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

With a heart full of calculations, He Yuzhu strolled leisurely to the vicinity of the South Gate of Beijing, the bluestone pavement under his feet scorching hot from the sun.

He, however, was like a leisurely stroller with nothing to do. He squinted and wandered around the city gate for a full half hour, clearly seeing the shift change pattern of the sentries, the patrol routes, and the blind spots in the defense.

The more I looked, the heavier my heart became. The south gate was now guarded like an iron barrel by the locals, allowing only entry but no exit.

It was clear that they wanted to keep the commotion in the city completely contained within the city walls. This meant that if he wanted to make a move, he could only do so from within the city. He couldn't possibly withdraw from the city after the fight.

He Yuzhu pursed his lips, then gritted his teeth and wandered around for the entire morning. He walked all the main roads and intersections in Beijing that were passable by cars and trucks, until his soles were covered in sweat, before finally managing to find three spots that could barely be used as sniping positions.

The first is the most heavily guarded South Gate; the second is Chang'an Avenue, which runs through the entire city, offering a wide view but also attracting many people.

The third place was an even more dangerous place – the Great Red Building, which was the headquarters of the Little Days Expeditionary Army in Beijing, with more than three times the number of sentries as the South Gate.

These three places all have the exact same problem.

The defenses were airtight; if anyone showed even the slightest sign of danger, they would be immediately surrounded. Forget about escaping unscathed after a sniper kill; they probably wouldn't even have a chance to turn around and run away.

What's worse is that there's only one chance. If you miss, not only will you not be able to get closer to the sniper position, but the area within half a mile will be completely blocked off by the sniper, and not even a fly can get in.

He Yuzhu leaned against an old locust tree by the street, his fingertips stroking the gun handle hidden at his waist, muttering to himself.

He wasn't sure how far the cordon would be set this time; if it was more than 800 meters, he'd really be in trouble.

The 98K in his hand has an effective range of at most 800 meters. Beyond that distance, the bullets will stray off course, let alone snipe a target. Hitting a wall would be considered lucky.

Thinking of this, he slapped his thigh hard, regretting it so much he almost turned green with envy—if only he had been more careful with the mortar shells, he shouldn't have used them all at once. Now he only had a sniper rifle, which was really too weak against the heavily guarded stronghold.

He squatted there on the locust tree root, head drooping, his coarse cloth clothes faded from washing, looking no different from a poor man begging for a living on the street. His legs were numb from squatting, and some kind-hearted passersby thought he was a beggar who had fainted from hunger and threw two copper coins at his feet.

The copper coin landed on the ground with a crisp sound. He Yuzhu came back to his senses and mentally rehearsed the three sniping positions countless times, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided on the South Gate as his first choice for sniping position.

Chang'an Avenue is too crowded, and stray bullets could easily injure innocent people. The Red Building is the stronghold of ordinary people, and it is difficult to get in. Only the South Gate, although heavily guarded, has the advantage of a relatively open view and can be used for cover, making it the only place where one can take a chance.

Having made up his mind, He Yuzhu dusted himself off, got up, and walked straight toward the South Gate. Pretending to be a commoner browsing the market, he wandered around the area around the gate for a long time before finally finding an abandoned City God Temple about a mile west of the South Gate.

The City God Temple had been in disrepair for many years, with most of the roof collapsed long ago. The broken walls stood in the weeds, without even a decent roof. It was fortunate that it had collapsed completely, otherwise this place would have become a gathering place for beggars, making it inconvenient for him to hide.

He Yuzhu crouched low and tiptoed behind the collapsed wall of the City God Temple. The crooked bricks of the wall were just enough to hide his body.

Only a few cracks of varying widths remained, facing the direction of the south gate.

He took out his binoculars from his pocket, carefully covered the binoculars with a piece of fine gauze he had prepared beforehand to prevent the lenses from reflecting light and revealing his position, and then squinted one eye, staring intently at the sentry post that was constantly moving around under the city gate through the crack in the wall.

