Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan put down his teacup, his gaze resolute: "It's not just about Beiping. With these medicines, we can establish connections with more anti-Japanese forces and the international community, and provide support."

This plate of nicotine is our biggest bargaining chip to break the deadlock and gain the initiative.

The Soviets are in a hurry to get it now, and in the near future, others will be in a hurry to get it too.

With such scarce resources in our hands, we can, in this complex situation, fight for more living space and development opportunities for ourselves and for the many suffering people.

Tang Baolin looked at Lin Yifan's young yet unusually composed face and felt a sense of bewilderment. This child always seemed to be able to point him in the right direction and bring him hope at crucial moments.

He stood up and walked to the window. "Okay! Xiao Fan, let's do it your way! From now on, we'll race against these Russians. They'll send over the production line, and we'll build the pharmaceutical factory and produce the medicine as quickly as possible!"

I want to see if the skies over North China, the skies over China, will change because of us!

Five days later, a large fleet of aircraft flew from Mongolia toward Beijing, including seventeen transport planes, twenty-four I-15 biplane fighters, and twenty-four I-16 monoplane fighters.

Although they chose sparsely populated areas for their flight route, such a large fleet was still discovered by those with ulterior motives, who were commonly referred to as traitors to the Mongols. They immediately reported the situation to the Japanese garrison in Mengjiang through various channels.

The garrison troops stationed in Mengjiang were mainly cavalry, with no air support whatsoever. They used to have the Beiping airfield in North China to provide air support, but now...

The Mongolian Garrison Command had no choice but to report to the local military headquarters. By the time the Japanese headquarters found out, the aircraft had already landed safely at Xiyuan Airport.

Tang Baolin, Lin Yifan, Andrei, Zheng Shucheng, Qin Zhirong, and others who were waiting at the airport all showed relieved smiles on their faces when they saw the planes land smoothly.

Andrei stepped forward excitedly, grasped Tang Baolin's hand tightly, and said in heavily accented Chinese, "Mr. Tang, Mr. Lin, we did it! This is a testament to our friendship!"

Tang Baolin laughed and patted the back of his hand: "Mr. Andre, it's a pleasure to cooperate! I hope the installation and debugging will go just as smoothly."

Lin Yifan then turned his gaze to the huge transport planes, the shadows under their wings seemingly foreshadowing endless possibilities for the future.

At the airport, Commander Kong had already mobilized his most elite troops, fully armed, and placed the entire airport under strict security, making it as impenetrable as an iron barrel.

The soldiers stood solemnly, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily. On the high ground outside the airport, rows of anti-aircraft machine guns were set up, their dark muzzles pointing straight to the sky, ready for any possible emergencies.

The Soviet technicians brought by Andrei also quickly disembarked from the plane. Most of them were wearing dark work clothes, and their faces showed fatigue but could not hide their excitement. As soon as they got off the plane, they began to connect with the pharmaceutical factory personnel and discuss the details of unloading and transporting the equipment.

Dr. Chen was leading several students, carefully checking the equipment list provided by Andrei. They checked each item with extra care, for fear of missing or damaging anything.

Zhao Gang coordinated the vehicles on the side. Dozens of trucks, which had been gathered from all over Beiping, were already neatly lined up beside the runway, with the drivers sitting in their seats, ready to go at any time.

Lin Yifan walked up to Commander Kong and said, "Commander Kong, thank you for your hard work. This is also a way for you to train your troops. In the near future, your Red Party's planes will also land at this airport."

A look of anticipation appeared on Commander Kong's dark face as he nodded vigorously: "Thank you for your kind words, Young Master Lin! By then, we'll be able to fly our own planes and shoot down those Japanese planes, letting them know how powerful we Chinese are!"

He paused, then patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, young master, as long as I, Kong, am here, not a single hair on this airport or this batch of equipment will be missing! Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I'll make sure they don't leave alive!"

Lin Yifan patted him on the shoulder, feeling a greater sense of trust in this straightforward team leader.

He turned to look at Qin Zhirong, who understood and whispered, "We've already made contact with the Red Party. There are three chemical experts who studied in Germany and five experienced mechanical engineers who will secretly arrive in Beiping in the next couple of days."

They all came voluntarily, without asking for any reward, solely to produce life-saving medicine as soon as possible to support the front lines.

"good!"

A hint of approval flashed in Lin Yifan's eyes. "Make sure their personal safety is guaranteed throughout the journey. These technical talents are our treasures. Once we arrive in Beiping, I will have someone arrange their food and lodging."

Qin Zhirong nodded: "Don't worry, everything has been arranged along the way. The higher-ups are also paying special attention to their safety, and even called to instruct us that as long as 'Ghost' needs us, our Red Party will unconditionally and fully cooperate."

Just then, Andrei walked over with several Soviet officers, his face beaming with the relief of having completed his mission.

"Mr. Tang!"

He pointed to the huge wooden crates being unloaded from the transport plane in an orderly manner. "All the equipment is here, including state-of-the-art fermentation tanks, purification devices, and testing instruments."

Our technical team consists of experienced veterans; at most half a month, no, ten days! I guarantee that the first batch of penicillin will be produced!

Tang Baolin stroked his beard, beaming, "Mr. Andrei, we trust your professional capabilities. The first batch of medicines is ready as agreed. Did you bring the gold?"

Andrei's smile remained unchanged. He snapped his fingers, and a Soviet officer behind him immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed him a document.

"Mr. Tang, the gold is on the plane behind us. Here is the list."

Tang Baolin took the document and handed it to Shi Tou beside him. After Shi Tou and his men boarded the plane and carefully checked it, he returned and nodded to Tang Baolin and Lin Yifan.

Tang Baolin was finally relieved and said loudly, "Mr. Andrei is indeed a straightforward person! Shitou, take them to the car to check our medicine. If there are no problems, have them sign for receipt."

Andrei eagerly followed the stone toward the truck that was already parked to the side, its bed covered with a thick tarpaulin.

He personally lifted a corner, and a faint smell of medicine mixed with the scent of wooden boxes wafted out. Inside, neatly stacked wooden boxes marked with crosses contained the penicillin he had been dreaming of.

He gestured to the officer beside him to check, and the officer opened one of the wooden crates, carefully checked the quantity and packaging, and then nodded to Andrei.

Andrei smiled with relief, picked up a pen, and signed his name on the receipt with a flourish, as if he had accomplished a great mission.

After signing the papers, he turned around and grasped Tang Baolin's hand tightly again: "Mr. Tang, you are true friends of the Soviet Union! This batch of medicine will save the lives of countless Soviet soldiers."