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

Yan Bugui feigned embarrassment and said, "How could I possibly accept this?! You've really gone to so much trouble."

If He Yuzhu saw Yan Bugui's expression here, he would definitely feel nauseous.

Liu Haizhong said nonchalantly, "It's just a matter of a word. When the time comes, ask around and I'll tell you."

"Thank you!" Yan Bugui watched Liu Haizhong enter the central courtyard, a bright smile immediately spreading across his face. Just then, Jia Dongxu, returning from the convenience store at the alley entrance, noticed Yan Bugui's strange smile and asked, "Teacher Yan, what's got you so happy?! Did you find some money?!"

Yan Bugui saw the bottle in Jia Dongxu's hand and asked, "Dongxu, what are you buying?!"

Jia Dongxu replied, "We're out of soy sauce. I went to the tobacco and sundries shop at the alley entrance and bought a pound of soy sauce."

Yan Bugui chimed in, "Oh?! Speaking of soy sauce, we've just run out too. Dongxu, how about you spare some for me?! I'll pay you back when I buy some more!"

Jia Dongxu said with a smile, "Teacher Yan, they say that if you borrow and repay, it's easy to borrow again. That's what they said when you borrowed salt from Yi Zhonghai last time. I never saw you repay it. Now that he's dead, you certainly don't need to repay it."

Yan Bugui immediately put on an awkward smile, while at the same time he began to miss the days when Yi Zhonghai was around. If Yi Zhonghai were still alive, Jia Dongxu would never have dared to speak to him like that. Moreover, Yan Bugui felt that since Yi Zhonghai's incident, nothing had gone smoothly for him; not only had his family income decreased, but it had also become much harder to get something for nothing from his neighbors.

Seeing that Yan Bugui had suddenly lost in thought, Jia Dongxu decided not to stay any longer, fearing that if he did, Yan Bugui would try to extort him.

"Old Yan, what are you doing?!" Just then, Aunt Pang's husband, Pang Qi, came out of the house and saw Yan Bugui standing there. He asked curiously.

Yan Bugui snapped out of his daze and saw that Jia Dongxu had already left. He sighed somewhat dejectedly and replied, "It's nothing!" before heading home. Pang Qi watched Yan Bugui's retreating figure and muttered, "When did Yan Bugui start acting so strangely?! Has something wrong with his head?!" Then, Pang Qi remembered that she had gone to the public restroom when she came out, so she immediately headed out of the courtyard house.

On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, He Yuzhu went to the Military Control Commission and found Wang Xia, who was on duty there. Wang Xia helped He Yuzhu complete the transfer procedures. He Yuzhu then took the letter of introduction from the Military Control Commission and the certificate of transfer of employment relationship to the police station next door.

"Zhu Zi, what brings you here today?!" As soon as He Yuzhu stepped into the police station, the gatekeeper, Grandpa Chi Chengfeng, greeted him with a smile.

He Yuzhu said, "Uncle Chi, I'm here to complete my onboarding procedures."

Chi Chengfeng instantly understood what was going on and said, "You're wasting your talents at the Military Control Commission. You'll be able to make a difference here. Go on! Director Zhang is already waiting for you in his office."

"Oh! I'll go in then!" After saying that, He Yuzhu walked directly into the police station and went straight to Zhang Qiang's office, knocking on the door.

Hearing the knock, Zhang Qiang responded, "Come in!"

He Yuzhu pushed open the office door and walked in, calling out, "Director Zhang!"

"Zhu Zi's here! Have all the paperwork with the Military Control Commission been completed?!" Zhang Qiang said, lighting a cigarette.

He Yuzhu replied, "Everything has been taken care of."

"Come on! I'll take you to complete the onboarding procedures!" With that, Zhang Qiang led He Yuzhu out of the office.

A dozen minutes later, Zhang Qiang returned to the office with He Yuzhu, who had completed the onboarding procedures and received her work clothes and protective equipment. Ye Guoliang arrived.

Zhang Qiang asked, "Old Ye, weren't you supposed to be off today?! Why are you here?!"

Ye Guoliang said, "This kid is starting work today, how could I not come?!"

He Yuzhu glanced at Zhang Qiang, then at Ye Guoliang, a sense of foreboding rising within him. He said, "Gentlemen, just say what you have to say! Your auras are too overwhelming; I can't stand them!"

Zhang Qiang and Ye Guoliang exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously. Ye Guoliang said, "Old Zhang, stop hiding it. Show us the commendation from the higher-ups!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiang opened his desk drawer, took out two certificates of merit and an envelope, and said, "This is a reward from above for your discovery of enemy agents."

He Yuzhu took the certificate and envelope and put them directly into his bag. Zhang Qiang continued, "Zhuzi, we originally wanted to assign you to the security section. But considering your abilities, we discussed it and decided that you will continue to stay in the logistics section, responsible for purchasing for the canteen. After completing the purchasing tasks, you don't need to stay at the station. You can patrol our jurisdiction by bicycle."

He Yuzhu said, "Uncle Zhang, you're really good at scheming! You let me get paid for doing the work of two people."

Ye Guoliang said, "You're a capable young man who gets a lot of work. But we won't treat you unfairly. According to the standard, you should be level 30 when you first joined, earning 23 yuan a month, plus a subsidy, which is 25 yuan a month. However, your situation is a bit special. After discussing it, we reported it to the branch office, and finally decided that your salary will be set at level 26, 33 yuan a month, plus a 2 yuan subsidy, for a total of 35 yuan."

He Yuzhu did some mental calculations and felt that, given his education and experience, being ranked at level 26 was already quite good. For others, advancement required accumulating seniority. But for He Yuzhu, advancement was a simple matter. After all, the country had only been established for a few years. There were still many hidden enemy agents and spies. To advance, he just needed to capture more enemy agents and spies.

He Yuzhu stayed in Zhang Qiang's office for a while before Zhang Qiang sent him away. Zhang Qiang gave He Yuzhu a day off to go back and take care of his own affairs. He was to officially start work tomorrow.

After leaving the police station, He Yuzhu found a secluded spot and stored his uniform and protective gear in his spatial storage. Then, he took out two cloth bags. One bag contained cigarettes and alcohol, and the other contained several lunchboxes filled with substantial dishes. He hung the bags on his bicycle handlebars and rode straight to the Second Military Guesthouse on Dongsi Shitiao Street.

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, He Yuzhu pulled out his newly acquired police work ID. After the guard at the entrance checked it and confirmed there were no issues, he let He Yuzhu in. He Yuzhu parked his bicycle and was about to enter the guesthouse lobby when he saw Li Yunlong and Kong Jie sitting on a bench, smoking and chatting.

He Yuzhu hesitated for a few seconds before walking over and calling out, "Uncle Li!"

"You're here, kid?!" Li Yunlong looked up at He Yuzhu and asked with a smile, "What are you carrying in your hand, kid?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Tobacco, alcohol, and snacks!"