Those Japanese soldiers, carrying Type 38 rifles, paced back and forth, their eyes scanning the passersby with a sinister gaze; every movement exuded ferocity.

After surveying the field of view, he took out the scope that came with the sniper rifle, carefully wrapped it in gauze, and held it up to his eyes to test the firing arc. The crosshair was able to lock onto the core of the city gate, and the line of sight was clear and unobstructed.

He Yuzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief, quietly packed away his equipment, and left the City God Temple without making a sound.

He knew in his heart that relying on only one sniper position was too risky. If the Japanese took it first, or if there were other unexpected events, all the preparations would be in vain.

So he wandered around the South Gate for another half hour, stumbling around and finding two backup spots: one on the second floor of a dilapidated house and the other in the backyard of a grocery store on the street. The view and concealment were far inferior to those at the City God Temple, and they could only be considered as a backup plan that was better than nothing.

Seeing that the sun was past noon, He Yuzhu knew that if he didn't go home soon, his family would become suspicious. He dared not linger outside and turned to hurry back to the courtyard house.

When he reached the entrance of the courtyard, he looked around to make sure no one was in the alley before quickly walking around to the base of the wall of the east courtyard.

He crouched down, pried open the dog hole in the corner of the wall, and gently stuffed the bundle he had hidden in his arms into it. Then he patted the dust off his hands, walked slowly to the courtyard gate with his hands empty, and pushed open the mottled wooden door.

As soon as he entered, he saw Jia Zhangshi sitting on the threshold with her hands on her hips, looking like a door god waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump, her eyes staring straight at him.

Seeing that He Yuzhu's hands were empty, Jia Zhangshi immediately curled her lips and squeezed out a dissatisfied "humph" from her nose. The sound was sharp and sarcastic, making people's ears go numb.

She suddenly stood up and rushed over to He Yuzhu, her triangular eyes narrowed into slits, her tone tentative.

"Zhu Zi, where have you been all morning? Did you see your brother Dongxu?"

He Yuzhu knew perfectly well that this old hag was trying to trap him, but he pretended to be clueless, scratched his head, and spoke in a very innocent tone.

"I just went out for a walk to clear my head. What's wrong, Aunt Jia? Dongxu went out too? He hasn't come back yet? You'd better hurry and look for him, in case anything happens!"

His words were sincere and heartfelt, as if he genuinely cared about Jia Dongxu, effectively shutting down Jia Zhangshi's words.

Madam Jia was already suspicious, convinced that He Yuzhu was behind Jia Dongxu's beating and that his words were a deliberate attempt to trap her. However, He Yuzhu remained unmoved and left her with no leverage whatsoever.

The old hag immediately turned hostile, dropping the pretense and pointing her finger directly at He Yuzhu's nose, shouting in a shrill voice, "Don't play dumb with me! Your brother Dongxu is back already, covered in injuries, beaten black and blue! Did you do it?!"

As she spoke, Jia Zhangshi lunged at He Yuzhu with her bare, clawing hands, as if she wanted to scratch his face directly.

"Aunt Jia, you can't wrong an innocent person!" He Yuzhu jumped back to avoid Jia Zhangshi's claws, his face instantly darkening.

"I haven't even seen Dongxu all morning, how could I possibly hit him? You're slandering me for no reason!"

Before he finished speaking, He Yuzhu turned and ran towards the hanging flower gate, his steps as fast as the wind, giving Jia Zhangshi no chance to catch him.

"Stop right there! Explain yourself before you leave!"

Jia Zhangshi was so angry that she jumped up and down, chasing after him with her short legs, cursing under her breath.

"You little brat, you can't hide forever. You'd better explain yourself today!"

"I've explained everything clearly! You're determined to frame me!"

He Yuzhu ran even faster, flashing through the hanging flower gate, then quickly walked across the front yard and plunged into the moon gate on the west side.

Panting, Jia Zhangshi chased after her to the Moon Gate. As soon as she looked up, she saw Chen Lanxiang standing at the entrance of the He family's house. Her eyes held an imposing presence that made Jia Zhangshi feel intimidated.

