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

Zhou Shichang held the piece of oiled paper tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Knife Boy".

He squeezed the two words out from between his teeth, as if he were chewing a mouthful of sand.

Old Xu spat.

"Damn it, giving a child a code word, those Japanese bastards have no bottom line."

Zhao Weiguo took the oiled paper back and examined it under the dim light of the oil lamp. There were tiny creases along the edges; it wasn't freshly cut, but rather looked like it had been torn from a booklet. A speck of brown powder clung to the back of the paper; he scraped off a thin strip with his fingernail and held it about half an inch below his nose.

Zhou Shichang immediately grabbed his wrist.

"Don't smell it randomly."

Zhao Weiguo glanced at him.

"It's not poison. It's the smell of opium."

The expressions on the faces of the people in the courtyard changed again.

Yan Bugui huddled by the front gate, his voice trembling.

"Opium? This...this Japanese spy is connected to opium dens?"

Zhao Weiguo smeared the powder on the edge of the broken bowl.

"The smell of opium doesn't necessarily mean it's an opium den. It could also mean someone is smoking in the hiding place."

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but speak up.

"Many people in Beiping smoke this, how do I find them?"

Zhao Weiguo turned the oil paper over and pointed it out to Zhou Shichang.

"There are three creases, and the outer layer is waxed. It was meant to be tucked into the collar when passed, so it wasn't written on the spot. This means they knew they would come to arrest me tonight; they were watching me when I was repairing your knives."

Zhou Shichang lowered his gun, then raised it again.

"Old Xu, don't go yet."

Old Xu pushed the spy to a stop.

"Company commander?"

Zhou Shichang stared at the spy whose mouth was full of blood.

"ask."

The spy had a cloth stuffed in his mouth, but a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes.

Zhao Weiguo walked over and pulled out half of the cloth, but didn't remove it completely.

"Where did you get this piece of paper?"

The spy let out a laugh, and blood foam oozed from the corner of his mouth.

"You Chinese kid...you'll die."

Old Xu raised his foot to kick.

Zhao Weiguo raised his hand to stop him.

"He's not afraid of being hit. He's afraid of saying the wrong thing."

Zhou Shichang squatted down, pressing the barrel of the Mauser pistol against the agent's knee.

"Then let him not say anything wrong."

The spy's eyelids twitched.

Zhao Weiguo stared at the top of his boots. After the heel was trimmed, a pale yellow thread was visible on the inside of his trouser leg, with a grayish-white cotton lint hanging from it.

He reached out and pulled.

A small piece of cotton fell down, carrying a sour and medicinal smell.

"It's not a military quilt."

Zhou Shichang frowned.

"What did you see this time?"

"The cotton quilts in the military camp smelled strongly of sweat, gun oil, and mildew. This one smells like medicine, like liniment for bruises, and it's mixed with tobacco."

He Daqing, leaning against the door frame, suddenly interjected.

"There was a Guanghetang pharmacy outside Qianmen, and next door was an opium den. Fights often broke out there, and the smell of drugs and tobacco mingled together, pungent from a distance."

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up.

"Father, you've also been to opium dens?"

He Daqing's face darkened.

"I'm going to cook a feast for someone! If you keep talking like that, you won't be eating tomorrow."

Zhao Weiguo looked at Zhou Shichang.

"Check near Guanghetang."

Zhou Shichang did not agree immediately; he looked at the spy.

The spy's eye twitched.

The jerk was very short, like a spark falling into water, but Zhou Shichang saw it, and so did Lao Xu.

Old Xu grinned.

"Okay, this is the right place."

The spy struggled violently, his shoulder slamming into Old Xu. Old Xu struck him on the back with the scabbard, causing him to kneel down, the blue bricks thudding under his knee.

Zhou Shichang stood up.

"Shuanzi, you take two men and escort the prisoners to the north alley, around the east side of the Drum Tower. Old Xu, come with me to Guanghetang."

Li Shuanzi was taken aback.

"Company commander, are we not sending the captured prisoners to the garrison?"

"I'll give it to you. You can give it to me."

Old Xu slung the knife over his shoulder.

"Company commander, just the two of us?"

Zhou Shichang looked at Zhao Weiguo.

Zhao Weiguo had already folded the piece of oil paper, stuffed it into an empty bullet casing, and sealed the opening with wax.

"I'm not going."

Zhou Shichang's brows relaxed a little.

"At least you know what's important."

Zhao Weiguo turned and went into the house. He took out a small packet of wood ash mixed with alkali from under the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and then took two raw rusty iron nails, wrapped them in cloth, and handed them to Zhou Shichang.

Zhou Shichang accepted it.

"What's this?"

"Temporary marking powder. Sprinkle it on the inside of the threshold, and when someone steps on it, their shoes will leave a white mark. Insert iron nails into the cracks in the wall, with the nail heads facing outwards, so you can feel your way to the intersection in the dark."

Old Xu stared at the cloth bag.

"You silly child, your head is full of dirty tricks!"

Zhao Weiguo looked at him.

"The tricks that can save my life don't distinguish between Yin and Yang."

Zhou Shichang stuffed the cloth bag into his arms and turned to leave.

He stopped at the gate of the courtyard and glanced back at the people inside.

"Anyone who dares to wander off tonight will be treated as an accomplice to a secret agent."

Jia Zhangshi cried and shouted inside the house.

"I won't run! I'd rather have a broken leg than run!"

He Yuzhu muttered to himself.

"Your leg isn't broken, but your mouth is about to break."

He Daqing raised his hand to slap again, but this time He Yuzhu hid behind the door.

Zhou Shichang led Lao Xu into the alley, their footsteps quickly swallowed by the night. Li Shuanzi escorted three spies to the other side, two soldiers standing in front and behind, their bayonets gleaming coldly.

The courtyard gate was closed.

The latch fell.

No one moved in the yard.

Zhao Weiguo stood behind the door, listening to the footsteps outside split into two groups, their distances, their weight, and their pauses all crammed into the blue lines in his mind.

The system panel lights up.

[Abnormal Intelligence: Codename "Knife Child"]

[Risk Level Upgraded to Medium]

[Recommendation: Fortify residences and establish concealed evacuation routes]