Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Section 1: The High-Level Enraged Orders Were Immovable, and the Grassroots Mobilized to Rush to the Rescue

The hoarse and urgent distress signal from Zhou Nanguang, the director of Hongxing Police Station, mixed with the background sound of an explosion, was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely burning onto the duty communication recorder of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Command Center, and even more so into the hearts of all the commanders who heard the recording.

"Suicide bombing...suspected Japanese remnants...heavy casualties...requesting heavy firepower support..."

Every word carried the weight of gunpowder and bloodshed, striking the eardrums and nerves of every senior commander present.

Inside the command center, the air seemed to freeze instantly; you could hear a pin drop. Then, a volcanic eruption of fury and disbelief erupted!

"Remnants of the Japanese army?! A suicide bombing?! In our capital?! In our core area?! The target is one of our most important scientists?!" An elderly general, his shoulders bearing the stars of a general, slammed his fist on the table, his white eyebrows trembling violently with extreme rage. His voice, like muffled thunder, rolled across the command post. "Outrageous! Lawless! This is a blatant declaration of war against our newly established republic! It is the most vicious provocation against our determination to defend our homeland!"

Another leader in charge of intelligence work, his face ashen, rapidly tapped his fingers on the table: "Investigate! Investigate immediately! How did these demons infiltrate? Where did they obtain their weapons, explosives, and even drugs (referring to stimulants)? Who is providing support behind the scenes? Is it the Americans? Or that dying island government? Or... those remnants of the Japanese invaders who haven't given up their evil intentions?"

"Now is not the time for investigation!" the old general interrupted him, his eyes flashing with cold light, his tone resolute. "The primary task is to save him! Spare no effort to protect Comrade Wang Huanbo! He is a national treasure! He is the future! If anything happens to him, how can we answer to the people? How can we answer to history?!"

The order, given the highest priority and through the most urgent channels, was passed down through the ranks, reaching the highest levels of government. The lights in the lake suddenly blazed brightly in the dead of night. Just minutes later, a top-level command, carrying a chilling killing intent, reached the headquarters of the Capital Guard Division; its content was concise, cold, and brooked no argument:

"Your unit is hereby ordered to immediately dispatch its most elite forces to reinforce the area around No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. Priority tasks: First, ensure the absolute safety of Comrade Wang Huanbo and his family at all costs; second, thoroughly, cleanly, and completely annihilate the attacking enemy, leaving no one behind, though capture alive is not required; third, control the situation and assist with the aftermath. Authorization is granted to use all necessary means, including heavy weapons. Any delay will be subject to court-martial!"

"At all costs," "Authorized to use all means," "Court-martial"—these words, like a red-hot iron stamp, were branded into the hearts of every commander and soldier who received the order. Everyone understood what this meant. It meant that their comrades inside might be facing a life-or-death situation; it meant that the enemy's brutality was beyond imagination; it meant that this journey might be a fierce and bloody battle!

Almost at the same time, the phone at the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office suddenly rang, breaking the peace of the day.

Wang Hongmei, the director of the subdistrict office, a capable woman in her forties, had already been awakened by the muffled explosions and intense gunfire that she had heard earlier, sounds that were different from firecrackers. She stood by the window, wrapped in her clothes, looking in the direction from which the sounds came (near No. 95 compound), a sense of foreboding creeping over her. As a grassroots cadre, her political instincts were exceptionally sharp.

The phone rang shrilly. Wang Hongmei grabbed the receiver, and the urgent, stern voice of a district leader confirmed her worst suspicions, issuing a death order: "Comrade Wang Hongmei! A serious enemy attack has occurred at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, targeting our important scientist, Comrade Wang Huanbo! The district orders you to immediately assemble all armed forces in the neighborhood—police officers, the neighborhood armed team, and militia—and proceed to No. 95 at all costs! Your primary task is to protect Comrade Wang Huanbo! The rescue team is on its way; you must hold out until they arrive! Remember, at all costs!"

"Click!" The other party hung up the phone, leaving only a busy tone.

Wang Hongmei's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead. In broad daylight, in the heart of the capital region, with heavy weaponry, to assassinate a national-level scientist?! This was beyond her understanding of "enemy sabotage"—it was an act of war! A heinous terrorist attack!

But she had no time for fear. Years of grassroots work had forged her exceptional execution and resilience. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and a resolute glint flashed in her eyes.

She first dialed the duty room of the Nanluoguxiang Police Station, speaking concisely: "This is Wang Hongmei! No. 95 courtyard has been attacked by enemy agents. The situation is critical. The target is Wang Huanbo! Orders from higher command: the entire station must immediately mobilize, carrying all weapons, to provide support! Note that the enemy agents are well-equipped and may use heavy firepower and suicide attacks. Exercise extreme caution! Protect the target at all costs!"

