Courtyard House: Ten-year-old Master Zhu reorganizes the entire courtyard

Xu Fugui scrambled away.

He Yuzhu stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, watching him disappear at the end of the mountain path, his eyes devoid of any warmth. Jia Dongxu's stupidity was like a thorn stuck in his flesh; although it had been temporarily suppressed, it could become inflamed and fester at any moment.

He turned and went back into the temple.

Father He Daqing, who was fidgeting, immediately greeted him upon his arrival, lowering his voice to ask, "Zhuzi, can we trust Xu Fugui? Won't he make a big fuss?"

"He wouldn't dare," He Yuzhu said succinctly.

He walked to his mother, Chen Lanxiang, and looked at his younger sister, He Yushui, sleeping soundly in the cradle. The little girl's complexion was much rosier, and her breathing was steady. This family was now his only Achilles' heel.

He Daqing rubbed his hands, his face full of worry: "But we can't stay here forever. This dilapidated temple leaks wind and rain..."

"Soon," He Yuzhu said, only two words.

He knew he had to get back to the city, back to that courtyard house, as soon as possible. Only among the crowds, within the complex network of relationships, could his family better conceal themselves. Hiding in the wilderness, their objective would be clearer.

However, trouble always comes faster than planned.

Two days later, at dusk, the already rickety wooden door of the dilapidated temple was knocked on repeatedly.

He Daqing shuddered in fright, nearly dropping the bowl in his hand. Chen Lanxiang also immediately clutched the raindrops in her arms, her face drained of color.

He Yuzhu frowned, walked to the door, and looked out through the crack in the door.

A man stood at the door, dressed in ill-fitting civilian clothes, with a forced smile on his face. It was Wang Kui, the deputy captain of the detective team.

He Yuzhu's heart sank. How did he find this place?

He opened the door, stood blocking the entrance, his face expressionless, his voice childish yet icy: "What are you doing here?"

Wang Kui was taken aback when he saw He Yuzhu, seemingly surprised that a child had opened the door. He then grinned, a smile full of greed and smugness. "Kid, you're pretty fast. Let your parents come out and talk to you."

He Daqing walked over, his legs trembling, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Captain Wang... Captain Wang, what brings you here? Please, please come in..."

"No need to go in." Wang Kui waved his hand, glanced around the dilapidated temple, and curled his lip in disgust. "I'm here to give you a heads-up."

He leaned against the doorframe, took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "The case with the military police isn't closed yet. Things are getting tense lately, they're pressing hard. I'm stuck in the middle, taking the blame for you guys, and it's been a tough job."

He Daqing nodded repeatedly, bowing even lower: "Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, Captain Wang. We...we understand..."

"Good to know." Wang Kui flicked his cigarette ash, finally revealing his true intentions. "I'm under so much pressure, I can't let all this hard work go to waste, can I? The little money I got last time was only enough to bribe a few of the guys down there. If you want this matter to be completely settled, you'll have to blew some more money out of me."

He Yuzhu looked at him coldly: "How much do you want?"

Wang Kui held up one finger and waved it in front of He Daqing. "This number."

He Daqing's eyelids twitched: "One hundred... silver dollars?"

"That's right." Wang Kui grinned like a weasel that had stolen a chicken. "One hundred silver dollars to buy your whole family's lives, not expensive, right? I've heard that your Master He used to work at Fengzeyuan, and his skills are excellent. This amount of money is nothing to you."

He Daqing's face turned pale instantly. Where would he get a hundred silver dollars? His whole family's savings weren't even enough to scrape together twenty.

"Captain Wang, look... our current situation is really..." He Daqing's voice was choked with sobs.

"I don't care about your situation." Wang Kui's face immediately darkened. He threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot. "I'm giving you five days. I'll come back in five days. If you still can't gather enough..."

He leaned closer to He Daqing, his voice as cold as a viper's tongue: "I'll politely send the address of your 'new residence' to the Japanese military police. Then, it won't be a matter that money can solve."

After saying that, he ignored the limp He Daqing, turned around, whistled, and swaggered away.

He Daqing slumped to the ground, his face ashen, muttering repeatedly, "It's over...it's all over..."

Chen Lanxiang held her child, tears streaming silently down her face. One hundred silver dollars—this was practically driving them to their deaths.

He Yuzhu stood rooted to the spot, his fists clenched tightly. He hadn't expected Wang Kui to be so greedy and so ruthless. Clearly, the rumors from Liu's Restaurant had led Wang Kui to misjudge the He family's wealth.

He's facing a dead end. He has no money. If he doesn't get the money, his whole family will die.

Just then, Xu Fugui's figure appeared cautiously from below the mountain path. He had clearly seen Wang Kui, but dared not approach until Wang Kui had gone far away, at which point he crouched down and ran over.

"Brother Zhu! Was that... Captain Wang from the Detective Team?" Xu Fugui asked in horror.

He Yuzhu didn't answer, he just looked at him.

Xu Fugui felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket, handing it over. "Brother Zhuzi, this is... this is what my wife asked me to bring you. She said the deaf old lady asked her to give it to you."

He Yuzhu took the cloth bag, opened it, and found several cornbread buns and a small packet of salt inside. Underneath the cornbread buns was a note.

He unfolded the note, which contained only one line of crooked handwriting, written by Xu Fugui on his behalf.

"Strangers have come to the courtyard and are asking the children questions. Keep your own children in check, lest they bring trouble to the whole courtyard."

He Yuzhu's pupils suddenly contracted.

A stranger has come to the yard! They're asking the children questions!

This is clearly the detective team. Because of Jia Dongxu's "innocent remarks," they went to the courtyard to investigate again!

The deaf old woman's warning struck him like a heavy hammer.

Wang Kui's extortion was like a knife held to his throat.

Jia Dongxu, that foolish source of trouble, was like a bomb buried right next to me.

Two fronts are putting pressure on him simultaneously. If he doesn't handle either one well, he will be utterly destroyed.

He Daqing was still lying on the ground, muttering desperately to himself. Chen Lanxiang was sobbing softly.

He Yuzhu took a deep breath, crumpled the paper into a ball, and held it in his palm. He walked up to his father, his voice not loud, but unusually clear.

"Dad, don't cry. It's just a hundred dollars."

He Daqing looked up in astonishment at his ten-year-old son.

On He Yuzhu's face, there was no fear, no despair, only a cold calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"I'll get the money."

"I'll also shut the Jia family's mouths."

After speaking, he turned and walked into the shadows of the dilapidated temple. There, he began to plan a two-pronged counterattack. First, he had to deal with Jia Dongxu, this potential ticking time bomb. Then, he would concentrate his efforts on dealing with Wang Kui, that greedy hyena.