Courtyard House: Home Alone

Meanwhile, Lin Yifan had already driven his truck back to Beiping. He parked the truck near the city gate, then folded it up and quickly walked into the city.

The puppet troops are now holed up in their camps outside the city, not daring to show themselves. All the Japanese soldiers in the city have been killed, so wouldn't they just be throwing their lives away if they went out?

Therefore, Beiping was now like an undefended city, with no one checking at the city gates.

It was already dawn. After entering the city, Lin Yifan didn't go straight home. There was still one crucial thing to arrange: with only four days until the New Year, he needed to find a way to deliver the food and supplies in his spatial storage to the people as quickly as possible.

He headed straight for the largest black market in Beiping. A few days earlier, he had found out that this black market was located right next to the Imperial City and was run by a senior Xingyi School master named Tang Baolin.

This Tang Baolin had even fought against the Japanese ten years ago; he was quite a formidable man.

He once defeated three Japanese samurai in a row on the stage, but was eventually ambushed by the Japanese with dirty tricks, which left him with a chronic illness. He then retired from the martial arts world and made a living by running a black market with his disciples.

Lin Yifan has always respected such people, knowing that he has connections and resources. Distributing supplies through him is the safest option, as it can avoid unnecessary chaos and ensure that the food actually reaches those who need it.

In the chilly early morning air at the foot of the imperial city, the entrance to the black market was hidden behind the side gate of a dilapidated courtyard house. Lin Yifan, wearing a black hood, had just reached the entrance when he was blocked by two burly men. Their eyes were wary, and their hands were on their weapons.

"Stop! What are you doing?" one of the bearded men hissed.

Lin Yifan remained calm and took out a wooden plaque with the character "义" (righteousness) engraved on it, which he had obtained from Tang Baolin a few days ago through someone else, and handed it over: "I need to see Old Master Tang; I have important matters to discuss."

The bearded man took the wooden plaque and examined it carefully. He then looked Lin Yifan up and down. Seeing that Lin Yifan seemed young but had a calm demeanor and an extraordinary bearing, he didn't seem like an ordinary opportunist. He gave his companion a wink and stepped aside, saying, "Come with me."

After passing through several narrow passages, the space suddenly opened up into a fairly large courtyard, with various odds and ends scattered on the ground, including grains, cloth, and even some scattered gun parts.

A dozen or so men were sorting and packing in an orderly manner. When they saw Lin Yifan come in, they just glanced at him and continued to work. They were obviously all worldly people.

The curtain to the main room was lifted, and an elderly man, slightly hunched but in good spirits, came out.

He held the "righteousness" plaque in his hand, wore a faded coarse cotton-padded jacket, his face was covered with wrinkles, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. It was Tang Baolin.

"Is it you who wants to see me?" Tang Baolin's voice was hoarse, but it carried an undeniable authority; he had clearly received a report from his subordinates.

Lin Yifan nodded slightly, his gaze meeting Tang Baolin's eyes, which seemed to see right through people. He said in a deep voice, "Grandpa Tang, I am Lin Yifan. I am sorry to bother you, but there is indeed a very important matter concerning the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people in Beiping that I need to discuss with you in person."

This matter is of utmost importance and involves many aspects. I humbly request that we speak privately, as this place... is not a suitable place for a prolonged and detailed discussion.

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at the busy crowd in the courtyard. Although they seemed focused on their work, Lin Yifan could sense that they were all listening to what was happening here.

Tang Baolin narrowed his cloudy old eyes slightly as he looked at the young man in front of him who was wearing a hood and whose only eyes were unusually bright.

The other person spoke calmly, but his tone carried an undeniable power, especially the phrase "concerning the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Beiping," which made his heart skip a beat.

He's lived most of his life and seen all sorts of storms. This man may not look very old, but to say something like that, he's definitely no ordinary person.

After a moment's hesitation, Tang Baolin nodded and stepped aside, saying, "Come in."

Lin Yifan followed Tang Baolin into the main room. The room was simply furnished with an eight-immortal table, a few armchairs, and a coal stove burning in the corner, emitting a faint warmth.

Tang Baolin sat down in the main seat, pointed to the chair opposite him, and said, "Sit." He then called out to the door, "Serve tea!"

After the servants served hot tea and left, Tang Baolin slowly spoke, his voice even lower: "Young friend Lin, can you speak now? What is it that requires such seriousness?"

Lin Yifan did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the warm tea slid down his throat, soothing his dry throat.

He knew that what he was about to say would completely change the old man's peaceful life and could also drag him into a huge storm.

But he had no choice; time was of the essence, and Tang Baolin was the only person he could trust and who was capable of getting this done.

He took out a stack of collar insignia of high-ranking Japanese officers from his pocket (space), including bloodstained general's collar insignia, and placed them in front of Tang Baolin.

The dark red bloodstains on the collar insignia had long since dried and turned black, yet they still exuded a chilling, bloody stench. In the faint heat of the coal stove, one could almost smell the smoke and carnage of a battlefield.

Tang Baolin's pupils suddenly contracted, his hand holding the teacup paused slightly, his cloudy eyes stared intently at the stack of collar insignia, and he unconsciously held his breath.

He was very familiar with the style of these collar insignia, especially the general's collar insignia with gold trim and cherry blossom pattern, which was definitely not something an ordinary soldier would have.

His fingers trembled slightly as he stretched out his withered fingers and carefully picked up a school-level collar insignia. As his fingertips touched the cold metal and stiff fabric, a chill rose from the bottom of his heart, instantly dispelling the warmth brought by the coal stove.

"These...these are..." Tang Baolin's voice trembled slightly. He had lived to be so old and had seen many things, but to have so many high-ranking officers' insignia, still stained with blood, displayed so openly in front of him was no small matter.

He suddenly looked up at Lin Yifan, his eyes filled with shock, confusion, and a hint of disbelief.

"Old Master Tang," his gaze turned extremely solemn, "you must have already heard about what happened in Beiping last night?"

Tang Baolin paused slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes: "I've heard something. It seems there's been a fire at Hongbinlou Restaurant, and... things aren't peaceful at the military police headquarters either?"

Although he had retired, he was always well-informed about the black market. He knew all about the explosions and gunshots in the city last night, as well as the subsequent retreat of the puppet troops, but the specific details were still unclear.

Lin Yifan slowly shook his head, his voice deep yet carrying the power of thunder: "It's not a fire, nor is it anything but peaceful."

"I did it. The traitors at Hongbinlou Restaurant, the Japanese Special Higher Police, the more than three hundred Japanese military police, and all the Japanese soldiers at headquarters, including their commander, have all been wiped out by me."