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

"I will only have completed my mission if I bring the person back."

Before dawn, the Yan'an departure station was already checking the first-aid kits.

To the north of the platform was a row of temporary warehouses, and to the south were two trucks. Night dew fell on the truck hoods, leaving a damp mark when wiped with a hand. The delegation of about twenty people stood in two rows. Some were still half asleep, yawning with their arms crossed; others, fearing they would be late, had arrived too early, and their luggage had already been moved three times.

Clothing, documents, and personal medications all have their own numbers. Anyone who wants to leave the group to use the restroom must first give their name to the liaison officer.

This rule made the delegates quite uncomfortable. Normally, who would ask permission before getting up and taking a few steps? But with three lists on the platform, if one person was missing, the subsequent vehicles, seals, and relay times would all have to be changed.

Zhao Weiguo took the last one and started counting from the first row down.

The Grand Elder and key delegates rode in the lead car, with a document box placed between their seats and guarded by two people. The rear car carried five days' worth of dry rations, two boxes of medicine, spare batteries, repair tools, and gasoline. The two shortwave radios were separated, one for the escort team and the other for the confidential team. The delegation also had a spare transceiver, sealed separately, and never mixed with the military radios.

The seal number, recipient, fuel quantity, and the conditions under which the box can be opened are all listed on the logistics sheet. Water can be replenished along the way, and vehicles and drivers can be changed, but documents, radios, and medicine cannot be expected to be found after entering Chongqing.

The monk led eight men to guard the front and rear of the vehicle, while the remaining four were positioned on either side of the front vehicle and between the two vehicles. Zhi Zi stood outside the list, holding two alternative routes and three evacuation points. She wasn't yet the thirteenth guard; she wasn't included when checking combat personnel, but she couldn't be overlooked when checking mission team members.

The communications officer, who had a high fever, did not appear at the platform.

When the substitute communications soldier reported for duty, he first registered with the radio station in Yan'an. He only followed the relay station, and upon arrival, he had to hand over the seal to the next communications soldier in person. Zhao Weiguo wrote "temporary replacement" after his name, as the original sick soldier was still on the medical record.

The Yan'an Guard Platoon consisted of about eighty men, divided into three shifts.

One shift guards the outer perimeter of the platform, another escorts the train out of the station, and the last shift stays behind to stand by. Each shift only has their own perimeter and time limit, and cannot see the complete route. They will not follow the train all the way to Chongqing after leaving Yan'an; once the handover point is reached, the responsibility changes hands.

Gardenia spread the map on the hood of the car. A gust of wind would cause the corners of the paper to curl upwards. The monk used a kettle to weigh down the left side, and she used a gun holster to weigh down the right.

The first route takes the western highway and is closer, but there are three local armed checkpoints. The second route goes around the river valley, is 60 li longer, has fewer vehicles, and the military outposts are more secure. The three evacuation points are a railway maintenance station, a local hospital, and a transportation station, each with different capacity to accommodate different numbers of people; in some places, even trucks can't turn around.

"Let's take the first path," Zhao Weiguo said. "We'll encounter two unregistered checkpoints, then we'll switch to a river valley. Before we've verified everything, we can't just take any unfamiliar path based on someone saying it's dangerous ahead."

A secretary asked, "If we really have to leave, what should we take first?"

"people."

"Where's the file?"

"We collect the documents after the person leaves, and the communication equipment last. If one radio is missing, there's a backup transceiver; but if a delegation member is missing, no one can replace them."

The monk subconsciously looked back at the two radio boxes. He was a man who valued both guns and radios as if they were his life, but this time he didn't argue; he simply tucked the blanket in the back of the car back in tighter.

The boss came to check the final seal. The three main boxes contained a summary of the North China takeover, Chongqing mission documents, medicines, and batteries, respectively. Each box had two seals; the confidential office kept a copy, and a copy was carried in the vehicle. To open the boxes, at least two people from different departments had to be present.

As the roll call was nearing its end, one of the representatives suddenly slapped his forehead.

"The notebook was left in the cave dwelling."

He was about to turn back when the secretariat quickly stopped him. The representative looked displeased, thinking that a notebook for jotting down notes shouldn't have caused such a commotion.

"What's inside?" the secretary asked.

"Meeting summary, a few phone numbers, and some notes I took myself."

"Please stay on the platform. We will send an officer to retrieve it."

"I can walk faster myself."

Zhao Weiguo flipped to his line on the list, wrote down his application to leave the team, and left a cancellation field at the end.

"If you leave, there will be one less person on the train ahead. If we wait for you, the whole team will be late; if we don't wait for you, the roster will be short of people. The notebook may be small, but it holds the people of this stop."

The representative seemed about to say something, but seeing the Grand Elder standing nearby, he swallowed his words. He stood there with his arms crossed, his face turned to the other side.

After the orderly brought the notebook, the secretary flipped through the cover and pages in front of him to make sure no new documents had been slipped in before putting it in his personal luggage. The representative was still a little angry when he took it, but he rubbed his thumb repeatedly on the corner of the notebook. If he had really been sent back to the cave dwelling alone, whether the convoy would wait or not would be a difficult question for everyone.

