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

Jia Dongming shook his head and replied, "No need! It's not certain yet whether anyone else will come to the blacksmith's shop."

There are only three or four of you left now. To avoid a shortage of manpower, you should all stay here until the blacksmith closes.

After hearing this, Zhao Jun stopped insisting and nodded in agreement: "Yes! Then we will stay here."

"Director, please be careful."

Master Ye stood at the door for a moment, took out his key from his pocket, unlocked the bicycle parked outside the shop, got on the bike, and rode away.

Jia Dongming stood at a distance, watching Master Ye ride away on his bicycle, but did not immediately follow.

After the other person had ridden four or five hundred meters, he got on his bicycle and said to Zhao Jun, "Zhao Jun! I'm leaving now, you can take care of this."

Jia Dongming rode his bicycle, following Master Ye from a distance.

During the journey, he noticed that although Master Ye seemed to be riding his bicycle casually, he took the opportunity to check whether he was being followed from behind every time he turned a corner.

Using his eagle-eye long-range vision, Jia Dongming saw from afar that Master Ye first went to a deli to buy some braised vegetables, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick up a few bottles of wine, and finally followed him to a small courtyard in Sesame Alley, watching Master Ye push his cart into the courtyard.

Jia Dongming did not approach rashly, but stopped at the corner of the alley and activated the Eagle Eye's X-ray vision function to investigate the yard.

The courtyard is not large, about 100 square meters, and has a main house, two side rooms and a small room.

To Jia Dongming's surprise, several packages connected to detonating wires were buried in the yard.

After seeing Master Ye enter the courtyard, Jia Dongming first looked around, then walked to the front door of the main house, bent down to check a thin hair on the door lock, and then used the key to open the door, carrying the braised dishes and wine into the house.

"This person is really careful; they even marked the door lock."

If they break in and search without finding anything, he'll definitely notice someone's been in the house when he returns.

Having witnessed all of this, Jia Dongming couldn't help but admire Master Ye's vigilance.

After sitting in the main room for a few minutes, Master Ye suddenly got up and walked quickly to the courtyard gate. He opened the door, looked around the alley to make sure there was no one suspicious, and then closed the door and bolted it shut.

After closing the courtyard gate, Master Ye turned around and went into the house, closing the door again. Then he picked up the braised vegetables and wine he had just bought, opened a cabinet against the wall, and crawled inside.

Jia Dongming was using his eagle-eye vision to monitor Master Ye's actions when he saw him disappear into the cabinet and appear in the neighboring yard. He was greatly shocked and also understood why there was a bag buried in the neighboring yard.

This discovery made Jia Dongming feel very fortunate, fortunate that he hadn't let Zhao Jun and the others monitor Master Ye.

Otherwise, not only would they not have discovered that Master Ye's real hiding place was in the neighboring yard, but they also would not have been able to detect the bag buried in the yard.

Thinking of these bags, Jia Dongming secretly gasped and muttered, "They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows, this enemy agent is really cunning, even the neighboring yard is his stronghold."

"If you rush in to arrest someone without knowing the facts, the other party could not only detonate the explosives but also escape in the chaos."

When Jia Dongming saw Master Ye enter the neighboring courtyard, he immediately began to investigate and discovered that there was a secret underground room hidden in the neighboring courtyard.

"There was a radio on the table in the middle of the room, and a flag on the wall."

At the other end of the secret room, a dozen or so large chests were neatly stacked; some contained weapons, while others held gold and antiques.

After Jia Dongming finished investigating the secret room, he was about to check the layout of the courtyard when he suddenly saw the entrance to the secret room open and Master Ye walked in.

He walked to the table, turned on the radio, and began transmitting.

Jia Dongming did not have the codebook, so he was unable to decipher the message sent by Master Ye.

After silently memorizing the rhythm of Master Ye's tapping, he turned his attention back to the ground.

"Comrade! Who are you, and why are you peeking around here?"

Just as Jia Dongming was about to investigate the small courtyard ahead, a stern question came from behind him.

