The entire courtyard is full of villains

"Hey! If it's not enough, Second Brother, you have to make up for it!" Ma Qianli quickly agreed and left in a flash.

After he left, Guan Xue slowly peeked out from the inner room. Only after confirming that he was gone did she dare to come out and whisper, "Erquan, are you really not going to work in the black market anymore?"

"Didn't you understand inside? I already told them to break up." Zhang Erhe said in a nonchalant tone.

“But… that’s fine too.” Guan Xue nodded and said, “Since you have to go to work, I’ll go to the neighborhood office tomorrow to get some handicrafts. That way I can supplement my household income a little each month.”

"Alright, alright," Zhang Erhe interrupted impatiently. "Do you think I need your food and drink? Just tidy up the house. By the way, go and bring that 'money-losing brat' back tomorrow and put her at your house—don't let your old bastard father corrupt her. He holds a grudge against me for breaking his leg, and who knows how he'll mistreat the child. That little girl is still my child, and I can't let him bully her."

"No, my dad wouldn't dare..." Guan Xue's voice trailed off.

"What else wouldn't your dad dare to do? Back then, he almost sold his children and even the house!" Zhang Erhe sneered.

Guan Xue blushed, but ultimately did not refute.

Zhang Erhe added, "I'll go buy some meat and fine grains early tomorrow morning. The doctor said I need to eat something good to nourish myself."

"Understood, Erhe." Guan Xue replied and turned to go to the kitchen to boil water. Once the water was hot, she brought in a copper basin, knelt down, and carefully helped Zhang Erhe wash his feet. After washing his feet, she quickly went to the bedside to warm the blankets before returning: "Erhe, shall I help you to rest?"

"No need, I can do it myself." Zhang Erhe waved his hand.

As soon as he lay down in bed, a faint scent of soap wafted over. Zhang Erhe sighed inwardly: Guan Xue has been truly trained to be virtuous and domestic. If modern people lived like this, wouldn't they be blissfully happy?

"Erhe, shall I turn off the lights?" Guan Xue asked softly.

"Keep it on, I find it too dark."

"Yes." Guan Xue blushed and took off her coat. Only then did Zhang Erhe realize that he had only thought she was slender before, but he did not expect her to be so well-endowed. He couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Go to sleep." Guan Xue climbed into bed and gently lay down on the inside.

After a long silence, Guan Xue slowly leaned closer, gently put her arm around Zhang Erhe's waist, and whispered, "Erhe, once you're healed, let's go back to work. I'll definitely give your family a big, healthy son."

Zhang Erhe felt a pang of tenderness, but deliberately remained defiant: "If you can't have the baby by then, just you wait and see."

The next morning, when Zhang Erhe woke up, Guan Xue had already prepared breakfast. As soon as he sat up, Guan Xue brought him mouthwash; after he brushed his teeth, she carefully wiped his face with a hot towel before helping him to sit down at the table.

On the table were cornmeal porridge and steamed buns made from a mixture of cornmeal and water. Zhang Erhe frowned, but still picked up a steamed bun and started eating.

After finishing her meal, Guan Xue picked up her shopping basket and prepared to leave: "Erhe, I'm going to buy groceries. You stay home. If you go out, remember to leave me a note."

"Okay, okay, I got it." Zhang Erhe waved his hand and watched her leave.

Zhang Erhe moved a stool to the doorway, basking in the sun with his eyes half-closed, looking quite relaxed. The women chatting in the front yard glanced at him and all lowered their voices, afraid of disturbing this man who had just been injured.

Just then, He Yushui pushed her bicycle out of the backyard. When she saw Zhang Erhe at the gate, she paused. After hesitating for a moment, she propped up her bicycle and mustered her courage to approach him: "Uncle Erhe."

Zhang Erhe slowly opened his eyes, and after recognizing the person who had come in, he asked, "It's Yushui, what's wrong?"

"Uncle Erhe, I...I want to tell you something." He Yushui clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice a little nervous. "The night you got injured, there was an event at our school, and I came home late, so I asked my brother to pick me up. So, it's really not my brother's fault that you got injured. Please don't take revenge on him!"

Zhang Erhe raised an eyebrow: "Did Sha Zhu tell you to say this?"

