Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan squatted down, his fingertips brushing the edge of the wax seal. "Okay, I understand. It's better to bring more since we're making the same trip."

I'll take all the medicine from the warehouse this time. Also, Dr. Chen needs to focus his energy on research; you'll have to take on more of the other tasks, especially increasing production and strengthening defenses.

Zhao Gang nodded, took a bunch of keys from his waist, opened a metal cabinet in the far corner, and took out several ledgers: "Young master, these are last month's inventory records. Dr. Chen's new batch of sulfonamides has a purity three points higher than the imported ones, but the loss is too great; ten pounds of raw materials can only yield three pounds of finished product."

"Let him try it slowly."

Lin Yifan flipped through two pages, then handed the ledger back. "Scientific research can't be rushed. But we can't let our guard down. I heard from the old man that the Japanese have also set their sights on our medicines and pharmaceutical factories."

Therefore, Mr. Chen, besides trading, you and your men also need to get out and do some work, dealing with those Japanese spies; you're all experts at that.

Chen Gongshu took the ledger, his gaze lingering on the densely packed numbers for a moment before closing it: "Don't worry, young master. Although the Military Intelligence Bureau's Tianjin station has been destroyed, the methods for dealing with Japanese spies are still there. I have old connections—in the French Concession, the British Concession, and even in the military police."

"Eyeliner needs to be cared for, and even more importantly, it needs to be filtered."

Lin Yifan stood up, dusted off his knees, and said, "Alright, let's go out. We'll set off together the day after tomorrow. You'll be in charge of the transactions when I'm not around."

Also, remember this: if there is any danger during the transaction, prioritize the safety of the personnel. Neither the goods nor the gold are as precious as people.

As long as they are alive, I will demand a thousand times more back from them for the lost medicine and gold.

"Yes, young master."

Zhao Gang locked the metal cabinet and turned to Lin Yifan: "Young master, shall I arrange for someone to deliver the medicine to your home right now?"

Lin Yifan waved his hand: "No rush. Let Mr. Chen familiarize himself with the packaging and labeling of the medicines in the warehouse first. He will be in charge of these things from now on."

"I'll arrange for someone to take Mr. Chen to my house tomorrow night; that way, we'll have enough for the whole day." He turned to Chen Gongshu, "You'll go back to Nanluoguxiang with him tomorrow night, and we'll head to Tianjin together early the day after tomorrow."

Chen Gongshu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly stacked wooden crates once more.

"Young master,"

He suddenly remembered something, "Is Smith reliable in Tianjin?"

"Foreign devils only care about profit; besides him, there are three other groups: Britain, Germany, and France."

Lin Yifan had already reached the door when he heard this and stopped. "If they want to make money, they have to follow the rules. As long as our goods are good enough, their gold will keep flowing into our pockets."

As soon as Lin Yifan stepped out of the basement, a security guard ran over: "Young master, the old man just called and said he wants you to go to the committee immediately. He's waiting for you in his office."

"Did the old man say what it was about?" Lin Yifan asked.

"He just said the troops had arrived," the guard said.

"Okay, I understand." After saying that, he started the engine and slowly drove away from the pharmaceutical factory, heading towards the municipal council.

The Red Army troops have arrived, so it must be a matter of weapons and ammunition. I wonder which regiment was sent. If it were Li Yunlong, seeing there's not much fighting, he'd probably be cursing.

Soon, his car drove into Xila Hutong and stopped at the entrance of the committee. The guards at the entrance were still the same people from the original guard team. When they saw Lin Yifan, they quickly bowed and greeted him, "Young Master, you've arrived. The old man said you should go to his office as soon as you arrive."

"Okay, I understand." After saying that, he walked towards the Intermediate People's Court.

Arriving at the door of Tang Baolin's office, I knocked.

"Come in."

Tang Baolin's voice came from inside the door, carrying his usual calm and steady tone.

He pushed open the door and entered, the warmth mingling with the delicate aroma of Longjing tea. Tang Baolin sat behind the rosewood desk, still wearing the same worn-out navy blue cotton robe.

Upon seeing Lin Yifan enter, he placed the telegram on the table, stood up, walked around the table, and personally poured him a cup of hot tea.

"Warm yourself up first."

Lin Yifan took the teacup, his fingertips touching the warm porcelain.

"Which regiment?" he asked directly.

Tang Baolin sat back in his chair, took out his reading glasses from the drawer and put them on, then took out a hand-drawn sketch and spread it on the table: "The Second New Regiment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, Commander Kong Jie, Political Commissar Xiao Yifu. The troops just assembled last night and are temporarily stationed near Nanyuan Airport."

Zheng Shucheng arrived early this morning with his regimental commander and political commissar. I heard that they had traveled through Japanese-occupied territory on their way here and had suffered a lot of hardships. The key point is that they only brought a small number of light weapons.

However, there are quite a few people. It was originally planned as a large group of three thousand, but now more than four thousand have arrived, so it's likely they expanded their recruitment efforts along the way.

"Hehe, they were all prepared beforehand, wanting to congratulate 'Ghost' on his fortune." Lin Yifan blew on the foam on his tea, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Kong Jie, the new Second Regiment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region... This name was familiar to him. Compared to Li Yunlong's arrogance and flamboyance, Kong Jie was a different kind of veteran Red Army soldier—calm, pragmatic, and disciplined in leading his troops. Such a person often knows better when to advance and when to retreat.

"More than four thousand men," he put down his teacup, "not enough light weapons, no heavy weapons, and probably not enough ammunition for many more battles."

"Exactly."

Tang Baolin took out a kraft paper envelope from deep inside the drawer and pushed it in front of Lin Yifan. "This is the list drafted by Zheng Shucheng."

Three thousand rifles, sixty light and heavy machine guns, and twelve mortars were provided, with ammunition allocated according to basic quantities. In addition, Kong Jie privately requested that the regiment be equipped with several submachine guns, saying they were for close-quarters combat and night fighting.

Lin Yifan opened the envelope, his gaze sweeping over the pages filled with dense numbers. Zheng Shucheng's handwriting was as neat as printed text, every stroke exuding meticulousness.

"Sir, where are Kong Jie and Political Commissar Xiao? I'd like to meet with them first."

Tang Baolin glanced out the window; snowflakes were tapping against the glass, making a soft, pattering sound. "They're waiting in the side hall. I had Old Zhou bring them some hot ginger tea."

He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the table twice. "But Yifan, there's something I need to discuss with you first."

"You said."

"I've had someone inquire about Kong Jie," Tang Baolin said, taking off his reading glasses and slowly wiping the lenses with a soft cloth. "He's an old Red Army soldier, a veteran of the Long March, and a very capable fighter. But he has one flaw—he's incredibly stubborn. If he thinks something is wrong, not even nine oxen could pull him back."

Lin Yifan picked up his teacup and took a sip, the delicate fragrance of Longjing tea melting on his tongue: "Is the old man worried that he looks down on the 'ghost' thing?"

"It's not that I look down on him," Tang Baolin put his glasses back on, his gaze becoming deep. "It's that I'm afraid he'll feel awkward. The Red Army emphasizes unity between officers and soldiers and hard work. On our side, we have mansions, cars, gold, and US dollars. If Kong Jie sees all that, how can he not have his own thoughts?"