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

The cave was cold and damp. Chen Feng huddled in a corner, tearing off a tattered piece of his clothing to bandage the wound on his arm. The bleeding had stopped, but the edges of the wound were still red and swollen, and throbbed with pain. He touched his forehead, where there was a fresh abrasion—a mark left by a bullet the night before.

It was just a little bit short.

Chen Feng closed his eyes, and the scene from last night replayed in his mind. Under the moonlight, he ran wildly through the cornfield, the shouts of the guards and the sound of gunfire behind him. A bullet grazed his scalp, the scalding air making his scalp tingle instantly. But he didn't stop; instead, he ran even faster, using the cover of night and the terrain to finally shake off his pursuers.

He knew the farm must be in chaos, and news of the escape would spread quickly. He didn't have much time left.

Chen Feng pulled half a hard, dry cornbread from his pocket; it was the last bit of food he'd stolen from the farm's kitchen. He broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. The cornbread was moldy and had a sour taste, but he had to eat it. It would take at least two days and one night to get back to the city; he needed his strength.

After finishing his meal, Chen Feng leaned against the cave wall to rest. Birdsong could be heard outside the cave; dawn was approaching. He had to leave before daybreak and find a more secluded place to hide.

"Dad, Mom..." Chen Feng murmured softly, his eyes so dry that not a single tear could fall. In the past month, he had cried all his tears. Now, all that remained was hatred.

He remembered the look in his father's eyes when he last visited him, and his mother's swollen, red eyes every time she brought him food. They had been working tirelessly for him, never imagining it would cost them their lives.

And then there was his younger sister, Chen Xiaoyu, that little girl of only fifteen. She loved following him around calling him "brother," her eyes crinkling into crescent moons when she smiled. Where was she on the night of the fire? Is she still alive?

Chen Feng clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

He will definitely find out the truth.

At the same time, the office of Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office was filled with smoke.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, three elderly men, sat side by side, their faces grim. Director Wang slammed a notice on the table, his voice stern: "Look at what you've done! Chen Feng has escaped from prison!"

The three old men crowded around to look at the notice, which clearly stated: "Chen Feng, an inmate of the Third Brigade of the Labor Reform Farm, escaped last night. A notice for assistance in the investigation has been issued. All units with clues should report immediately..."

"Director Wang, what... what does this have to do with us?" Liu Haizhong wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"It doesn't matter?" Director Wang sneered. "Who was it that wrote the joint letter demanding a heavy sentence for Chen Feng? Who testified that he was a habitual thug and needed to be severely punished? Now that he's escaped from prison, the first people he wants to retaliate against are you!"

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling slightly: "Director Wang, what do we do now? Is Chen Feng really coming back?"

"He'll definitely be back!" Director Wang slammed his hand on the table again. "His home is here, his parents are dead, his sister is missing, where else would he go? Let me tell you, if this gets out of hand, nobody will escape!"

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath: "Director Wang, we are just stating the facts. Chen Feng did indeed act inappropriately towards Qin Huairu that night; many people in the compound saw it."

"The facts?" Director Wang stared at him. "Yi Zhonghai, do you think I'm stupid? The fire incident hasn't been investigated yet. The fire department said the fire at the Chen family's house started suspiciously; it didn't seem like an accident. And Chen Xiaoyu, a perfectly healthy person, just gone like that?"

The three old men fell silent, exchanging glances.

"And the Chen family's house," Director Wang continued. "It's officially said to have burned down, but I went to see it the day before yesterday, and the damage wasn't serious at all. Who's living there now? The Jia family! Do you think everyone else is blind?"

Liu Haizhong quickly explained, "Director Wang, that's the Jia family staying there temporarily. The Chen family is gone, so the house is just sitting empty..."

"Bullshit!" Director Wang stood up abruptly. "That house belongs to the Chen family. What right do you have to allocate it? Let me tell you, if Chen Feng comes back and sees his house occupied by someone else, who knows what he'll do!"

