Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Then, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one, and used a half-burnt match to ignite the note he had just deciphered.

After the note had completely burned to ashes, Master Ye hid the thick book in a secret compartment before taking the newly assembled kitchen knife and leaving the underground chamber.

This series of actions immediately made Jia Dongming realize that this blacksmith shop was an intelligence relay station for enemy agents.

Aside from the middle-aged man who brought the wood-chopping knife for repair being an enemy agent, the person who will come to buy the kitchen knife later is probably also an accomplice.

With this discovery, a meticulous plan quickly took shape in Jia Dongming's mind.

He stopped keeping a close eye on the blacksmith's shop and moved to another secluded spot to wait for the person who came to collect the kitchen knife.

"Director, we can keep an eye on things here. You can go back to the factory and rest."

We will report to you immediately if we have any news.

Around 4 p.m., Zhao Jun, who was in charge of the team, saw Jia Dongming leaning against his bicycle smoking, so he quickly walked over and said with a smile.

When Jia Dongming saw Zhao Jun, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him, asking in a calm tone, "Zhao Jun, you've been watching this blacksmith shop for most of the day, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Zhao Jun took the cigarette, recalled the surveillance situation today, shook his head and replied, "Chief, we arrived at nine o'clock in the morning and have been on guard until now. Apart from that middle-aged man, we haven't seen any other customers in the shop."

So... I didn't see anything particularly special about it.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming recalled the information he had gathered at the teahouse at noon and said to Zhao Jun, "According to Qian the Cripple's confession, he sold all the scrap steel he stole from the factory to this blacksmith shop."

Based on the intelligence previously provided by the branch office, we suspect this might be a hideout for enemy agents.

"Of course, this is just speculation at the moment."

Whether the blacksmith shop has any problems or not requires careful investigation before a conclusion can be drawn.

"That's why I assigned your Third Brigade to monitor this place, to find out the identities of the people entering and leaving this shop."

"I came here after lunch and have been here for more than three hours."

Although you were diligent in carrying out the task, I noticed that you were just fixated on the shop and didn't know how to be flexible.

Even if we manage to complete the mission in the end, it will require a huge amount of manpower and resources.

Zhao Jun did not entirely agree with Jia Dongming's statement, but due to the other party's position, he did not reveal his true thoughts, and only replied with a slightly helpless tone: "Director, we are not professional investigators after all, so naturally we are not as professional as the police officers."

Jia Dongming realized that Zhao Jun had misunderstood him, so he smiled and explained, "Zhao Jun, I wasn't criticizing you."

What I'm trying to say is that when carrying out a task, you should choose the most appropriate method to complete it based on the specific circumstances.

Seeing that Zhao Jun was still somewhat confused, Jia Dongming changed his approach and asked, "Then tell me, what is the purpose of our mission this time?"

Without hesitation, Zhao Jun replied, "Chief, it's to gather intelligence and determine whether this blacksmith shop is connected to enemy agents."

Jia Dongming nodded and continued, "That's right."

Do you know what the easiest way to obtain intelligence is?

Zhao Jun pondered for a moment and replied, "Besides monitoring the suspects, we also conduct interviews and investigations in the vicinity of their activity areas..."

Halfway through his sentence, Zhao Jun suddenly remembered that Jia Dongming had gone to the teahouse opposite the blacksmith's shop. He immediately understood Jia Dongming's intention, and couldn't help but slap his forehead, muttering to himself, "If we're talking about gathering information, teahouses and restaurants are indeed the most suitable places."

Thinking of this, Zhao Jun's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked Jia Dongming, "Director, did you find any clues in the teahouse?"

Jia Dongming did not answer directly, but slowly said, "When carrying out reconnaissance missions, you can't just focus on people."

While conducting surveillance, we must find ways to gather intelligence related to the target.

Teahouses and taverns are often the places with the best sources of information.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "So I saw a teahouse across the street, so I went in and sat down for a while."

