Courtyard House: Home Alone

"Uncle He, I've been away from home for a while. Thank you and Auntie for your help with the things in the east courtyard. Oh, and I have some good news for you. I've found my parents," Lin Yifan said as he walked into the house.

"Really, that's great news! Where are they now? How are they?"

Han Fengzhi, who was mending clothes inside, came out to greet them upon hearing the noise, nearly knocking over the threshold with her sewing basket.

She didn't bother to tidy herself up, rushing over to Lin Yifan in a few strides, her eyes instantly reddening: "Good boy, you found him? It's so good, so good! It's been almost a year, and you've been all alone..."

"Auntie, my mother is a bit frail, but my father is quite healthy."

Lin Yifan put the bag on the table. "My mom also gave me a little sister, named Yu'an, which means 'to have whatever you want, and a peaceful life.'"

"Oh my! This is double happiness! By the way, your mother was already pregnant when she passed away; it's about time she gave birth."

Han Fengzhi wiped her eyes with her sleeve and reached for the bag. "You silly child, you're back, but what did you bring... Oh, this chicken is so fat! And so much flour! Xiao Fan, the Japanese have sealed off Beiping, we can't even find cornmeal now, where did you get all this?"

Lin Yifan smiled, not answering directly, but lowering his voice to say, "Auntie, Uncle He knows my connections, so getting some food is no problem for him. Don't worry about your family's food and needs from now on, I'll make sure you have enough."

He Daqing and Han Fengzhi exchanged a glance and neither of them pressed for further questions. Having spent the last few years with this child, they knew her personality all too well—she would say what needed to be said, and asking what shouldn't be asked would be pointless.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Han Fengzhi hid the flour bag in the cabinet, then turned around as if she remembered something, "Oh right, Xiao Fan, I went to take a look at those three maids in your east courtyard when Steward Zhang brought them over."

Chunxing is a clever child, but Xiahe and Qiuju are younger, and I'm worried they'll be scared at night. So these past few days, I've been having Zhuzi knock on the wall before bed to make a sound and put their minds at ease.

Lin Yifan nodded: "Auntie, you're very thoughtful. I have to go out again tonight, and I'll need your help with things at home from now on."

"You just got back and you're leaving again?" He Daqing glared at him. "Even a body of iron can't withstand this kind of torment!"

"Just for one night, I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning." Lin Yifan glanced at the darkening sky outside the window. "Uncle He, Auntie, I'm leaving."

He turned and walked towards the east courtyard, where Chunxing was standing under the grape trellis, looking out. Seeing him return, she quickly went to greet him: "Young Master, dinner is still warm on the stove, please have some before you eat..."

"I'm not eating anymore." Lin Yifan didn't stop walking. He returned to the main room and, with a thought, put 100 catties of flour, 100 catties of cornmeal, cured meat, sausages, salted chicken, salted duck, cloth, and some daily necessities into the cellar. The Japanese had seized quite a few of these things from him.

After placing it, he called Chunxing into the house, led her to the cellar door, and taught her how to open it: "Chunxing, now you know how to open this cellar, right?"

Chunxing nodded: "Young master, I know how to open it!"

"Good to know. Let me tell you, there is a lot of grain and meat down there. I had someone put it in beforehand. You are all growing, so you can eat as much meat and grain as you want."

Also, there are some fine cloth and cotton inside. It's getting cold, so the three of you can make two cotton-padded coats. Lock the door at night and don't open it for anyone.

Also, if I'm not home and there's a real emergency, you can hide in the cellar. There's enough food in there for more than a month.

Chunxing nodded emphatically, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes. The cold air emanating from the cellar, mixed with the salty aroma of cured meat, suddenly reminded her of the days when they stored winter vegetables in the cellar back home—but in those years, when had she ever seen such fine white flour or such neatly made fabric?

"Young master, we've got it." Her voice was strained, but she tried to straighten her back. "Don't worry, we can protect this courtyard."

Lin Yifan glanced at her. This girl had a certain tenacity in her eyes, which was stronger than the timid Xia He and Qiu Ju. He took out a small Browning pistol from his pocket (space) and placed it, along with a box of ammunition, in Chunxing's hand: "Do you know how to use it?"

Chunxing was so frightened that she took half a step back, her round face turning pale instantly: "Young...Young Master..."

"Did Grandpa Zhang teach you how to shoot a gun?"

"I...I did teach her..." Chunxing swallowed hard. "She said that if we encounter bad people, protecting ourselves is the most important thing..."

"That's good." Lin Yifan placed the gun in her palm, feeling the coolness of the girl's fingertips. "The safety is here. Remember to turn it off before you fire. If it really comes to that, don't hesitate."

When I have some free time in a few days, I'll take you guys out for some practice.

After saying that, he turned and walked out. Chunxing stood there, holding the gun, stunned. Only when the blue-clothed figure disappeared through the door did she suddenly come to her senses and hurriedly hide the gun in her sleeve.

Lin Yifan left the east courtyard and, seeing no one in the alley, teleported towards Zhengyang Gate with a thought.

After four teleportations, he arrived near the secret warehouse that Matsui Iwane had mentioned. He released his mental energy to examine the surrounding environment.

The location was cleverly chosen, right next to the freight yard of Zhengyangmen Railway Station, with a ring of low-rise residential buildings providing cover, and the main warehouses were all underground.

The transportation from the station to the warehouse all took place through underground passages. If Matsui Iwane hadn't personally revealed it, no one would have imagined that the Japanese had hidden the grain in such a chaotic place.

According to Matsui's confession, the guards here were a garrison battalion with a strength of 1076 men. Since the last "ghost" cleared out the Japanese soldiers and the train station in Fengtai, this garrison battalion had gone underground.

Lin Yifan's mental energy spread slowly through the underground passage like mercury. The warehouse's structure was more complex than he had anticipated—the three underground levels were all grain storage areas, while the top level housed the garrison's barracks and command post.

Three passageways radiate outwards from Zhengyangmen Station, each with both visible and concealed guard posts, and patrol teams pass by every fifteen minutes.

"They are cautious indeed." He withdrew his mental energy, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The Japanese soldiers were clearly terrified of the "Ghost," and their elite garrison had shrunk to a crawly state. Unfortunately, even the deepest hole cannot stop a true hunter.

The Japanese focused their defenses on several passageways, but little did they know that "the Ghost doesn't need to go through those passageways to enter the secret warehouse."

With a thought, Lin Yifan teleported to the warehouse at the bottom and used his mental power to cover the sacks of marijuana in the warehouse. The weight and quantity of each sack were clearly presented in his mind.

A rough estimate suggests that this single layer contains nearly four thousand tons of rice, neatly stacked like small, grayish-brown hills.