Courtyard House: Home Alone

Shopkeeper Zhou's shoulders trembled slightly. He slowly turned around, his eyes already red, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Xiao Fan, there are some things I can't tell you now. The time isn't right."

Your parents... they had to leave you temporarily for more important reasons, for the future of more people.

Before they left, they repeatedly told me to take good care of you and not to reveal their whereabouts unless absolutely necessary.

"Something more important?" Lin Yifan's voice suddenly rose, tinged with suppressed anger and deep confusion. "Is there anything more important than family reunion? Aren't they afraid something might happen to me in this chaotic world of Beiping?"

Seeing the agitation and pain in Lin Yifan's eyes, Manager Zhou felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He sighed, stepped forward, and patted Lin Yifan's shoulder: "Child, I know you're not feeling well. But your parents' choice was out of necessity."

They are heroes, heroes fighting for our country! You must believe in them; their love for you has never changed. In the future, after the Japanese invaders are driven out and peace is restored, they will surely come back to find you.

"Heroes?" Lin Yifan gave a bitter smile, the light in his eyes dimming slightly. "Does being a hero mean abandoning your family? Manager Zhou, you don't need to comfort me with those words. I just want to know their whereabouts, even if it's just a direction, a general location!"

Shopkeeper Zhou fell silent. He looked at Lin Yifan's persistent yet pained eyes, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head: "Xiao Fan, forgive me for not being able to tell you. This is not only for your parents' safety, but also for your safety."

Your most important thing right now is to survive and protect yourself. They will contact you when the time is right.

Lin Yifan clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He knew he probably wouldn't get any more information from Manager Zhou. Although Manager Zhou's tone was gentle, his attitude was unusually firm.

"Okay, I won't ask about their specific whereabouts." Lin Yifan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Then I'll ask you the second thing."

You've run a teahouse in Beiping for many years and are well-informed. I'd like to know how the underground Communist Party organizations in Beiping maintain contact. I have some matters that require me to contact them.

Upon hearing the words "Red Party underground organization," Manager Zhou's eyes sharpened again. He sized Lin Yifan up and down, then asked in a deep voice, "What do you want with them?"

"Someone wants to cooperate with them to deal with the traitors and Japanese spies in the city. They mainly need the information the Red Party has about those people. In return, they will give the Red Party a batch of weapons, ammunition, medicine, surgical instruments and supplies."

Lin Yifan didn't directly say it was himself, but used "someone" as a pronoun, which is also a form of protection.

He looked at Manager Zhou and continued, "Now there are no Japanese soldiers openly in Beiping, but if these scoundrels in the city are not eliminated, the people will never have peace. The Red Party has been rooted in Beiping for many years and is familiar with the situation in the city. Their intelligence is crucial to eliminating the traitors."

Manager Zhou frowned, clearly weighing something. He remained silent for a while before slowly speaking, his voice extremely low: "The Red Party members are secretive and not easily contacted."

Moreover, things are tense right now; a slight misstep could backfire. Are you sure... the person you're looking for genuinely wants to cooperate, and isn't setting a trap?

Lin Yifan's eyes were firm: "Manager Zhou, don't worry, those people are genuinely killing Japanese soldiers. The weapons, ammunition, and supplies they promised to give were all captured from killing Japanese soldiers."

"Really?" Manager Zhou was overjoyed. His superiors had been asking him to inquire about the group that killed Japanese soldiers in Beiping, but after so long, he hadn't made a single clue.

Little did she know that Lin Yifan's arrival would bring her such a wonderful surprise. It was truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to her effortlessly."

If we could really establish connections with these people, and even bring them to the side of the Communist Party, then...

Shopkeeper Zhou's heart began to race. He suppressed his excitement and scrutinized Lin Yifan again, as if trying to discern something from his face.

After a long pause, he lowered his voice, his tone serious: "Xiao Fan, this is no joke. I have no connection with the Red Party either."

However, I can help you find out. Tell me, what have those "people" you mentioned been doing lately? I need to verify their identities and sincerity.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yifan said, "They took these things into consideration too. Look! This is the collar insignia of a Japanese general, a lieutenant general, two major generals, and a colonel. You know Okamura Yasuji, right? This general's collar insignia is his."

"The Japanese 20th Division was wiped out along with him; their commander's insignia are all here." After saying this, he took out several pairs of Japanese insignia stained with dark brown blood from his pocket (space) and handed them to Shopkeeper Zhou.

As soon as Manager Zhou's hand touched the collar insignia, his fingertips felt a cold, hard sensation. The completely dried, dark brown bloodstains on them seemed to still carry the smell of gunpowder and blood, instantly assaulting his senses.

His eyes widened suddenly, his breathing became rapid, and his hands trembled slightly as he held up the general's insignia adorned with golden cherry blossoms and five-pointed stars.

"Okamura Yasuji?! The 20th Division?!"

Manager Zhou's voice trembled with disbelief. He stared intently at the insignia on the collar, then looked at the other lieutenant general collar insignia that were also stained with blood. His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, almost leaping out of his chest.

Manager Zhou suddenly raised his head, and his gaze toward Lin Yifan completely changed. The previous wariness, suspicion, and probing vanished, replaced by deep shock, excitement, and a trace of awe.

His lips trembled, and it took him a long time to calm his turbulent emotions. His voice was hoarse but unusually firm as he said, "Little...Little Fan! Don't worry! Just for these few things, I, Zhou, will risk my old life to help you contact the Red Party! These badges are the strongest expression of our sincerity!"

He carefully tucked the collar insignia away from his body as if it were some rare treasure, then looked at Lin Yifan with eager eyes: "Xiaofan, the weapons, ammunition and supplies they mentioned... I wonder how much there is? The Red Party members are living a very hard life, weapons are scarce, and medicine is extremely precious."

Seeing his reaction, Lin Yifan felt relieved, knowing that he had made the right move. He pondered and said, "I can't say for sure about the exact number right now, but for the first batch, we can produce at least two thousand rifles, ten thousand hand grenades, one hundred light machine guns, and a certain amount of ammunition."

Regarding medications, I will have them prepare some commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs and bandages. If the cooperation goes smoothly, more may be available.