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

The property rights dispute in the courtyard was like a sudden downpour—it came quickly and went quickly. But the ground after the rain left indelible marks.

Yi Zhonghai was utterly dejected. Like a defeated rooster, he hung his head and didn't utter a single polite word in the courtyard for days. Every day, he went to and from get off work with his head down, avoiding the He family whenever he saw them. He knew in his heart that from now on, this courtyard would no longer be a place where he could call the shots. That boy named He Yuzhu, using methods he couldn't understand, had established a new order.

The Xu family completely sided with the He family. Every few days, Madam Xu Zhao would bring a bowl of freshly cooked food to the backyard, calling him "Old Madam" and "Zhu Zi" more affectionately than anyone else. Xu Fugui became He Yuzhu's "messenger" in the yard; whenever He Yuzhu needed to pass on a message, he was the first to arrive. His survival wisdom as a commoner was to accurately judge the wind direction and then choose sides without hesitation.

The most repressed and twisted person was none other than Jia Dongxu in the east wing.

Ever since he witnessed the transfer of property rights and the He family rightfully becoming the "second-in-command" of the compound, he had been on the verge of madness. During the day, he would lock himself in his room, and could be heard occasionally letting out low growls like a trapped beast. At night, he would stare intently at the direction of the main house with bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to burn those three rooms to ashes with his gaze.

He blamed the He family for his mother Jia Zhangshi's death. Now, he felt that the He family had "scammed" away what should have been his "inheritance"—the deaf old lady's house. These old and new grievances, combined, fermented into a deadly poison in his already clouded mind.

That night, when Jia Laonian returned home after finishing his work, he was immediately greeted by a strong smell of alcohol as soon as he opened the door. He saw Jia Dongxu sitting at the table, a bottle of cheap baijiu in front of him, which he had already drunk more than half of. His cheeks were flushed, but his eyes were unusually cold.

"Dongxu, what are you doing? Drinking so much at such a young age!" Old Jia frowned and reached out to snatch the bottle.

"Get out of my way!" Jia Dongxu slammed his hand away, shoving Jia Laonian's hand aside. The wine bottle crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces. "You good-for-nothing! All you know how to do is work! Our house is about to be torn down, and you're still out there working like a slave!"

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!" Old Jia was frightened by his son's appearance.

"I'm talking nonsense?" Jia Dongxu stood up abruptly, pointing out the window towards the main house, roaring hoarsely, "That should have been ours! It belonged to the old lady! Why should it be given to the He family! Why! That He Yuzhu, he's a jinx! He killed my mother, and now he's trying to steal our family property! I hate it!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and grabbed a broken bowl from the table, smashing it hard on the ground.

"I, Jia Dongxu, swear here and now!" He raised his right hand, three fingers together, and roared at the dark roof, enunciating each word clearly, "I will never let the He family live under the same sky! With He Yuzhu, there is no Jia Dongxu! One day, I will make his family ruined, take back everything he owns! I will make him kneel before me, begging like a dog! Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning!"

These vicious vows sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night. Old Man Jia trembled with fear; he tried to cover his son's mouth, but Jia Dongxu pushed him away.

"You just wait and see! From today onwards, I live only to destroy the He family!" Jia Dongxu said, then staggered out of the house.

Old Jia slumped to the ground, looking at the mess, tears streaming down his face. He knew his son had gone mad.

He Yuzhu was unaware of all this. He had been busy with another matter these past few days. The organization had relayed new instructions through Fang Wenlin: the city was not peaceful recently; the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics were increasingly active, and the Japanese had also intensified their search efforts. The organization needed a batch of medicines, especially sulfonamides and penicillin for treating gunshot wounds.

This task fell to He Yuzhu and Lin Wanqiu. Lin Wanqiu was responsible for obtaining medicines through the clinic's channels, while He Yuzhu was responsible for raising funds and replenishing supplies through the ghost market.

That day, He Yuzhu, carrying the funds he received from the organization and some savings he had accumulated from reselling goods, once again arrived at the ghost market in the western suburbs.

He found the old ghost with ease.

"Old Ghost, I need a large quantity of Western medicine, and I need it urgently," He Yuzhu said bluntly.

Old Gui clicked his tongue, his cloudy eyes darting around: "Young master, this is a life-or-death deal. Right now, Western medicine is more precious than gold, and the cops and the Japanese are keeping a close eye on us. One wrong move and you'll lose your head."

"Price is not a problem." He Yuzhu took out two small yellow croakers from his pocket and placed them on the table. "This is a deposit. If you help me make the contact, there will be a generous reward after it's done."

Old Gui's eyes lit up at the sight of the gleaming gold bars. He licked his chapped lips and lowered his voice, saying, "Young master, to be honest, a shipment is indeed arriving soon. It's from Tianjin, supposedly from a magistrate of a foreign firm who wants to make a quick buck before things change. But there are quite a few people eyeing this shipment."

"Who?"

"From the Military Intelligence Bureau." Old Ghost's voice lowered even further. "The leader is a ruthless character, nicknamed 'Viper.' Double-crossing is commonplace for these guys. If you're thinking of getting your hands on this shipment, you'd better be careful."

"Viper?" He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to have seen this name in some documents from his previous life. He was a ruthless and unscrupulous Kuomintang agent.

"I understand." He Yuzhu took back a small yellow croaker. "This one is for the information. The other one is a deposit. Let me know when the goods arrive. As for 'Viper,' I'll handle it."

Looking at He Yuzhu's calm face, Lao Gui couldn't help but feel a chill. A ten-year-old child, upon hearing the name of the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, didn't even blink. He increasingly felt that this "young master" was more terrifying than any underworld boss he had ever met.

After leaving the ghost market, He Yuzhu didn't go straight home. He circled around a few times, making sure no one was following him, before arriving at a dead mailbox. He wrote down the information about "Viper" and Tianjin Western Medicine and stuffed it in. He needed the organization's resources to verify and deal with this Kuomintang agent.

Just as he was about to leave, the long-lost system panel suddenly popped up in his mind.

[Breaking News: The Fangs of a Rabid Dog]

Option A: Ignore Jia Dongxu's threats. Risk: 10% probability that Jia Dongxu will cause irreparable harm to your family (especially He Yushui) in the future. Benefit: None.

Option B: Take measures to completely eradicate Jia Dongxu's threat. Risk: 30% probability; improper handling may arouse suspicion from the police or organization. Benefit: Gain the trait "Eliminate Evil Completely" (increased insight into the evil in human nature, reduced psychological burden when taking decisive action).

Looking at the options on the panel, He Yuzhu's eyes instantly turned cold. He hadn't expected that Jia Dongxu, that mad dog, had actually been identified by the system as a high-risk target capable of harming his family.

He has only one principle when it comes to threats to his family.

Without hesitation, he chose B in his mind.

A faint warmth flowed through his body, and He Yuzhu felt his thoughts become clearer. The last trace of hesitation that belonged to modern people was replaced by a cold determination.

He raised his head, looking in the direction of Nanluoguxiang, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Jia Dongxu, since you've sworn a poisonous oath, I'll send you on your way to reunite with your mother."

A battle for medicine targeting Kuomintang agents and a plan to eliminate rabid dogs in the compound were simultaneously unfolding in He Yuzhu's mind. That night, the wind in Beiping seemed colder than usual.