Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

When Zheng Yunting's letter arrived, He Yuzhu was chopping firewood in the yard.

There was no writing on the envelope. When I opened it, there was only one line of text inside: "Tonight at 5 PM, at Qinghe Pavilion, there is an important matter to discuss."

He folded the letter and stuffed it into his pocket.

He Yushui stood beside him, staring at him for a long time.

"Brother, is it that guy in the long robe again?"

He Yuzhu did not answer.

He Yushui waited for a while, then sighed.

"Brother, you've lost weight recently."

He Yuzhu looked down at himself. Had he lost weight? He didn't know.

"fine."

He Yushui shook her head, turned around and went inside.

At 5:00 PM, at Qinghe Pavilion.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and went in. Zheng Yunting was already sitting in the corner. Next to him was another man, in his forties, with a round face, gold-rimmed glasses, and a dark gray Zhongshan suit. His attire made him look like a cadre.

Zheng Yunting stood up, a smile plastered on his face.

"Deputy Factory Director He, this way please."

He Yuzhu walked over and sat down. The man with glasses nodded at him without saying anything.

Zheng Yunting poured him a cup of tea and lowered his voice.

"This is Mr. Zhang. Our Restoration Society's... strategist."

Mr. Zhang smiled briefly, then it was gone in the blink of an eye.

"I've long admired Deputy Factory Director He."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Where does Mr. Zhang work?"

Mr. Zhang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and didn't say anything.

Zheng Yunting chimed in from the side.

"Deputy Factory Director He, we've invited you here today because there's something important we'd like to discuss."

He took a brown paper envelope from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu didn't move.

"What is this?"

Zheng Yunting looked around and lowered his voice even further.

"A list. Our people, those in government agencies."

He Yuzhu's finger paused on the table for a moment.

He picked up the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. One, two, three... a total of five papers, densely covered with names, each followed by a code, and some even indicated their organization.

One Civil Affairs Bureau. One Commerce Bureau. Two Industry Bureaus. And one more…

His fingers paused for a moment.

"Seventh Brother". The code name was followed by no unit, only "Special Channel".

He looked at that code name and it seemed familiar.

Zheng Yunting leaned closer.

"Deputy Factory Director He, this list is the culmination of many years of hard work by the Fuqing Association. We're showing it to you today to let you know that we're not just a small-time operation. If you're willing to join us, you can use all these people in the future."

He Yuzhu folded the list and put it back in the envelope.

How many of you are there in total?

Zheng Yunting and Mr. Zhang exchanged a glance.

Mr. Zhang spoke up.

"Why is Deputy Factory Director He asking this?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"If you want to join, you need to know how big the group is."

Mr. Zhang stared at him for several seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Deputy Factory Director He is a straightforward person."

He nodded to Zheng Yunting. Zheng Yunting took out another envelope from his pocket, smaller than the previous one, with three words written on the cover: Core Book.

Just as He Yuzhu reached out his hand, a sudden commotion erupted at the doorway.

Seven or eight people rushed in, dressed in plainclothes, but their demeanor made it clear at a glance who they were.

Zheng Yunting's expression changed, and he reached into his robes.

He Yuzhu didn't move.

The leader shouted, "Don't move!"

Suddenly, three or four more people rushed in through the door, dressed the same. The leader and the first group of plainclothes officers exchanged a glance, and both were stunned.

"Which part are you from?"

"Which part are you from?"

A thought flashed through He Yuzhu's mind like lightning—there were two groups of people. One group was real, and the other was a backup plan from the Restoration Society.

In that moment of distraction, Zheng Yunting pulled his hand out of his pocket.

It's not a knife.

It's a gun.

The dark, gaping muzzle of a gun.

"Don't move!" He grabbed He Yuzhu by the neck, pressing the gun to his temple. "Mr. Zhang, run!"

A cold sensation came through him. He Yuzhu's pupils contracted slightly.

[System notification: Host detected to be under deadly threat. Emergency combat instinct assist activated.]

Zheng Yunting dragged He Yuzhu backward, cursing, "He Yuzhu, I fucking misjudged you! I'll use you as a scapegoat today!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a numbness in his wrist—He Yuzhu's right hand had gripped his pulse point like an iron clamp. At the same time, He Yuzhu's head jerked to the side, dodging the gun barrel, and his left elbow slammed backward like a cannonball into Zheng Yunting's ribs.

Click.

