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

Director Chen gritted his teeth and agreed.

These days, jobs in the postal and telecommunications system are a truly scarce resource. Countless people in Beijing would kill to get into the system. The work is easy, the pay is good, it's prestigious, and there are holiday bonuses. A permanent position there is worth about the same as a small house outside, though of course, it's highly sought after but practically unavailable.

Therefore, even as the bureau chief, he didn't have a spot. The spots were all controlled by the higher-ups, so it seemed he'd have to pay the price of favors and ask his former superior for one. But it was still better than losing his job; they'd already given him plenty of face, and he should reciprocate.

"Alright, Comrade He is so straightforward, I can't be stingy either. It's a deal then, come to me in three days to pick up your workstation quota."

He Yubing smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and prepared to take her leave.

"Director Chen is a sensible man, so I won't bother you any longer. You can handle this matter yourselves; I won't get involved."

"Comrade He, rest assured, we will handle this perfectly."

Stepping out of the post office, the sun was already blazing, another sweltering day. He Yubing, noticing Sha Zhu's silence the whole way, finally asked, "Do you know why I entrusted all the police reports to the post office?"

Sha Zhu still looked bewildered. "Wasn't it to ask them for a workstation?"

"You're such an idiot," He Yubing looked closely at Sha Zhu. "The difference between this person and the real him is huge. Even if he hadn't had those extraordinary encounters when he was reborn, he wouldn't be this stupid."

"When we went to report the case, there were unexpected factors. After all, the steel rolling mill is a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, and the factory director and secretary are not of low rank. They also have the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry as their backer. If they really wanted to protect Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-grade worker, they might not be able to sentence him to death. But if the post and telecommunications bureau took the initiative to report the case, then with the power of the post and telecommunications bureau, he is doomed. He will only be left with the fate of an old man without descendants, and the only way out is to be killed."

"What's more, we're getting a free job. This job is much more valuable than your steel mill job. It'll be the best place for your wife or kids in the future." As for the rain, He Yuzhu wasn't worried at all. Graduates from the best vocational school in Beijing were highly sought after by various departments in the city.

Sha Zhu suddenly realized what was going on and nodded repeatedly.

The two walked along the street for a while. Sha Zhu couldn't help but ask again, "So, where are we going now?"

"Armed Forces Department".

The two quickly arrived at the district's armed forces department. Upon seeing He Yubing's documents, the receptionist dared not neglect her, immediately saluted, told her to wait a moment, and went inside to report to her superior.

The two were quickly led into the office of the top leader and political commissar.

"Comrade He Yubing, we've been waiting for you!" Political Commissar Zhou grabbed He Yubing's hand and shook it vigorously. "You are the pride of our district, with so many first-class merits. We received the notice from our superiors a few days ago, and we've been waiting for you to come."

He Yubing stood at attention and gave a standard military salute. "Thank you for your concern, sir."

"Sit down and let's talk, sit down and let's talk." Political Commissar Zhou gestured for the two to sit down and had tea poured. "Regarding your transfer to civilian work, the superiors have given clear instructions. Considering your performance in the army and the merits you have made, the organization has decided to assign you to the Public Security Bureau of this district as its director."

Sha Zhu, who was listening nearby, was dumbfounded.

The changes in my family have come too fast and too big. In the blink of an eye, my own older brother is about to become the police chief.

He Yubing's face remained expressionless; she simply nodded and said, "Thank you for the organization's trust."

Political Commissar Zhou waved his hand, "It's all as we should do. The leaders treat you like a precious gem, always saying that talent is hard to come by. Now that you're back, see if you have any difficulties. You can bring them up here, and the organization will try its best to accommodate you."

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

He Yubing paused for a moment, then said, "Political Commissar, I personally don't have any difficulties." He gestured towards Sha Zhu, "This is my younger brother, He Yuzhu. He has something he'd like the organization to help him with."

Political Commissar Zhou looked at Sha Zhu with a scrutinizing gaze, "Oh, you say it."

He Yubing recounted the whole story, from He Daqing going to Baoding, to Sha Zhu and Yu Shui relying on each other for survival, from Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman's scheming, to Old Du at the post office intercepting the remittance, and then to what happened in the courtyard last night.

Political Commissar Zhou listened from the side, appearing calm, but his increasingly gloomy face betrayed his true feelings.

"Political Commissar, I could have just reported these people to the police directly. But they have connections. As far as I know, the deaf old woman has the director of the street office and the factory manager of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill as her backers. Over the years, they have acted recklessly and domineeringly in the courtyard, even to the point last night forcing my brother to give up his house and arranging my sister's marriage. This is undoubtedly due to their power."

"These two people are both high-ranking officials, so it won't do much good for me to just talk to the police station. So after thinking it over, I decided to come here to report this. If this matter isn't dealt with severely and they aren't brought to justice, I really can't swallow this anger. The thought of my brother and sister being bullied in the yard while I was bleeding on the battlefield gives me the urge to kill them myself."

"Outrageous!" *Slap!*

The political commissar slammed his hand on the table, then stood up angrily and paced back and forth in the office.

"This is utterly lawless! This is corruption! How many years has it been since liberation? And this kind of oppression of military families has already happened! How dare they? These bastards, they're tired of living!"

"Comrade He Yubing, don't worry! Our Armed Forces Department will handle this! What kind of damn director, what kind of damn factory manager, I don't care who they are! Anyone who dares to make our heroes bleed and weep, then I'll make them taste the bitterness of bleeding and weeping too!"

"That security chief of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, he was one of my former soldiers! I think he's been wasting all these years! His own factory workers, including military dependents, are being bullied like this, and he didn't even know? How could he be a security chief? I have to hold him accountable!"

This statement carries a hint of misplaced anger. The security chief was also wronged; a soldier like He Yubing suddenly appeared out of nowhere—who knew the He family was a military dependent? Even if they did know, who knew the He family's situation in the courtyard house? But there was nothing he could do; that's the nature of this era. He couldn't escape a disciplinary action. If the superiors said you had a problem, then you definitely had a problem. He Yubing could only silently mourn for him. He didn't do it intentionally; he was just caught in the crossfire.