The old woman immediately deflated, stopped in her tracks, glared at He Yuzhu's back, turned around and walked back, muttering filthy words under her breath.

"You little brat, you ran pretty fast. It must have been you! Don't let me catch you red-handed, or I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

He Yuzhu had just caught his breath and stood up when he heard his mother's gentle voice behind him: "Zhu'er, you're back?"

"Yes, Mother!" He Yuzhu turned around, the panic on her face instantly disappearing, replaced by an obedient look.

Chen Lanxiang stepped forward, reached out and straightened his wrinkled clothes, her brows furrowing slightly: "Why did you take so long? Your father and I were worried sick."

"Let's go back inside and talk, it's not convenient here."

He Yuzhu lowered his voice and looked around. People were coming and going in the front yard, and Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and his group were all there. It was indeed not safe to talk to them.

"Okay, let's go inside and talk."

Chen Lanxiang nodded and took her son's hand as they went into the house.

As soon as she closed the door, Chen Lanxiang poked He Yuzhu's forehead, her eyes filled with a smile: "Okay."

"You're acting strange today. Usually, you always bring back something after going out, but today you came back empty-handed? And just now, I saw Zhang Ruhua chasing after you. What happened? Did that old hag cause you trouble again?"

He Yuzhu chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth, and whispered in his mother's ear, "She suspects that I was the one who beat Jia Dongxu up, and she deliberately blocked me at the door just now."

Chen Lanxiang's eyes widened, and she lowered her voice to ask, "Then...did you hit him?"

He Yuzhu nodded without hesitation, looking completely matter-of-fact.

Chen Lanxiang was both amused and annoyed. She pointed her finger and tapped his forehead hard, laughing and scolding, "You, you're so cunning! That rascal Jia Dongxu deserves to be taught a lesson, but you also need to be careful not to let that old hag catch you doing anything wrong, or you'll cause a huge uproar."

"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing."

He Yuzhu rubbed his forehead.

"By the way, it's not that I didn't find the thing, I just hid it. There are too many people in the front yard, Yi Zhonghai's gang has very sharp eyes, and the Xu family next door is always watching. Bringing it in would be too conspicuous."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lanxiang immediately laughed: "You clever little devil, you even know how to hide things! Where did you hide them?"

"I stuffed the dog hole in the east courtyard wall when I came back just now. I'll take it out when it gets dark." He Yuzhu proudly raised his chin.

"Okay, let your dad go get it when it gets dark, that's the safest way." Chen Lanxiang patted his shoulder.

"Go wash the dust off your face, you're covered in dirt. Dinner will be ready soon. Your dad is coming home late today, so I've kept the food warm."

"Okay!" He Yuzhu replied, turned around and went to the stove to fetch a basin of water, then carefully washed his face.

The mother and daughter carried the prepared food to the backyard. Now that the front yard of the courtyard house was in chaos because of Yi Zhonghai, their family was used to eating in the deaf old lady's room in the backyard, where it was quiet and safe.

After lunch, He Yuzhu had only rested for a short while when Xu Damao rushed over in a flurry. The kid had come looking for him three or four times that morning, and his eyes lit up when he saw He Yuzhu.

"Zhu Zi, Zhu Zi, you finally have some free time! Let me tell you, I saw Xiao Ri Zi's car drive by on Chang'an Avenue this morning, it looked so impressive..."

Xu Damao pulled He Yuzhu to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his mouth chattering like a machine gun, talking non-stop about everything from the latest happenings on the street to the trivial matters in the yard, spittle flying everywhere.

He Yuzhu responded with "uh-huh" on the surface, but his eyes were somewhat vacant, and his consciousness had already silently entered his personal space.

He entered the space this time to look for any heavy weapons that he could use. When he was thinking about sniping in the morning, he always felt that having only a 98K was too weak and he was not confident.