"No, no!" He Yushui quickly waved her hand and hurriedly explained, "I wanted to tell you myself, but I was afraid you would think that my brother did it."

"Alright, I understand. I'll trust you this time," Zhang Erhe replied calmly.

"Really?" A hint of surprise flashed in He Yushui's eyes. "I promise, I promise the old man, my brother really didn't get involved!"

"Okay, go do what you need to do." Zhang Erhe waved his hand.

He Yushui breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and pushed her bicycle away. Watching her retreating figure, Zhang Erhe narrowed his eyes again, pondering in his mind: Since it wasn't Sha Zhu who did it, then could it have been Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai who took action?

Just as he was pondering this, Qin Huairu, carrying Xiao Dang, slowly walked forward and timidly called out "Uncle!"

"Stop! Jia Qinshi!" Zhang Erhe said with a forced smile, "I am not worthy of being called a member of your Jia family. Besides, didn't Jia Zhangshi tell you? When she married into the Jia family, she angered her mother-in-law to death and was kicked out by the Jia family. Later, she begged to return to her parents' home."

But her parents raised an ungrateful wretch; she actually stole her mother's most treasured dowry! If your father-in-law hadn't desperately begged for mercy, she would have been beaten to death that day. From then on, Jia Zhangshi was expelled from the clan; your address of 'uncle' means absolutely nothing to me.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu quickly chimed in, "Uncle Erhe, the night you were injured, our Banggeng had a fever. Dongxu carried Banggeng to the hospital, and I stayed home to look after Xiaodang. If you don't believe me, just go to the hospital and ask."

Zhang Erhe didn't reply, only waving his hand: "Alright, you can go back now." Qin Huairu had no choice but to leave dejectedly, carrying Xiao Dang.

After she left, Zhang Erhe began to have doubts: "If it wasn't Jia Dongxu, could it have been that bastard Yi Zhonghai? But he's not very brave. Would he dare to go out alone in the middle of the night to do something like that?" He thought about it again and again, still full of suspicion.

Chapter 16 A stamp costs eight cents

Around noon, Guan Xue hurriedly entered the house carrying a basket and leading her daughter Zhang Jiao. Seeing that Zhang Erhe was already there, she quickly explained, "Erhe, have you been waiting for too long? There are too many people queuing at the grain store today."

As she spoke, she pulled Zhang Jiao forward, "Jiaojiao, quickly call him Dad." The little girl timidly dodged for a moment, and only after being gently pulled by her mother did she whisper "Dad." Zhang Erhe responded with a "hmm" through his nose, and Zhang Jiao immediately hid behind Guan Xue, who then affectionately patted her daughter's head.

"Erhe, I didn't buy much refined grain today. Now you can only buy half of the refined grain, so I bought the whole thing." Guan Xue paused, then said with some guilt, "As for the meat, I went too late this morning, and the butcher was already sold out. I'll go queue up again early tomorrow morning." Zhang Erhe stood up: "Alright, you don't need to worry about the meat. I'll figure something out this afternoon."

Guan Xue responded and turned to go into the kitchen to cook. Lunch was steamed buns made with two kinds of dough, served with a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes. Zhang Erhe took a couple of bites and exclaimed in surprise, "Your cooking is pretty good! Where did you learn it?"

“It was my mother who taught me. She used to live with…” Guan Xue was interrupted by Zhang Erhe before she could finish speaking: “Alright, alright, stop showing off your family’s old ‘mansion.’ Be careful what you say in the courtyard from now on, understand?” Guan Xue quickly nodded in agreement. Zhang Jiao, who was standing to the side, kept her head down and ate her food in small bites.

After the meal, Zhang Erhe threw down his chopsticks: "I'm going out this afternoon. You stay home with this good-for-nothing." "Okay, Erhe." Guan Xue hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Really, don't you want me to find some odd jobs?"

“No need! I told you to stay, so stay.” Zhang Erhe’s tone was firm. “If I take odd jobs, wouldn’t that make that Wang guy laugh at me?” With that, he picked up a cloth bag and went out the door.

