking fires and laughter, but rather with the smell of disinfectant and suppressed weeping. In the workshops, the once powerful roar of machines was now mixed with absent-minded sighs and hushed discussions among the workers, their eyes filled with worry—no one knew if their child would be next.

The factory leaders were in a state of panic. Production targets, especially export earnings targets, were looming large and could not be halted. However, the workers' minds were completely occupied by their sick children at home. The defect rate on the assembly line was quietly rising, and signs of a safety accident were beginning to emerge. Factory leaders Yao Jianghe, Yang Weimin, and Li Huaide held an emergency meeting. Faced with this sudden public health crisis, they had neither experience nor effective solutions. In newspapers and on the radio, experts' voices were heavy and helpless: currently, there is no specific cure. Treatment focuses on symptomatic support and prevention of complications; the prognosis is unpredictable, and the risk of paralysis is extremely high.

"This can't go on!" Li Huaide stubbed out his cigarette, his brows furrowed. "With people in such a state of panic, how can we maintain production? How can we ensure safety?"

Ultimately, the factory's Party Committee decided that all employees with children under 7 years old who have been diagnosed with or are suspected of having polio would be immediately placed on paid leave to care for their children, with their full salaries paid and bonuses considered accordingly. At the same time, other employees were mobilized to demonstrate goodwill by working overtime and rotating shifts to fill vacancies and ensure production targets, especially export orders, were met. The labor union and women's federation immediately took action to provide support and assistance to the families of sick employees.

Liang Ladi received a leave notice. Normally, the strong-willed woman might have hesitated, but now, she did so without hesitation, even feeling grateful. Her two youngest children were both sick, and she couldn't manage alone, even with three heads and six arms. The women's federation comrades quickly arrived, bringing two bags of brown sugar, several kilograms of eggs, and a can of malted milk powder, offering words of comfort. Liang Ladi forced herself to thank them, but the emptiness and despair in her eyes moved the visiting female cadres to tears. This woman, who had only recently straightened her back, seemed to have been cruelly trampled into the mud by fate once more.

Hongxing Hospital was already overflowing. The once spacious corridors were crammed with anxious parents and crying children. Doctors and nurses in white coats hurried along, their faces grave. Thanks to the advanced medical equipment continuously imported through the Wang Huanbo family's overseas connections, Hongxing Hospital's facilities were top-notch among factory-run hospitals in Beijing, even comparable to some municipal hospitals. However, when faced with a viral disease like polio, even the best equipment proved inadequate. X-rays could see the bones, but not the virus's erosion of the nerves; electrocardiographs monitored the heartbeat, but couldn't prevent muscle paralysis. The hospital could only isolate the children and provide supportive treatment: fever reduction, fluid replacement, nerve nutrition, infection prevention, and the emergency transfer of children showing signs of respiratory muscle paralysis to wards equipped with "iron lungs" (ventilators). Each "iron lung" resembled a giant steel coffin, humming and humming, maintaining the fragile breathing of the young lives inside—a sight that would break any parent's heart.

It wasn't just Hongxing Hospital; Peking Union Medical College Hospital and the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (301 Hospital), both with the best medical facilities in Beijing, were also packed with children from all over the city. Top experts gathered, poring over limited foreign literature and trying various treatment options, but with little effect. The children's painful groans and the parents' desperate eyes weighed heavily on the hearts of every medical worker. A sense of powerlessness permeated the entire medical community in Beijing.

In the west courtyard, the light in Wang Huanbo's study still often stayed on late into the night, but the man under the lamp was in a completely different mood than when he was tackling technical challenges. Outside the window, the sounds of Jia Zhangshi's wailing and cursing drifted from the direction of the Jia family.

"God! Why are you so cruel to my grandson?!"

"Old Jia! You damned bastard! Couldn't you have protected your only son from the afterlife? If anything happens to Banggeng, I won't live either!"

"That damned plague! How could it have fallen upon our Jia family..."

