Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan got up, took the coat and put it on, picked up the Chongqing specialty snacks he had brought for Grandpa Tang, and went out to take a car to Tang's mansion.

When Mr. Tang heard that he had arrived, he hurriedly came out to greet him. He had resigned from his position as chairman of the Beiping Municipal Committee last year and was now mainly responsible for the management of the Jewish residential area.

To date, the Jewish quarter has housed approximately 60,000 Jews, all of whom are technical personnel sent directly from Germany and are the backbone of Lin Yifan's various factories.

Grandpa Tang pulled Lin Yifan inside and sat him down, smiling as he told him about the recent events in the residential area. He said the Jews were grateful and had spontaneously organized a patrol team to help maintain order, and had also donated a lot of money to the front lines. They all said they wanted to thank us properly for giving them a place to live.

Lin Yifan nodded as he listened, and told the old man that as long as they behaved themselves, they would not mistreat them. As long as they were willing to work hard with them, they would all have a way to make a living in the future.

After listening, Old Master Tang smiled and nodded. He then told him that prices in the city had been very stable recently, that those unscrupulous merchants and the Yiguandao gang had been dealt with, and that ordinary people could eat affordable food. They all praised us for being much better at handling things than the previous dynasty and the Japanese.

The two sat and chatted for almost an hour. Finally, Lin Yifan inquired about the situation of the Prince Gong's Mansion: "Grandpa, do you know who owns the Prince Gong's Mansion now?"

"What's wrong, Xiao Fan? You're interested in Prince Gong's Mansion? Don't you already own dozens of courtyards? Including the ones in Dongjiaomin Lane, you should have over seventy courtyards. Why are you still eyeing Prince Gong's Mansion?"

Lin Yifan smiled and replied, "I'm going to Chongqing for the New Year this time. I promised my sister I'd give her a big courtyard."

I was thinking that the largest courtyards I currently own are the two four-courtyard houses in Dongjiaomin Lane, which I felt were lacking something, so I thought of the Prince Gong's Mansion.

Grandpa Tang smiled and pointed at him with his finger, saying, "You! Your sister is so young, and you spoil her like this. Will you really pluck the moon from the sky for her later?"

Lin Yifan laughed along, "Aren't daughters meant to be pampered? I only have this one little sister, so of course I have to spoil her. Besides, the Prince Gong's Mansion is just sitting empty anyway. Giving her to play in the garden is better than letting her gather dust there, isn't it?"

Old Master Tang stroked his beard and nodded: "Speaking of Prince Gong's Mansion, it was given to the church to pay off debts a long time ago. Later, it was occupied by the Japanese and used as their headquarters. Those foreign devils from the church have long since disappeared."

Since the Japanese were driven away by the "Ghost," the property has been under the jurisdiction of the municipal government. If you want it, I can talk to you tomorrow and transfer it directly to your name. It's not a big deal.

I just remember that when I was cleaning up a while ago, the furnishings inside weren't touched much, so you can move in after a little tidying up.

However, even though it's considered an unclaimed house, you still have to pay some money to the municipal council. That way, no one will bring it up again.

Lin Yifan was delighted: "Okay! No problem. Thank you so much, Grandpa. But let's just transfer it to my sister's name directly, so we don't have to transfer it to her later. After I'm done with these last couple of days, I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant. How much will it cost? I'll give it to you now."

Grandpa Tang smiled and waved his hand: "You're still giving me this nonsense. I'll take care of the money. I guess a thousand silver dollars will be enough."

"By the way, you just got back. Did Commander Chen want to see you? He must be talking about the campaign in Northeast China, right?"

Lin Yifan nodded and replied, "Yes, I'll go to headquarters tomorrow to see him and see what aspects they need 'Ghost's' cooperation on, so I can be prepared."

"The Japanese devils have occupied Northeast China for more than ten years. Those bandits have robbed countless good things from our Northeast."

"That's great! It's finally time to settle accounts with them. This time, we must not hold back and make sure they get their money back with interest." Tang Baolin was excited, and his hands were trembling slightly.

Seeing the old man's excited expression, Lin Yifan replied in a deep voice, "Don't worry, old man. This time, we will not only drive the Japanese out, but I will also take back all the minerals and cultural relics that they stole, bit by bit. Not a single one of our Chinese heritage will be lost."

Tang Baolin took a breath, stroked his beard, and nodded repeatedly: "Good! Good! I'm relieved to hear you say that."

"By the way, you just mentioned attacking Port Arthur. Port Arthur is a fortress that the Japanese have built up over a decade ago; its coastal defenses are very strong. How do you plan to attack it?"

Lin Yifan picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and slowly said, "Grandpa, the fortress at Lushun is indeed well-defended, but we also have our advantages."

For so many years, the Japanese have treated Lushun as their own home. What appears to be a formidable defense is actually riddled with holes. I plan to have our men infiltrate and use special tactics to eliminate the Japanese defenders.

The two chatted for about an hour before Lin Yifan got up to say goodbye. Before leaving, Grandpa Tang held his hand and kept telling him to take care of his health and safety.

When Lin Yifan got home, he found Chen Gongshu waiting for him. He quickly said, "You've come at the right time. I was just about to call you over. Let's have dinner here tonight and chat while we eat."

Chen Gongshu smiled and agreed, then followed him to the living room and sat down. He immediately said, "After Tianjin was captured, I received your telegram and, as you instructed, have our men assemble at Lushun and Shanhaiguan."

Everyone is in position now. However, this gathering has run into some trouble. We lost three brothers and five others were injured, but none of their injuries are serious, and they are currently recuperating at their hideout.

Of the three who sacrificed their lives, one was from the original guard unit, and the other two were orphans we later took in. All three of them died fighting alongside the Japanese search party to hold them off.

"Has the guard team contacted his family? We must make proper arrangements for compensation and the family's future. We can't let them suffer. These brothers risked their lives for us, and we have to support their families."

Upon hearing this, Chen Gongshu quickly nodded and replied, "I've already had someone take care of it. I've left them five hundred silver dollars, and they'll send ten dollars every month. If the child wants to go to school, we'll cover all the tuition and fees; we won't miss a single penny."

Lin Yifan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "That's good. By the way, how many people did we gather at Shanhaiguan and Lushunkou?"

Chen Gongshu took out his notebook, flipped through a couple of pages, and replied, "Including the spies planted in advance and the Anti-Japanese Allied Army comrades who provided local support, there are a total of 1,273 people at Shanhaiguan."

Meanwhile, there are 1,597 men at Lushunkou, led by Qi Haishan. They have already ascertained the Japanese defenses; the Japanese guarding the port consist of only one regiment, with the key defensive area being the coastal artillery batteries next to the docks, while the other areas are poorly defended. The fortifications they are using are the original ones left by the Russians.