Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan handed the telegram to Tang Baolin and said with a smile, "Look, speak of the devil, and he appears. This news has come at just the right time."

After reading the telegram, Tang Baolin smiled and nodded. He immediately decided to set a date for the morning of the day after tomorrow, since both parties were available. The location would be the municipal committee office, which was spacious and safe.

That afternoon, the news reached Kong Jie, who replied and agreed to the time and place.

On the morning of the third day, Lin Yifan arrived at the Municipal Committee early and waited with Tang Baolin for the other party to arrive. Not long after, Kong Jie led in a refined middle-aged man wearing a gray military uniform and glasses, and introduced them to each other as soon as he entered.

The middle-aged man shook Lin Yifan's hand with a warm and sincere attitude and said, "I have heard the commander mention Mr. Kobayashi before, and I also know that 'Ghost' has made many contributions to the War of Resistance against Japan. It is my honor to meet Mr. Kobayashi today."

Lin Yifan exchanged a few polite words with a smile, and after they sat down as host and guest, he didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the handover.

The other party had already prepared the list of cultural relics and immediately handed it over. Lin Yifan took it and glanced at it. They were all genuine unearthed cultural relics, and their current value was already equivalent to the cost of this batch of weapons and tanks. In the future, their value would be immeasurable.

He was very straightforward and handed over the keys to the armory and the transfer documents to the other party. They also agreed that Kong Jie would send someone to pick up the goods first thing the next morning. The matter was settled quickly.

After finishing their business, the group sat down to chat about the current situation of the War of Resistance against Japan. The other party talked about the hardships of the battlefield behind enemy lines and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to "Ghost" for its willingness to provide a continuous supply of supplies and weapons. Lin Yifan just smiled and said that everyone was trying to drive the Japanese out of China, so they should help each other out.

As lunchtime approached, Tang Baolin had already prepared the meal, and the group ate and chatted in a very harmonious atmosphere.

Just as they were finishing their meal, the Red Party representative put down his chopsticks, looked at Lin Yifan and Tang Baolin, and said, "Gentlemen, I've come here on behalf of the leader, and there's an important matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Our leader knows that Beiping is currently under the control of the "ghost," and things are relatively stable. The people are able to have enough to eat, and this situation is hard-won.

We also highly recognize the determination of "Ghost" to resist Japan and its ability to govern Beiping. However, with the Japanese army advancing south, the situation of the war of resistance in North China remains severe. We hope to reach a long-term cooperation with "Ghost".

On the one hand, we are waging guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines to tie down Japanese forces; on the other hand, we hope to obtain a stable supply of weapons, ammunition, and medicine from "Ghost".

Especially medicines. Most of our soldiers have died because they did not receive timely treatment and because of the shortage of medicines. If your pharmaceutical factories can guarantee our supply of medicines, we can avoid many unnecessary sacrifices.

Of course, we will also contribute grain and minerals produced in our base areas to offset the price, achieving mutual benefit and working together to maintain the momentum of the war against Japan.

After listening, Lin Yifan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Long-term cooperation is naturally no problem. We are united in fighting the Japanese. As long as you bring out supplies in exchange, we can supply weapons, ammunition, and medicines. We will definitely give you the most favorable price based on the market price, and we will never let you suffer a loss."

"There's one thing I need to make clear beforehand: our main focus right now is on building up and defending Beiping. We won't interfere in any affairs within your base areas. I hope you can understand that."

The Red Party representative nodded quickly: "Of course, please rest assured, Mr. Kobayashi, we will absolutely not interfere with any of your affairs in governing Beiping. We are just cooperating for mutual benefit and jointly resisting Japan. Our leader has already made this clear."

In addition, our leaders know that "Ghost" likes their calligraphy, so this time they specially asked me to bring a few pieces of calligraphy. The teacher wrote two pieces, the gentleman wrote two pieces, and the general manager and the vice president each wrote two pieces.

"Please help me pass this on to 'Ghost'." After saying that, he took the rattan box he had brought, opened it, and showed it to Lin Yifan and Tang Baolin.

Lin Yifan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly stood up with a smile to accept it, saying, "Then I will thank you all for your kindness on behalf of 'Ghost.' 'Ghost' has always admired your magnanimity and vision, and I'm sure you will be very happy to receive your calligraphy."

The Red Party representative waved his hand with a smile and said, "Our leader also said that in the future, whether it's in Beiping or the base area, if there's anything that requires our cooperation, just send a message and we will definitely cooperate fully without hesitation."

Lin Yifan nodded, and they immediately arranged a contact person for the follow-up work. The two sides finalized the code and location for the meeting, and the long-term cooperation was officially settled.

After a hearty meal, the Red Party representative had to rush back to report, so he didn't linger and bid farewell to Kong Jie.

Looking at the box of calligraphy, Tang Baolin smiled and said to Lin Yifan, "This was handled brilliantly. We not only obtained the cultural relics, but also solidified our cooperation and gained a stable source of supplies. It's truly a win-win-win situation."

Lin Yifan packed the box away and replied with a smile, "As long as we can work together to fight the Japanese, it's a good thing for us. In the future, we should just focus on building Beiping more solidly so that the people can live a peaceful life. That will be the greatest contribution to the War of Resistance against Japan."

After giving Tang Baolin a few more instructions on follow-up arrangements, Lin Yifan left the Municipal Committee with his suitcase and headed home.

Upon arriving at the courtyard gate, he habitually used his spiritual power to "see" the situation inside the courtyard and found that Wenxiu and the other two were in their own room, dressing up in front of the mirror.

Looking at the three maids' delicate faces with a touch of rouge and their maid outfits, Lin Yifan couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.

What girl doesn't love to look pretty? I never treated them like maids. Now that I consider them family, I can't let them wear those maid outfits anymore.

When we get back, we'll have the tailors in town make a few fashionable foreign-style dresses for each of the three of them, and two well-fitting cheongsams. We'll use the best fabrics so they won't suffer any injustice.

Thinking this to himself, Lin Yifan raised his hand and knocked on the door. Xin Yi's cheerful voice quickly came from inside, and the door opened a moment later.

When Xinyi saw it was him, her eyes lit up immediately. She smiled and stepped aside to let him in: "Young master, you're back! Have you finished everything?"

Lin Yifan smiled and nodded, placing the rattan box on the table. Wenxiu and Xia Yan also came out from behind and curiously asked what was in the box.

Lin Yifan opened the box to show them the calligraphy works. Although the three girls didn't understand calligraphy, they could still see the strength and style in the characters, and they praised them.

Lin Yifan looked at the new hair ties and cosmetics they had left aside, remembered his earlier thought, and smiled as he mentioned making them new clothes. The three girls were stunned for a moment, and then their faces slowly turned red.