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

A sudden cold snap in March.

At night, the area behind the steel rolling mill's warehouse is deserted. Only a few dim light bulbs sway in the wind, casting long, thin shadows that look like those of hanged ghosts.

Mr. Liu squatted behind the pile of waste, his lips turning purple from the cold, his teeth chattering.

"Zhu Zi, do you think... these beasts really dare to come?"

His throat was dry, and his voice trembled uncontrollably. He'd lived most of his life, seen all sorts of petty theft, but this was the first time he'd ever seen anyone so brazenly robbing things out of the factory. This was tantamount to robbing the very foundation of the nation.

He Yuzhu lay crouching behind a pile of coke next to him, covered with a tattered burlap sack.

He remained motionless, like a stone.

His eyes were fixed on the tightly closed iron door of the warehouse.

"Uncle Liu, just remember this one thing," He Yuzhu's voice came muffledly from under the sack, without a trace of emotion. "No matter what you see or hear later, don't make a sound. Even if the sky falls, don't make a sound."

Master Liu nodded vigorously and kept his mouth tightly shut.

He didn't know what this kid was up to, but he trusted him. That day, He Yuzhu found him and only asked three questions: Do you remember the license plate number? Approximately what time? Besides Factory Director Wu, who else was driving?

Master Liu answered all of them.

Then He Yuzhu asked him to come here tonight to be a witness.

Time passed by, second by second.

Every second felt like being hammered in my heart.

It's 11 p.m.

The roar of a car engine came from afar, growing louder as it approached.

Two trucks, without their headlights on, slid silently into the backyard like ghosts.

The car came to a complete stop.

The warehouse's large iron door creaked open a crack from the inside.

A tall, thin man poked his head out, looked around, and then fully opened the door.

It's Foreman Wang.

That guy who took Yi Zhonghai's place.

He's now Director Wu's most favored lackey, standing ramrod straight with an arrogant air of a petty person who's gotten his way.

"Boss Zhao! You've finally arrived!"

Foreman Wang jogged to meet a fat man who got out of the passenger seat of the first truck.

The fat man was wearing a mink coat and had a gold chain around his neck that gleamed thief-like in the dim light. He was Zhao Laogeda, the owner of the Zhao family's ironworks outside the city.

"Damn it, this awful weather." Zhao Laogeda spat and rubbed his hands together. "Where's the merchandise? Is everything ready?"

"All done! All done!" Foreman Wang bowed deeply, like a shrimp. "Factory Manager Wu has taken care of everything. Don't worry, once this batch of goods is back, I guarantee you'll make a fortune."

"Enough talk, let's inspect the goods."

Zhao Laogeda waved his hand, and seven or eight strong men jumped down from the carriage behind him.

These people were carrying crowbars and wrenches; they were clearly not good people.

The group entered the warehouse.

He Yuzhu slowly shuffled forward.

Like a snake, he moved stealthily along the ground, using every shadow, until he reached the side of the warehouse under a broken window.

From this vantage point, you can hear everything being said inside.

"See that? It's all good stuff." It was Foreman Wang's voice, as if he were showing off a treasure. "Special alloy steel, and those boxes of copper ingots over there. Factory Director Wu said he'd give it to you at 30% of the scrap iron price. That's an incredible favor."

"He's smart to be sensible," Zhao Laogeda said, his voice laced with greed. "But let's get this straight. I've brought the money. But this shipment must be moved out of town tonight. If anything goes wrong on the way, I'll have to take the money back."

"Don't worry! Director Wu at the police station has already fed them enough. Tonight, their men are on duty at the checkpoint in the south of the city. They'll let you through as soon as they see your license plate."

"That's good."

He Yuzhu listened, a cold smile playing on his lips.

What a great one-stop business!

From the factory manager to the foreman, from the ironworks owner to the police station, they were all in cahoots.

He quietly raised his head and peered through the hole in the window.

Zhao Laogeda was shining a flashlight on a steel plate, which still bore the marks of a military factory.

Foreman Wang stood beside him, bowing and scraping, his face beaming like a rotten chrysanthemum.

Just then.

Inside He Yuzhu's sleeve, a camera, barely larger than a fingernail, silently pointed inside the window.

The system panel flashed through my mind.

[Task Item: Miniature Camera (Remaining Photo Attempts: 3)]

[Target identified: Foreman Wang, Old Zhao.]

[Scene: The scene of a stolen goods transaction.]

He Yuzhu's fingers twitched slightly inside his sleeve.

Click.

A barely audible sound.

It became.

The first image is a close-up of a face.

He adjusted the angle to include the pile of marked special steel in the frame as well.

Click.

The second one shows the person caught red-handed.

Outside, Zhao Laogeda's men began loading things onto the car.

The steel impacted the carriage, producing a dull thud.

Each sound felt like a blow to Master Liu's heart. His face turned bright red, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

He Yuzhu patted him on the back, signaling him to calm down.

Once both trucks were full, Zhao Laogeda pulled a thick leather suitcase from his pocket and tossed it to Foreman Wang.

"Dian Dian".

Foreman Wang opened the box, which was full of brand-new Chinese currency. He took out a few bills, held them up to the light, and grinned from ear to ear.

"That's right! That's right! Boss Zhao is very generous!"

He Yuzhu aimed at the moment the two exchanged the suitcases.

Click.

The third image shows the transaction completed.

The three photos form a complete chain of evidence.

The truck started and disappeared back into the night.

Foreman Wang locked the gate, humming a little tune, and left.

The entire backyard fell silent again.

It took a full half hour for He Yuzhu to stand up from behind the pile of coke.

"Let's go, Uncle Liu."

Mr. Liu's legs were numb, and when he stood up, he stumbled and almost fell.

"Pillar...this...they just let them go?" His voice was hoarse, filled with helplessness and anger.

"How can we get the fish to bite if we don't let them leave?"

He Yuzhu patted the coal dust off his clothes, his eyes shining frighteningly in the darkness.

"Uncle Liu, what happened tonight is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me. Keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone, especially Yi Zhonghai."

"I understand." Master Liu nodded emphatically.

The two disappeared into the shadows of the factory area, one after the other.

……

The backyard of the grocery store.

An oil lamp casts a dim, yellowish glow.

The shopkeeper stared at the three freshly developed photos on the table, remaining silent for a long time.

The photo quality isn't great; it's a bit blurry.

But enough.

Wang the foreman's obsequious face, Zhao the old man's conspicuous mink coat, and the marks on the pile of steel were all clearly visible.

"Well done."

The shopkeeper looked up at He Yuzhu, his eyes showing undisguised approval for the first time.

"We can't touch this yet." He tapped the photo with his knuckles. "Director Wu has powerful connections. If we expose him now, at most we'll just move him to a lower position and replace him with someone even more corrupt. We have to wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Let them fight amongst themselves." The shopkeeper chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "It's only a matter of time before these guys fight over the spoils. When that happens, we'll give this 'gift' to Director Wu's enemies. Let them fight like dogs."

He Yuzhu nodded.

He knew the significance of this card.

It is no longer used to uphold justice, but as a lever to pry open a larger game.

He turned and left.

As he reached the door, the shopkeeper suddenly called out to him.

"Young man, you're quite good," the shopkeeper said. "The organization will soon give you an official identity."

He Yuzhu paused for a moment.

He didn't turn around.

He simply raised his hand in response.

The wind grew colder.

But he felt a fire burning inside him.