Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

As if she had collapsed from exhaustion, Jia Zhangshi lay sprawled in the urination, panting heavily, not daring to even glance at Lin Yang.

Lin Yang walked up to Yi Zhonghai, placed one foot on the bluestone slab in front of him, bent down slightly, and said in a cold, piercing voice, "Yi Zhonghai, listen to me carefully. I just got back today and don't want to see blood or get tainted by my elder brother's bad luck. I'll spare your lives for now."

"But!" Lin Yang's tone shifted, becoming more forceful, "What belongs to the Lin family, I will not only take back everything, but with interest, you beasts will not be spared a single penny!"

Lin Yang straightened up, pointed at the main room in the central courtyard where the Jia family's curtain was hanging, and shouted sternly, "Now, immediately! Throw all that junk from your Jia family out! I'm moving into this room tonight. If I see a single piece of Jia family stuff in there tomorrow morning, I'll break the legs of your entire family!"

"roll!"

Lin Yang roared, as if a king had issued an imperial edict.

Without uttering a single word, Jia Zhangshi scrambled to her feet and stumbled as she rushed toward the main room.

Jia Dongxu from the Intermediate People's Court had been hiding behind the crowd, not daring to make a sound. But when he saw Lin Yang lose his temper, he was so frightened that he quickly ran out and, together with Jia Zhangshi, hurriedly started moving things out.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and scrambled to the side, watching the scene with trembling eyes.

"Brother, let's go home." Lin Yang turned around, his cold expression instantly turning into a warm spring breeze. He took Lin Fan's hand and walked towards the main house.

Like madmen, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu threw the broken tables, tattered bedding, pots and pans from the house into the yard. A cold wind blew, and the Jia family's belongings were scattered all over the ground, creating a desolate scene. But Lin Yang felt no sympathy for them; this was their just deserts.

In less than half an hour, the spacious main house that originally belonged to the Lin family was emptied.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, fetch water and wash the house inside and out thoroughly. Don't leave even a trace of the Jia family's smell!" Lin Yang ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The two guards immediately rolled up their sleeves, picked up basins and rags, and began cleaning with great enthusiasm.

Tian Yu wasn't idle either. She took off her coat, found a broom, and helped clean up the dust and trash on the ground. As she worked, she gently said to Lin Fan, "Big brother, now that Yangzi is back, with us here, no one will be able to bully you anymore."

Standing in the empty yet bright and spacious main room, Lin Fan looked at his busy younger brother and sister-in-law, as well as the two decisive soldiers, and felt as if he were dreaming.

Soon, the house was cleaned spotless.

Lin Yang directed the guards to carry the supplies from the jeep into the house, one trip at a time.

When the two 50-pound bags of high-gluten flour, half a fresh pork carcass, a whole box of Soviet beef cans, a brand-new military overcoat, and various high-end nutritional supplements were piled on the table, Lin Fan was completely stunned.

His hands trembled as he gently stroked the snow-white flour sack. In this era when even coarse grains were scarce, he had only ever seen this pure white, high-quality flour in the homes of wealthy and powerful people before the liberation.

"Yangzi...this...so many good things, how much money must this cost..." Lin Fan's eyes reddened again, and his voice trembled.

Lin Yang walked over, put his arm around his older brother's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Brother, this is nothing. This is the demobilization supplies the organization gave me. Eat as much as you want. You've suffered these past ten years. From today onwards, I promise you'll eat meat and white flour buns every meal!"

Tian Yu took out a box of White Rabbit milk candy from the net bag, unwrapped one, and held it to Lin Fan's lips: "Big brother, try this, it's sweet."

Lin Fan held the milk candy in his mouth, the rich milky aroma spreading in his mouth, sweetening his heart. He covered his face, squatted silently on the ground, and cried tears of joy.

Ten years have passed, and he has finally waited for his younger brother to return. His Lin family has finally stood up again in this courtyard!

……

Meanwhile, night fell completely.

In the backyard of the courtyard house, inside the deaf old lady's room, a gloomy and depressing atmosphere prevailed.

The door was tightly closed, and thick curtains were drawn over the windows.

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Jia Zhangshi whose face was swollen like a pig's head, and Xu Damao's father, Xu Wude, were all crammed into the small room, their faces looking worse than the last.

The deaf old woman sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), leaning on her cane with both hands. Her old face, covered with orange peel wrinkles, was terribly gloomy.

"Are you all mute? Aren't you usually quite capable in the yard? Why are you being scolded like grandsons today?" The deaf old lady jabbed the ground hard with her cane, making a dull thud.

Yi Zhonghai sighed with a bitter expression, "Grandma, you didn't see what that was like just now! Those were real guns! The muzzle of a gun was practically pointed at Sister Jia's head, who dared to say a word!"

Liu Haizhong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said in a trembling voice, "Grandma, Lao Yi is right. I secretly inquired outside just now, and the driver who came with Lin Yang called him Commander Lin! I even saw the rank insignia on his shoulder. Goodness, although I don't know much about military regulations, that's definitely the kind of pomp and circumstance only high-ranking officers have!"

Xu Wude was a projectionist, so he interacted with many people and was well-informed. He swallowed hard, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Gentlemen, do you know what? I just went to the corner store at the end of the alley to call an acquaintance in the district and asked around. Guess what?"

All eyes immediately turned to Xu Wude.

"What's wrong? Tell me quickly!" Yan Bugui slapped his thigh anxiously.

Xu Wude took a deep breath, his voice filled with deep fear: "This Lin Yang is only nineteen years old! But in the army, he's already the deputy division commander of the Fourth Field Army! A deputy division commander!"

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the room.

A nineteen-year-old deputy division commander!

What does this mean?

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, holding military power and having made numerous military achievements meant being an extremely influential figure who could shake the entire city of Beijing with a single stomp of his foot!

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that her eyes rolled back and she nearly fainted. She had just tried to throw a tantrum at a deputy division commander, and even cursed at him!

"It's over...it's all over..." Yi Zhonghai slumped into his chair, his face ashen. "Lin Yang knows perfectly well how we've treated Lin Fan these past few years. He may not have killed us today, but he definitely won't let us go!"

Liu Haizhong wrung his hands anxiously, "Old Yi, you're the oldest man in the compound! You were the one who pressed Lin Fan's hand to sign that house deed back then! You have to make a decision! We can't just sit here and wait to die!"