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

The news of Japan's surrender spread throughout Beiping on August 15th.

The whole city went crazy at that moment; eight years of suppressed ecstasy erupted all at once. People flooded the streets, cheering and crying, and firecrackers went off from day to night.

In the courtyard of Rongxian Hutong, the He family was overjoyed. He Daqing was drunk, hugging He Yuzhu and crying and laughing, repeatedly saying, "We won, we won..." Chen Lanxiang was busy in the kitchen with red eyes, preparing a large table of dishes. Even the usually lively He Yushui sat quietly next to her brother, her big eyes filled with excited tears.

He Yuzhu was also happy, but he still felt uneasy. He knew that for many people the battle was over, but for him, a new battle had just begun.

Behind the revelry lay chaos. Japanese troops hid in their barracks, awaiting their surrender. Meanwhile, the puppet police removed their uniforms and concealed themselves, fearing retribution from the angry mob. Amidst the clamor of victory, Beiping descended into an indescribable disorder.

It was precisely in this chaos that all sorts of monsters and demons emerged.

The shopkeeper relayed news that the Military Intelligence Bureau's takeover operation, though somewhat toned down due to the previous leak, hadn't stopped. Taking advantage of the city's lack of oversight, they organized a large number of thugs and ruffians, forming the so-called Loyal and Patriotic Army Action Corps, and began seizing Japanese and puppet regime factories, shops, and residences. They claimed it was to prevent the loss of traitorous assets, but in reality, it was open robbery.

He Yuzhu continued his surveillance of Hu Zongcheng, but due to the heightened tensions, Zheng Keming had already hastily left Beiping. It was said he was returning to Nanjing to report. Hu Zongcheng also hid at home, afraid to show his face, and the surveillance operation temporarily stalled.

However, danger was lurking unnoticed.

That day, He Yuzhu went to the ghost market in the western suburbs, hoping to get some information from Old Ghost. He was stopped by Old Ghost's men as soon as he arrived at the outer edge of the ghost market.

"Young master, you've finally arrived. Master Gui asked me to pass on a message: things are tense lately, so you must not show your face," the young man said nervously.

"What happened?" He Yuzhu asked.

"A group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying a lot of silver dollars, and were asking around the black market about someone." The young man lowered his voice. "They said they were looking for a kid who was about ten years old, not very tall, but with very sharp eyes, and didn't look like a child. They also said that this kid had been hanging around the Chunshu Hutong area in Dongcheng for a while."

He Yuzhu's heart sank suddenly.

Chunshu Hutong was the location of Hu Zongcheng's outer residence. Although the other party's description was vague, it was already quite clear that they were referring to him.

He immediately realized that the Military Intelligence Bureau was investigating the source of the leak. Although they had no evidence, they had narrowed down their suspicions to a child through their investigation.

"I understand." He Yuzhu nodded calmly. "Tell Lao Gui to thank him. I won't be coming over for a while."

After leaving the ghost market, He Yuzhu immediately changed his route, wandering around the city and making sure no one was following him before returning home.

He knew he was being watched. Although the other party didn't know who he was, a large net had already begun to close in.

At that moment, Yi Zhonghai, who was in the courtyard, finally couldn't hold back any longer and decided to take action.

Yi Zhonghai was recently riding high at the factory. The Kuomintang technician he was currying favor with, due to his superior status, had become a new authority figure in the factory. Yi Zhonghai served him diligently and quickly became the technician's favorite.

Power, even if it's merely power gained through bluffing, is enough to fuel a person's growing ambition. Yi Zhonghai began to feel that his chance to reclaim control of the courtyard house had arrived.

That day, during a casual chat, the technician inadvertently complained to Yi Zhonghai that things were not peaceful in the city lately, that the Military Intelligence Bureau was undisciplined and was robbing people everywhere, and that the higher-ups were investigating a spy who had leaked confidential information about receiving secrets.

He does not mean that.

The word "spy" made Yi Zhonghai's mind go blank for a moment, and he immediately thought of the He family.

Why did the He family suddenly move out? Why did they get to live in a detached house? Why is He Yuzhu, a ten-year-old child, so calm, so experienced, and even so terrifying? None of this makes sense!

A wicked thought popped into his head: The He family, it must be! He Yuzhu, that spy!

Jealousy and a thirst for power completely clouded his judgment. He felt he had found a huge weakness, and if he could give this credit to his new patron, he could not only crush the He family but also rise to prominence in the new era.

That afternoon, Yi Zhonghai used the excuse of going to buy something to sneak out of the factory. He didn't go to the police station because he knew those former policemen were already in dire straits themselves. He went directly to a teahouse near Qianmen, which was a temporary liaison point for the Kuomintang in Beiping.

He found the technician and, embellishing the story, expressed all his suspicions and deductions.

"...Commissioner Zhang, I guarantee it with my own integrity! The He family at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang is definitely up to something! That kid of theirs, He Yuzhu, is incredibly wicked! Think about it, what could a ten-year-old child possibly know? Yet he makes all the decisions in his family! Not long ago, they even colluded with a schoolteacher surnamed Fang to take away most of the properties in our compound! I suspect that's where they set up their hideout!"

Yi Zhonghai spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he already possessed irrefutable evidence.

Commissioner Zhang was initially uninterested in such baseless accusations between neighbors. But when he heard keywords like "ten-year-old child," "teacher surnamed Fang," and "real estate," he suddenly froze.

One direction in the investigation of the leaker is the suspicion that the person used the child's identity as a cover.

"Is everything you said true?" Commissioner Zhang's expression turned serious.

"Absolutely true!" Yi Zhonghai patted his chest to assure him.

"Good! I understand. You did a good job." A glint of shrewdness flashed in Commissioner Zhang's eyes. "Go back first, don't alert them. We will send people to investigate."

Yi Zhonghai left, profusely thanking everyone. As he walked out of the teahouse, he felt lightheaded, his mind filled with images of him arresting the He family and returning to the compound to lord it over everyone. He trembled with excitement.

He had no idea how much trouble his betrayal would bring to himself and the entire courtyard.

At this moment, He Yuzhu was completely unaware of all this. He had just reported to the shopkeeper that someone might have described his appearance and been asking around about him.

The shopkeeper's reaction was more intense than he had imagined.

"Immediately cease all external activities! From this moment forward, you and your family are under the highest level of protection. We will have personnel patrolling your area 24 hours a day. Remember, do not leave the yard!"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected the organization to attach such importance to his safety.

"But my mission..."

"Your most important task is to ensure your own safety!" The shopkeeper's tone softened slightly, but remained firm. "Apprentice, your value is greater than any of ours right now. We cannot afford to let anything happen to you. Listen to me, hide first and wait for the right opportunity."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu remained silent for a long time.

That evening, he noticed several unfamiliar figures around his courtyard. They silently disappeared into the darkness of the alley, protecting the entire courtyard completely.

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang also sensed that something was wrong. Although they didn't know what had happened, they were terrified to see the organization making such a big show of force.

"Zhu Zi, what... happened?" Chen Lanxiang's voice trembled.

Looking at his parents' worried faces, He Yuzhu took a deep breath and gave them a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Dad, Mom. We've won. There are always some mad dogs that will bite indiscriminately. We're safest at home."

Outside the window, the sporadic sounds of victory firecrackers still echoed. But He Yuzhu knew that the danger now was no longer the Japanese guns and cannons, but a more insidious and sinister plot from within.

He stood by the window, looking in the direction of Nanluoguxiang.

Yi Zhonghai, you'd better pray that I don't find out that this matter is related to you.

Otherwise, I will show you what it truly means to have your family destroyed and your life ruined.