After hanging up the phone, she immediately put on her coat, rushed out of the office, and shouted at the top of her lungs to the street officials, armed team members, and militia leaders who had already been awakened and gathered in the courtyard: "Comrades! There are enemy agents sabotaging No. 95, trying to harm Engineer Wang Huanbo! We've been ordered to go and rescue him immediately! Armed team members and militiamen, take your guns and grenades and come with me! Other men, grab your sticks and shovels and go with us to maintain order and help the people! Women, stay behind and be ready to receive the wounded! Hurry! Act quickly!!"

Without any further mobilization, Wang Hongmei's hoarse but firm voice was the best command. The dozen or so members of the street's armed team (mostly veterans) and over thirty core militia members quickly retrieved rifles (mainly old Type 38 or Type 24 rifles, with a few newly issued Type 56 semi-automatic rifles), grenades, and ammunition belts from the armory, deftly checking their equipment. Other male cadres and young men also grabbed whatever "weapons" they could find—shovels, pickaxe handles, even kitchen knives—their eyes filled with anger and determination.

Who is Wang Huanbo? They might not be able to list all his specific contributions, but they know he was a great scientist who enabled the country to build better machines, factories to produce more high-quality goods, and foreigners to look down on us! He was the pride of Nanluoguxiang! Now, some treacherous spy dares to target him on our own turf?! This is absolutely unacceptable!

"Let's go!" Wang Hongmei took the lead, gripping a Type 54 pistol she'd received from the armed forces department—a pistol she rarely used—and charged out of the street office compound. Behind her followed a group of over fifty men, their equipment mixed but their morale high. They had only one target: No. 95 compound, Wang Huanbo!

In the darkness of night, two torrents of rescue efforts—one a well-equipped and steely regular army, the other a militia force combining local and foreign elements but united in their hatred of the enemy—are rushing at full speed from different directions toward the same blood-soaked focal point: No. 95 Nanluoguxiang!

Section Two: In a Desperate Situation in the Backyard, Father and Son Weep, and on Their Deathbeds, They Make a Last Entrustment to Forgive and Forget.

The backyard has now become an island of fear, chaos, and a glimmer of hope.

Outside the moon gate, gunshots, explosions, shouts, and screams echoed incessantly from the central courtyard. Each sound sent shivers down the spines of those crammed there, as if death could break through the thin wooden door at any moment. The smoke and the stench of blood seeped in through the cracks in the door, irritating everyone's noses and nerves.

He Daqing slumped against the cold brick wall, his face no longer pale, but a horribly ashen. His lips were cracked and purple, and his breathing was weak and rapid. Sha Zhu tore off half the hem of his brand-new Zhongshan suit and ripped off the sleeve of his undershirt, folding them into a thick pad. He pressed it firmly, with all his might, against the bullet hole in his father's back that was still oozing blood. Blood had already soaked through the fabric, seeping out between Sha Zhu's fingers, warm and sticky, carrying the tactile sensation of life slipping away.

"Dad! Dad! Hold on! Don't fall asleep! Look into my eyes!" Sha Zhu's voice was hoarse and barely audible. His face was covered in blood, sweat, and tears, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented panic and helplessness. This usually fearless and reckless boy appeared so vulnerable in the face of his father's life hanging by a thread.

He Daqing's eyelids drooped heavily, and his vision began to blur. He could feel his son's hands trembling, hear his son's cries choked with sobs, and feel life slipping away like sand through his fingers. The excruciating pain had become numb, replaced by a cold, sinking sense of nothingness.

He knew his time was running out.

With his last ounce of strength, he grabbed Sha Zhu's blood-stained wrist with his other hand. The hand was icy cold, yet it gripped him with unusual force.

"Pillar... Pillar..." He Daqing's voice was weak, yet carried a clarity like a final burst of light, "Listen... listen to what Dad says..."

Sha Zhu quickly bent down, his ear almost touching his father's mouth, large tears falling onto He Daqing's hand: "Dad, tell me, I'm listening! Tell me!"

"Today...you're getting married...Dad...Dad is happy..." He Daqing forced a smile, as if trying to laugh, but it only brought out deeper pain. "Yu Li...is a good girl...you must...treat her well...don't let her down in this life..."

"I know! I know, Dad! I will definitely be good to her! I will be good to her for the rest of my life!" Sha Zhu nodded repeatedly, sobbing uncontrollably.

He Daqing's gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he were looking into the distance: "Dad... Dad has been a... bastard in this life... I'm sorry to your mother... even more sorry to you and Yushui... I left you... I've been gone for eight years... making you... suffer so much..."