He had previously seized a secret room belonging to Mitsui & Co. and also captured a military truck. Due to the urgency of the situation, he didn't have time to examine it closely. He searched the secret room thoroughly, finding only gold, silver, valuables, medicine, and food, but couldn't find any suitable weapons.

This time, he deliberately drifted his consciousness to the side of the truck and took a closer look. Good heavens, what he saw made his eyes widen instantly, and he thought to himself that he had hit the jackpot!

Inside the truck bed, there were two PAK35/36 anti-tank guns neatly arranged, their barrels gleaming and in excellent condition, with two heavy boxes of shells placed next to them.

In addition, there were two MG42 general-purpose machine guns, their bodies gleaming with oil, and several boxes of pre-loaded drum magazines piled up next to them, densely packed, which gave one a sense of reassurance.

He Yuzhu couldn't help but laugh out loud in the space. Mitsui & Co. was indeed generous. In order to protect the treasure in that secret room, they actually prepared so many hardcore equipment. It's a pity that those little days didn't have time to use any of them. In the end, they all benefited He Yuzhu!

From mortars and anti-tank guns to general-purpose machine guns and submachine guns, he now has all kinds of light and heavy firepower. He can finally feel confident. He no longer needs to risk going out at night to find heavy firepower. These things are enough to make his life a real struggle!

Putting everything else aside, just take the MG42 general-purpose machine gun for example. Its theoretical rate of fire is as high as 1200 to 1500 rounds per minute, and its range can reach 2000 meters. Once it's set up, it's a death reaper that reaps lives. No matter how many sentries there are, they can't withstand such firepower.

Having found a suitable tool, He Yuzhu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. His consciousness slowly withdrew from the space, and when he came back to his senses, he saw that Xu Damao had actually fallen asleep on the edge of the kang while talking, with drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth, sleeping in a very cute way.

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly, picked up a Kangxi Dictionary from the kang (a heated brick bed), and started flipping through it casually.

He hadn't had time to fill the dictionary with the space yet, and wanted to see how many traditional Chinese characters he could understand on his own.

But after flipping through just a few pages, he felt his eyelids drooping and his head spinning. The winding traditional Chinese characters made him dizzy, and he couldn't help but miss the concise and clear Xinhua Dictionary. This Kangxi Dictionary was even more tiring than fighting against daily life.

He simply threw the book aside, moved closer to the kang (a heated brick bed), and lay down next to Xu Damao. He was indeed tired after running around all morning, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The two brothers slept soundly until the sky darkened. When they opened their eyes again, it was already dusk outside the window, and twilight enveloped the entire courtyard. Every household had its dim lights on.

Just as she sat up, she heard Zhao Cuifeng's voice coming from the Xu family's courtyard: "Is Zhuzi home? Are you having dinner at your aunt's?"

He Yuzhu quickly responded, woke up Xu Damao who was still dozing off, and got up to walk home.

He had no right to eat at the Xu family's house. Although the Xu family had some money, the world was in chaos, and food was more precious than gold. Xu Fugui had already instructed that Xu Damao should not eat at home to save food. He naturally couldn't cause trouble for them.

Back in his own house, He Yuzhu looked around the main room but didn't see his father, He Daqing, so he asked his mother.

"Mom, why isn't Dad back yet? He's usually home by now."

Chen Lanxiang was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing shoe soles when she heard this. She looked up and a look of worry appeared on her face.

"Who knows? Maybe something came up at the factory and I was delayed. Usually, I would be back by now, but I'm definitely a bit late today."

As the mother and son were talking, He Daqing's loud voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "Honey, I'm back!"

Chen Lanxiang immediately put down her needlework, got up and went out to greet them, her worry vanishing completely.

"It's good to be back. You're finally back! Why are you so late today?"

"Something came up at the factory, I was delayed for a moment." He Daqing walked into the room, put the cloth bag he was carrying on the table, rubbed his hands together, and asked, "Who's cooking dinner tonight?"

"You can cook tonight. My cooking skills are still not as good as yours, and the kids will enjoy it," Chen Lanxiang said with a smile.

