Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

At first, Sha Zhu patiently waited, and every day without fail, he would call up the system panel and take a few glances at it.

At this critical juncture of upgrading the space, not only has signing in to receive rewards stopped, but even daily tasks have been completely discontinued, leaving the panel lifeless and unchanged.

I've been watching for four or five days straight, but there's not a single sign of anything happening.

He finally gave up and simply lay down—there was no point in rushing anyway, so he might as well just wait for the upgrade to finish and save himself the trouble.

The countdown to the space upgrade jumped to the last day, with only a few hours left. As soon as it got dark, Sha Zhu returned to the side room, washed up, lay down on the bed, and stared wide-eyed at the roof beams, waiting for any movement.

But as the night deepened, waves of drowsiness washed over him. He nodded vigorously, almost falling asleep several times, only managing to stay awake by pinching his thigh, afraid of missing the moment the upgrade was complete.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep and about to close his eyes, a clear notification sound suddenly rang in his mind: the space upgrade was complete...

Sha Zhu instantly perked up, all drowsiness vanished, and his consciousness almost instinctively probed into the system space.

The original two thousand cubic meters of static space remained unchanged, with the supplies stored inside neatly stacked, still in that deathly still state.

The newly unlocked ecological space immediately caught his eye upon entering—the two thousand square meters of land were brightly lit, comparable to the midday sun, illuminating every detail of the space. Under his feet was dark, fertile soil that felt soft and moist to the touch, with a fresh, earthy scent wafting towards him.

In a corner of the space, there is a spring that gushes out clear water, which gathers into a winding stream that flows along the slope of the land and extends all the way to the end of the space. As for where the stream eventually flows to, it seems to be nothingness and cannot be found.

Remembering the stories he had read before, where the springs in such spaces were said to be spiritual springs that could strengthen the body, Sha Zhu's heart stirred, and he immediately became aware of it.

He took a brand new large tea mug from the still space, walked quickly to the spring, and scooped the mug full of spring water.

He carried the teacup out of the ecological space, sat on the edge of the bed, and took a big gulp. The spring water was clear and sweet, with a faint fragrance of herbs and trees.

After swallowing it, apart from saliva production in the mouth, there was no other unusual feeling in the body; there was neither a warm current flowing through it nor a sudden surge of energy.

"Could it be that there isn't enough quantity?"

He muttered to himself, picked up the teacup and gulped down half of it until his stomach was bloated and he let out a burp with the sweet taste of spring water, but his body still didn't react at all.

Sha Zhu curled his lip, completely disheartened. So this was just ordinary spring water with slightly better quality, not some kind of spiritual spring at all. All that excitement for nothing.

He then probed his consciousness back into the space and discovered that there was a transparent barrier between the two spaces, like a bubble membrane. It looked thin and fragile, but the boundaries were clearly defined.

Sha Zhu curiously tried it out, moving the teacup from the static space to the ecological space. When it passed through the barrier, it was completely unobstructed and very smooth. Moving it back was the same, with no hindrance whatsoever.

Next, he wanted to test whether the ecological space had a time-accelerating effect, since this was crucial for planting.

Consciousness searched through the still space and found a few round potatoes. It squeezed them and found that the skin was smooth and there were no sprouts at all.

He then took a large earthenware basin, filled it with black soil, watered it thoroughly with freshly scooped spring water, and buried the potatoes one by one until they were halfway buried.

Suddenly remembering that potatoes sprout more easily when they are in the shade, I quickly grabbed a bamboo basket and placed it tightly over the ceramic pot before I was satisfied.

After dealing with the potatoes, he got out of bed and grabbed a handful of plump soybeans from a jar in the corner of the room.

Back in the space, on the open ground at the very edge of the ecological space, I spread out a row of flowers, watered them with spring water, and then stopped, waiting to see the results later.

After finishing all this, he finally summoned the long-unused system panel, where the information was clearly listed:

Host: Silly Pillar

Age: 10 years old

Physical fitness: 10.2 (Due to the use of enhancement drugs, it far exceeds that of its peers and is equivalent to the level of a strong adult male. The drugs do not affect the host's development. The maximum value is 30.)