Upon hearing the voice, Jia Dongming turned around and saw two middle-aged men and women wearing red armbands. He was slightly taken aback, then smiled and explained, "Comrades, please don't misunderstand. I'm from the security department of the steel rolling mill. This is my identification."

As he spoke, he took out his newly issued work ID from the Dongcheng Branch from his jacket pocket and handed it to the wary-looking middle-aged man in front of him.

The middle-aged man took the ID and flipped it open. He was surprised to find that the young man in front of him was the deputy head of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Dongcheng Branch. He quickly handed the ID back to Jia Dongming and politely introduced himself: "Hello, Deputy Head Jia! We are from the street office. We received a report from the public that a young man was behaving suspiciously in this area, so we came here to check."

Upon learning that the other party was from the street office, Jia Dongming immediately explained the situation: "Comrade, we are investigating a case involving enemy agents. One of our targets lives in that small courtyard up ahead."

I was planning to go to the neighborhood office later to get some information from you.

Upon hearing that enemy agents were involved, the middle-aged man immediately perked up and hurriedly asked, "Deputy Captain Jia, I'm familiar with all the courtyards in this area. Which courtyard do you mean the enemy agent is staying in?"

Jia Dongming did not answer directly, but instead asked, "How should I address you, comrades?"

The middle-aged man immediately introduced himself: "Section Chief Jia, my surname is Zhang, my name is Zhang Shengli, and I am the deputy director of Jingshan Subdistrict Office."

This is my colleague, Comrade Wang Xiuzhi.

After shaking hands with the two men, Jia Dongming pointed to a courtyard not far away and asked, "Director Zhang, do you know anything about the family living in that courtyard with the small tree over there?"

Zhang Shengli looked in the direction he pointed and then replied, "Deputy Captain Jia, that courtyard is where Ye Quanwang lives; he's a blacksmith."

His wife died in childbirth a few years ago, and he now lives alone.

Could this Ye Quanwang be an enemy spy?

Jia Dongming nodded slightly: "Director Zhang, we have sufficient evidence to confirm that Ye Quanwang is an enemy agent from Taiwan."

We are still investigating to find out who his accomplices are, so please keep this confidential.

"Don't worry, Deputy Chief Jia, we will never disclose this to anyone."

Zhang Shengli immediately gave a solemn guarantee.

Jia Dongming did not reveal to the street office staff that Ye Quanwang's real hideout was actually in the neighboring courtyard. Instead, he asked, "Director Zhang, who does Ye Quanwang usually associate with? Does he have any other relatives?"

Zhang Shengli thought for a moment and introduced, "Deputy Captain Jia, Ye Quanwang works at a blacksmith shop in the east of the city. He often drinks with Xiao Quan, the gatekeeper of our street office's scrap metal recycling station."

Also, he has a younger sister who married and moved to Tianjin; I'll have to go back and check the exact address.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately pressed further, "Director Zhang, could you elaborate on the details of Xiao Quan, the security guard at the scrap metal recycling station you just mentioned?"

Zhang Shengli then introduced: "Deputy Captain Jia, Xiao Quan is fifty-four years old this year and is a long-time resident of Sesame Alley."

When the Japanese army occupied Beijing, his wife and children were killed by them.

Later, when the neighborhood committee established a scrap metal collection station, he was assigned to guard the gate there.

Jia Dongming, recalling that Ye Quanwang was also single, said, "Ye Quanwang is all alone, and Xiao Quan is also single. It seems that this Xiao Quan might also have a problem."

He then asked, "Director Zhang, does Xiao Quan usually live at the scrap metal recycling station or at his own home? What is his house number?"

Zhang Shengli replied, "Deputy Captain Jia, because the scrap metal recycling station needs someone to be on duty at night, Xiao Quan usually lives at the station."

His home is at No. 107 Sesame Alley, a small courtyard house.

Jia Dongming wrote down the address and said to Zhang Shengli, "Director Zhang, I'll go visit Xiao Quan's family in a bit."

Please keep what I just said a secret.

Zhang Shengli assured again, "Deputy Captain Jia, rest assured, we will definitely not tell anyone."

