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

Late at night.

The revelry in Beiping finally subsided after a day of burning, with sporadic firecrackers occasionally popping in the night sky.

In the courtyard of Rongxian Hutong, the lights in the main room were on.

He Daqing is back.

He spent the whole day drinking with a group of chefs and other staff at a restaurant in Xidan to celebrate his victory. This usually timid and cowardly man was completely uninhibited today, his face flushed from drinking, and he was even a little unsteady on his feet.

He Yushui was already fast asleep, her little face still showing the excitement from the day.

He Yuzhu, He Daqing, and Chen Lanxiang sat around an octagonal table with a pot of hot tea on it.

After the initial joy subsided, the atmosphere became somewhat serious.

"Zhu Zi, Lan Xiang," He Daqing gulped down a large mouthful of strong tea, the alcohol barely masking his excitement, "The Japanese have surrendered! The day has truly dawned! I'm thinking, shouldn't we move back to our old house in Nanluoguxiang? That's our family's roots! Now that we've won, we don't need to hide here anymore, right?"

His words expressed the family's simplest wish after going through so much hardship: to go home.

A hint of longing flickered in Chen Lanxiang's eyes. The courtyard in Rongxian Hutong was nice, but it was ultimately their new home; the main house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang was their true home. She looked at her son; she had grown accustomed to consulting him on every major decision these days.

He Yuzhu did not answer immediately.

He picked up his teacup and blew on the tea leaves.

Come back home?

Of course we should go back, but definitely not now, and we absolutely cannot go back in such a grand manner.

He paused for a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking, his voice not loud, but his parents could hear him clearly.

"Father, Mother, we have won the victory. But just because we drove out the Japanese doesn't mean that good people will come. They might even be a group of more greedy people."

These words immediately calmed He Daqing down.

"Zhu Zi, what are you saying? It's the Nationalist government and the Central Army that's here! How could they be worse than the Japanese?" He Daqing was puzzled and even a little unhappy.

"Father, have you forgotten how Zheng Keming of the Military Intelligence Bureau and that traitor Hu Zongcheng planned it?" He Yuzhu's voice turned cold. "Before they even entered the city, they had already prepared a list, ready to label all those who disobeyed as communists and traitors, and then secretly deal with them on the spot. For them, Beiping is not liberated territory; it is whoever seizes it is their territory."

These words changed the expressions of He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang. They recalled the danger they had faced recently, and the feeling of trepidation returned.

He Yuzhu continued, "Our family now faces two insurmountable challenges."

He held up one finger: "First, it's you, Father. You were forced to cook for the Japanese back then. To put it mildly, it was to support the family, it was out of desperation. But to put it bluntly, it was collaborating with the enemy, it was being a traitor. At this critical juncture, if anyone wants to get rid of us, this is a ready-made charge that can ruin our whole family."

He Daqing's face turned pale instantly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. This was exactly what he feared most.

He Yuzhu then held up a second finger: "Secondly, we are currently working for the organization. You all know the relationship between the Kuomintang and us; they call us bandits. If we jump out now and move back to that courtyard in a high-profile manner, it's like putting ourselves in the open and telling everyone that our family has problems. This is too dangerous."

Silence fell over the room, with only the flickering flame of the oil lamp.

He Daqing's drunkenness had been sobered up by the cold sweat. Dejected, he slumped back into his chair, muttering, "So...so we're just going to keep hiding like this? We're just going to abandon our house?"

"Yes! Not only do we want it, but we must hold onto it firmly!" He Yuzhu's tone was firm. "But we need to find a different way."

He looked at his parents and told them his plan.

"My suggestion is to take the first step and consolidate property rights. Tomorrow I will contact Fang Wenlin, who is holding the property on our behalf, and have him take back the main house in the central courtyard as the new owner and evict the current tenants. We must ensure that the house is absolutely under our control and that no one can take it away."

"The second step is to remain hidden. After we take back the house, we won't move back immediately. We'll continue living here and tell everyone that we've gotten used to the quiet here. We'll leave Nanluoguxiang empty for now, or it can be used as a backup contact point for the organization later. This way, we can control the assets while keeping ourselves in the shadows, allowing us to attack or retreat as needed."

"The third and most important step is laying the groundwork for public opinion." He Yuzhu looked at his father. "Dad, starting tomorrow, you'll go to work at the Xidan Restaurant as usual. When you see your old colleagues and regular customers, chat with them openly and celebrate the victory. While chatting, casually mention what happened back then. Remember to express your grievances and helplessness, emphasizing that you were forced to go by the Japanese with a gun to your head just to support us. And that you were only responsible for cooking and never did anything immoral. We need to establish our family's image as victims first. Public opinion can be a fearsome thing, but it can also be helpful. We need to clear our names before others smear us."

After he finished speaking, He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang were both dumbfounded.

Looking at their ten-year-old son, they felt he had considered everything too thoroughly. Every step he took protected the family's interests while avoiding risks, and he even thought of using public opinion to protect himself.

"Okay...okay! Let's do as Zhu Zi says!" He Daqing slapped his thigh, his frustration gone, feeling like he had found his pillar of support.

Chen Lanxiang looked at her son, her eyes filled with pride and heartache. She knew that her son must have been under a lot of pressure to think things through so thoroughly.

The family meeting, held late at night, reached a consensus.

This meeting not only determined the He family's survival strategy after the victory, but also set the tone for future actions of concealment, consolidation of foundations, and striking after the enemy has made its move.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

He Yuzhu looked towards Nanluoguxiang with a cold gaze.

Yi Zhonghai, Xu Fugui, and those neighbors... Don't worry, the show has only just begun. After I've cleaned up all the troubles outside, I'll come back and settle accounts with you one by one, slowly.