The office was silent. The three old men all had their heads down, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Director Wang waved his hand: "Alright, go back and hold a hospital-wide meeting immediately to inform everyone of the situation. If you see Chen Feng, do not handle it privately; you must report it immediately! Also, the Jia family must move out of the Chen family's residence, do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, we will definitely do as you say," the three old men agreed in unison.

Back at the courtyard house, the three old men immediately convened a meeting of the entire household.

As dusk approached, the courtyard was packed with people. Yi Zhonghai stood in the middle and cleared his throat: "Fellow neighbors, I have an emergency to report. Chen Feng has escaped from the labor camp."

A commotion immediately arose in the crowd.

"What? A prison break?"

"Oh my god, what are we going to do?"

"Won't he come back for revenge?"

Jia Dongxu, with his arm around Qin Huairu, said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? He's just a fugitive. If he dares to come back, we'll make sure he doesn't return!"

Sha Zhu rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular arms: "Exactly! I could crush him with one hand! Right? If you're a man, come at me together, what are you afraid of, just one guy?"

Xu Damao chimed in, "That's right! With so many of us, what are we afraid of? If he really dares to come back, we'll rid the people of this scourge!"

The brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, along with Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, and a few other young men, laughed and agreed, not taking the matter to heart at all. They thought that Chen Feng was a convict, and an escaped convict at that, so even if they killed him, it wouldn't be against the law.

Yi Zhonghai looked at the young people's reaction with satisfaction and nodded: "It's good that you all have this awareness. Chen Feng is a fugitive now and poses a threat to society. If we see him, it's only right that we take necessary measures to protect everyone's safety."

"That old man is right!" Jia Dongxu shouted, "We were acting in self-defense!"

"But..." A faint voice rang out from the crowd. It was Grandma Sun from the front yard, "Chen Feng, that kid, I watched him grow up. He doesn't seem like the type to do that kind of thing. And that fire was strange too..."

"Aunt Sun, what do you mean by that?" Jia Zhangshi immediately jumped in. "Are you saying we wronged Chen Feng? So many people saw it that night, how could it be false?"

Qin Huairu lowered her head at the opportune moment and began wiping away her tears again: "Aunt Sun, I know you have a kind heart, but that night... I almost... If Dongxu hadn't arrived in time, I wouldn't have the face to live on..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking," Yi Zhonghai interrupted them. "There's no use talking about this now. The important thing is that Chen Feng has escaped from prison and is very likely to come back. Everyone needs to be vigilant, lock the doors and windows at night, and call for help immediately if there's any noise. The young and strong should form patrol teams and take turns keeping watch at night."

"I'm in!" Sha Zhu was the first to raise his hand.

"I'll sign up too!" Jia Dongxu followed suit.

Several young people raised their hands.

After the meeting, the crowd gradually dispersed. Jia Dongxu put his arm around Qin Huairu and returned to the backyard, where they were now staying in the two south-facing rooms that used to belong to the Chen family.

As Director Wang said, the two houses were not severely damaged in the fire. Only the windows were burned and the walls were blackened. After the Jia family moved in, they did some simple repairs and repainted the walls, making the rooms much more spacious and brighter than their original east wing.

Madam Jia was sitting in the house sewing shoe soles when she saw her son and daughter-in-law return. Her triangular eyes darted around twice. "How did it go? What did you say at the meeting?"

"Chen Feng escaped from prison and might be coming back." Jia Dongxu sat down and poured himself a glass of water.

"Back?" Madam Jia sneered. "He dares to come back? Perfect! You all figure out a way to kill Chen Feng, and this house will be completely ours!"

Qin Huairu sat down next to Jia Zhangshi and said softly, "Mom is right. Dongxu has already made arrangements with several young people in the courtyard. They'll attack Chen Feng as soon as they see him; it's not illegal to kill him anyway."

"Great! Great idea!" Madam Jia slapped her thigh. "With this house, when Bang Geng grows up, he won't have to worry about finding a wife! Our Jia family has finally made it!"