Inside the courtyard, Qin Huairu, several months pregnant, held her innocent and bewildered son, Xiao Dang, silently weeping. Her husband, Jia Dongxu, had rushed back from his vocational school that very night after receiving the telegram. This young man, who had always dreamed of mastering a skill, making a name for himself, and providing a better life for his mother and wife, was now pale-faced, pacing back and forth amidst his mother's cries and his wife's tears, frustrated and helpless. Bang Geng had been sent to Hongxing Hospital for isolation and treatment; family members were not allowed to visit and could only wait for news at home. Every minute of this wait was agonizing.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the entire courtyard. Yi Zhonghai squatted at his doorway, puffing on his cigarette, watching the chaos in the central courtyard, shaking his head in silence. Liu Haizhong paced around the yard twice, hands behind his back, wanting to adopt the air of an elder and say something like, "Trust the organization, trust the hospital," but seeing Jia Zhangshi's crazed state and Qin Huairu's swollen eyes, he swallowed his words, sighed, and retreated to the backyard. Yan Fugui's house was tightly shut. His third aunt was repeatedly wiping the tables, chairs, and floors with ashes from the stove, while his third uncle sternly warned the older children not to leave the yard, even taking out the trash himself. Xu Damao, who had just gotten engaged and was feeling quite happy, was also worried about the epidemic, urging Qin Jingru not to come to the city recently, saying it might be safer in the countryside.

Wang Huanbo stood by the study window, gazing at the dim light and oppressive atmosphere in the courtyard, his brow furrowed. Polio… the name stirred fragments of his deepest memories. In his time, it was a disease that had long been eradicated through vaccination. The "sugar pill"… yes, the "sugar pill"! That sweet pill, the one children lined up to eat, was the weapon against this terrible disease! And that name—Gu Fangzhou! The scientist later hailed as "Grandpa Sugar Pill," it was he who, under extremely difficult conditions, led his team to develop China's polio vaccine, saving countless children and families!

The floodgates of memory opened, and a torrent of relevant information rushed in. Although he wasn't a medical expert, his access to information far beyond what was available in this era allowed him to roughly understand the types of poliovirus (Types I, II, and III), their transmission routes, the types of preventative vaccines (inactivated IPV and live attenuated OPV), and the principles and general development of the oral polio vaccine (OPV). More importantly, he knew that at this very moment, Gu Fangzhou and his team were undoubtedly in some unknown laboratory, working tirelessly and painstakingly for the sake of the country's children! Internationally, the Salk inactivated vaccine and the Sabin live attenuated vaccine had already been developed, but due to embargoes and high costs, they were difficult to obtain.

"We have to do something!" Wang Huanbo clenched his fists. He couldn't bear to watch so many children, including familiar faces like Banggeng, Xiuer, and Sanmao, struggle with illness, some even suffering lifelong disabilities. He knew the course of history; Gu Fangzhou's team would eventually succeed, but that would take time, and for these children and their families, time was everything!

His first thought was of his family's influence overseas. Without hesitation, he activated the secure red phone. The call connected directly to the highest levels of government, where he succinctly reported the severity of the Beijing outbreak and the availability of vaccines and some treatments internationally (primarily symptomatic support such as gamma globulin and vitamins, as well as medications to alleviate neurological symptoms). He clearly stated that the most effective approach was to acquire international vaccines and effective medications as quickly as possible to buy time for the children and provide direct reference for domestic vaccine development.

"Sir, my family has some connections overseas that could allow us to urgently procure a batch of vaccines and medicines and transport them back to China through special means. But this requires coordination and support from above to ensure the smooth entry and distribution of the supplies," Wang Huanbo said firmly and clearly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a decisive instruction: "Comrade Huanbo, thank you for providing such important information and channels! I will immediately coordinate with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation to provide your family with all necessary conveniences and expedited processing! Spare no effort to bring the medicine back as soon as possible! Domestic scientific research efforts will also be intensified immediately! Compile all the information you know about this disease and the vaccine into a written report as soon as possible, top secret, and submit it directly!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Huanbo was filled with excitement. He knew that his wings, like those of a butterfly, might soon flap powerfully, attempting to change the fate of many children affected by the pandemic. He immediately began modifying the Red Queen motherboard into the "Pangu" portable Predator computer.

"Pangu, highest priority mission: Utilize all available resources, including but not limited to overt commercial channels and even gray areas, at any cost, to urgently search globally for all drugs, serums, gamma globulin, and samples, stock solutions, or related technical data for Salk inactivated vaccine and Sabin live attenuated vaccine that can be used to treat and prevent polio! Once the data is collected, notify the family to purchase it overseas and then use the family's highest-level confidentiality transportation routes to transport it to Tianjin Port as quickly as possible! Repeat, at any cost, as fast as possible!"