Skills: Bajiquan (Max Level), Liuhe Spear (Max Level), Pistol Shooting (Beginner), Cooking (Intermediate), Monkey Tongbei Fist (Beginner), Cherry Blossom Language (Beginner), Lockpicking (Advanced)

System space: 2,000 cubic meters (constant, space is indestructible and matter is immortal, cannot contain living things), 2,000 square meters of ecological space

Items: Several

Check-in progress: Thirty cumulative check-ins, should/should the check-ins be merged?

Next check-in time: Tomorrow at midnight

Task: Not refreshed

Seeing the words "Living creatures cannot be stored" on the panel, Sha Zhu frowned and thought to himself: I just want to ask, if it keeps saying that living creatures cannot be stored in the space, then what about those live carp that I stored before? So the system is applying double standards?

Despite his inner grumbling, his gaze quickly fell on the "Merged Check-in" section, and his eyes lit up.

These past thirty check-ins have all yielded ordinary items like rice, flour, cooking oil, needles, and thread—nothing of value. Now that the check-ins can be combined, who knows, we might be able to find something good.

Without a second thought, he used his mind to click "Yes," eagerly anticipating the surprise at midnight the next day.

Then, he reached under the mattress and pulled out the polished pocket watch. He opened the cover and saw that it was fifteen minutes to midnight.

Since he had nothing better to do, he extended his consciousness into the still space and rummaged through the shelves of "Mitsui & Co." looking for something to replenish his nutrition.

After all, he is only ten years old, which is the time when he is growing. Moreover, practicing kung fu also consumes physical strength.

He actually found something interesting. Deep inside the shelves were dried chicken, smoked bacon, Jinhua ham, dried mushrooms, and dried seafood—all hearty and nutritious items. He planned to take some out tomorrow to improve his family's meals.

As he flipped through the items, he came across dried scallops and dried abalone, among other expensive seafood. He paused, then immediately withdrew his hand; these things were too conspicuous.

If we bring it out now, we can't explain its origin at all, so we can only stockpile it and wait for a suitable opportunity later.

Just as he finished arranging the supplies, the system notification in his mind rang precisely on time: [Midnight has arrived. Automatic merge check-in complete.]

[Sign-in successful... Skills acquired: Car Driving (Advanced), Motorcycle Driving (Advanced), Rifle Shooting (Beginner), Mortar Operation (Beginner)...]

Sha Zhu's face darkened instantly upon seeing the newly unlocked skill; he was so embarrassed that he almost dropped his pocket watch.

He gritted his teeth at the air: "This system is definitely playing favorites... They just brought in cars, rifles, and mortars from the foreign company, and then they shoved these skills into my head, as if they're afraid I won't know how to use them, right? I wonder what kind of evil scheme they're plotting now..."

"Giving me a cherry blossom language last time was outrageous enough, but now they've gone all out with guns and cannons. Do they expect me to bomb up some lowly military camp?"

Recalling how he had been exhausted from learning new skills and even dreaming about them at night, he became even more frustrated, his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

But since the skills had all been acquired, he couldn't just leave them unused. So, with a grim face, he mentally checked each one, then flopped onto the bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell into a deep sleep.

As expected, this nap turned out to be another form of "torture".

In his dream, he would sit in the driver's seat of a car and practice shifting gears and pressing the accelerator.

One moment he's speeding down a mountain road on a motorcycle, the next he's aiming and firing a rifle, and then he's squatting next to a mortar calculating angles, loading ammunition, and firing. All sorts of operational techniques are being crammed into his head, his nerves are constantly on edge, and he doesn't even have time to catch his breath.

He didn't know how long he had been in the dream. He felt sore all over and his head was spinning, as if he had been pressed to the ground and rubbed a thousand times. Finally, he was abruptly awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Brother Zhu! Brother Zhu! Get up and practice your boxing!"

Xu Damao's clear and urgent shouts came from outside the door, accompanied by "bang bang bang" sounds.

In the past, it was his father, He Daqing, who would wake him up to practice kung fu, but today it was Xu Damao who did it.

Ever since this kid started practicing Bajiquan with him and mastered the first stance, he's been incredibly enthusiastic, like he's been injected with chicken blood. He's now working hard on the second stance, and he comes knocking on the door before dawn every day, more punctual than a rooster crowing.

Sha Zhu groggily opened his eyes, and just as he was about to turn over, a sudden urge to urinate surged up, making his bladder ache. He was no longer sleepy at all.

