The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

Inside the post office director's office, Director Chen personally brewed tea for the He Yubing brothers and offered them cigarettes before sitting down. Just as he was about to speak, the door was pushed open.

Director Chen's expression darkened upon seeing the visitor. It was Chief Feng from the security department. The post office's security department had a different function than a factory's; it not only managed security but also provided internal oversight. After all, the post office handled countless remittances and letters daily, and any mishap, especially if an internal staff member tampered with something, would be a huge problem.

Since everyone was already inside, the director had no choice but to politely introduce them to He Yubing, "Comrade He, this is Section Chief Feng from our post office's security department."

He Yubing nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to the director, "Director Chen, I haven't been home for nearly ten years. The year I joined the army, my father remarried and moved to Baocheng, leaving behind my brother and sister. The oldest was sixteen, and the youngest was only seven. I never imagined that while I was fighting the Americans on the battlefield, my brother and sister would be scavenging for food because they couldn't get their living expenses."

"If your post office doesn't give me a satisfactory explanation for this, I will file a complaint with the Armed Forces Department and the city government. Don't even think about denying or disclaiming responsibility. The living expenses must be signed for in person. Even if someone signed for it once or twice to get away with it, it's impossible for it to have been like this for almost ten years. There must be a corrupt person in your post office involved, and this is a problem of your improper management and inaction in mail delivery."

Director Chen was already sweating. How could he not know the stakes involved? If the misappropriation of living expenses for military families were to escalate and alert the higher-ups, he, as the director, would be finished.

Section Chief Feng was furious. A former soldier himself, he couldn't bear to see his comrades bleed on the battlefield while their families wept at home. He slammed his hand on the coffee table. "Outrageous! They actually dared to intercept the living expenses of military families! Which bastard is in charge of mail for that area?!"

Just as he finished speaking, the head of the mailroom knocked on the door and walked in.

"Director, Section Chief Feng, it's been confirmed. The person who has been in charge of mail delivery for the courtyard at No. 95 all these years is Du Jun."

"Old Du?" Director Chen frowned, somewhat incredulous. "Old Du is a very honest man, hardworking and conscientious for so many years. How could he do something like this?"

Section Chief Feng stood up abruptly. "Why bother with all that? I'll take some men and arrest them first."

They left without warning, and in less than the time it takes to smoke two cigarettes, several security guards brought in a middle-aged man.

The man was in his fifties and looked honest and simple. His legs were trembling, and he was terrified. It was just like the old saying: "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear."

"Old Du, you've been a long-time employee of our post office. Tell me, what happened with He Yuzhu at courtyard house number 95?"

Upon hearing those words, Old Du knew his plan had been exposed. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"Chief! I was wrong! I was bewitched! I'm not human!" he said, raising his hand to slap himself.

He Yubing leaned back in his chair, smoking, staring at him expressionlessly. Meanwhile, Sha Zhu, standing beside him, was so angry he wanted to beat the beast to death. He and his sister had suffered so much over the years, and just as He Yubing had said, in the beginning, without enough money, they had survived by scavenging garbage and relying on the charity of kind neighbors.

This situation only improved after he entered the steel rolling mill. Therefore, He Yushui's physical weakness was not entirely due to He Yuzhu's negligence over the years, but also because he often went hungry and ate spoiled food back then.

Section Chief Feng, growing impatient, kicked him. "Stop hitting him! Tell me! What exactly happened?!"

Old Du quickly got up and knelt down. "The first time I went to that courtyard to deliver letters and remittances, He Yuzhu wasn't there. An old lady in the courtyard said she could receive them on my behalf, so I had her sign for it. I went a few more times after that, and the same old lady always received them. After a few times, I got annoyed. It's a responsibility, and I'd be in trouble if something went wrong."

"Later, the woman's husband came to talk to me. He said he was He Yuzhu's neighbor and an elder, and he was worried that He Yuzhu, being young, would misuse the emails, so he was keeping them for him and would return them to him when he got married. Seeing that he sounded sincere, I agreed."

He Yubing scoffed, "You've been doing this for so many years, how could you not know it's against the rules and laws? If you don't have some benefits to gain, you're just trying to fool us like we're ghosts."

Old Du shuddered. "I... I only get three yuan a month in kickbacks. My mother is sick and needs medication year-round; my meager salary isn't enough to cover her expenses. I was blinded by greed, completely out of my mind..."

At this moment, Sha Zhu was already green with envy. Three yuan! For these three yuan, his sister almost burned to death because she couldn't afford to go to the hospital when she had a fever!

"Fuck your grandma!"

He rushed forward to make a move, but He Yubing grabbed him.

"What's the rush?" He Yubing pressed him back into the chair before turning to Old Du, who was kneeling on the ground. "Who is that old lady's man?"

"His name is Yi Zhonghai, and he claims to be the manager of their courtyard..."

"It really was him..."

Sha Zhu's last shred of hope vanished. Having lived two lives, he had been made a fool of by this old, childless man. His worldview crumbled, and he began to question the meaning of life.

"I'm a fucking idiot."

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

Section Chief Feng had already left with his men. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and get everything out of Lao Du's mouth. This matter involved internal personnel of the post office, so it had to be thoroughly investigated. He wanted to find out everything before handing it over to the police and make a backup plan to report to higher authorities.

The office fell silent. He Yubing finished another cigarette, took a sip of tea, and then looked up at Director Chen, who looked embarrassed and unsure how to respond.

"Director Chen."

"Comrade He, please speak."

"You heard about what happened with Old Du earlier. He works for your post office and has been doing these despicable things for ten years. How are you going to settle this score?"

Director Chen quickly assured, "Comrade He, please rest assured, our post office will handle this matter seriously and will not tolerate it! Old Du will be handed over to the police, and those responsible will be held accountable to the end!"

"That's your business," He Yubing waved her hand. "What I'm asking is, how will your post office compensate my family?"

Director Chen choked.

That's what he's afraid of.

Logically, this was Old Du's personal action, and the post office certainly bears management responsibility. But as for compensation... what compensation standards are there these days? It's impossible to use public funds to pay; in the end, he'd have to foot the bill himself. There's no way around it; it concerns his job. But what if the other party makes exorbitant demands? He was caught in a dilemma.

I could only bite the bullet and ask, "Comrade He, please tell me, as long as it's within my capabilities, I will do my best to meet your needs."

He Yubing smiled.

"Director Chen is a sensible man. So I won't beat around the bush. Here's what we'll do: I can have your post office file the report separately, and I won't get involved in the rest. As for compensation, I won't ask for any money, since asking for money would only put you, the director, in a difficult position."

Director Chen's eyes lit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Submitting a separate report by mail, with the other party ignoring it, would make the follow-up much easier. It would become an internal investigation within the post office, meaning he, as the director, would certainly not be blamed, even if he didn't receive any credit. Plus, the other party wasn't asking for money—the conditions were too good to be true, almost too good to be true.

Sure enough, He Yubing changed the subject, "But your post office has to give me a work position. In the future, whether it's me or my brother's family members coming, you have to arrange it for them. Remember, it has to be a formal position with a permanent position."