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

He Yuzhu didn't waste any time and explained what he had just discovered. After listening to He Yuzhu's account, Zhang Qiang and Ye Guoliang exchanged a glance. Zhang Qiang said, "Baochao Hutong is right next to us. The enemy has played a trick on us!"

Ye Guoliang said, "Old Zhang, don't be too happy yet. We only have two paths in front of us now. One is to take advantage of the enemy's lack of reaction and wipe them out in one fell swoop. The other is to play the long game and catch the big fish. The first path is the simplest. The second path is full of variables."

Zhang Qiang picked up the cigarette pack on the table, took out a cigarette, thoughtfully put it in his mouth, then picked up a match to light it. Suddenly, he looked at He Yuzhu and asked, "Zhu Zi, are you sure there's something wrong with this father and son?!"

He Yuzhu replied decisively, "I'm certain that this father and son have something going on. As for whether the rest of their family members have problems, Uri doesn't know."

Zhang Qiang asked, "Old Ye, what do you think?!"

Ye Guoliang said, "I prefer the first option: a swift and decisive victory!"

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" Just then, a knocking sound rang out on the door.

Zhang Qiang called out, "Come in!"

Wang Xia pushed open the door and walked in. Zhang Qiang asked, "Sister Wang, what brings you here?!"

Wang Xia said, "Zhang Lan and Xu Qinyue came back and told me about He Yuzhu. I figured that kid must have discovered enemy agents, so I came over to ask." Then Wang Xia handed the file in her hand to Zhang Qiang and said, "This is all the information about that family."

Zhang Qiang took the folder, gestured for Wang Xia to sit down, and then opened it to read. After about seven or eight minutes, Zhang Qiang finished reading and handed the folder to Ye Guoliang. Ye Guoliang then passed it to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu quickly glanced through the contents and asked, "Aunt Wang, when we were registering the information, didn't our people notice anything unusual about this family?!"

When Zhang Qiang and Ye Guoliang heard He Yuzhu's question, they both looked at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu said, "If the registered information is correct, how could you not have noticed such a glaring flaw?!"

Zhang Qiang asked, "What flaw?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Kao Hsiung-yi and Kao Sung-ming are registered as father and son, but they are only ten years apart in age. Can a ten-year age gap lead to a child?!"

Zhang Qiang snatched the folder from He Yuzhu's hand, quickly checked their birth dates, and was involuntarily surprised. Zhang Qiang said, "They really are ten years apart?!"

Wang Xia took the folder, looked at it, and said, "It seems we didn't do our work very carefully."

He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Wang, now is not the time to dwell on the problem. We need to find a way to solve it."

Ye Guoliang laughed and said, "Sister Wang, the three of us aren't as insightful as this kid."

Zhang Qiang said, "We don't know if the enemy has been awakened yet. If they are still dormant, wiping them out in one fell swoop shouldn't cause too much of a problem. But if they have been awakened, then the situation is hard to predict."

He Yuzhu said, "Actually, we can make our move tonight. As for how to do it, the three of you can discuss it! I'm going to eat first!" After saying that, He Yuzhu ran out of Zhang Qiang's office before the three people present could react.

The moment the office door closed, Zhang Qiang couldn't help but laugh. He then looked at Ye Guoliang and Wang Xia and said, "Sister Wang, we'll need your military control commission's help with the arrest of Gao Xiongyi's family."

Ye Guoliang asked, "Old Zhang, you have a plan?!"

Zhang Qiang said, "Have the comrades from the Military Control Commission claim there's a problem with the forms they filled out, and that they need to be asked to fill them out again. We'll take advantage of that opportunity to arrest them all."

Wang Xia said, "No problem. I'll personally lead the team starting tomorrow night. You guys follow up and act as needed!" Then Wang Xia discussed the details of the operation with Zhang Qiang and Ye Guoliang before leaving Zhang Qiang's office.

Meanwhile, Yan Jiefang, who had been playing outside, returned home. Upon entering, he sensed something was amiss in the atmosphere. However, out of habit, he didn't ask anything and simply sat down obediently. Yan Bugui took the pot from Yang Ruihua and divided the cornmeal paste inside equally into four bowls. Yan Bugui smiled and said, "In our family, fairness and impartiality are paramount."

Yan Jiecheng pursed his lips, said nothing more, picked up his bowl of cornmeal porridge, and was about to eat when Yan Bugui's voice rang out: "Jiefang! There's something I need to tell you."

Yan Jiefang took a sip of the porridge and asked, his words muffled, "Dad, what's wrong?!"

Yan Bugui asked, "Did you know about He Yuzhu becoming a policeman after the liberation?!"

"You know?! Everyone in our compound is talking about it today." Yan Jiefang replied nonchalantly, then asked, "What's wrong?!"

Yan Bugui said, "They say a new broom sweeps clean. Although He Yuzhu isn't an official, he's now a policeman. And he already knows we're spreading rumors about him. He plans to find the people spreading the rumors and send them to jail to keep Jia Zhangshi company."

Yan Jiefang urged impatiently, "Dad, just say what you want to say! Don't beat around the bush."

"Hey?! You're actually lecturing your old man?!" Yan Bugui laughed and scolded, saying, "You're the youngest in our family, so why don't you take responsibility for this?!"

"What?!" Yan Jiefang was taken aback, staring blankly at Yan Bugui, and said, "Dad! Say that again?!"

Yan Bugui said, "Jiefang, don't refuse. Your mother and I have discussed it. In our family, you're the most suitable person to take the blame for this. Because you're the youngest. Even if you get arrested, at most you'll just get a few words of reprimand. If I get arrested, I'll most likely lose my job. What will I do to support you then?! If your mother gets arrested, both you brothers will be implicated. If your older brother takes the blame, because of his age, he's very likely to be detained. Although I can help him get leave, nothing stays secret forever. If word gets out, your brother might be expelled from school. So you're the most suitable person in our family." After saying this, Yan Bugui stared intently at Yan Jiefang with expectant eyes.

By this time, Yan Jiefang's selfish and self-serving nature had begun to surface. Knowing he couldn't avoid this predicament, he directly stated, "I have no problem agreeing. But you must pay!"