Courtyard House: Home Alone

Time flew by and it was already the morning of the second day. Lin Yifan arrived at the dock early in the morning.

Fearing dangers in docking at night, the cargo ship that arrived at the port last night did not dock at the pier, but instead dropped anchor about 500 meters away from the pier.

At 7:30 a.m., the first cargo ship finally docked at the pier, followed by the second... the third...

Because the pier is not very large, it can only accommodate four cargo ships at a time. This time, the fleet transporting equipment consisted of eleven cargo ships, so they had to dock and unload in three batches.

After the four cargo ships docked and the crews disembarked, Lin Yifan boarded the ships and began collecting the equipment. The unloading process went relatively smoothly, though it was a bit time-consuming.

And so, it wasn't until after 1 a.m. the next day that all eleven cargo ships were unloaded.

As soon as he returned to 17 Victoria Road, Chen Gongshu came out of his room to greet him: "Young master, the deal with Smith is done. Citibank has already agreed on the amount of yen to be exchanged. It's just that Smith repeatedly requested to see 'Ghost,' what do you think..."

"Wait a minute, I'm starving. Is there any food at home?" Lin Yifan asked as he took off his coat as he entered the house.

Tang Juye, who was on night duty, said as he closed the door, "There's still some braised donkey meat left, but we've finished everything else."

"Donkey meat is fine, just cut me a plate, and a bowl of hot soup too." Lin Yifan tossed his coat onto the sofa, walked straight to the dining table, plopped down, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

After collecting spatial energy for more than ten consecutive hours, his mental strength was greatly depleted. At this moment, all he wanted was to fill his stomach as soon as possible and recover some physical strength.

Tang Juye responded and turned to go to the kitchen. Soon, a plate of evenly sliced ​​braised donkey meat and a bowl of steaming scallion and egg soup were served. The donkey meat was braised to perfection, with a rich, savory aroma. Lin Yifan didn't even care that it was hot; he picked up his chopsticks and started eating heartily.

Chen Gongshu sat to the side, watching Lin Yifan wolf down his food, not daring to disturb him, and simply waited quietly.

After Lin Yifan ate most of the donkey meat and drank a few mouthfuls of soup, and recovered, he spoke again: "Young master, Smith from Citibank also put in a lot of good words for us. They promised to exchange whatever amount we have."

Lin Yifan swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded: "Okay, tell him to hurry. Japanese yen is hot to handle; it's much more reassuring to exchange it for US dollars. As for his wanting to see the 'ghost'..."

Lin Yifan put down his chopsticks, considered for a moment, and said, "Tell him that even Grandpa Tang hasn't met 'Ghost' yet. However, given that the cooperation between the two parties has been quite pleasant, 'Ghost' has agreed to send a representative to meet with him. The meeting place will be the room you booked."

The time is set for 10:00 AM tomorrow; please make the arrangements in advance. Also, please have Xu Zheng come with me; it seems a bit embarrassing for me to go alone.

"Okay, young master, I understand. However, Hans has contacted me twice already. Do you think we should meet him as well?" Chen Gongshu asked tentatively.

Lin Yifan ate a few more bites of donkey meat and finished the egg soup in his bowl, finally feeling much more comfortable. He stood up, patted his stomach, and said, "Okay, let's schedule it for 1 p.m. I also have something to discuss with them."

Alright, call them first thing tomorrow morning. I'm going back to my room to rest now; we can talk about it when I wake up.

Oh, right, send a telegram to the old man first thing tomorrow morning, and ask him to send someone to my house to tell the maids that we're all fine, but the matter isn't finished yet, and we'll be back in a day or two."

"We understand, young master. Please get some rest," Chen Gongshu and Tang Juye said in unison.

Lin Yifan nodded and went straight upstairs to the second floor. Back in his room, he didn't lie down immediately, but instead went to the window, pulled back a corner of the heavy curtains, and looked out at the quiet street. Moonlight, like water, spilled onto the deserted road, and the occasional hoot of an owl added to the stillness of the night.

His thoughts, however, were far from calm. He needed to bring back the antiques and gold from Haiguang Temple, as well as the grain from Yangliuqing Town. Of course, he also needed to clear out the Black Dragon Society's strongholds.

The Black Dragon Society was the biggest accomplice of the Japanese invasion of China. Letting them live even one more day would be a disservice to the country and the nation.

Lin Yifan's eyes grew increasingly cold as he devised a plan to eliminate these cancerous growths. He decided to start tomorrow night with the Black Dragon Society's main strongholds in Tianjin. These strongholds were not only their hideouts for criminal activities but also their front lines for gathering intelligence and harming their compatriots.

He remembered that the information he had pried out of Yamada Niko mentioned the Black Dragon Society's secret stronghold in the concession, where not only were some of their ill-gotten gains hidden, but they also kept a group of thugs and spies.

Lin Yifan plans to eliminate these strongholds one by one, so that the Black Dragon Society's power in Tianjin will suffer a devastating blow, and he can avenge the compatriots who have been persecuted by them.

After reviewing all the things I still needed to do in Tianjin, I finally lay down on the bed.

When Lin Yifan woke up the next day, it was already past nine in the morning; Xu Zheng had to wake him. As he got out of bed, Lin Yifan asked, "Where's your stationmaster?"

"Young master, the stationmaster was worried you might oversleep, so he went to the Lihua Hotel first."

"Okay, I got it. I'll wash up and then we'll be right there." She said, quickly putting on her clothes.

When the two arrived at the fourth floor of the Lihua Hotel, it was exactly ten o'clock. Xu Zheng knocked on the door of room 412, and footsteps came from inside. Then Chen Gongshu opened the door from the inside.

Xu Zheng took a step back, and Chen Gongshu bowed and stood by the door: "Young master, please come in. Mr. Smith from America is already waiting for you."

Lin Yifan nodded and walked into the room. The room's furnishings weren't luxurious, but they exuded an understated elegance.

Smith was standing by the window with his back to the door, looking at the street scene outside. When he heard footsteps, he immediately turned around, his face full of a warm smile, but his eyes could not hide a hint of inquiry and expectation.

When his gaze fell on Lin Yifan, he was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the representative of "Ghost" to be so young, but he quickly regained his composure and took the initiative to extend his hand to greet him: "Hello, young master, I've heard so much about you. I'm Smith, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lin Yifan remained calm, offering only a symbolic handshake with a light touch that ended almost immediately. "Mr. Smith, there's no need for formalities. I'm merely a representative sent by Mr. 'Ghost' to communicate with you." His voice was not loud, but carried an undeniable composure.

"Yes, yes, I understand, I understand."

Smith nodded quickly and warmly invited Lin Yifan and Xu Zheng to sit down, then called for a waiter to bring coffee. After the waiter left, leaving only the three of them in the room, Smith rubbed his hands together and cautiously began, "Sir, this equipment transaction went very smoothly. Our company greatly admires Mr. 'Ghost's' capabilities and reputation."

Therefore, we hope to have the opportunity to cooperate more deeply with Mr. "Ghost," for example, we have many high-quality resources that we can share in other fields.