A crisp cracking sound of bone breaking. Zheng Yunting screamed, arching his back like a shrimp, the gun flying from his hand. He Yuzhu snatched the gun back and kicked him in the back of the knee. Zheng Yunting fell to his knees with a thud, with He Yuzhu pressing the gun against the back of his head.

The entire action took no more than three seconds.

The room was completely silent.

He Yuzhu raised his head and looked at the two groups of people who were still facing off.

"Don't move. If it's a real plainclothes officer, give them your unit number. If it's a fake..." He lowered the gun, and Zheng Yunting screamed, "This is what happens."

The plainclothes officer in charge reacted and pulled out his badge. The other group's expression changed, and they turned to run, but the plainclothes officers chased after them and tackled them to the ground.

Plainclothes officers approached.

"Deputy Factory Director He, we've taken the person away."

"Wait a minute." He Yuzhu walked up to Zheng Yunting, who was being supported.

Zheng Yunting raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, glaring fiercely at him.

"He Yuzhu, don't be so smug. We know which school your sister goes to..."

He Yuzhu's eyes instantly turned cold.

The next second, he suddenly laughed. That laugh sent a chill down the spine of the plainclothes officer next to him.

He pulled the "core book" out of his pocket and waved it in front of Zheng Yunting.

"Mr. Zheng, are you referring to 'Seventh Brother'? Or 'Mountain Eagle'? Or perhaps your informant in the Industrial Bureau?"

Zheng Yunting's pupils suddenly contracted.

"How...how do you know about 'Mountain Eagle'?"

He Yuzhu put the booklet back in his pocket, leaned close to his ear, and whispered.

"I also know that you have a supply hideout in the south of the city. The person in charge of making contact is nicknamed 'The Cripple'."

This information was provided as a side clue when the system announced the reward list earlier.

Zheng Yunting's face drained of color instantly, and his body began to tremble.

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."

He Yuzhu took a step back.

"Please take him away. He just threatened to harm my sister. Please be lenient with him during the interrogation."

The plainclothes officer nodded and dragged the man away. Zheng Yunting's screams echoed from outside, gradually fading into the distance.

He Yuzhu stood still and wiped the dust off his hands.

It's not just fists that can cause pain.

It was almost ten o'clock when I got home.

He Yushui sat on the threshold, nodding her head. Hearing footsteps, she immediately woke up, rubbed her eyes, and stood up.

"Brother, you're back."

He Yuzhu responded and walked closer before realizing that she was holding a rolling pin in her hand.

His heart skipped a beat.

"What are you going to do with this?"

He Yushui hid the rolling pin behind her back and whispered, "I heard stray dogs barking outside, and I'm afraid you'll get bitten when you come back."

He Yuzhu was silent for two seconds, then reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Let's go inside."

He Yushui tugged at his sleeve, sniffed it, and frowned.

"Brother, why do you smell like gunpowder and blood?"

He Yuzhu looked down at his hands. There was a small scrape on the back of his hand, which had already scabbed over.

"It's nothing, I just got it while chopping wood."

He Yushui didn't believe it, but she didn't ask again. She looked at him, her eyes shining brightly in the moonlight.

"Brother," she suddenly said, "no matter what you do, I'll wait for you to come back."

The door closed.

He Yuzhu stood at the door for a while before walking into his house. As he passed the yard, he stopped and took out the "core booklet" from his pocket.

The moonlight was bright, shining on the pages of the paper.

His finger swept across the list and stopped at the fifth name.

"Seventh Brother". His job title is: Deputy Director of the Materials Allocation Department. His work unit is: Bureau of Commerce.

He stared at that name for a long time.

Wang Jianguo.

He remembered. That day at the factory, this man came to coordinate supplies, and he offered him a cigarette. The man's hand was trembling slightly as he accepted the cigarette.

At the time, he thought the other person was just being cold.

He Yuzhu put the booklet away and looked up at the sky.

Zheng Yunting's last words still echoed in my ears: "We know which school your sister goes to..."

His hands slowly clenched into fists.

A night breeze swept through the yard, ruffling the clothes on the clothesline. Tomorrow will be another sunny day.

But some people may not live to see tomorrow's sun.

[Side Quest 3: Covert Tracking Progress Update - Core List of the Restoration Society Acquired]

[Mission Reward: +500,000 points]

[Current total points: 44,590,000 + 500,000 = 45,090,000]