Zhang Erhe walked several hundred meters down the main street, making sure no one was around, then slipped into a quiet alley and entered his spatial dimension. Once inside, he first unscrewed a bottle of soda and gulped it down, then found a recliner and lay down comfortably. He pulled out the super phone given to him by Nuwa, muttering, "Teacher Sha Jingchang, I'm sorry! Who told you to portray Yi Zhonghai so annoyingly, and yet you acted so well?"

He searched for "Sha Jingchang in Republican-era dramas" on his phone, and a bunch of stills quickly appeared. Zhang Erhe immediately spotted a photo of Sha Jingchang in a Kuomintang military uniform and decided, "You're the one!" He then used AI to convert the photo to black and white, and had his phone's built-in printer print it out, instantly producing a photo with the feel of the era. Afterward, he had AI generate a letter of denunciation. Once everything was done, he tilted his head back, finished the last sip of his soda, casually tossed the empty bottle far away, stuffed two pounds of meat, ten pounds of flour, and two pounds of millet into his bag, and before leaving, he saw some candy, grabbed a couple of handfuls, and then came out of his virtual space.

After confirming that no one was in the alley, Zhang Erhe carried the bag and headed towards the Dongcheng Branch Bureau. As he passed the back alley of the bureau, he caught a glimpse of an old man dozing at the entrance of the gatehouse. The next second, the letter of complaint silently appeared on the table in the gatehouse.

After doing all this, he strolled home, saying, "Yi Zhonghai, didn't you spread rumors that I was dead? Now I'll spread rumors back at you, saying you're a hidden spy! Doesn't Gaizi Wang always advise people to be magnanimous? Let's see how he gets the city bureau to be magnanimous! You dog, do you really think your second uncle can't lift a knife? A stamp costs eight cents, and you've been investigating it from top to bottom for a year! I'll disgust you to death!"

Just as Zhang Erhe arrived home with his things, Guan Xue came to greet him. He handed her the bag: "Here, chop some meat sauce for tonight, we'll make dumplings." Guan Xue took the bag, saw the meat inside, and was about to ask, "Erhe, what did you do...?" when Zhang Erhe interrupted her: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Guan Xue quickly replied "Oh," and took the things to the kitchen, leaving Zhang Jiao in the room—the little girl was holding a comic book, and when she saw Zhang Erhe looking over, she mustered up the courage to call out "Dad."

Zhang Erhe casually tossed her a piece of candy: "Here, take it." Zhang Jiao caught the candy, her eyes full of timidity, and asked softly, "Dad, is this for me?"

"If I don't give it to you, who will?" Zhang Erhe asked without looking up. Zhang Jiao blinked her little eyes and quickly said, "Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Dad!" Zhang Erhe waved his hand and said, "Go play outside. Don't disturb my sleep."

Meanwhile, in the Dongcheng branch police station compound, chaos reigned. After Zhang Erhe left with the complaint letter, the old man in the gatehouse was still dozing off intermittently until a piercing horn blared, startling him awake. Rubbing his eyes, he muttered, "Who is it? So noisy!"

Upon exiting the car, they found Wang Xianyong, the deputy director of the branch office, sitting inside. "Wang Xianyong, you little rascal, why are you honking the horn so loudly?" the duty officer said irritably. Wang Xianyong leaned out of the car window, a wry smile on his face: "Old squad leader, I called you for ages and you didn't answer. I thought you were asleep again." "Who's asleep? I'm wide awake!" the old man retorted, then let out a huge yawn.

Wang Xianyong drove the car into the compound, then went back to the guardhouse, took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it over: "Old squad leader, have you been staying up late fishing again lately? Here, someone gave me these today, take them and smoke them."

"Good lad, still thinking of your old squad leader!" The old man chuckled as he took the cigarette. Wang Xianyong sat down at the table and suddenly noticed the letter on it: "Hey, old squad leader, who put this letter on the table?"

"A letter? Where is there a letter?" The old man scratched his head and came closer. He was stunned when he saw it. "Hey, there really is a letter! Who put it here? I didn't see it just now. Could it be that you put it here?" Wang Xianyong's face changed instantly. "Old squad leader, don't talk nonsense. This is not a joke!" "I'm not making things up. Xianyong, you know I never lie!" The old man hurriedly defended himself.