He sat up quickly, grabbed his clothes and put them on haphazardly, slipped on his cloth shoes without even tying the laces, opened the door and rushed out, as fast as the wind, almost bumping into Xu Damao, who was raising his hand to knock on the door.

Xu Damao had been practicing stance training recently, and his lower body had developed some strength. He was able to firmly plant his feet, and his body only swayed slightly before he regained his balance and was not knocked away.

He rubbed his arm, watching Sha Zhu's hurried back, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Zhu, where are you rushing off to? If you don't practice your boxing soon, the sun will be high in the sky!"

"I need to pee... I can't hold it in anymore!" Sha Zhu's voice came from afar, and he had already turned into the backyard.

"Then I'll wait for you in the open space in the backyard! Hurry up, the 'Two Elements Stance' I was working on yesterday still doesn't quite work, I'd like you to teach me again!"

Xu Damao called out to his back, his voice full of urgency.

"Okay... I'll teach you when I get back!"

After taking care of his physical needs, Sha Zhu washed his face. The cold water helped clear his mind and relieved some of the fatigue from his dream.

Back in the front yard, breakfast was already on the table: millet porridge with pickled vegetable steamed buns—simple yet filling.

He wolfed down his food, wiped his mouth, and shouted towards the backyard, "Xu Damao! Let's go practice our boxing!"

"Coming!" Xu Damao immediately ran over from the yard, his face beaming with excitement.

"Brother Zhu, you said yesterday that my stance wasn't grounded enough, you'd better teach me properly today!"

"Don't worry, you'll get your share. Just focus when you practice and don't get distracted."

Sha Zhu patted him on the shoulder and led him to the open space in the backyard.

Bajiquan is fierce and domineering. Sha Zhu has a full level of skill. Every move he makes is powerful and swift. The wind from his punches sweeps through the air with a "whooshing" sound.

Xu Damao followed behind to learn, clumsy and uncoordinated, but he learned with great seriousness, pondering each movement repeatedly and stopping from time to time to ask questions.

"Brother Zhu, do you think my 'elbow strike' is correct? Did I not use enough force?"

Sha Zhu stopped what he was doing, walked over to him, and corrected his posture.

"Raise your arms a little higher, make sure your elbows are pointing forward, and generate power from your waist, not just your arms. Come on, try again."

Xu Damao did as he was told, and it went much more smoothly than before. He said happily.

"Brother Zhu, you taught me so well. My dad tried to teach me for ages but still couldn't explain it clearly."

"Your dad's skills are nowhere near mine."

Sha Zhu proudly raised his chin and continued to demonstrate the next move.

They exercised for about an hour, until it was broad daylight, and both of them were covered in sweat before they finally finished.

Sha Zhu wiped the sweat from his forehead, went back into the house, and said to his mother, who was clearing away the dishes, "Mom, I'm going out today."

Qin paused in her actions, looked up at him, and frowned slightly: "Where are you going so early in the morning? What are you doing?"

"The food at home has been too bland these past few days, and Yushui's face is pale. I'll go see if I can get some good food to nourish you and Yushui."

As Sha Zhu spoke, he reached out and rubbed the head of his younger sister, He Yushui, who was peering at him through the door frame. The little girl looked up at him and tugged at his clothes.

"Brother, I want to eat sugar cake, the kind you bought for me last time."

"Okay, I'll bring it to you!" Silly Zhu replied with a smile, and playfully pinched her little nose.

Hearing this, Qin felt a warmth in her heart, but also some worry: "Go to the market? What good things can you find at the market at this time of year? At most, there will be some green vegetables and radishes, and they might not even have sweet cakes."

"There's nothing worth seeing at the market, nothing worth buying," Sha Zhu shook his head.

Qin was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and lowered her voice.

"Going to that place where you bought baby formula last time? That place is in the middle of nowhere, we hope nothing goes wrong."

Last time, Sha Zhu suddenly took out a can of imported milk powder, saying that he had come across it by chance. Although she had some doubts, she didn't ask too many questions, knowing that her son knew what he was doing, but she couldn't help but worry.

Sha Zhu nodded: "Yeah, I'll just go take a look there and be back soon, by noon at the latest."