This way, one could observe what was happening in the blacksmith's shop and also listen to the surrounding discussions.

Sure enough, I learned from the teahouse waiter that this shop was originally very famous in the East City and its business had always been good.

But more than three months ago, the old master craftsman went back to his hometown, and the new craftsman doubled his prices, so business slowed down.

Jia Dongming looked at Zhao Jun and asked, "Why do you think this new mentor did this?"

Zhao Jun thought for a moment and replied, "The price of raw materials hasn't gone up, but he doubled the price of the finished products. This doesn't seem like he's trying to make more money; it seems more like he doesn't want to take on too much work and is afraid of hard work."

Jia Dongming pressed on meaningfully, "Since everyone around knows the prices here are high, why did that farmer still choose this place instead of going to a cheaper one? Are farmers these days all so well-off?"

Zhao Jun suddenly realized what was going on and blurted out, "Chief, if that's the case, that farmer is indeed suspicious!"

Jia Dongming's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice, saying, "If my guess is correct, this blacksmith shop may not be an enemy agent's stronghold, but rather a transit point for them to transmit intelligence."

"If that's the case, the farmer might be using the pretense of buying things to send out intelligence."

Soon after, the shopkeeper will send the information away, or someone else will come to collect it.

Zhao Jun had initially thought Jia Dongming's choice of surveillance location was clever, but after hearing his analysis, he admired him even more and gained a deeper understanding of the section chief's abilities.

Originally, Jia Dongming planned to return to the steel rolling mill, but this discovery made him change his mind and decide to stay and wait for personnel who might come to collect intelligence.

"Chief! Captain! We're back."

Around 5 p.m., two team members who had gone out to follow arrived on bicycles and reported to the two men.

Zhao Jun immediately asked, "Guosheng, Zhang Ming, have you verified the identity of the middle-aged man who went into the blacksmith shop earlier?"

With excitement on his face, Zhang Ming quickly reported, "Director, Captain, that person definitely has a problem."

Fortunately, we followed the director's instructions and took turns tracking them; otherwise, we might have been discovered.

Zhao Jun urged, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail!"

As soon as Zhao Jun asked the question, Zhang Ming quickly reported to Jia Dongming and Zhao Jun: "Director! Captain! That middle-aged man was very alert. He led us around the streets repeatedly, constantly looking behind us. After circling for nearly forty minutes, he finally entered the cotton mill."

"Fortunately, Guosheng had a comrade-in-arms who worked in security at the cotton mill. Through this connection, we were able to find out that the person we were following was You Wan'an, a purchasing agent at the cotton mill."

I heard that his wife suffered a difficult childbirth years ago, and both she and the baby died. Now he lives alone in the factory's staff quarters.

After listening to Zhang Ming's report, Jia Dongming recalled the conversation he had overheard in the teahouse—when You Wan'an met Master Ye, he claimed to be a farmer from the countryside who had come to the city to repair his wood-chopping knife because it was broken, and he had argued with Master Ye for a long time about the price.

Now Zhang Ming and his team have discovered that You Wan'an's true identity is a purchasing agent at a cotton mill. Based on this alone, it is enough to conclude that You Wan'an is likely an enemy agent responsible for transmitting intelligence.

"Chief! A middle-aged woman has entered the blacksmith's shop."

Just as Jia Dongming was sorting out the case based on the investigation results, Zhao Jun suddenly whispered a reminder.

Jia Dongming immediately snapped out of his thoughts and activated his Eagle Eye and Clairvoyant Hearing skills, looking toward the blacksmith shop not far away.

"Comrade, do you have any decent quality kitchen knives here?"

A middle-aged woman walked into the shop and asked the clerk behind the counter with a smile.

The shop assistant politely replied, "Sir, we have several types of kitchen knives here, and the prices vary. Which one would you like?"

The middle-aged woman looked at the kitchen knives displayed on the shelf and said, "I'm looking for a knife that can both chop bones and easily cut vegetables."