After Zhang Shengli and Wang Xiuzhi left, Jia Dongming activated the Eagle Eye skill system again and found that Ye Quanwang had come out of the secret room and was drinking alone in the room with a wine glass in his hand.

Seeing this, Jia Dongming decided to suspend surveillance, then got on his bicycle and rode towards the scrap metal recycling station.

"Comrade! Our scrap metal collection station is closed for the day. What can I do for you?"

As soon as Jia Dongming arrived at the scrap metal recycling station, Xiao Quan, who was in the guardhouse, leaned out of the window and called out to him as he was about to enter.

Upon hearing Xiao Quan's call, Jia Dongming vaguely sensed that the elder before him must be the Xiao Quan that Zhang Shengli had mentioned.

He stopped his bicycle, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to the man, and then explained with a smile, "Sir, do you have any old books for sale?"

Xiao Quan took the cigarettes Jia Dongming offered and replied, "Young man, you've come at an inopportune time."

If you had come the day before yesterday, you might have been able to find the book you wanted.

Just yesterday, all the old books and waste newspapers in our station were taken away by trucks sent by the main station.

Upon hearing Xiao Quan's words, Jia Dongming couldn't help but show a look of disappointment, saying, "How could it be such a coincidence?"

Seeing his dejected expression, Xiao Quan smiled and suggested, "Comrade, although we don't have any here, other scrap metal recycling stations might have some."

You can try your luck at other stations.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately smiled and replied, "You're right, I'll go check out other places."

"Then I won't bother you any longer, goodbye!"

After saying that, Jia Dongming got on his bicycle and left the scrap metal collection station.

When Jia Dongming offered Xiao Quan the cigarette, he secretly observed Xiao Quan's palm.

He noticed that Xiao Quan had calluses on the area where his right thumb and forefinger connected, which were obviously caused by holding a gun for a long time; in particular, there were calluses on both sides of his forefinger, indicating that Xiao Quan was still practicing pulling the trigger.

After leaving the scrap metal recycling station, Jia Dongming rode his bicycle to No. 107, Zhima Hutong.

This is a courtyard in a rather remote location.

Upon seeing the house number, Jia Dongming immediately used his Eagle Eye skill to scan the yard.

Using his eagle eye's ability to see through things, he discovered that the courtyard was in a state of disrepair, with only one house remaining and the rest of the buildings collapsed.

Thinking of the situation at Ye Quanwang's home, Jia Dongming scanned the ground under the yard and found a tunnel extending into the back of the yard from the middle of a dry well.

After finding the tunnel, Jia Dongming pushed his bicycle and followed the direction of the tunnel until he arrived at an abandoned courtyard.

In the underground of this courtyard, he scanned and found a secret room, which was filled with a large amount of living supplies and weapons.

This discovery completely convinced Jia Dongming that Xiao Quan was also an enemy agent.

Considering that someone had previously reported his suspicious behavior, and to avoid attracting attention again, Jia Dongming did not linger. He got on his bicycle and left Zhima Hutong, heading towards Tongluoguxiang.

Halfway there, a familiar-looking figure came into Jia Dongming's view.

He rode past her on his bicycle, looked back, and recognized her as Yu Li, the daughter-in-law of Yan Bugui from the front yard.

Seeing Yu Li carrying a cloth bag walking on the sidewalk, Jia Dongming stopped his car and greeted her with a smile, "Yu Li, where are you going?"

When Yu Li saw Jia Dongming riding his bicycle, she looked surprised and politely replied, "Director Jia, I just came back from my parents' house and am on my way home."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming said, "I'm also on my way home. Could I give you a ride?"

Yu Li was clearly tempted, but mindful of the difference between men and women, she politely declined, saying, "Director Jia, thank you for your kind offer."

It's not far from here to Tongluoguxiang; I can walk back.

Jia Dongming understood her concerns and smiled, "We're all neighbors living in the same compound, don't be so polite."

"Come on, sit in the back. I'll take you back."

Seeing that Yu Li no longer refused, she sat down in the back seat and thanked him somewhat embarrassedly: "Director Jia, then I'll trouble you."

Once Li was seated comfortably, Jia Dongming started pedaling and rode towards Tongluoguxiang with her on the back.