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

February 25th.

The gates of Beiping were heavily guarded. The military police had set up machine guns at the gates, and sandbags were piled high. Boxes leaving the city had to be pried open, and the undercarriages of vehicles had to be photographed.

Those boxes of core components are now lying in the cellar of a dilapidated temple in the south of the city.

He Yuzhu squatted at the entrance of the alley, staring at the group of military police who were conducting an inspection in the distance.

The pocket watch in his hand moved slowly, each tick feeling like a blow to his heart. There were less than six hours left until the agreed meeting time.

The shopkeeper didn't show up. This final hurdle depends on him alone.

"Pillar."

Xu Damao emerged from the alley, hunching his shoulders and exhaling a puff of white breath.

"My dad's motorcade is about to set off. They're waiting right near the front gate."

"What are you pretending for?"

"They said it was Section Chief Ma's personal goods. Several train cars full of daily necessities, toothpaste, soap, and several boxes of fabric from who-knows-where." Xu Damao curled his lip. "You know my dad, he'll do anything for money."

He Yuzhu put the pocket watch into his pocket.

"Let's go find your father."

……

Qianmen Warehouse.

Several Dodge trucks, which were considered quite impressive at the time, were parked in the yard. Xu Fugui was directing his workers to load boxes onto the trucks, holding an account book in his hand and smoking a half-smoked cigarette.

"Be gentle! That's something from Liulichang; if you break it, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold yourself!"

He Yuzhu walked over and patted Xu Fugui on the shoulder.

Xu Fugui turned around and was startled; a piece of cigarette ash fell onto the ledger.

"Zhu Zi? Oh my god, you scared me to death... What brings you here? I'm busy right now."

"Uncle Xu, may I speak to you in private?"

Without saying a word, He Yuzhu pulled him towards the corner.

Avoiding people. He Yuzhu pulled out a bulging envelope from his pocket.

Xu Fugui had sharp eyes and immediately recognized that it was legal tender, and it was quite thick.

"This is?"

"I have two boxes of goods and would like to hitch a ride with you out of town." He Yuzhu stuffed the envelope into Xu Fugui's hand. "This is the shipping fee. There will be half left when we get there."

Xu Fugui's hand trembled, and he pushed the envelope back.

"Zhu Zi, don't scare your uncle. This convoy today belongs to Section Chief Ma; they're government officials. If they're caught smuggling contraband, they'll lose their heads."

"It's safe precisely because it's Section Chief Ma's car." He Yuzhu lowered his voice. "Uncle Xu, think about it, would the military police dare to check Section Chief Ma's car? It's just a formality."

Xu Fugui hesitated. He squeezed the envelope, his eyes darting between the trucks and He Yuzhu's face.

"What kind of goods?"

"Medicinal herbs." He Yuzhu stared into his eyes. "They're for my relatives in the countryside to save their lives. Penicillin, and some painkillers. You know, these things are contraband in the city, but in the countryside, they're life-saving."

Xu Fugui swallowed.

Medicinal herbs. This stuff has high profits, but also high risks. But then he glanced at He Yuzhu's calm face and thought about the kid's usual methods.

"Is it really a medicinal herb?"

"I would never lie to you, no matter who I lie to." He Yuzhu added, "If this matter is settled, Da Mao will be the first person I think of if there are any good opportunities at the steel rolling mill in the future."

These words struck a nerve with Xu Fugui. He had lived his entire life for his son.

"Okay!" Xu Fugui stuffed the envelope into his pocket, gritted his teeth, and said, "Where's the goods? Get them over here quickly and stuff them under that pile of soap boxes."

Half an hour later.

Two unassuming wooden crates were tucked away deep inside the carriage. Several layers of soap and towels were placed on top of them.

The convoy started.

He Yuzhu sat in the passenger seat, and Xu Fugui drove.

The car swayed and bumped its way to the city gate.

"Stop the car! Inspection!" Military police, guns raised, blocked the road.

Xu Fugui's palms were sweaty, and he wiped them on his trousers. He rolled down the car window, his face beaming, and handed over a Sanpaotai cigarette.

"Boss, thank you for your hard work. This is Section Chief Ma's convoy from the Materials Bureau, delivering some daily necessities to Tongzhou."

The military policeman took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and glanced sideways into the carriage.

"Section Chief Ma? Do you have the necessary permits?"