The shop assistant looked troubled and shook his head: "We don't have knives like that in our store right now."

Why don't you go and take a look at the supply and marketing cooperative?

The middle-aged woman looked somewhat disappointed and turned to leave, saying, "Alright then, I'll go look somewhere else."

"Ma'am, I just had a knife made here. It's made of high-quality material, and it's great for cutting vegetables and chopping bones. It's just a little pricey though."

Just then, Master Ye came out of the inner room, carrying a kitchen knife, and called out to the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman stopped and examined the knife in Master Ye's hand, asking with some skepticism, "Master, can this knife really chop bones and cut vegetables? You're not just kidding me, are you?"

Master Ye put on an unhappy expression: "Our shop is quite well-known in the Dongcheng District."

If this knife doesn't meet your requirements, you can come back anytime and even take down this signboard!

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman finally seemed to believe him and asked, "How much does this knife cost?"

Master Ye replied with a smile, "I spent a whole day and night working on this knife, using only the finest materials."

So the price is indeed not cheap, it's thirteen and a half yuan.

"Thirteen yuan and fifty cents?"

The middle-aged woman looked surprised. "This is almost half a month's salary for me! Is it made of gold?"

Master Ye wasn't angry at all. Instead, he explained with a hint of pride, "Ma'am, this knife was originally ordered for the head chef of Quanjude."

It's a pity that the craftsman passed away a few days ago, otherwise he wouldn't be selling it now.

The middle-aged woman was slightly surprised after hearing this, and then said, "Master, I'm just using it at home, so it doesn't need to be as fancy as in a restaurant."

Is there anything cheaper?

Master Ye frowned, hesitated for a while, and then said, "This is the only one in the shop that meets your requirements."

Since you're so keen on it, I'll give you a discount of one dollar.

If you still think it's too expensive, then you'll have to try your luck at the supply and marketing cooperative.

The middle-aged woman lowered her head and thought for a moment before finally bargaining: "Ten yuan."

If it's okay, I'll take it.

A knife that costs half a month's salary—anyone would think twice about that.

A look of heartache flashed across Master Ye's face, but he finally nodded reluctantly: "Sister, you really know how to bargain."

"Alright, since you're so sincere in buying it, ten yuan it is."

Jia Dongming used his skills to observe everything in the blacksmith shop.

If it weren't for the fact that Master Ye's identity was suspicious, this bargaining would seem no different from an ordinary transaction.

After watching the middle-aged woman pay, put the kitchen knife into a cloth bag, and leave, he was almost certain that this middle-aged woman who came to buy the knife was also an enemy agent.

Watching the middle-aged woman ride her bicycle away into the distance, Jia Dongming immediately gave Zhao Jun the order: "Zhao Jun! Send more men to keep a close watch on that woman who just left, and make sure to find out her final address."

After receiving the order, Zhao Jun nodded immediately and turned to Zhang Ming and the others, instructing them: "Zhang Ming! Guo Sheng! You guys follow her immediately and must verify the woman's identity and specific address."

Seeing the middle-aged woman leave the shop, Master Ye, who was behind the counter, smiled and said to the shop assistant next to him, "Xiao Song! It's getting late, I'll head back first."

"By five o'clock, you should pack up, close the shop, and go home!"

"Chief! The blacksmith from the blacksmith shop is out."

Shortly after Zhang Ming and the others left, Master Ye walked out of the shop.

Zhao Jun spotted Master Ye standing in front of the blacksmith shop and quickly reported it to Jia Dongming.

Hearing the sound, Jia Dongming turned his head and looked towards the blacksmith shop. Sure enough, he saw Master Ye looking around at the door.

Upon seeing this, Jia Dongming immediately instructed Zhao Jun: "Zhao Jun! You continue to monitor the blacksmith shop here."

I'll be working with this blacksmith.

After listening, Zhao Jun asked, "Director! Do you need someone to assist you?"