Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan turned his head and met the old man's gaze. The lights outside the window flickered in his pupils like two dark flames.

"Keep doing it until you don't want to anymore."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Hold Beiping steady."

Lin Yifan's voice returned to its usual calm, "As for Kong Jie, you should have Zheng Shucheng and Qin Zhirong take good care of him. With a force of 20,000, their eating, drinking, and even basic necessities are all important matters."

Furthermore, if the Japanese send someone to probe us, simply claim ignorance and tell them to come find me.

"Pretend you don't know?" Tang Baolin smiled wryly. "I'm afraid I'm already on their list as the chairman of the provisional government."

"That's why you should pretend you don't know if you're on the list." Lin Yifan turned around.

"Wait a minute." Tang Baolin suddenly called out to him, a hint of hesitation in his voice, "You... how old are you exactly this year?"

Lin Yifan paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

What do you think?

The door opened and closed, stirring up a gentle breeze that made the telegram paper on the table rustle. Tang Baolin stood alone by the window, gazing at the slowly descending night outside.

"Not even ten years old..." he murmured to himself.

Several footsteps approached from outside the door. Tang Baolin returned to his chair and had just sat down when there was a knock on the door, followed by Zheng Shucheng's voice from the doorway: "Chairman Tang, are you there?"

"Yes, please come in," Tang Baolin replied.

The door was pushed open, and Zheng Shucheng and Qin Zhirong led Kong Jie and Political Commissar Xiao in.

Zheng Shucheng walked at the front, his gray military uniform faded from washing, with a Mauser pistol tucked at his waist, the tassel swaying gently with each step.

"Chairman Tang."

Zheng Shucheng gave a military salute, his movements so precise it was as if he had just graduated from military academy. "Regimental Commander Kong and Political Commissar Xiao said they have something important to discuss with you."

Tang Baolin's gaze swept across the four men's faces, finally settling on Kong Jie. The regimental commander's complexion was much better than before. Although his brows were still furrowed, the embarrassment of being cornered was gone, replaced by a strange excitement—like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days suddenly smelling blood.

"Sit down." Tang Baolin gestured to the chairs in the room. "Perfect timing. Young Master Lin just left; he had some instructions for you all to pass on."

Kong Jie and Xiao Yifu exchanged a glance and sat down by the window. Zheng Shucheng and Qin Zhirong stood beside Tang Baolin, like two screens.

"Regarding receiving supplies,"

Tang Baolin got straight to the point, "Young Master Lin said to deliver it to the temporary warehouse first thing tomorrow morning. I will send people to guard it, and you can also send people to guard it together, but you still need to move it to your own warehouse as soon as possible."

In addition, there is another important matter, which you all happen to be here for: the construction of grain warehouses. This was specifically entrusted to us by "Ghost" because it is related to future famine preparedness.

"Famine preparedness?" Kong Jie leaned forward slightly. "What famine preparedness?"

Tang Baolin took out a hand-drawn map from the drawer and spread it on the table. It was a simple topographical map of the outskirts of Beiping, with several valleys and rivers clearly outlined in ink.

"Young Master Lin's exact words were, 'Next summer, there will be a severe drought in North China, and the autumn harvest will be reduced by 60% to 70%.'" Tang Baolin pointed to the map with his finger. "He plans to build ten large grain depots in Pingxi and Pingbei, storing enough grain to reach 300,000 tons before this year's autumn harvest."

Xiao Yifu's glasses flickered: "A severe drought next year? How...how did he know?"

"I don't know how he knew."

Tang Baolin's voice was calm, "But I know that even without a severe drought, food is the foundation for people's survival. Building grain reserves is always beneficial and harmless, no matter the time."

Besides, we are only responsible for building the granaries; the "Ghosts" are in charge of the food supply. Although you are the Red Party's army, you are still the security force under the Municipal Council, and you have the responsibility and obligation to assist us in this work.

Vice Chairman Zheng, Vice Chairman Qin, what do you say?

Zheng Shucheng and Qin Zhirong exchanged a glance. Zheng Shucheng stepped forward, his finger tracing the marked valley locations on the map, his brow furrowing slightly: "Chairman Tang, ten large grain depots, 300,000 tons of grain… that's no small amount. Our municipal committee has only been established for a few months, and we're stretched thin in terms of manpower and funding."

"We agreed last time that we could transfer manpower from the security regiment. Doesn't the security regiment have a lot of new recruits? Let them repair the granary for two months. 'Ghost' provided a lot of food, and we can also use this time to improve the physical condition of the new soldiers."

Qin Zhirong picked up the conversation, his voice even hoarser than Zheng Shucheng's, as if years of smoking had ruined his throat, "As for funding, since Young Master Lin has spoken up, I'm sure 'Ghost' will make arrangements."

"Funding is not a problem."

Tang Baolin took out another slip of paper from the drawer. It had a string of numbers on it: "Young Master Lin left a check for 100,000 silver dollars, saying it's for initial construction costs. He'll find another way to cover the subsequent grain purchases."

Kong Jie's breathing became heavier. One hundred thousand silver dollars was enough to feed his entire regiment for two years. Just how much money did this "ghost" have?

He thought of those mountain guns, radio stations, tons of grain, and the calm tone in which the boy spoke of "130,000 heads," and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

"What I'm concerned about," Xiao Yifu's voice pulled Kong Jie back from his thoughts, "is how the 'Ghost' plans to transport these 300,000 tons of grain? Pingxi and Pingbei are both mountainous areas with rugged roads; even large carts can't get through."

"These are not things for you or me to worry about. Our only task is to build the granary." Tang Baolin pointed to the map.

"Since Young Master Lin said 'Ghost' is in charge of the food, let's not worry about it."

He put away the map, his gaze sweeping over the four people present. "The most important thing right now is to determine the locations of these ten grain depots. Vice Chairman Zheng, could you tell your comrades about the locations we finalized before the New Year?"

Zheng Shucheng bent down, moving his finger across the map: "In the Baihua Mountain and Qingshui River area of ​​Pingxi, there are several natural caves that, with a little modification, can be used for grain storage. The border area between Yanqing and Huairou in Pingbei has deep valleys, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack; it's also a good place."

"How do you prevent moisture from growing in caves?" Kong Jie couldn't help but interject. "In North China, summers are rainy, and moldy grain is worse than no oil at all."

"Lime, charcoal, and hay were laid out in layers."

Zheng Shucheng had clearly considered this beforehand. "I've seen the landlord's grain storage cave back in my hometown. As long as the ventilation is good, it can store grain for three years without any problem."

Qin Zhirong added, "We can also learn from the methods used in the Jin-Cha-Ji region: digging cellars. Covering them with three feet of soil provides warmth in winter and coolness in summer, making them more secure than caves. The Tang family ancestral graves are located in places like this."

Tang Baolin listened, nodding occasionally. After the two finished speaking, he turned to Kong Jie and Xiao Yifu: "Commander Kong, Political Commissar Xiao, when will your men arrive?"