Jia Dongxu smiled smugly: "That's right. Chen Feng is a fugitive, nobody will care if he dies. We'll just say he came back for revenge, and that we acted in self-defense."

"However..." Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, "Director Wang said we should move out."

"Move out? On what grounds!" Jia Zhangshi shrieked. "This house is just sitting empty anyway, what's wrong with us living here? Is it any of Director Wang's business?"

"Mom, don't worry," Jia Dongxu reassured her. "Director Wang is just saying that. Once Chen Feng's matter is resolved, who cares whose house it is? Everyone's dead, so the houses will naturally be allocated by the neighborhood committee. We've lived here for a long time, so it's only right that we get priority."

Only then was Jia Zhangshi relieved, and she bent down to sew the shoe soles again, humming a little tune.

Looking at the spacious and bright room, Qin Huairu felt a vague unease. She recalled that night, and the look in Chen Feng's eyes when he was tied to the water pipe—a look so cold it sent a chill down her spine.

"Dongxu," she whispered, "do you think Chen Feng... will really come back?"

"It's better if he comes back," Jia Dongxu said dismissively. "It saves us from worrying. If he really dares to come back, I'll let him reunite with his parents!"

The sky outside the window had completely darkened. In the courtyard, every household had closed their doors early, and the courtyard was quiet except for the sound of the wind.

But some people keep their lights on very late.

At Yi Zhonghai's house, an older woman knitted a sweater while sighing, "Old Yi, do you think we went too far that night?"

Yi Zhonghai sat at the table smoking, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke: "What's the use of saying all this now? There's no turning back now."

"But Chen Feng, that kid..."

"Stop talking!" Yi Zhonghai interrupted her. "Go to sleep!"

At Liu Haizhong's house, his second aunt was also worried: "Dad, what if Chen Feng really comes back for revenge? Guang Tian and Guang Fu from our family were involved in what happened that night."

Liu Haizhong took a sip of tea: "What's there to be afraid of? There are so many people in the courtyard. Besides, Chen Feng is a fugitive now; even if he's killed, it's not a crime."

"But I don't feel at ease..."

"That's just a woman's view! Go to sleep!"

At Yan Bugui's house, the third aunt was calculating the month's expenses when she suddenly said, "Old Yan, about the Chen family... I always feel something's not right. On the night of the fire, I think I saw someone climb over the wall from the Chen family's yard."

Yan Bugui was grading students' homework when he heard this and paused: "Who did you see?"

"It was too dark to see clearly. But it seemed like... he was wearing dark clothes and wasn't very tall."

Yan Bugui was silent for a moment: "Don't say those things again. Just pretend you didn't see them, understand?"

"Can……"

"sleep!"

Late at night.

The courtyard house fell silent. The patrol team, consisting of Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu and a few other young men, circled the courtyard twice, found nothing unusual, and then went home to sleep.

Unbeknownst to them, at that moment, on a small road in the outskirts of Beijing, a figure was struggling to move forward in the darkness.

Chen Feng hid behind a large tree, watching the checkpoint on the distant highway. Several militiamen, flashlights in hand, were checking passersby. He knew news of the prison break had spread, and the road back to the city wouldn't be peaceful.

But he had to go back.

Chen Feng bypassed the main road and slipped into the cornfield beside it. The withered yellow corn stalks rustled in the night wind, like someone weeping softly. He walked with uneven steps, only one thought in his mind:

Come back home.

He wanted to go home and see the marks left by the fire.

He wanted to find his sister, alive or dead.

He wanted to ask his neighbors what they had seen that night.

If someone harmed his whole family...

Chen Feng paused, then pulled a rusty sickle from his pocket. He had secretly hidden it while working on the farm. The sickle wasn't large, but the blade was very sharp.

The moonlight shone on the blade, reflecting a cold light.

Chen Feng put the sickle back in his pocket and continued walking forward.

It's almost dawn.

He was getting closer and closer to the courtyard house.