Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

A place to store the brain.

The timeline may be altered for plot purposes!

1959

Winter:

Chen Feng groggily opened his eyes, feeling a splitting headache. He found himself stripped naked and his hands tied behind his back to a cold water pipe. A stream of cold water was poured over his head, making him shiver.

"He's awake! He's awake!" a voice rang out, laced with malicious excitement.

Chen Feng strained to focus his vision, and his eyes gradually came into focus. The courtyard was packed with people, their familiar faces distorted and deformed in the dim light.

"Chen Feng! You shameless bastard!" Jia Dongxu was the first to rush up and slap Chen Feng across the face.

The burning pain brought Chen Feng back to his senses. He struggled to explain, but found his tongue too stiff to speak. His memories were like shattered glass, impossible to piece back together.

He only remembered returning from working overtime at the factory, and as soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard Qin Huairu screaming for help. He rushed over to the sound, only to find Qin Huairu slumped in the corner of the yard, her clothes disheveled. Before he could even ask what had happened, he was struck on the back of the head with a blunt object.

"What are you doing? Let go of my son!"

It was his father Chen Dashan's voice. He pushed through the crowd and rushed over, but was stopped by Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong.

"Chen Dashan, look what your son has done!" Yi Zhonghai pointed at Qin Huairu, speaking righteously, "Dongxu's wife was walking alone at night, and he dared to act like a hooligan in the corner of the yard!"

Qin Huairu was leaning against Jia Zhangshi with her hair disheveled, her collar deliberately pulled open to reveal a patch of white skin. She was sobbing with her head down, her shoulders shaking, but her eyes were secretly glancing at the crowd through her messy hair.

"I didn't..." Chen Feng finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping, "I only went over because I saw her screaming for help..."

"Still trying to argue!" Sha Zhu suddenly jumped out and kicked Chen Feng in the stomach.

The intense pain made Chen Feng bend over, almost vomiting. Sha Zhu was a notorious hothead in the courtyard, always hitting without restraint, entirely at the behest of Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai.

"I saw it all!" Xu Damao shouted in a shrill voice, "I saw Chen Feng pin Huai Ru against the wall with my own eyes, his hand was even inside her clothes!"

"Yes, I saw it too!" Several more voices came from the corner of the courtyard; they were all people who were usually close to the Jia family.

Chen Feng's heart sank. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the gloating faces. Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiecheng, Auntie San... his neighbors, whom he would usually greet with a nod, were now witnesses pointing the finger at him.

Chen Feng's mother, Li Xiuying, pushed through the crowd and rushed to his side: "Xiaofeng wouldn't do such a thing! You must have made a mistake!"

"A mistake?" Jia Zhangshi shouted at the top of her lungs, "My daughter-in-law's innocence has been defiled, and you still have the nerve to say there's a mistake? Today, the police station is going to arrest this scoundrel!"

Qin Huairu burst into tears at the opportune moment. Her cries were so mournful that it sounded as if her parents had died, and anyone who heard them would feel that she had suffered a great injustice.

"Please, please stop..." she cried, clutching her collar. "Just let me die, I'm too ashamed to face anyone..."

"Huai Ru, don't do anything rash!" Jia Dongxu quickly hugged her, then turned and glared fiercely at Chen Feng, "You bastard, I'll beat you to death!"

Another round of punches and kicks followed. Chen Feng gritted his teeth and refused to utter another sound. He knew that saying anything now was useless; everyone in the courtyard had reached a tacit agreement—today they would nail him to the pillar of shame.

The father, Chen Dashan, trembled with rage: "This is slander! My son is not that kind of person!"

"Old Chen, the facts are right in front of you, so stop covering for your own." Yi Zhonghai sighed, putting on a pained expression. "Such a disgraceful incident has happened in our compound, and we need to give the whole compound an explanation. I've already sent someone to call the police station."