"Yes! Yes!" Xu Fugui quickly pulled out a piece of paper stamped with a big red seal.

The military policeman glanced at it, then walked to the back of the vehicle and poked a box of soap with his bayonet.

puff.

The bayonet was pulled out, bringing with it some soap suds.

He Yuzhu sat in the car, his hands on his knees, his nails digging into his flesh. The core component was less than ten centimeters below the soap box.

The military police wanted to stab again.

"Oh, boss!"

Xu Fugui quickly got out of the car, and somehow a silver dollar appeared in his hand. He slipped it into the hand of the military policeman while shaking hands.

"This is just a small token, bought some tea for the brothers. It's freezing cold, make sure your hands don't get cold."

The military policeman squeezed the heavy weapon in his hand, and the expression on his face relaxed.

"Alright, let's go. Drive carefully."

The pole was raised.

The wheels rolled over the speed bump and bounced.

He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

……

Shops ten miles outside the city.

A few birds chirped from the withered trees by the roadside.

The convoy stopped.

Old Chen emerged from the woods with two strong men. Without a word, they nimbly climbed onto the vehicle and unloaded the two wooden crates.

He Yuzhu jumped out of the car.

"Thanks." Old Chen patted the box, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. "This is a treasure. With this, our field hospital can save many lives."

"Let's go quickly." He Yuzhu glanced at the sky. "The weather has changed."

Old Chen nodded and led his men away into the woods.

Xu Fugui sat in the driver's seat, watching this scene without daring to utter a sound. He vaguely sensed that this matter was not simple; the box was heavy, not just containing medicine. But he was a smart man and knew what he should and shouldn't ask.

……

That night.

In Beiping (Beijing), a good show is unfolding.

Li Mansion.

Boss Sun arrived with that leather suitcase.

"Commissioner Li, this is the final payment." Boss Sun opened the box.

The layer of golden yellow croakers shimmered so brightly under the light that it made one dizzy.

Commissioner Li laughed heartily and reached out to touch the gold bar. It was cool, hard, and heavy.

"Boss Sun is a trustworthy man! He's straightforward!"

"That guy..."

"Take it! I'll have someone move that machine to your designated warehouse first thing tomorrow morning!" Commissioner Li waved his hand dismissively.

The transaction is complete.

No sooner had Boss Sun left than Commissioner Li locked the gold bars in the safe. Humming a little tune, he thought he was the smartest man in Beiping. He'd got two birds with one stone: he'd taken Boss Sun's gold and could then pass the empty machine to William, claiming there had been a mishap during transport.

However, what he didn't expect was that William was even more anxious than him.

Early the next morning.

Warehouse No. 5 at the dock.

William, along with several American soldiers, forcibly pried open the warehouse door.

"Li! You liar!" William looked at the machine, which had been dismantled and was filled with scrap metal and bricks, and his face turned purple with anger.

He rushed to the Li residence and dragged Commissioner Li, who was still asleep, out of bed.

"My God! Look what you've done!"

Commissioner Li stared dumbfounded at the pile of scrap metal.

"This...this is impossible! Everything was fine last night!"

"What? It's full of bricks!" William slammed a brick onto Commissioner Li's desk. "I'm suing you! I'm going to file a complaint with the consulate! This is fraud! This is damaging our alliance!"

Commissioner Li slumped into his chair.

He thought of Boss Sun.

Send someone to investigate.

The so-called Boss Sun, along with the business that served as a cover, vanished without a trace overnight. Not even a trace remained.

As for the gold bars in the safe...

Commissioner Li opened it with trembling hands.

Except for the top layer which is real gold, the bottom layer is all lead blocks, and the outside is plated with a layer of copper.

"Bastard! Bastard!"

A mournful howl echoed from the Li mansion.

……

Siheyuan.

He Yuzhu sat on the threshold, listening to Xu Damao excitedly recount the rumors circulating outside.

"Brother Zhu, didn't you see? I heard that Commissioner Li's face was swollen from that foreigner's slap! Now everyone's talking about it, saying he was tricked by that mysterious Shanghai businessman!"

He Yuzhu smiled but didn't say anything.

He looked at the distant sky.

The clouds parted, revealing a sliver of blue.

But this is only temporary.

Although Commissioner Li has stumbled, the power behind him remains. Those people are ruthless and will surely go crazy looking for a scapegoat after suffering this loss in silence.

But the fire has already been started.