The Courtyard House: The story begins with He Yuzhu beating up the White Widow.

The deaf old woman replied, "I want to see your leader!"

The guard rolled his eyes at the deaf old woman, thinking to himself, "Wasn't she so tough before?! Why isn't she tough anymore?!" Then he replied, "You wait here! I'll go ask her for you!"

After the guards left, the deaf old woman returned to her corner and sat down, pondering how to warn those outside so that those who hadn't been exposed could evacuate as quickly as possible.

About ten minutes later, Xie Bin put down the phone, walked into Liu Kehao's office, and said, "Old Liu, I just received a telegram. That deaf old woman wants to see you."

"She wants to see me?!" Liu Kehao muttered, "Why would she choose this time to see me?!"

Xie Bin said, "Old Liu, could it be that she saw someone she knows and got scared?!"

Liu Kehao shook his head and said, "If she gets scared, she won't be Nanzo Yunzi."

Xie Bin asked, "So, are you still going to see her?!"

"See her! Why not see her?! How will you know what she's thinking if you don't see her?!" Then, changing the subject, she said, "Go find someone and ask her who she saw when she was sent back!"

"Yes!" Xie Bin replied and turned to leave.

About half an hour later, Xie Bin returned with a list. Xie Bin said, "Old Liu, this is a list of everyone that person saw after leaving the interrogation room."

Liu Kehao took the list and looked at the names. He said thoughtfully, "Knowing her as I do, there's definitely a big fish among these people." Then he said to Xie Bin, "Xiao Xie, I'll trouble you again. Investigate the backgrounds of all these people on the list! Remember, be thorough."

"Okay! I'll take care of it right away!" With that, Xie Bin left Liu Kehao's office again.

The next morning, He Yuzhu and his sister ate breakfast and went out. After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at the Military Control Commission. Wu Jiangyong, who had just started work at the Commission, saw He Yuzhu and asked, "Yuzhu, are you settling in well here?"

He Yuzhu replied, "Uncle Wu, working here is quite nice."

Wu Jiangyong continued, "Zhuzi, our Military Control Commission's work is special. There are people on duty every day. Go to the finance department and collect ten yuan in a little while. Buy some more things. You'll have a holiday from tomorrow until the third day of the Lunar New Year, and you can come back to work on the fourth day."

"Yes!" He Yuzhu responded, watching Wu Jiangyong enter the office. He Yuzhu then led He Yushui towards the cafeteria.

When He Yuzhu stepped into the cafeteria, he saw that Xu Dali was already there. He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Uncle Xu, you're here really early!"

Xu Dali said, "I'm getting old, so I don't need to sleep much. I'm just idling at home anyway, so I came over early."

He Yuzhu said, "Uncle Xu, Director Wu just told me that I can buy a lot of things today, and I'll be on holiday starting tomorrow until the third day of the Lunar New Year. I won't go back to work until the fourth day. I'm thinking of trying to find some connections to buy ten catties of pork and some vegetables. How about we make dumplings when we get back?!"

Xu Dali thought for a moment and asked, "Did Director Wu tell you about today's procurement targets?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Ten yuan."

"Wu Jiangyong is still as stingy as ever. You wait here, I'll go find him." With that, Xu Dali walked out of the kitchen.

He Yushui then asked, "Brother, what will we eat for Chinese New Year?!"

He Yuzhu asked, "Rainwater, what do you want to eat?!"

He Yushui replied, "How about we do it the way we used to?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay! Let's go buy it together tomorrow. If it's not enough, I'll think of something else."

About ten minutes later, Xu Dali returned with a smile. He said to He Yuzhu, "Yuzhu, Director Wu is indeed Director Wu; his awareness is truly high. I just spoke with him. In a little while, go to the finance department and withdraw twenty yuan. Buy twenty jin of meat; the rest is up to you. Just enough for the people on duty to eat until the third day of the Lunar New Year."

"Hey! I'll go right now!" He Yuzhu said, looking at He Yushui.

He Yushui said, "Brother, you go ahead! I'll stay with Grandpa Xu, so I won't interfere with your work."

"You little rascal!" He Yuzhu chuckled and playfully scratched He Yushui's nose. He took out an enamel mug from his bag and a packet of tea weighing about three ounces. He said, "Uncle Xu, here's the tea. You can brew it yourself. I won't help you." With that, He Yuzhu opened the packet, grabbed some tea leaves, and put them into the cup. Then he picked up the thermos and poured about half a cup of water into the cup. Next, he took out a small cloth bag containing snacks like melon seeds and peanuts, along with two comic books, and handed them to He Yushui. Afterward, he picked up a carrying pole and left the canteen.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when He Yuzhu, carrying his purchases, hummed a tune and walked briskly towards the Military Control Commission. Just as he reached the entrance, Xu Damao blocked his way. Xu Damao said, "Hey?! Silly Zhu, when did you start doing this kind of backbreaking work?!"

"Hey, you idiot, are you still half asleep?! If you're not, go back to sleep. I'm busy with work! I don't have time to waste on your banter." With that, He Yuzhu rammed into Xu Damao. Xu Damao dodged to the side, watching He Yuzhu's swift movements, and was about to hurl a few curses in response. Suddenly remembering that He Yuzhu had just called him "idiot," Xu Damao's anger flared instantly, and he roared, "You just wait and see, you idiot!"

"Oh my?! Zhu Zi, why did you buy so much stuff today?!" He Yuzhu carried the groceries into the kitchen, and Zhao Hongdou and the other two immediately took the bags from his shoulders. He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Zhao, we have a holiday tomorrow. We don't go back to work until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. During the holiday, some people will be on duty here. We should eat and drink well at home; we can't let the comrades on duty go hungry, can we?! I just discussed it with Uncle Xu, and we're planning to make dumplings. It's cold now, so if we make the dumplings and leave them outside to freeze, they won't spoil. We should be able to eat them until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year."

Xu Dali looked at the thick slice of meat poured out of the cloth bag and said, "Zhu Zi, this meat weighs more than twenty pounds, doesn't it?!"

He Yuzhu said, "When I went to the market today, I ran into my dad's sworn brother selling meat. He gave me a discount because we're acquaintances. This is 25 jin of pork, and he also gave me two sets of pig offal as a bonus. In a little while, I'll clean the offal. Then we'll braise it. Then we can share it; it'll be a meat dish, and everyone can have a treat."