Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Just as Wang Huanbo was making intensive preparations for the night raid, an unexpected visitor arrived at the back door of the church at dusk, taking great risks.

The visitor was Meng Shujuan's father, Mr. Meng. He was dressed in a respectable long gown, but looked flustered, with sunken eyes, and was accompanied only by a loyal servant.

"Shujuan! Where is Shujuan?" Mr. Meng excitedly grabbed Chen Qiaozhi's arm as soon as he saw him open the door.

When Meng Shujuan was called out and saw her father, she instantly broke down! "Dad!" She threw herself into her father's arms and burst into tears. The fear, grievances, and resentment she had felt for her father over the past few days all turned into tears.

"Shujuan, my child... I'm so glad you're alright... I'm so glad you're alright..." Mr. Meng said, tears streaming down his face, as he hugged his daughter tightly.

However, after a brief moment of tenderness, Shujuan abruptly pushed her father away, her face filled with anger and disappointment: "Get out! Get out! I don't want to see you! You traitor! You're working for the Japanese! How can you face your deceased mother? How can you face the villagers who died in Nanjing?!"

Mr. Meng was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale. He staggered back a step, closing his eyes in anguish: "Shujuan...you...you have to listen to your father's explanation..."

"Explain? What's there to explain! Everyone says so!" Shujuan pointed at her father excitedly, "You were wearing this uniform, going in and out of the Japanese headquarters! You..."

"I was trying to save you, Shujuan!" Mr. Meng finally roared in despair, his voice hoarse and filled with hopelessness. "The city has fallen! The Japanese are killing people everywhere! I... I'm just a small businessman, what can I do?! If I didn't bow down, if I didn't work for them, my daughter and I would have been dead long ago! I... I only have you as my daughter!"

He abruptly ripped open the collar of his long robe, revealing a gruesome scar on his neck: "See that? That's a knife the Japanese soldiers were holding! They threatened me with your life! If I didn't agree, they would have killed you right then and there! I... I had no choice..."

Mr. Meng, with tears streaming down his face, recounted in detail how he had survived under the bayonets of the Japanese soldiers, how he had been forced to do things for them in exchange for the temporary safety of himself and his daughter, how he had endured the torment of his conscience day and night, and how he had risked coming here after finding out that his daughter might be in this church. His words were filled with helplessness, humiliation, and a father's deepest, most twisted love.

As Shujuan listened to her father's tearful account and looked at the scar, her anger was gradually replaced by shock, heartache, and complex understanding. Only then did she realize that behind her father's so-called "glory" lay such unbearable and painful pressure.

"Dad..." Shujuan hugged her father again, her sobs turning into heartbroken whimpers, "I'm sorry... Dad... I didn't know... I didn't know you were going through so much..."

The father and daughter embraced and wept bitterly, their estrangement gradually dissolving in the face of this life-or-death ordeal.

Wang Huanbo, Yu Mo, and the others stood aside, watching silently. They understood Mr. Meng's helplessness and felt even more deeply the cruelty of the invaders and the sorrow of being subjugated.

After calming down, Mr. Meng looked at Wang Huanbo and bowed deeply: "Instructor Li, thank you so much for saving my daughter and so many compatriots. Although I am a despicable person, I still understand the greater good of the nation. I... I might be able to help."

He lowered his voice and said, "I've heard that tomorrow night, high-ranking Japanese military officers will be holding a victory banquet at the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs building of the Nationalist government, and many generals will be attending. The security is tight, but... because I'm in charge of some supplies, I have a special pass that allows me to get close to that area. Perhaps... this will be useful to you?"

Wang Huanbo's eyes flashed with a sharp light! A victory celebration banquet! A general! This perfectly matched his plan! Moreover, the pass and inside information provided by Mr. Meng were like a godsend!

"Mr. Meng, your intelligence is extremely important!" Wang Huanbo said solemnly. "If you'd like, you can stay and come with us. But this trip is very dangerous."

Mr. Meng looked at his daughter's determined eyes, then at Wang Huanbo, and resolutely said, "I'll stay! This old man will atone for his sins! I'll work with you!"

Mr. Meng's arrival brought not only valuable intelligence but also the crucial special pass. Wang Huanbo's "decapitation" plan was becoming increasingly feasible. As night fell, a meticulously planned storm was about to erupt inside and outside the church.