"No! We can't call the police station!" Li Xiuying cried out. "If Xiaofeng is taken away, his life will be ruined!"

"Now you're scared?" Madam Jia said, hands on her hips. "Why weren't you scared when your son was being a hooligan?"

"I didn't!" Chen Feng suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "Qin Huairu framed me on purpose! You all conspired to harm me!"

"Still being stubborn even when you're about to die!" Sha Zhu kicked him again.

In the chaos, Officer Wang from the police station arrived with two officers. Yi Zhonghai hurriedly went to greet them and "reported" the situation in detail, every word adding to the charges against Chen Feng.

"That's not how it is!" Chen Dashan tried to explain, but was stopped by the police.

Qin Huairu started acting again, sobbing uncontrollably as she described the "incident" in broken sentences. She said that she went to the public restroom at night, and on her way back, Chen Feng dragged her to a corner of the yard. If she hadn't fought back desperately, or if Jia Dongxu hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Comrades, you must stand up for me!" She knelt down with a thud, her appearance heartbreaking to anyone who saw her.

Officer Wang frowned and looked at Chen Feng: "What do you have to say?"

Chen Feng stared directly at Qin Huairu: "Qin Huairu, put your hand on your heart and tell me, did I touch you even with one finger?"

Qin Huairu's eyes flickered, but she quickly burst into tears again: "Chen Feng, I'm already like this, and you still want to deny it... I don't want to live anymore..."

Jia Dongxu hugged her tightly: "Huai Ru, don't do anything rash! The police will stand up for us!"

Officer Wang looked at this person, then at that person, and finally his gaze settled on Chen Feng: "So many people are testifying against you, what else do you have to say?"

"They conspired together." Chen Feng's voice was unusually calm. "I don't know why they wanted to harm me, but I really didn't do anything."

"Comrade, don't listen to his nonsense!" Xu Damao jumped in. "So many of us saw it; how could we wrong him?"

"Exactly!"

"Arrest this scoundrel!"

Shouts echoed through the courtyard. Chen Feng looked at the familiar faces and suddenly found it all ridiculous. These neighbors, who usually greeted each other and lent each other salt and vinegar, now seemed to want nothing more than to kill him.

Officer Wang was clearly intimidated by the scene. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop arguing. Chen Feng, you're coming back to the station with us for questioning."

"Comrade, my son really didn't do it..." Li Xiuying wanted to plead for him, but Chen Dashan stopped her.

Chen Dashan looked at his son, his eyes bloodshot: "Xiaofeng, Dad believes in you. We have nothing to hide, let's go and explain things to them."

Chen Feng nodded and was untied by the police. He stretched his numb wrists and coldly scanned the people in the yard. Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, Qin Huairu... He looked at them one by one, as if trying to etch their faces into his mind.

"Let's go," Officer Wang urged.

As Chen Feng was led out of the courtyard house, Jia Zhangshi's shrill voice rang out behind him: "Serves him right! This kind of scoundrel should be shot!"

In the darkness, Chen Feng turned back for one last look at the courtyard where he had lived for twenty years. Under the dim light, the familiar faces were blurred, as if they were wearing ugly masks.

He didn't know why these people wanted to harm him, but he knew that after tonight, everything would be different.

For the next three days, Chen Feng was detained in a temporary detention cell at the police station. His parents visited him every day, bringing him food and clean clothes. Each time they met, his mother would cry, while his father would repeatedly tell him, "Don't be afraid, Dad is using his connections; we'll definitely get you out."

But on the fourth day, his parents did not come.

There was none on the fifth day either.

On the sixth day, Officer Wang opened the door to the detention cell and said expressionlessly, "Chen Feng, your case is closed. Hooliganism, three years of labor reform."

"What?" Chen Feng jumped to his feet. "Where are my parents? What did they say?"

"Your parents?" Officer Wang paused. "They agree with the verdict."

Chen Feng was struck dumb, frozen in place. Impossible, his parents would never agree.