"Then you'd better be careful. Things aren't peaceful outside right now. There are black-skinned thugs and thugs everywhere on the streets. Stay away from them and don't cause any trouble."

Qin put down her chopsticks and bowl, took his hand and repeatedly instructed him, "Don't take Da Mao with you either. That child is impulsive and curious about everything. He's likely to cause trouble if he goes with you."

"Don't worry, Mom, I know what I'm doing. I won't take him," Sha Zhu replied. "Keep an eye on him for me, don't let him sneak out. That kid's very clingy these days, I'm afraid he'll get lost."

"Okay, go and call him over. Have him stay inside and watch the rainwater for me. Don't let the little girl run around. There are too many people and dangerous things in the yard; it's not safe."

Sha Zhu answered and went out to the backyard. He called Xu Damao, who was squatting on the ground rubbing his legs, into his house and instructed him, "I'm going out for a bit. You stay here and watch over Yushui for my mother. Don't let her run around, understand?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Brother Zhu, where are you going? Are you going to get something good to eat? Take me with you, I can lend you a hand!"

"Why would I take you with me? Just stay home and I'll bring you something delicious later."

Sha Zhu put on a stern face.

"Don't sneak in here, or I won't teach you boxing anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately wilted and muttered, "Okay, I won't go. Just don't forget to bring me some good food."

Sha Zhu nodded, then put the pocket watch in his pocket and stepped out the door.

As soon as he left, Xu Damao sensed something was wrong and began to have doubts.

Why is Brother Zhu acting so mysteriously today? He won't even let me follow him.

Could it be that he went to get something good?

The more I thought about it, the more curious I became, and my feet started to itch. I secretly moved to the doorway, wanting to go out and take a look.

"Da Mao, where are you going?" Qin Shi saw through his thoughts at a glance and called out to him.

Xu Damao stiffened, turned around awkwardly, scratched his head and laughed, "Auntie, I... I went to see where Brother Zhu went. I was worried he wouldn't be safe alone, there are so many black dogs on the street."

"No need to look, your brother Zhu is very clever, even smarter than a monkey. No one can bully him. He'll be back in a bit." Qin waved her hand and pointed to He Yushui beside her.

"You stay at your aunt's house and keep an eye on your little sister Yushui. She's still young, so make sure she doesn't get hurt. When Brother Zhuzi comes back, he'll bring you some good food, maybe even your favorite donkey rolls."

"real?"

Xu Damao's eyes immediately lit up. Donkey rolls were his favorite food, and his curiosity was instantly suppressed. He nodded obediently.

"Then I won't go out. I'll watch over Raindrops! Raindrops, come here, let's play cat's cradle!"

He Yushui blinked her big eyes, nodded, and followed Xu Damao to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed). Xu Damao agreed verbally, but secretly hoped that Shazhu would come back soon and bring some interesting things.

On the other side, Sha Zhu left the courtyard and headed straight for Wangfujing Street without stopping.

The last time he raided the Mitsui & Co. trading company, he made a lot of money, which gave him a thought: there are still many small trading companies on Wangfujing Street. The owners of these companies have been extorting and plundering in China, making a lot of dirty money, and their hands are stained with the blood of many Chinese people. He doesn't want these people to take their money back to Japan safely.

Military camps and military police headquarters are heavily guarded, with armed soldiers everywhere. He is young and his strength is limited. Forcing his way in would be suicide. He doesn't have the ability to do that.

Although these foreign firms were guarded, they were much easier to deal with than military camps. He planned to sweep through these firms one by one before surrendering, taking as much as he could, as a way to vent the anger of the suffering Chinese people.

Moreover, he knew that after the defeat of the small business, the properties of these foreign firms would eventually fall into the hands of the Bald Party. Those people were not good people either. Rather than letting them benefit, it was better to take the initiative and stockpile the supplies. Whether for his own use or for his family, it was better than letting outsiders benefit.

Walking briskly, we soon arrived at Wangfujing Street.

As soon as he reached the street corner, Sha Zhu slowed down, his brows furrowed, and he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

Compared to the last time I came, the atmosphere on the street was noticeably more tense. There was no large-scale gathering of local militia, but there were many more black thugs on the street, each carrying a gun and swaggering around, stopping passersby from time to time for questioning, their eyes fierce.