The Grand Elder didn't make the paperwork easier for him.

Before getting on the bus, the elder asked Zhao Weiguo, "Where will you sit?"

"The car in front should be parked on the outside. This makes it easier to see the road and get out. Don't carry heavy items on your right shoulder; two people can carry the briefcase."

"If something really happens, who should you protect first?"

"I'll send you away first."

"And you?"

Zhao Weiguo rolled up the list and stuffed it into the document bag on his chest.

"I'm on the list too, I have my place."

As the convoy left the station, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The first stretch of road was relatively easy to drive on. The engine temperature of the car in front was normal when climbing the hill, but the gearbox of the car behind was still making noise, though not as bad as yesterday. Thirty miles away, the first checkpoint had wooden poles placed across the middle of the road.

The officers on duty had to review the entire passenger list and turn on the radio. To make matters worse, the number on the pass differed by one digit from the one copied at the checkpoint. The person in charge, holding the copied document, determined the vehicle couldn't pass.

The monk sat at the back of the car, and none of the eight guards got off. The four men on either side of the front car simply changed positions, their guns still pointed at the ground.

Zhao Weiguo handed over the original document and the receipt from the previous military station.

Which section are you in charge of?

"The ferry crossing to the west."

Who sent the copy?

"The superior transportation department."

"Then please have the transportation station call back. The train is parked within the lines, and the passengers remain. The radio station only needs to verify the box number."

The other party said the machine was busy and couldn't send a message for a while. Zhao Weiguo didn't urge Mu Gang or argue with him about whose documents were more authentic; he simply told the driver to turn off the engine. As soon as the engine stopped, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and even the chirping of insects by the roadside could be heard.

Half an hour is hard to endure.

Some people were thirsty, while others wanted to get out of the car to stretch their legs. The representative who had left his notebook earlier didn't move this time, sitting in the car checking his watch. The monk squatted next to the car behind, using a blade of grass to scrape the mud off his shoes, but his eyes never left the guns at the checkpoint.

Zhi Zi noted down the number of people, weapons, seals, and incorrect serial numbers. She didn't write "deliberately making things difficult" because all she could confirm at the moment was that the serial numbers were different, not who did it intentionally.

The reply finally arrived. The mistake was in the checkpoint's document copying; they missed a digit.

The person in charge was embarrassed and checked the two pieces of paper several times before filling in the release time again. When the wooden pole was raised, no one said a word of relenting.

The convoy was 32 minutes late.

The elder asked from inside the car, "What if he continues to refuse to release it?"

"Wait until the deadline. If there's no official reply, retreat to the nearest outpost and take the second route." Zhao Weiguo looked out the window. "Saving half an hour isn't worth letting twelve men get tangled up with the local militia at the intersection."

Before noon, the water temperature of the car in front started to rise.

The driver initially thought it was due to the long slope, but after crossing it, the temperature still didn't drop. Upon inspection, they found the water pump was leaking around the edge, and the rubber seal was worn out. There was no military post by the roadside, and the nearest repair shop was seven miles away, with no information about its staff or personnel.

Zhao Weiguo did not allow the delegation to follow him into the unfamiliar courtyard.

"The documents will not be removed from the vehicle. The monk will lead four men to guard the lead vehicle, while the other four will watch both ends of the road. Zhi Zi will take two men to the maintenance depot to check on the personnel, tools, and escape route. If there is no report within twenty minutes, proceed with the transfer according to the railway maintenance depot plan."

The monk stood up: "I'll go with her."

"You will guard the Grand Elder."

The monk's face darkened. He hated waiting for others to return, but he still turned and walked to the car in front, fastening the gun sling he had just unbuckled.

Twenty minutes later, Zhi Zi brought back two old workers.

The repair shop only has hand-cranked equipment and a few salvaged parts, but no water pump of the same model. It would take at least two hours to temporarily seal the leak by taking rubber rings and pressure plates from old parts.

An older worker crawled under the car, while another filled an enamel basin with water. When the rubber band was just a fraction off, he squatted by the roadside and painstakingly adjusted it with a knife. His fingers were covered in black grease, and the knife, though not sharp, had to be wiped on his trousers after every few strokes.

The delegates waited in the car. The sun shone on the roof, making the interior increasingly stuffy. One of them couldn't help but ask how much longer, but the old worker ignored him, continuing to grind the leather rings. Only when asked a second time did he look up.

"Even if you rush me, I won't grow an extra hand."

No one is urging us anymore.

The monks led eight men in shifts to guard both ends of the road, while four others watched over the vehicles, documents, and communications. This was the route to the gardenia pit repair station. The secretariat conducted a roll call every half hour. The first-aid kit remained unopened, and only the shared spare rations were used.

Two hours later, the water pump was finally able to turn on, and the leak was mostly stopped.

When the old worker was test-driving the car, he pressed his ear against the engine casing and listened for a long time. The driver asked if it could be driven all the way to Chongqing, to which he waved his hand.

"Machines don't have mouths, so I can't speak for them that far. Next long slope, walk slowly, maybe everything will be fine."

