The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

Zhao Weiguo handed the third knife to Li Shuanzi.

Li Shuanzi did not answer immediately.

He first wiped the sweat from his palms on his cotton trousers before holding the knife handle with both hands. As soon as the knife was in his hands, his shoulders slumped down, then straightened up again.

"This knife... is more stable than before."

Zhao Weiguo put the oilstone back into the wooden box.

"Your hand is steady. The knife is just to avoid making things worse."

Li Shuanzi grinned, but his eyes were a little red. He hugged the knife to his chest as if he were holding onto half his life.

Old Xu went over to take a look.

"Let me see."

Li Shuanzi dodged backward.

"Get lost, you have your own things to do."

"Hey, you bastard, you were just calling me Brother Xu."

"Even with the knife in hand, my own father won't give it to me."

Zhou Shichang kicked Lao Xu.

"Stop messing around. There are still two rounds left."

Zhao Weiguo picked out the fourth broken knife. This one was the worst damaged; the blade was split in the middle, the handle was loose, and the brass band was crooked to one side. He removed the wooden handle, revealing the blackened hilt inside.

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but lean forward.

"Is this game ruined?"

Zhao Weiguo used a scratcher to scrape open the end of the crack, and black ash fell onto the table.

"It could save half a life."

"Half-Life?"

"Cut it three times and it's fine. The fourth time, you need to see who it is."

Zhou Shichang frowned.

"Then don't give it to the brothers."

Zhao Weiguo looked up.

"Here's a spare. Don't use it in battle; keep it by your side. If you ever run out of knives, three of these will be enough for you to steal one."

It got cold in the courtyard.

Zhou Shichang looked at the broken knife, his fingers slowly gripping his knee.

"You've factored in your escape route?"

"The living must have a way out."

"There are few escape routes on the battlefield."

"Therefore, a knife cannot lie."

Zhao Weiguo tightened the hilt of the knife again, took a piece of scrap iron, hammered it into a narrow strip, and attached it to the back of the crack. He had Old Xu operate the bellows, and the flames flickered low, illuminating the patch of iron as red.

Repair method detected: low-intensity patch.

[Stability: Temporarily available]

Adding flux is recommended.

Zhao Weiguo's eyes flickered slightly.

The borax formula has not yet been released.

He glanced at the broken bowl by the stove, grabbed a bit of wood ash, and then scooped out a small pinch of alkali from an old jar at the base of the wall. He mixed it in his palm and moistened it with saliva.

He Yuzhu stared wide-eyed.

"You can put this on a knife?"

"As long as it sticks, that's fine."

"My dad is more particular about making dough than you are."

He Daqing was cursing at the door.

"You little brat, you're trying to fight with a knife like that? You want a beating?"

Zhao Weiguo applied the mixed ash and alkali to the seam of the patch, then used tongs to hold the knife blade and put it into the fire. As the flames licked it, a pungent white smoke rose from the gap.

Yi Zhonghai covered his nose, but his eyes didn't move.

"What kind of method is this?"

"A desperate measure."

"My master never taught me that."

"Even your master has never seen a Japanese soldier's sword cut into his stomach."

Yi Zhonghai felt a lump in his throat, and the gun's bolt guard in his hand hurt his palm.

Zhou Shichang glanced at him, then looked back at the furnace.

"Weiguo, I'll have the arsenal come tomorrow. Don't hold back, teach as much as you can."

Zhao Weiguo used iron pliers to press the iron in place.

"Exchange it for scrap."

Old Xu slapped his thigh.

"You can't stop talking about scrap metal."

Zhao Weiguo took the knife out of the fire and pressed it into the ashes.

"Scrap iron can be turned into a knife. Empty words cannot."

Zhou Shichang smiled, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his smile.

"Alright. If those guys at the arsenal dare to learn for free, I'll make them bring a basket of scrap metal to become my apprentices."

"Don't ask me to become your apprentice."

Zhao Weiguo picked up the fifth knife.

"I don't have time to take on apprentices."

He Yuzhu clicked his tongue.

"You're acting more important than my dad."

He Daqing took two steps closer, carrying a rolling pin.

"Your dad has a skill, so what if he's a little arrogant?"

He Yuzhu shrank his neck.

I wasn't referring to you.

"Your eyes speak for themselves."

The oppressive atmosphere in the courtyard eased a little, and someone chuckled softly. A shadow flickered behind Jia Zhangshi's window again, but she didn't dare curse; she simply sewed the window shut a little smaller.

The fifth knife was repaired the fastest.

Zhao Weiguo re-sharpened the blade, tempered it at a low temperature, and then used a fine file to repair the handle band. He Yuzhu shook the blade until his arm ached, and he bit his lip until a white mark appeared.

"Brother Weiguo, my hand is too fast, it's no longer mine."

"Rocking for another twenty laps."

"How about ten laps?"

"Twenty-five."

He Yuzhu's face fell.

"You're even darker than my dad."

"Twenty-eight."

He Yuzhu shut up and cranked the handle with a whooshing sound.

As the last spark dissipated, the slush in the courtyard had been trampled into a black slurry. Five large knives lay in a row on the table, blades facing outwards, their cold light layered upon layer, illuminating the oil lamp with a white glow.

Zhou Shichang reached out, picked up handfuls of food, and then put them down.

He didn't say yes.

He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and opened it. Inside were two hard cornbreads, a small packet of pickled vegetables, and a half-opened can of meat, the fat frozen yellowish-white.

That's all for tonight. I'll finish tomorrow.

Yan Bugui's eyes were glued to the can through the crack in the front door, and he swallowed hard.

Old Xu slammed the butt of his gun on the ground.

Yan Bugui slammed the door shut.

Zhao Weiguo put away the cloth bag.

In my mind, a blue panel flashed with a cold light.

[Temporary mission completed: Repair five combat-ready greatswords]

[Reward Distribution: Simplified Coke Oven Structure Diagram]

[Reward Distribution: Borax Flux Formula]

[Bonus: Basic tactical simulation function is now available]