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

Mo Laosan replied, "The item has been found! Do you know how you found it?!" Then, changing the subject, he said, "For our safety, these people can't be allowed to live! Have someone take care of them. Give their families some money to appease them."

Shu Chongshan said with a bitter face, "These people aren't in Beijing right now, how am I supposed to deal with them?!"

Mo Laosan said, "You know where they are. I don't want to lose my life because of these few people. Whether you want to live or not is your business. Don't drag me into it!"

Shu Chongshan sighed and promised, "Don't worry! You will definitely not be implicated! I will take care of those people."

Seeing that the deal was done, Mo Laosan immediately changed his tune, smiling as he said, "Chongshan, don't blame me for being ruthless. Our business may be very profitable, but it's shady. If something happens to us, it doesn't matter if we die, but don't let our families be implicated. I'm all alone, so it's fine. But you, with elderly parents and young children to support, have you thought about your family?!"

Shu Chongshan had just compromised, but now he was doing it for his family. Therefore, he had made up his mind to send those people down. Mo Laosan took out a stack of money and notes and placed them in front of Shu Chongshan, saying, "Take these first. I'll reward you handsomely after this is done!"

Shu Chongshan took the money and tickets, looked at them, and put them in his pocket, asking, "What are your plans for the future?!"

Mo Laosan replied, "What plans could I possibly have?! I'll go out and lay low for a while. I'll come back after this matter has passed."

After dinner, Song Zhaohong and his wife sat chatting with He Yuzhu and his wife. Suddenly, Song Ran said, "Third Brother, on my way back today, I ran into Shen Xiling at the alley entrance. Do you know which hospital he works at now?!"

"Which Shen Xiling?!" Song Zhaohong asked with a puzzled look.

Song Ran replied, "The one who used to live across the hall from us."

"Oh! I remember now!" Song Zhaohong replied, saying, "He seems to work at a hospital near Beiluoguxiang." Then he asked, "Xiao Ran, why did you suddenly think of asking about him today?!"

Song Ran replied, "I was just asking casually."

Kong Lianqing asked, "Are you talking about Shen Xiling, who's currently being held in the naval compound?!"

Both Song Zhaohong and Song Ran looked at Kong Lianqing simultaneously. Song Zhaohong asked, "You know him too?!"

Kong Lianqing said, "I wouldn't say I know him personally. But I've heard of him. Many people say he has very connections and can get things that others can't. Anyway, he's very popular among the younger generation in several compounds."

He Yuzhu had already realized what was happening and planned to find an opportunity to talk to Ye Guoliang and ask him to investigate this Shen Xiling. Seeing He Yuzhu sitting there in a daze, Song Ran asked, "What are you thinking about?!"

He Yuzhu snapped out of his thoughts and said, "I was thinking about a recent case. After your reminders, some things I didn't understand suddenly became clear."

Song Zhaohong understood what case He Yuzhu was referring to and asked curiously, "Zhu Zi, you're saying that case is related to people in the compound?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "This is just a guess. Otherwise, it really doesn't make sense why a perfectly good lead would suddenly go cold!"

Song Zhaohong thought about it carefully and agreed, "That's quite possible. If it really involves people in the compound, it could be a real problem."

Kong Lianqing asked, "What case are you talking about?!"

Song Zhaohong said, "You should know about the case we're talking about."

Kong Lianqing immediately realized what was going on and asked, "Are you talking about the case of the theft from the grain depot?!"

Song Zhaohong nodded and said, "This is a case of collusion between insiders and outsiders. Although the people inside have been caught, they are tight-lipped. We tried many methods, but they just wouldn't talk. Later, we found the place where they stored the stolen grain. We originally planned to wait for them to come to us. But those people are very cunning; they would rather abandon the goods than show themselves. Now all the leads have gone cold."

Kong Lianqing chuckled and joked, "It seems they have informants within your police force."

He Yuzhu said, "Our relationship with the enemy has always been like that of cat and mouse. Although we haven't caught anyone yet, I believe that it won't be long before they are all brought to justice."

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Song Zhaohong's eyes lit up immediately, and he asked, "Have you come up with a new direction?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "We have some direction. But we don't know exactly who it is yet. Let's wait until we find them!"

Song Zhaohong continued, "Zhuzi, Old Ma is retiring next month. His third son, Ma Qinghe, is coming to the station to take his place. Originally, it was agreed that his son would go to the security section, but some things came up. His son can't go to the security section anymore. I plan to put him in the logistics section. I'd like you to mentor him."

He Yuzhu said, "Third Brother, running fieldwork is so tiring! I see the household registration section is short-staffed. Why don't you just assign him to the household registration section?"

Song Zhaohong thought for a moment and said, "Okay! I'll go to the station tomorrow and talk to Director Ye and the others about this."

The four chatted until 8 p.m. before reluctantly heading home.

Back at courtyard number 97, He Yuzhu filled two basins with hot water and sat down with Song Ran to soak their feet. Suddenly, Song Ran blurted out, "Brother Zhu, do you suspect that the grain depot theft is related to Shen Xiling?!"

He Yuzhu was startled by Song Ran's question. However, he quickly recovered and asked with a smile, "Why would you ask that?!"

Song Ran said, "Others may not understand you, but how could I not understand you?! What you just said was clearly instructing my third brother. Unfortunately, my third brother is completely confused and couldn't understand it at all."

He Yuzhu said, "I'm just speculating right now. Let's wait until we find evidence!"

Song Ran said, "Among the kids in our group, Shen Xiling is considered to be good at interpersonal relationships. So many people will help him. It probably won't be that easy for you to investigate him."

He Yuzhu said, "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I'll find a way to break through. But that place isn't really a dragon's den or a tiger's lair."

The next morning, He Yuzhu ate breakfast as usual, took his wife and sister to school, and then went to the police station. Once there, he sat in the office for a while, greeted Old Ma, put his hands in his pockets, hummed a tune, and slowly walked to Ye Guoliang's office door. He hesitated for a few seconds, then knocked on Ye Guoliang's door.