Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

The person lying on the ground has a broken leg.

The person lying there was none other than Liu Haizhong, the arrogant and ignorant second uncle in the courtyard.

When Gao Jianguo recognized Liu Haizhong's face, he was momentarily stunned. He couldn't understand how this guy had managed to get behind him.

Even if you can't figure it out, you know this guy is definitely up to no good. Before he can open his mouth to explain, just do it first. Once he shouts, it'll be harder to stomp on him.

How did Liu Haizhong end up lying here? The answer lies with Yan Bugui.

A while ago, Yan Bugui bumped into Lou Xiao'e moving things to Gao Jianguo's place. When he got home, he couldn't help but want to nag, but his third aunt shut him up.

But a person's gossipy heart can't be suppressed, and Yan Bugui kept thinking about it.

One evening, he ran into Liu Haizhong on his way home at his doorstep. The two stood there, lit a cigarette, and chatted for a bit. Yan Bugui had let slip that the matter had been mentioned, and even made a joke: "Such a big box, it can't be a telegraph machine, right? Hahaha."

No doubt about it, it was the day Gao Jianguo came back from the dinner party after giving his report that he saw the two of them whispering to each other by the wall, and that's what they were talking about.

Yan Bugui spoke his mind freely, and after he had his fill of pleasure, he didn't take it to heart.

The speaker may not have taken it seriously, but the listener took it to heart.

Liu Haizhong, this old official-obsessed man, wouldn't let go of even the slightest opportunity to show his face.

What if, by some chance, Yan Bugui is right?

Could Gao Jianguo be a high-ranking spy sent in by the other side? Otherwise, how can we explain his young age and great abilities? Perhaps the enemy is supporting him from behind, allowing him to climb the ranks and access more secrets.

Furthermore, Gao Jianguo's room was so well covered up that he had always wondered why something about it didn't seem right whenever he passed by.

The fact that a type of online novel called "Dihua's Brainstorming" could come to life in later generations shows how impressive people's brains and imaginations are. Of course, Liu Haizhong never even considered why the spies would make such a big fuss when moving the radio.

But then again, who can say for sure about espionage? Maybe it's just something they do on purpose for show. The Russian KGB smuggled a Sidewinder missile from the Hanscat Air Base, and they just swaggered out in a cart and sent it to Moscow by airmail.

Liu Haizhong kept the matter to himself for a while. That evening, he happened to run into Gao Jianguo leaving get off work. Seeing him leave the factory gate alone, Liu Haizhong imagined Gao Jianguo sneaking out late at night, acting suspiciously. With the thought of "whatever happens, happens," he took a step forward.

Unfortunately, Gao Jianguo's deliberate act of turning into that secluded path to test the waters was highly suspicious in Liu Haizhong's eyes. It was definitely something going on—a rendezvous? Hiding something? Retrieving something? Because the path Gao Jianguo turned into was one that he would never normally take home.

If it were an experienced follower, they would be wondering if they had exposed themselves, but not Liu Haizhong. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he became even more excited and followed her in.

And that's how this whole thing happened.

Liu Haizhong, who was still crouching and cautiously following behind, suddenly felt his body lighten as soon as he turned the corner. He was lifted off the bicycle, and then a strange force bit into his calf, making him feel pain that seemed to burrow into his bones.

Liu Haizhong quickly spoke up: "No, no, no, don't do it! Jianguo, it's me, Second Uncle."

Gao Jianguo then stopped, but still pretended not to recognize him because it was dark: "Second Uncle? Which Second Uncle?"

Realizing Gao Jianguo didn't recognize the item, Liu Haizhong quickly corrected himself: "I, Liu Haizhong, Liu Haizhong."

Gao Jianguo feigned realization: "Oh, Master Liu. You've been following me suspiciously all this way; I thought you were a bad guy."

Gao Jianguo spoke with great confidence. Given his current situation, he had the right to say this. He suspected that bad people were following him and trying to sabotage him. Putting aside other matters, 3z-591 was still within the confidentiality clauses repeatedly emphasized by the leaders.

Someone was secretly following him, but by taking preemptive action to subdue them, he wouldn't get into any trouble. On the contrary, everyone would praise him, saying, "Comrade Jianguo is very vigilant!"

Liu Haizhong was like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering. He never expected that Gao Jianguo wouldn't even give him a chance to speak before attacking him, baring his teeth as he said, "I saw you go into the alley alone, and I was worried you might run into trouble, so I thought I'd keep you company."

Although Gao Jianguo didn't believe his nonsense, he didn't care what excuse he had in mind, since he couldn't cause any trouble anyway.

Gao Jianguo slapped his thigh: "Hey, look at the mess this has made. Next time something like this happens, just call out to me first, so there won't be any misunderstandings."

After saying that, he reached out to help Liu Haizhong up: "Come on, Mr. Liu, I'll take you to the hospital."

After saying that, he helped Liu Haizhong up and rushed to the hospital. Gao Jianguo paid for the medicine. No matter what, he had broken Liu Haizhong's leg because of him. Gao Jianguo felt good about it and didn't care about spending a little money.

When the doctor asked how he got hurt, Liu Haizhong said he fell down.

This made Gao Jianguo a little suspicious. Should he think about things for others without making a big fuss? This was not something Liu Haizhong would do.

After the bandage was properly applied, Gao Jianguo planned to take Liu Haizhong to the police station to file a report. However, Liu Haizhong objected, telling Gao Jianguo to take him home instead: "It's alright, Jianguo, no need, no need. Making a scene like this won't be good for you. Besides, I also bear some responsibility, and I'd be embarrassed. Let's just tell everyone I fell, and I won't bother you. Just give me some money, and you can take me home first."

If Gao Jianguo were to believe that Yan Bugui was behind this operation, he might actually believe it to some extent. Yan Bugui is capable of doing anything to squeeze out a little more money.

But why was Liu Haizhong pulling this stunt? Gao Jianguo felt something was off, but he didn't think too much about it. Maybe Liu Haizhong really felt ashamed and wanted to get on his good side. Outsiders might not know what he was doing in the department, but his position as deputy captain of the militia was public knowledge.

Liu Haizhong, a power-hungry official, wanted to use this incident to curry favor with himself as the deputy captain of the militia, which seemed plausible.

Feeling uneasy, he pressed further, "Master Liu, are you sure?"

Liu Haizhong nodded: "I'm sure, I'm sure. It's okay, you can just take me home."

Gao Jianguo did as he was told and took him home. Once inside, he told his family that he had broken his leg and that Gao Jianguo had taken him to the hospital and brought him back.

The Liu family members thanked Gao Jianguo profusely. They were very grateful to Gao Jianguo for secretly stabbing Liu Haizhong, who had followed them behind, but the fact that the Liu family was thanking him so much still made him feel a little surreal.

Gao Jianguo quickly finished explaining things to the Liu family and then left the Liu family home to return to his own place.

Before stepping out of Liu's house, Gao Jianguo glanced into the house a couple more times, rubbing his cheek with his hand, seemingly deep in thought.