"I want to see them!" he roared.

"We can't see them, they've already signed." Officer Wang gestured for the police to take him out. "Pack your things, we'll send you to the labor camp this afternoon."

When Chen Feng was escorted out of the police station, he finally saw his father. Chen Dashan stood on the street corner, looking as if he had aged ten years. When he saw his son, he walked quickly over, his lips trembling as he couldn't speak.

"Dad, what happened? Where's Mom?"

Chen Dashan grabbed his son's hand and squeezed it hard: "Xiaofeng, listen to Dad. The people in the compound have jointly written a letter of complaint, saying that you are a repeat offender and demanding severe punishment. The police station is under a lot of pressure... Dad has exhausted all his connections and can only manage to get three years, otherwise it might be ten years."

Chen Feng's mind was buzzing: "But I didn't do it! I didn't do anything!"

"Dad knows, Dad knows everything." Chen Dashan said, tears streaming down his face. "But we can't fight them... Xiaofeng, you go first. Dad will definitely find a way, he will definitely rescue you..."

Where is my mom?

Chen Dashan's eyes darted away for a moment: "Your mother... is sick and is resting at home. Don't worry, Dad will take good care of her and your sister."

Chen Feng wanted to say something, but the police pushed him into the car. He looked back at his father's hunched figure getting smaller and smaller at the street corner, and a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in his heart.

The transport vehicle bumped along for a whole day before finally arriving at the labor reform farm on the outskirts of Beijing. Chen Feng was assigned to the third brigade, responsible for reclaiming wasteland and planting crops. Every day he had to get up before dawn and work until dark, but all he ate was thin porridge that was so watery you could see your reflection in it and cornbread as hard as a rock.

He worked tirelessly because good behavior could reduce his sentence. He believed his father would find a way to get him out, and he had to hold on.

But one month later, on that afternoon, warden Li Guoqiang called him to his office and looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Chen Feng, I have some news for you." Li Guoqiang paused, "Something happened in your family."

Chen Feng's heart sank: "What is it?"

"Fire." Li Guoqiang spoke slowly, as if afraid he couldn't bear it, "Your yard caught fire, and your parents... couldn't escape."

The world stood still for a moment.

Chen Feng opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His ears felt like they were filled with water; he couldn't hear anything, and could only see Li Guoqiang's lips moving.

"...It was too late when the fire department arrived...Your sister is missing, and it's probably too late...Please accept my condolences."

"When did this happen?" Chen Feng heard his own voice, which was eerily calm.

"A month ago, the day after you arrived," Li Guoqiang sighed. "We should have told you much earlier, but the higher-ups were worried about your emotional state..."

One month ago.

The day after he was sent to the labor camp, his house caught fire.

Parents perished in the fire.

My younger sister has gone missing.

What a coincidence!

Chen Feng slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "Instructor Li, I need to ask for leave to go home."

"This... won't do," Li Guoqiang said with difficulty. "You're a labor camp inmate; you can't just leave whenever you want."

"My parents are dead, my sister is missing, and I can't go home?"

"Rules are rules." Li Guoqiang shook his head. "You should reform yourself well and wait for your release..."

"I want to go home." Chen Feng repeated, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable force.

Li Guoqiang felt uneasy under Chen Feng's gaze, but he still insisted, "No. Chen Feng, don't make things difficult for me."

Chen Feng didn't say anything more. He turned and walked out of the office, returning to the work shed. His roommates, seeing his strange expression, didn't dare to speak to him.

That night, Chen Feng lay awake all night.

By daybreak, he had made his decision.

Since they won't let him go back, then he'll go back on his own.

He wanted to go back and see how the fire started.

He wanted to go back and ask the neighbors what they had seen that night.

He needed to go back and find out exactly where his sister had gone.

If someone harmed his whole family...

A cold smile appeared on Chen Feng's lips.

Then leave none of them.