"Damn it!" Wang Xianyong got up and ran outside, telling the old man before leaving, "Old squad leader, you stay here and guard the door, don't let anyone in!" The old man quickly agreed, then thought for a moment, went back inside, took out his gun, slung it over his shoulder, and stood guard at the door.

Wang Xianyong ran back into the courtyard and blew his whistle. With a whoosh, the police officers rushed out of the house and surrounded him, asking, "Director Wang, what's wrong?" Wang Xianyong put on a stern face: "Everyone, assemble and stand in line!" Just as everyone stood still, the branch director Song Wenguang and political commissar Su Lie also rushed over—Song Wenguang was still putting on his clothes while running, while Su Lie was covered in sweat.

"Old Wang, what happened?" Song Wenguang asked, panting. "Someone secretly threw a tip-off letter into the gatehouse, and the old squad leader on duty said he didn't see anyone!" Wang Xianyong said urgently. Song Wenguang's face darkened, and he immediately shouted to the criminal investigation captain, "Zhou Yong! Take your men to the gatehouse, find out the details first, and then retrieve the letter!"

"Roger!" Zhou Yong saluted and immediately called his team to run to the reception room. After the on-site inspection was completed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed to be a false alarm. Zhou Yong had someone bring the letter over, and just as Song Wenguang was about to open it, Su Lie grabbed him: "Old Song, don't rush, what if there's a problem with the letter? Have someone bring a pair of canvas gloves!"

Zhou Yong quickly had someone bring gloves, and Song Wenguang put them on and opened the letter—the letter itself was indeed an ordinary letter, but the contents inside made everyone present change their expressions; it was truly shocking.

Chapter 17 Unexpected

Respected leaders of the Public Security Bureau:

I am an ordinary person who has come back from the wrong path. Today, I am writing to report something that has been weighing on my mind for a long time.

When I was a teenager, I was conscripted by the reactionaries. Because I was too young, I was assigned to the army as a messenger. In 1946, I went to Northeast China with a reporter from the Central Daily News to interview a "meritorious soldier" in the army.

I assisted the reporter at the time and even took photos—it was my first time using a camera. Afterwards, the reporter gave me one of the photos from the scene, which I have kept to this day.

In 1948, the reactionaries were defeated. Because of my young age, the organization not only did not pursue my experience in the reactionary army, but also helped my hometown get land so that I could live a peaceful life. Over the years, I have always kept this kindness of the country in my heart.

I came to Beijing for some reason and unexpectedly ran into the person in the photo on the street. Although so many years have passed and his appearance has changed slightly, his overall features and expression have not changed at all. I am sure it is the same person.

After making inquiries, I learned that this person is now a level 7 fitter at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, named Yi Zhonghai, and lives in the east wing of the courtyard of a courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang!

When I accompanied a reporter on an interview years ago, I overheard the reporter say that the "meritorious person" being interviewed was actually a notorious spy in the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau. Now, such a person is openly working at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill as a "seventh-level fitter," and I always feel that there is a shocking secret hidden here.

I know that reporting this matter may be risky, and may even threaten my personal safety, but in order to repay the country for its care and support over the years, I have decided to tell the truth. I earnestly request that all leaders take this matter seriously, investigate the truth thoroughly, and prevent any potential problems from arising.

Sincerely,

salute!

Signed: A lost lamb who has turned back

After Political Commissar Su finished reading the whistleblower letter, silence fell over the office. After a long while, Song Wenguang finally spoke up: "Old Su, Old Wang, what do you think?"

Wang Xianyong picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, took a deep drag, and let out a long sigh: "I think this whistleblower letter is quite credible—the key is that there are photos. As long as we find Yi Zhonghai himself to compare, we can easily tell if it's real or fake. The whistleblower has no reason to lie about this kind of thing; after all, the photos are solid evidence."

Political Commissar Su nodded in agreement: "Director, I suggest we start from the outside and investigate the situation around Yi Zhonghai. If there is any suspicion, bring him over and compare him with the photo. How can two people look exactly alike? If they match, then there's no way he can escape the problem."