"Okay, I'm a cook by trade, cooking is a piece of cake for me."

He Daqing readily agreed, glancing around the room. "By the way, where's Yushui? Where did that little girl go playing?"

"I'm staying in the backyard with the deaf old lady. I asked her to watch over things for a while, and I'll bring the food over to eat later. In the front yard, Yi Zhonghai and his gang are making a lot of noise, and we can't eat in peace."

Chen Lanxiang sighed helplessly.

Upon hearing this, He Daqing's lips curled into a gloating smile.

"That's true. That old rascal Yi Zhonghai has been causing a ruckus in the courtyard lately because of his retirement plans. It's going to be a mess for a while. Let's stay away and have some peace and quiet."

"Alright, stop gloating and go cook."

"It's getting late now."

Chen Lanxiang gave him a push, then looked at He Yuzhu, "Do you need your son to help you?"

"No need, no need. Just make two simple dishes. I can do it myself, it'll be quick."

"Is it really necessary to involve the child in this matter when I can handle it myself?"

He Daqing waved his hand, turned around and went into the kitchen. Pots and pans clattered and rattled, and soon the aroma of food filled the whole house.

After the family finished dinner, He Daqing carried the bowls and chopsticks to the backyard. Chen Lanxiang followed behind him. When they reached the corner of the yard, she quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Dad, I have something to tell you. I went out this morning to get some things. I was afraid someone would see them, so I hid them in the dog hole in the east wing. Go get them when it gets late."

"We can only retrieve this item late at night, mainly because we're afraid those people will see it."

He Daqing's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll go after the Xu family's lights are off and everyone in the yard is sound asleep. That'll be the safest way."

He Daqing remained calm and kept talking to the deaf old lady in the backyard until he saw the lights of the Xu family go out completely and the entire courtyard was plunged into darkness. Only then did he get up quietly and grope his way around to the base of the wall of the east wing.

He crouched down, reached into the dog hole, and sure enough, felt a heavy bundle. He carefully pulled it out, opened a corner, and was stunned for a moment before he couldn't help but grin. He admired his son even more.

Inside the bundle, dried chicken and dried fish were neatly arranged, along with a dozen or so round eggs. And at the very bottom, there were even two tin cans of meat hidden away!

This canned food is a rare commodity. In today's world, it's hard to buy even if you have money. Although it doesn't taste as good as fresh meat, it was a precious treasure in those days of scarcity!

He Daqing hugged the bundle tightly to his chest, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then quickly slipped back into his house, gently placing the bundle on the kang table.

He Yuzhu was waiting for his father. When he saw the bundle returned, he immediately went up to him and asked with a smile, "Dad, is everything ready? Did no one notice?"

He Daqing patted his son on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear: "All done, all done! You're quite the lad, your skills are getting better and better. This stuff is enough for our family to eat for several days. As for the canned meat, we'll save it for the rainy season to help us recover."

"That's right, look who his son is." He Yuzhu proudly raised his head.

Chen Lanxiang walked over and carefully packed away the items from the bundle, muttering, "It's always better to be careful. In this world, having more food on hand makes me feel more at ease."

As He Yuzhu watched his parents' busy figures, his heart warmed, and the tension and fatigue from scouting sniper positions in the city during the day instantly dissipated.

He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and the sniper positions at the south gate, the hiding spots at the City God Temple, the two anti-tank guns and two MG42 machine guns in the space reappeared in his mind. His eyes gradually became firm.

Tomorrow is the day he makes his move. These scoundrels have been running rampant in Beijing; it's time they tasted what it's like to be assassinated.

He touched the 98K at his waist; the gun was cold, yet it filled him with power. The night outside the window grew darker, and the courtyard was quiet. No one knew that this seemingly ordinary cook was about to deliver a fatal "surprise" to Xiao Rizhi at the South Gate.

Meanwhile, in the darkness outside the courtyard, the sentry posts at the south gate were still brightly lit, and the guards were still patrolling arrogantly, completely unaware that death had already quietly set its sights on them.