Courtyard House: Home Alone

But this "schoolteacher" led a company of wounded soldiers through the deep mountains for twenty days during the anti-sweeping campaign a year ago, without losing a single person.

"you say."

"Two things," Xiao Yifu held up two fingers. "First, recruit soldiers. Young Master Lin is right; there are so many young men in central and southern Hebei who want to fight the Japanese but don't have guns. Now that we have weapons, why are we afraid of not being able to recruit men?"

"What about training?"

Kong Jie interrupted him, "Twenty thousand, not two thousand. Although our regiment sent over four thousand this time, most of them are newly recruited. The original force is less than two thousand. How are we going to manage them?"

"That's the second thing."

A glint of light flashed behind Xiao Yifu's glasses. "We need people from headquarters. Not soldiers, but officers. How many students from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the Shaanbei Public School are waiting to be assigned? We need a group of experienced battalion and company officers. With veterans mentoring new recruits, we can form an army in three months."

Kong Jie's eyes gradually brightened. He walked back to the table, picked up the sheet of Xuan paper again, and this time his hand didn't tremble. His gaze swept over the numbers, as if he were examining a battlefield about to unfold.

"Three months," he muttered to himself. "Three months, twenty thousand men, one hundred heavy machine guns..."

"And there's also the assistance of 'Ghost,'" Xiao Yifu added. "Young Master Lin said that if the Japanese make any unusual moves, they will intervene."

Kong Jie suddenly laughed. This time it was a genuine laugh, his lips parted to reveal teeth stained yellow from smoking: "Old Xiao, what kind of incredible luck did we get?"

"It wasn't just luck."

Xiao Yifu smiled as well, "It's the way things are. The Japanese occupied Beiping, and then were forced to withdraw. This vacuum had to be filled. 'The Ghost' chose us; it's our opportunity, but also a test."

"test?"

"The equipment for 20,000 men," Xiao Yifu's voice deepened, "wasn't given away for nothing. Have you forgotten what Young Master Lin said at the end?"

Kong Jie's smile froze. He recalled the look in the boy's eyes when he said, "If someone is incompetent or inactive, I will ask to be replaced." The look was as calm as a deep pool of water, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

"He dares?" Kong Jie's voice rose eight octaves. "I am..."

"What are you?"

Xiao Yifu interrupted him, "Old Red Army soldiers? Regimental commanders? In 'Ghost's' eyes, these are worthless. They have 130,000 heads lying there, what do we have?"

Kong Jie opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He recalled his attitude when he entered, the phrase "you're still wet behind the ears," and the embarrassment of being rendered speechless by those numbers.

His face felt a little hot, but more than that, he felt a strange clarity—like being doused with a bucket of ice water, which made him see the road ahead more clearly.

"Let's go." He folded the Xuan paper and stuffed it into his inner pocket. "Let's go find Chairman Tang and finalize the arrangements for receiving the supplies."

"Not waiting for what Young Master Lin said, 'these two days'?"

"I'm not waiting any longer." Kong Jie strode towards the door. "I can't wait any longer."

Xiao Yifu followed, and the two walked side by side in the corridor. Their footsteps echoed in the empty old house, like some kind of ancient drumbeat. When they passed the painting of the Great Wall, Kong Jie suddenly stopped.

"Old Xiao," he looked up at the winding city walls in the painting, "you tell me... who exactly is this 'ghost'?"

Xiao Yifu also looked up. Dusk filtered through the window, casting a hazy yellow glow on the ancient scroll. The Great Wall stretched silently in the painting, with beacon towers one after another, like countless eyes watching over this land that had endured so much.

"No matter who they are," he finally said, "anyone who kills Japanese devils is our friend."

Lin Yifan did not leave immediately, but went to Tang Baolin's office.

Lin Yifan pushed open the door and entered, seeing the chairman of the Provisional Government of Beiping standing by the window, holding a telegram in his hand. The sky outside the window had already darkened, and Jingshan Hill in the distance was only a blurry outline, like a lurking giant beast.

"Finished talking?" Tang Baolin asked without turning around. "Kong Jie's temper, I hope he didn't embarrass you?"

"It wouldn't be embarrassing," Lin Yifan said, sitting down in a chair near the door and pouring himself a cup of tea. "It's just that I had some... doubts at first."

"Doubts?" Tang Baolin finally turned around, a meaningful smile on his face. "Perhaps he's calling you an immature brat?"

Lin Yifan paused for a moment, then smiled, "Chairman Tang's information network is quite impressive."

"Nothing in this house can be hidden from me. But you're not one to suffer a loss easily." Tang Baolin smiled and pointed at him.

"Old man!"

"I'll have someone put the goods in those temporary warehouses. Tomorrow morning, you should have Brother Stone take some men to guard them until they've taken everything. The day after tomorrow, I'll be taking some men to Tianjin; I need to be there to oversee the first transaction."

Tang Baolin's smile vanished abruptly, as if someone had suddenly pulled the backing paper from a picture frame. His fingers tightened around the telegram, his knuckles turning bluish-white: "Tianjin? You're going personally?"

"Hmm." Lin Yifan put down his teacup, the porcelain bottom making a soft sound as it touched the wooden table. "For the first deal, I need to confirm it and let the people over there know that 'Ghost' keeps his word."

Tang Baolin glanced at Lin Yifan. "I know you're capable, but the Japanese North China Expeditionary Army headquarters is right there. And those gangsters and porters at the docks—aren't they all ruthless and vicious? You'd better be careful!"

Lin Yifan quietly looked at the old man. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I'm going to Tianjin. They're the ones who need to be careful."

Tang Baolin paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the empty office, startling several sparrows perched outside the window into fluttering away. He laughed so hard that he had to sit down, gripping the back of his chair, his fingers still trembling slightly.

"well!"

He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. "I, Tang Baolin, have lived for sixty-three years, and this is the first time I've seen such a wild young man. Strangely enough, the old man actually believes what you're saying."

Lin Yifan didn't reply, but simply watched the old man quietly. The twilight outside the window grew darker, and Jingshan Mountain in the distance had completely disappeared into darkness, with only a few scattered lights flickering at its foot, like the blinking eyes of a giant beast.

"I'll give you an explanation about Shi Tou tonight," Tang Baolin said, his smile fading and his voice lowering. "But regarding the matter in Tianjin, you need to give me a definite answer—when are you coming back?"

"It could take three to five days, or ten days to half a month."

Lin Yifan stood up, walked to the window, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the old man. "Let's see how big those foreign devils' appetites are."

"appetite?"

"I'm going to talk to them about the exclusive agency this time. Once we've reached an agreement, you won't have to worry about it anymore." Lin Yifan's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

"Young Master Lin," he suddenly changed his form of address, his tone becoming somewhat serious, "tell me the truth—to what extent does this deal intend to go?"