Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

As he was about to leave, Liu Jianguo casually pulled two "Da Qianmen" cigarettes wrapped in kraft paper from his inner coat pocket, stuffed them into Li Huaide's hand, and whispered:

"Old Li, keep this for when we have guests."

Li Huaide smiled knowingly, accepted it without hesitation, and whispered:

"Thank you so much, bro! If you need anything for work after the New Year, just let me know!"

This visit was less bureaucratic and more intimate, reflecting the tacit understanding of "being one of our own" and the exchange of benefits.

At 5 p.m., at the home of the political commissar of the Dongcheng Branch of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

It was already evening when we arrived at the political commissar's house. The house was rather quiet. The political commissar was a composed person, and his conversation with Liu Jianguo mainly revolved around policies, regulations, and the security situation.

"Comrade Jianguo, Happy New Year. Your factory handled that case a while ago very well; the city bureau leaders all praised it." The political commissar poured Liu Jianguo a cup of tea.

"Political Commissar, you flatter me. It's all part of my job, and I'm also grateful for the support of the branch bureau leaders," Liu Jianguo said modestly, presenting the New Year's gift as a token of his appreciation for the Political Commissar's usual care.

The political commissar nodded, without much hesitation, and said earnestly, "Yes, you are young and promising, and you come from the military, so you have a solid political background. As you are temporarily assigned to this branch, you need to familiarize yourself with the work as soon as possible. Public security work is different from security work; it requires more attention to policies and procedures."

"Yes, I will definitely study harder, and I hope the political commissar will give me more guidance."

Liu Jianguo was sincere. This visit solidified his position within the public security system, expressed respect, and laid the foundation for the smooth progress of subsequent work.

Throughout the day, Liu Jianguo worked tirelessly and handled everything appropriately.

He adjusts his speech, behavior, and gift-giving according to the different identities and personalities of the people he visits, sometimes to express respect, sometimes to consolidate alliances, sometimes to establish connections, and sometimes to seek support.

In the north, it gets light late in winter.

On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, the courtyard was still shrouded in a silent chill.

Liu Jianguo woke up in the main room of the east courtyard, put on his cotton coat, and was about to wash his face with cold water to wake himself up.

Just then, a hurried but deliberately low knocking sound came from the back door, which was rarely used and connected the east courtyard to the quiet alley behind it—thump, thump, thump!

The rhythm is short and abrupt, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency.

Before Liu Jianguo could give any instructions, Li Bing, who had been vigilantly guarding the outer room, strode to the door and whispered, "Who is it?"

"Soldier! It's me, Liu San! It's extremely urgent; I must see the section chief immediately."

Liu San's suppressed and hurried voice came from outside the door, panting as he ran all the way.

Liu Jianguo's brows furrowed instantly, and his heart sank. He

The ironclad rule for Liu San was that unless the sky were to fall, he should never come to the east courtyard to find him during the day.

Liu San was his spy planted in the shadows of the city; exposing his connection with the East Courtyard was a grave taboo.

His risky trip here can only mean that something terrible has happened on the black market, and the situation may have spiraled out of control.

Liu Jianguo gave Li Bing a wink and said in a deep voice:

"Let him in!"

The door creaked open, Liu San slipped in, and quickly slammed the door shut behind him.

His hair was disheveled, his forehead was covered in sweat and dirt, and his half-new cotton-padded jacket showed obvious signs of tearing and rubbing on the shoulders and elbows.

He strode up to Liu Jianguo, not even bothering to bow, his face a mixture of anger, humiliation, and deep self-reproach, and reported quickly in a hoarse voice:

"My lord! I am utterly incompetent! I have suffered a terrible defeat!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "It was my subordinates who were dishonest and let it slip! Those batches of 'family' rice and mountain products that you ordered to be shipped out before the New Year were of such high quality and fetched such high prices that they quickly spread throughout the black market. As a result, they were spotted by the 'warehouse rat' Yuan San of 'Gulou Warehouse'!"

He spoke very quickly, yet his points were clear and logical:

"This Yuan San is an old hoodlum in the Gulou area. Before liberation, he worked as a porter and warehouse manager at the docks, and he had a group of laborers and some slackers under his command."

We had barely set up our stall when he sent someone to inquire, trying to buy all our gold nuggets at scrap metal prices. I refused, and instead distributed them to individual merchants at market price.

He started sabotaging them—first by sending a few thugs to loiter around the stall and intimidate customers; later, he had people impersonate city management officials to confiscate goods and impose fines.

"Following the rules you taught me, I invited Brother Wang Weiguo to come and show off his police uniform and motorcycle with a sidecar. It really intimidated them and kept them quiet for a few days."

Liu San's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his eyes blazing with fury. "I never expected Yuan San to be so blatantly unscrupulous! He's a bastard! Last night, late at night, I led eight brothers, escorting our most important shipment out of the city, planning to sell it elsewhere. But just as we reached that secluded dead-end alley near the old warehouse outside Chongwen Gate, dozens of dark figures suddenly blocked both our paths!"

"There were too many of them, a dark mass, at least seventy or eighty of them. They were all carrying shovels, spades, and big wooden sticks. The leaders had 'hard weapons' clearly tucked into their waistbands. I couldn't tell if they were homemade pistols or Mauser pistols, but they were definitely loudspeakers! There were only nine of us, and we were stuck in the alley, unable to maneuver."

The brothers fought desperately to protect the goods, retreating towards the corner as they fought. They took down the dozen or so men at the front, but... but there were just too many of them, like a tidal wave. The goods... most of the goods were stolen.

Two brothers who charged in at the front took several heavy blows to my back and arms to protect me, sustaining bruises, but thankfully none were fatal… My lord. It was my carelessness; I underestimated the ruthlessness of these local thugs. Please punish me severely, my lord.”

As Liu San finished speaking, he lowered his head deeply, his voice filled with unbearable shame.

The room was deathly silent, except for Liu San's heavy breathing.

Liu Jianguo's face was ashen, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the octagonal table, his eyes sharp as two bone-scraping knives. He didn't immediately lash out, but instead quickly weighed his options.

"Gulou Granary Rat" Yuan San... This name flashed through his mind. He was not some powerful outsider with a deep background, but a local tyrant who entrenched himself in one place, used despicable methods, and believed in violence.

Such people are not uncommon during periods of transition between the old and the new.

A few minutes later, the knocking stopped. Liu Jianguo looked up, his gaze icy as he fixed on Liu San. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge:

"The goods are inanimate, but the people are alive. It's a blessing that everyone is safe. For the injured brothers, make sure they receive the best medicine. You arrange it yourself, and I'll cover the cost." He set the tone first to reassure everyone.

Immediately, the order was given, decisive and clear:

"This Yuan San, is he tired of living? Does he think I, Liu Jianguo, am just dough that can be kneaded and molded at will?"

He snorted coldly, "I'll give you twenty more men. They're all capable fighters."