“Yes, that’s what I think too!” Wang Xianyong quickly chimed in. Song Wenguang slammed his hand on the table: “Then it’s settled! Zhou Yong, take a few people to Jiaodaokou Police Station, find their chief, and then go together to the area around No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard to investigate Yi Zhonghai’s specific situation, such as his daily routine and interpersonal relationships.”

"What about the steel rolling mill? Should we notify them?" Zhou Yong pressed. Song Wenguang tapped the table, his eyes serious: "Don't notify them for now. If Yi Zhonghai really is a spy, how could he have reached the level of a seventh-grade fitter at the steel rolling mill? There might be someone covering for him. If we make a fuss now, we might alert him, and it will be harder to investigate the steel rolling mill as well." The other two nodded in understanding.

“There’s something else. Should we investigate the whistleblower?” Wang Xianyong asked again. Song Wenguang said in a deep voice, “We must investigate. We can’t let his claim of ‘repentance’ prevent us from verifying his identity. We also need to find out how he got the whistleblower letter into the mailroom—this whole thing is suspicious.”

After saying that, he looked at Wang Xianyong and said, "Old Wang, go and tell the old foreman at the gate that he needs to be disciplined for this. Make sure he remembers that he can't be negligent at work. If he does it again, it won't be as simple as a disciplinary action." Wang Xianyong quickly agreed, "I'll take care of it right away."

After leaving Song Wenguang's office, Zhou Yong immediately gathered several team members, hopped on their bicycles, and rushed to Jiaodaokou Police Station. Upon arriving, the station chief, Zhang Guowei, seeing him covered in sweat, greeted him with a smile: "Old Zhou, what's the rush?"

"Stop talking, something serious has happened. Let's talk in your office!" Zhou Yong said urgently. Zhang Guowei's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly led Zhou Yong into his office. As soon as they sat down, Zhou Yong asked, "Old Zhang, is the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang in your jurisdiction?" "Yes." Upon hearing the address, Zhang Guowei's heart sank—could it be that Zhang Erhe had caused trouble again?

“Since this is your jurisdiction, let me ask you, do you know Yi Zhonghai?” Zhou Yong asked again. “Yes, I do!” Zhang Guowei nodded. “I went to that courtyard yesterday to handle a case. This Yi Zhonghai is the liaison officer in the courtyard, and he and two other people call themselves ‘big shots in charge.’ But this is a matter for the street office, so I can’t interfere too much.” He paused, then continued, “Some time ago, he and another liaison officer, Yan Bugui, tried to conspire to extort money from a family in the courtyard who had no descendants, but they were reported to me.”

"How was it finally resolved?" Zhou Yong pressed. "What else could it be resolved?" Zhang Guowei said helplessly, "They failed, and since Yi Zhonghai was the liaison officer, Director Wang of the subdistrict office, for the sake of face, compromised in the end—they made them pay some compensation to that family and removed Yi Zhonghai from his liaison officer position."

"What was Yi Zhonghai's reputation like before?" Zhou Yong took out his notebook to make a note.

“He used to have a good reputation and was considered a kind-hearted person in this area,” Zhang Guowei replied.

What is his family situation?

"Just one wife,"

No children?

"Yes, no children."

Hearing this, Zhou Yong frowned: "This is a big problem." Zhang Guowei finally couldn't hold back: "Old Zhou, what's wrong? What's wrong with Yi Zhonghai?" Zhou Yong lowered his voice: "This Yi Zhonghai, he might be a spy."

"What?" Zhang Guowei stood up in surprise. "No way?" "It's true." Zhou Yong said in a deep voice, "Someone sent a letter of denunciation to the bureau today, along with a photo, saying that Yi Zhonghai was a spy when he was young, and that he was wearing a reactionary military uniform in the photo."

Zhang Guowei was completely stunned, and it took him a long time to react: "I'll go get his household registration file right away!" Soon, he brought the file over. The two of them opened it and immediately gasped—Yi Zhonghai had indeed come to Beijing around 1946, which perfectly matched the timeline in the whistleblower's letter.

Zhou Yong realized the situation was serious and immediately used Zhang Guowei's phone to call back to the bureau. Not long after, Song Wenguang's instructions came: "Go to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill and take Yi Zhonghai into custody first. Wang Xianyong will come over to take over in person later."