In addition, the patrol teams of the Little Days also began patrolling the streets of Wangfujing. Squads of Little Days soldiers, dressed in yellow uniforms, carrying rifles, marched back and forth in neat steps, their eyes scanning the surroundings, their expressions vigilant.

Previously, these soldiers would only stand guard at fixed posts during the day and rarely patrolled the streets in the city. Now, the guards have been suddenly strengthened, which is obviously because the last raid on the Mitsui & Co. company has made them more vigilant.

Sha Zhu pretended to be strolling around, walking slowly along the street, his eyes sweeping over the Mitsui & Co. building not far away.

The trading company's doors had reopened and it was open for business again. However, there were two soldiers standing at the entrance with rifles, their eyes cold. Everyone entering and leaving was strictly checked, and there were also many more sentries around the trading company.

"That's pretty fast, they reopened so quickly."

Sha Zhu muttered to himself, his eyes sweeping around the entrance of the foreign firm, pondering whether he should pull off another heist.

But then I thought about it again. Last time, I had already emptied the foreign firm of all the good stuff. What was left were probably just some worthless junk. Besides, the security was tight now. If I forced my way in, it would be a losing proposition and I would easily expose myself.

"Forget it, I've already taken all the good stuff. There's no need to take any risks. If we're going to do anything, we'll have to wait until they lower their guard."

He suppressed his thoughts and continued walking forward, pretending to eat snacks as he went. He bought some candied hawthorns and fried cakes from a street stall, and while eating, he discreetly observed the situation of the other small trading companies.

The old man selling fried cakes smiled and asked, "Young man, another one? They're fresh out of the fryer, still hot!"

Sha Zhu waved his hand: "No, sir, that's enough. Your fried cakes are really delicious."

"It's delicious, I'll come again next time!" the old man replied happily.

You wouldn't believe it until you look. It turns out that not only Mitsui & Co., but all the small trading companies on the street have increased their guards at the entrance. They are either soldiers or thugs, and some even have both. The security is more than twice as tight as before.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu was immediately displeased, and his face darkened.

"These bastards are quite vigilant. They have guards during the day, and the defenses will definitely be tighter at night. It'll be difficult to make a move now."

He knew in his heart that with his current strength, it would be quite difficult to quietly take down the foreign firm under heavy guard. Once discovered, he would have no chance of escaping.

Forcing our way in is definitely not an option; we need to find another way, either by waiting for them to lower their guard or by finding a suitable opportunity to catch them off guard.

Although he couldn't physically take over the foreign firm, since he was already there, Sha Zhu didn't intend to leave empty-handed.

He walked back the way he came, and stopped in front of a Quanjude roast duck restaurant. He swallowed hard as he smelled the aroma of roast duck wafting out.

This is a famous Peking duck from Beijing, something his family could never afford at home. He immediately went inside, and the shopkeeper greeted him warmly: "Young man, what would you like? Freshly roasted duck, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, would you like one?"

"Give me one, please wrap it up for me." Sha Zhu took out his money and handed it over.

"Alright!" The shopkeeper quickly wrapped up the roast duck and handed it to him. "Here you go, take care!"

I also bought some refreshing pickles from the Liubiju pickle shop next door, which were perfect to go with the roast duck.

When he passed by Daoxiangcun, he remembered that Yushui wanted to eat sugar cake, so he went in and bought a box of Beijing Eight Treasures pastries. He also bought a few extra pieces of sugar cake, which were sweet, fragrant and soft, just right for his younger sister He Yushui.

Carrying these items, Sha Zhu walked quickly to the entrance of Wangfujing Street. He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, turned into a secluded alley.

The alley was deserted. He quickly put the roast duck, pickles, and snacks in his hands into the system's static space. In just a moment, his hands were empty.

After doing all this, he clapped his hands, a smile appeared on his face, turned around and left the alley, walking briskly towards the courtyard house.

Although we didn't manage to raid the foreign firm today, we managed to get some good food, which will surely make Yushui and Mother happy. So it wasn't a wasted trip. We also found out about the firm's security, which will help us prepare for future operations. So it was a worthwhile trip.

As for those heavily guarded foreign firms, Sha Zhu already had a plan in mind. The time was not right yet. He would wait until Xiao Rizi's vigilance had decreased after a while.

Or, given the right opportunity, he'll definitely take action again, sweeping through all these small trading companies one by one...