This phrase is less elegant, but it's more useful than "repair complete".

Zhao Weiguo instructed his secretary to write the repair order exactly as it was, with a separate list of permitted driving areas. The two older workers received their food and wages; one of them, unable to write, pressed his fingerprint onto the paper. Black ink mixed with the fingerprint left a filthy mark.

The driver started the car, but the temperature was still too high. The car in front could only travel at low speeds, stopping every twenty kilometers to check. The fault code clearly stated: abnormal water pump and engine temperature, temporary repairs required, replacement vehicle to be used later, no more long-distance mountain roads.

The original plan was to delay by half a day.

They arrived at the second relay station in the evening. The station first checked the personnel, then verified the seals, and finally inspected the vehicles. The communications officer with a high fever was still not in the unit, so a substitute communications soldier completed the handover of the transceivers for this section. The broken-down vehicle was left with the station, and the delegation replaced it with a repaired and qualified vehicle. The mileage, malfunction details, and any temporary materials used in the old vehicle were all handed over.

There were no combat casualties from Yan'an to here.

The half-hour inspection, the half-day car repair, the wages of the two old workers, and the spare dry rations that were used cannot be erased by the words "arrived safely".

The elder was drinking hot water under the courtyard wall. His enamel bowl was chipped; he stopped drinking at that spot and turned the bowl around.

The station had originally planned to cook separately for the delegation. Since the five-day rations had already been packaged, Zhao Weiguo didn't request more rations, only asking the kitchen to add hot water and a bowl of pickled vegetables. The number of opened communal spare bags was deducted according to the number of people. Everyone squatted in the courtyard to eat, while the broken-down vehicle dripped water nearby; each drop left a small black stain on the ground.

The elder suddenly asked, "Why did you agree to come with me on this trip?"

"Responsibilities."

"You have enemies in Chongqing."

"I am now protecting the delegation."

"We won the battle in North China. If you stay there, no one will say you're wrong."

Zhao Weiguo looked at the broken-down car. The old leather ring that the old mechanic had patched had been removed and put into a small paper bag, which was stapled together with the repair slip.

"There are people guarding North China," he said. "My section on this list is mine."

The elder did not ask any further questions and handed the remaining half bowl of water to the guard beside him.

At night, the relay station reported on the situation along the line. Two transport vehicles had been impounded at the ferry crossing on the west side; the people were released, but the goods were not. There were temporary military and police checks on the highway on the north side. The railway maintenance point on the south side was undergoing emergency repairs, and vehicles could not be guaranteed to pass through at night.

Zhao Weiguo did not circle all three places in red at once.

At the ferry crossing, Zhi Zi will first verify the boat and the person in charge. For the highway inspection, confidential personnel will prepare the travel permits. The railway maintenance depot will be visited by the new train driver to inquire about the road conditions. Each item has a name attached; anything without a designated person in charge cannot be included in tomorrow's plan.

The monk, biting into pickled vegetables, asked, "Does writing my name on it guarantee it will work?"

"Even if it doesn't work, we have to record why it didn't work. Only then will we know who to replace it with and what method to use at the next stop."

At 9 p.m., the convoy resumed its journey.

The two vehicles maintained a distance of thirty meters, their lights dimmed, illuminating only a small section of the dirt road ahead. The monk's eight men took turns guarding the rear of the vehicle, while the remaining four guarded the sides of the leading vehicle and the space between the two. After completing the report for the first checkpoint, Zhi Zi noted at the end: "No hostility confirmed; route unchanged."

Zhao Weiguo added: If the same number becomes abnormal again, it will be upgraded to the second level of risk.

The elder leaned against the carriage, not asleep.

The following day, the convoy arrived at the designated airport pick-up point. The highway leg ended there. The two vehicles, remaining gasoline, and repair tools were handed over to the transport station, and the drivers, mileage records, and vehicle conditions were signed for. The broken-down vehicle remained at the second pick-up station and was not towed to the airport to make up the numbers.

The delegation re-selected passengers according to the flight ticket list. Two shortwave radios and a spare transceiver were sealed and boarded with each person. Two boxes of medicine were weighed in front of the medical staff and air transport personnel. The remaining portion of the five-day rations was taken away, while gasoline for the road and large repair tools were left on the ground.

The twelve guards, Gardenia, and about twenty representatives lined up again.

The replacement communications soldier completes the handover of the highway section; the responsibility for the aviation section is listed separately. The vehicle list is sealed at this station, and the aircraft list begins from here.

Zhao Weiguo watched as names were signed one after another on the relay list.

"From Yan'an to Chongqing, someone needs to be responsible for each section of the road."

He folded the relay list and tucked it into the file folder on his chest. Inside the folder was the escort list; Zhi Zi's name was written outside the top twelve, and the old worker's handprint was pinned to the repair slip.

The plane was parked at the end of the runway, its propellers still spinning. Zhao Weiguo glanced back one last time at the road; the two trucks had already passed each other, their tracks still visible on the dirt road.

He turned and walked toward the plane. Chongqing was on the other side of the clouds; the battle on the table was just beginning.