"Instructions confirmed. We are mobilizing our global resource network... assessing availability... contacting special channels... the first batch of supplies is expected to be shipped within 5-7 days," Pangu's calm electronic voice responded.

Meanwhile, Wang Huanbo combined all the information he remembered about the characteristics, transmission routes, pathological processes, technical principles, key points of production processes, advantages and disadvantages, and even the approximate historical timeline of the polio virus with details retrieved and supplemented by Pangu from a deep database (built based on fragments of Wang Huanbo's past life memories). He quickly organized, translated, and transcribed this information into a detailed report that was ahead of its time. The report used rigorous and scientific language, but cleverly attributed its source to "an abstract of unpublished international cutting-edge medical research data obtained through special channels." He sealed it in a thick kraft paper document bag.

The following morning, the heavy document bag was delivered directly to the highest level through confidential channels and was immediately transferred to Gu Fangzhou, who was then tasked with assembling a team to tackle the challenge of developing a polio vaccine.

When Gu Fangzhou opened this "heaven-sent" document in his simple yet heavily guarded makeshift laboratory, he was stunned. It not only clearly explained the molecular structure and infection mechanism of the virus, but also compared inactivated and live attenuated vaccines in detail, highlighting their technical pathways, manufacturing challenges, immunogenicity, and safety differences. It even mentioned the key idea that live attenuated vaccines could be administered orally (sugar pills) to induce local immunity in the gut, more effectively blocking viral transmission! Some of this information was what they were still exploring, some they hadn't even considered, and some directly confirmed or corrected some of their assumptions. It was like being handed a map with partial paths and exits in a dark maze!

"Who...who sent this?" Gu Fangzhou asked his assistant and guard, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement.

"Professor Gu, the source is top secret. You only need to know that this information is absolutely reliable and was obtained by the country using special resources. The higher-ups have instructed you and your team to make full use of it to accelerate our vaccine development process! The motherland and the people are waiting for us!" the assistant replied solemnly.

Gu Fangzhou took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. His eyes behind his glasses gleamed with a sharp, hopeful light. He carefully put away the documents, as if they were priceless treasures. "Notify the team, call a meeting immediately! We have a new idea! No, we have a clearer, more feasible direction!"

Just as Gu Fangzhou's team was overjoyed and working through the night to adjust their research plan, a life-or-death rescue operation spanning the ocean was also underway. The Wang Huanbo family mobilized all their connections and channels, both overt and covert, cultivated overseas over decades, wielding enormous sums of money (partly supported by the Wang family's accounts through special means, and partly by emergency foreign exchange reserves from the state), sifting through the global pharmaceutical market like a comb. Warehouses in the United States, Europe, and even some neutral regions were opened, and all relevant drugs and biological agents available on the market were swept away. Through shady channels, several precious doses of Sabin live attenuated vaccine stock and Salk inactivated vaccine samples were also secretly acquired. These life-saving supplies were carefully packaged and, with the highest priority, sailed eastward, overcoming numerous obstacles on cargo ships controlled by the family.

One week later, at Tianjin Port.

A regular cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag slowly docked. The dock was already under martial law. Fully armed People's Liberation Army soldiers stood solemnly, while officials from the health, foreign affairs, and security departments eagerly awaited their arrival. The cargo ship opened its hatches, and crates of specially marked, temperature-controlled medicines and vaccines were quickly and carefully transferred to prepared military trucks. Without much small talk, the convoy, led by motorcycles and sirens blaring, sped towards Beijing.

The medicines and vaccines were immediately distributed to key hospitals treating the most sick children, such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 301 Hospital, and Hongxing Hospital. Doctors were overjoyed and immediately assessed and administered the medications to the children according to the accompanying brief instructions (compiled by Pangu based on the latest international literature). Although the quantity was still a drop in the ocean compared to the thousands of sick children, these internationally advanced medicines (mainly highly effective gamma globulin and neurological support drugs), and the limited number of vaccines (immediately used for emergency preventative treatment of the most critically ill children and for critical protection of some frontline medical staff), were like sparks in the darkness, bringing the first real glimmer of hope to desperate families. Children with high fevers had their temperatures reduced, their pain subsided, and children showing signs of respiratory depression were promptly given medication, and their conditions were brought under control.

"We have medicine! A highly effective medicine from abroad!"