"Dad! Stop talking! It's all in the past! I don't blame you anymore! I really don't blame you anymore!" Sha Zhu shook his head vigorously. The resentment, misunderstanding, and anger of the past eight years had vanished at this moment in front of his father's dying confession and blood. Only boundless heartache and regret remained—regret for not understanding his father sooner, regret for not protecting him.

"Let me finish..." He Daqing tightened his grip slightly, took a breath, and continued, "From now on... you'll be... the pillar of the family... you'll have to be... a responsible husband... a responsible father... and... take good care of Yushui... she's gentle... you'll have to protect her a lot..."

"I promise you! Dad! I promise you everything! I will take good care of Lily and Yushui, and raise our children well in the future! Dad, look at me, look at me!" Shazhu cried out, shaking his father's hand as if trying to pull him back from the clutches of death.

He Yushui was already sobbing uncontrollably. She knelt on her father's other side, tightly grasping his other cold hand and pressing it against her face, choking back tears: "Dad... don't go... don't leave me and my brother... I haven't had a chance to properly repay your kindness... Dad... hold on... the ambulance is coming soon..."

He Daqing turned his gaze with difficulty to his daughter, a trace of tender guilt and reluctance flashing in his cloudy eyes. With his last strength, he uttered, "Yushui...be good...listen to your brother...and your sister-in-law...Dad...I'm sorry..."

Before he could finish speaking, his grip on Sha Zhu's hand tightened suddenly, then the strength vanished like the receding tide, and his arm fell limply to his side. His eyes slowly closed, only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving that he was still stubbornly clinging to his last breath.

"Dad—!!!" Sha Zhu and He Yushui cried out in unison, their cries piercing the oppressive fear in the backyard and drowning out the faint sounds of gunfire in the distance. They were filled with endless grief and despair.

The surrounding neighbors all turned to look, their faces filled with sorrow. Yi Zhonghai sighed heavily and turned his head away. Liu Haizhong shrank back, not daring to look any longer. Yan Fugui lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes vacant, seemingly having forgotten even his fear.

However, in this moment of overwhelming sorrow, an untimely, sharp, and venomous voice, like the flick of a viper's tongue, rang out from the corner:

"What are you crying for! Are you wailing like a mourner?! If it weren't for that Wang Huanbo causing trouble, would we have attracted the spies? Would we have turned this happy occasion into this? I think he's a jinx! A jinx! He got himself into trouble and dragged the whole hospital down with him! He Daqing is just taking the blame for him! He deserves it..."

The speaker was none other than Jia Zhangshi, who was huddled beside Qin Huairu, clutching the stick tightly in her arms, her face still stained with oil and showing signs of fear! She dared not speak loudly, only whispering to Qin Huairu and the old women around her, but her voice was clear and jarring in the quiet backyard.

Her words were like a poisoned ice pick, piercing Sha Zhu's already bleeding heart!

Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes burning with raging anger! His father was dying, his wedding was ruined, and his brother (Wang Huanbo) was in dire straits. All the anger, grief, and fear that had been building up inside him were completely ignited by Jia Zhangshi's ungrateful and heartless words, and they exploded!

"You old hag! I'll f*** your ancestors!!!"

With a roar, like the howl of a wounded lion, Sha Zhu stood up abruptly, like a mad bull, and strode to Jia Zhangshi in a few steps! He Yushui was so frightened that she forgot to cry and subconsciously took over from her brother, using her trembling hands to continue covering her father's wound.

Jia Zhangshi trembled at Sha Zhu's ferocious expression and overwhelming rage, clutching the stick and shrinking back, but still refusing to back down: "You... what do you want to do? Did I say something wrong? If it weren't for Wang Huanbo..."

"Smack—!!!"

A loud, forceful slap landed hard on Jia Zhangshi's fat, greasy face! The force was so great that Jia Zhangshi's head tilted to the side, her cheek visibly swelled up, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth! The baby boy in her arms was also frightened and cried loudly.

"You're talking nonsense!" Sha Zhu pointed at Jia Zhangshi's nose, spitting almost onto her face. His voice trembled with extreme anger, yet every word was like a knife, echoing throughout the backyard:

"Without my brother Wang Huanbo, how would the country build advanced machines? How would it construct factories? How would it enable our workers to live a good life? How would it deter foreigners from bullying us again?! You, Jia Zhangshi, also came from the old society! Have you forgotten how the Japanese devils and the Kuomintang ravaged our people?! Have you forgotten how we suffered hunger and cold, and were treated like cattle and horses?!"

His gaze swept over the silent neighbors, his voice carrying a tearful accusation and an undeniable force:

"It's people like my brother who risk their lives to learn skills, and then risk their lives to serve their country! He built great machines that allow our factories to produce cars and tractors! That allows our workers to stand tall! What he developed brings honor to our country! It brings benefits to our people! What the hell do you know!"

He suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Jia Zhangshi!

"Jia Dongxu! That's your son, Jia Zhangshi! You were injured at the factory and almost became a cripple! Who found a way to treat your son's arm and even got him a chance to go to vocational school?! It was Wang Huanbo! He's my brother! Without him, would you still be sitting here? Your son, Jia Dongxu, would have been bedridden and waiting to die long ago!"

Jia Zhangshi trembled all over from Sha Zhu's shout, her lips quivering, and she lowered her head, unable to utter a single word. She couldn't refute him, because what Sha Zhu said was true.

Sha Zhu then pointed to Qin Huairu, who was pale with fright, holding Huaihua and leading Xiaodang, as well as Nan Yi, who looked embarrassed, and his apprentices Ma Hua, Fatty, and others:

"And you all! Just now, when the gun went off, who the hell only cared about their grandson, abandoning their daughter-in-law and two granddaughters, and ran off with Banggeng in their arms?! Who almost left Xiaodang and Huaihua under the bullets?! It was Master Nan! It was Ma Hua! It was Fatty! They couldn't stand it anymore and helped your daughter-in-law bring the children here! And you, Jia Zhangshi? Have you lost your conscience?!"

"My brother was fighting tooth and nail at the front, battling armed spies! What for? For our compound! To keep us from getting shot! And you, you just hide in the back, eating and drinking, and when things go wrong, you turn around and blame my brother, calling him a jinx? I think you're the real scourge! The biggest jinx in our compound!"

Sha Zhu's curses were like a torrential downpour, stripping away Jia Zhangshi's sordid thoughts and exposing them to everyone. He was usually muddle-headed, but not stupid. Jia Zhangshi's past meanness and selfishness, her cold-heartedness in prioritizing her grandson over her daughter-in-law and granddaughter in crucial moments, and her current treacherous act of repaying kindness with enmity had already angered many in the courtyard. This furious tirade from Sha Zhu further cemented her image as morally shameful.

The backyard was silent. Only Banggeng's cries, the faint sound of gunfire in the distance, and He Daqing's weak breathing could be heard.

Not a single person stood up to say a word for Jia Zhangshi. Yi Zhonghai turned his face away, Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui pretended not to hear, and the other neighbors either looked at Jia Zhangshi with disdain or looked at Sha Zhu and the dying He Daqing with pity.

Holding Huaihua and leading Xiaodang by the hand, Qin Huairu silently wept. She recalled the ruthless figure of her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, who had shoved her aside without hesitation and run away with a stick when the explosion occurred, and the chilling despair she felt at that moment. And now, her mother-in-law could still say such things… Her heart turned completely cold. She lowered her head, tightly hugging her daughter, refusing to look at Jia Zhangshi again.

Nan Yi, Ma Hua, and others looked at Sha Zhu with admiration. Those words were satisfying! They expressed their true feelings!

Jia Zhangshi was stunned by the slap from Sha Zhu and then rendered speechless by his barrage of angry words. Her face flushed red and then turned pale. She wanted to throw a tantrum, but she didn't dare to because of Sha Zhu's murderous gaze. She could only hug the stick and shrink into the corner, making muffled sobs, whether from pain or shame, it was hard to tell.

Sha Zhu's chest heaved violently as he panted heavily, like a wild beast utterly enraged. He glared at Jia Zhangshi one last time, his eyes icy and piercing, as if he were looking at a pile of filthy garbage. Then, he turned and strode back to his father's side, kneeling down again. He took He Yushui's trembling hand and pressed it firmly against the wound that seemed to never stop bleeding. His back was ramrod straight, as if the angry outburst had washed away all the gloom and weakness that had accumulated in his heart, leaving only the resolute determination to protect his loved ones and the unwavering trust in his brothers.

"Dad, did you hear me?" Sha Zhu lowered his head and whispered in He Daqing's ear, his voice hoarse but firm. "Don't worry, your son isn't a coward. I've remembered your words. I'll hold this family together. Huanbo... my brother, he'll be alright! Those damn spies, none of them will escape!"

As if to confirm his words, from outside the courtyard, further away, came the faint, heavier, and denser roar of engines, different from the enemy agents' gunfire, and a uniform, heart-pounding sound of footsteps, which were approaching from afar like muffled thunder!

Hope, it seemed, peeked out at the edge of this despairing, blood-red night. In the small world of the backyard, the good and evil of humanity, the bonds of kinship, and the choices of righteousness were all laid bare in the face of life and death. He Daqing's dying words, Sha Zhu's outburst of grief and indignation, Jia Zhangshi's exposed selfishness, Qin Huairu's silent despair… all these elements combined to create a cruel yet realistic portrait of humanity.