Courtyard House: Home Alone

Meanwhile, Shi Tou had already arrived with dozens of Tang Baolin's capable henchmen. These men were all seasoned veterans who had been in the black market for many years, each one agile and efficient.

When they saw the supplies in the first courtyard, they were shocked, but under Tang Baolin's strict discipline and Shi Tou's calm command, there was no chaos.

"Cheer up, all of you!"

Standing in front of the pile of supplies, Shi Tou said in a loud voice, "Master Tang has ordered that these things are the lifeline for the suffering people of Beiping to get through the winter!"

Anyone who dares to hoard even a single thread or grain of rice will be punished according to Master Tang's family rules!

Now, we'll split into three groups of two, using handcarts to transport goods through the secret passages we usually use, and deliver them directly to the old warehouse in the south of the city!

"Move quickly and quietly, and absolutely no sound! Let's go!"

"Yes!" Dozens of men responded in unison, their voices not loud but full of power.

They sprang into action, some finding hidden carts nearby, others methodically loading supplies onto the carts.

Rice and flour were carefully stacked neatly, cotton clothes and quilts were wrapped in coarse cloth, and medicine was personally stored by Shi Tou in a specially made wooden box, which was then transported by two of the most reliable men.

In an instant, the once quiet abandoned courtyard became bustling with activity. The sound of wheels rolling, the deep shouts of men, and the slight clattering of supplies mingled together, but everything was under Stone's control, appearing orderly and attracting no attention from the outside world.

After storing the last batch of supplies in the third courtyard, Lin Yifan returned to the vicinity of the first courtyard. Seeing that Shi Tou and the others had already begun transporting the supplies and were organizing them in an orderly manner, he nodded in satisfaction.

He approached the stone, who was busy at work. Upon seeing Lin Yifan, the stone quickly ran to his side: "Young Master, is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Stone, there are still many supplies. Here are the addresses of the other two courtyards. Keep them for now. Later, go back and talk to Grandpa Tang about whether you can find some honest and reliable poor people to help out. The reward will come from these supplies."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to transport all the supplies I have, let alone distribute them." After saying that, he handed a slip of paper with the addresses of the other two courtyards written on it to Shi Tou.

Shi Tou took the note, his eyes lighting up. It was indeed a good idea. They had enough manpower to transport the first batch, but there were still so many supplies to go. Even if they worked day and night, they couldn't keep up with just these few people.

Finding some poor people to help can solve the manpower problem and also allow them to receive some payment in advance, so they can benefit from it first, killing two birds with one stone.

"Young master is right! I'll write it down!" Stone nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, I'll definitely explain this to Master Tang! There are plenty of hardworking and honest people among the poor; getting them to help will be absolutely reliable!"

Lin Yifan nodded and then added, "Also, when distributing the food, we must give priority to families who are about to run out of food, have elderly people or children, or are sick."

As for the specific standards, Old Master Tang has plenty of experience; let him decide. But one thing is certain: we absolutely cannot allow those idle, opportunistic people to sneak in and take advantage of the situation.

"Understood!" Stone nodded emphatically. "Grandpa Tang had already thought of this. He said that we should register and record the information by area, so that we can roughly understand the situation of each household."

We'll distribute them according to the list, no mistakes allowed! Anyone who dares to cause trouble, we brothers aren't going to take that lying down!

As he finished speaking, a fierce glint flashed in Stone's eyes. These people who made a living on the black market had plenty of ways to deal with scoundrels and ruffians.

Seeing Shi Tou's confident demeanor, Lin Yifan was completely relieved. "Alright, I'll leave this to you. I have other important matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

"Thank you so much, young master!" Stone said gratefully. He knew that Lin Yifan was the source of this "timely rain," and without him, the people of Beiping would have no hope.

Lin Yifan waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned to disappear into the depths of the crisscrossing alleys once again.

The cold wind still howled, but his steps were unusually firm. He had to hurry; if he was too late, the Japanese might escape. Yes, his next targets were the Japanese bank and the expatriates there.

Meanwhile, in the old warehouse in the southern part of the city, Tang Baolin was already in command.

When the first batch of supplies was continuously transported in through the secret passage, Tang Baolin's weathered face broke into a long-lost smile as he looked at the grain and clothing rapidly piling up in the warehouse. That smile was filled with anticipation for the future of the people of Beiping.

The distribution rules have been initially drafted, and the heads of each district have been notified through secret channels. Once the supplies arrive, a "warmth operation" sweeping through Beiping City will begin.

At this moment, Lin Yifan arrived at Dongjiaomin Lane again. He was wearing a Japanese student uniform and walked quickly toward the Japanese Jinzheng Bank.

Upon arriving near the bank, he first used his mental power to carefully examine the inside of the bank. He discovered that the Japanese bank's doors were tightly closed, and inside the bank, there were more than four hundred Japanese employees dressed in civilian clothes and carrying rifles, pistols, and other weapons.

Inside the bank's main gate and at the entrance to the vault, there was a heavy machine gun, both pointing outwards.

The vault was filled with banknotes from various countries, gold bars, silver dollars, gold ingots, and other valuables. There were also various jewelry, jade artifacts, antiques, and paintings.

It seems the Japanese were quite thoughtful, concentrating all the assets from all their branches in Beiping here, saving me the trouble of searching for them one by one. This might be the only good thing they ever did.

If the Japanese bank manager who made this decision could hear his true feelings, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood on the spot.

Lin Yifan sneered inwardly. More than four hundred people? Heavy machine guns? In his eyes, they were nothing but chickens and dogs.

He carefully observed the surroundings of the bank, came to the place closest to the underground vault, and with a thought, he appeared inside the vault filled with valuables.

With a wave of his hand, he collected all the valuables inside into his personal space. Looking at the empty underground vault, Lin Yifan smiled knowingly. In a flash, he disappeared from the spot, reappearing behind the machine gun nest outside the vault door.

With a wave of his hand, four bullets pierced the heads of the Japanese soldiers in front of him. Then, in the bank lobby where the most people were gathered, more than thirty delayed hand grenades appeared out of thin air.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of violent explosions instantly resounded throughout Dongjiaomin Lane. The lobby of the Jinzheng Bank seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand. Glass shards flew everywhere like hailstones, the thick walls trembled violently under the shockwave, and smoke and flames shot into the sky.