"My child's fever isn't going down after taking the medicine!"

"The hospital says the patient's condition has stabilized!"

The news spread like wildfire among the grieving parents. Although anxiety remained, the utter despair began to be replaced by a faint glimmer of hope.

Even after receiving news that the medicines had safely arrived and were being used, Wang Huanbo did not relax. He instructed his family: "Continue purchasing, regardless of cost, until the epidemic is clearly under control, or until our own vaccine can be mass-produced!"

More medicines, disguised as ordinary goods, are being shipped continuously from all over the world through various channels, traversing oceans to reach Tianjin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, before being urgently transferred to Beijing and other cities experiencing outbreaks. This is a relay race of supplies against death.

With external drug support and the tireless efforts of internal medical staff, the sudden outbreak of polio in Beijing was finally brought under initial control. The number of new cases began to decline, the proportion of critically ill children in hospitals was brought under control, and, most importantly, there were no large-scale child deaths. Most children, with timely symptomatic support and the help of certain specific medications, survived the acute phase. Although many children inevitably suffered from varying degrees of sequelae—limping, muscle atrophy, joint deformities—at least their lives were saved. For parents of that era, this was an immense stroke of luck.

"It's good that they're alive, it's good that they're alive..." Liang Ladi stood outside the pediatric ward of Hongxing Hospital, looking through the glass at Xiu'er and Maotou lying side by side inside. Both children had lost weight, their faces were pale, but their breathing was steady, and they were asleep. Xiu'er's little arm still had the tape from the IV needle, and Maotou's left leg was still limp. The doctor said that rehabilitation training would begin, acupuncture, massage, and it might take a long time, but there was a high chance of regaining some function. Liang Ladi wiped away her tears, and her almost broken spine straightened up little by little. As long as her children were alive, as long as there was hope, she could hold on. The comrades from the Women's Federation came to see her again. This time, in addition to daily necessities, they told her that the factory had decided that employee families like hers, who were impoverished due to their children's illness, could apply for special subsidies, and the trade union would also organize mutual assistance among employees.

In the Jia family, Banggeng was out of danger and transferred to a regular ward. His life was saved, but he was left with a noticeable disability in his right leg, walking with a limp. Jia Zhangshi no longer cried and wailed, but her face was always gloomy as she looked at her grandson's limp, constantly muttering, "He's disfigured," and "What will we do now?" Qin Huairu silently shed tears, her heart filled with worry for the future. Jia Dongxu looked at his son, then at his heavily pregnant wife, and for the first time, a sense of wavering and confusion about his studies appeared in his eyes. The sky over this family remained overcast, but the fiercest storm seemed to have temporarily passed.

The "file folder" provided by Wang Huanbo, embodying future wisdom, played an immeasurable role in the hands of Gu Fangzhou's team. Like a beacon, it illuminated many obstacles on the research and development path. Combining the actual situation in China, Gu Fangzhou's team decisively focused their efforts on an oral attenuated live vaccine (sugar pill), which was more suitable for the national conditions and could establish an immune barrier more quickly. Although the road ahead was still fraught with difficulties—strain screening, control of the attenuation process, establishment of production technology, verification of safety and efficacy—the direction was clear. What remained was to use the wisdom and hard work of the Chinese people to overcome each obstacle. Gu Fangzhou and his colleagues began a race against time in the laboratory. They knew that every day of success meant saving millions of children from this terrible nightmare.

The lights in the west courtyard remained on late into the night. Wang Huanbo stood by the window, watching the courtyard gradually regain some life, his heart still heavy. Medicine could only provide temporary relief; true hope lay in the test tubes and petri dishes in the hands of Gu Fangzhou and his colleagues. He had done all he could. What remained was a long road to recovery and the waiting for the day when the real "sugar pill" would be available.

The autumn wind swept through, swirling fallen leaves. This autumn, No. 95 Courtyard, and indeed the entire city of Beijing, experienced a profound sorrow. But in this battle against the plague, countless people, from the highest levels of government to ordinary citizens, from overseas to within China, from scientists to ordinary workers, extended a helping hand. Hope, like seeds buried deep in the ground, though enduring a harsh winter, will eventually sprout, blossom, and bear fruit in some future spring. And for those children ravaged by the disease, their life trajectories have been altered; the future awaits them on a path different from that of ordinary people, more arduous, but perhaps also one that breeds extraordinary resilience.