Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

Yi Zhonghai stirred up trouble to retaliate against the He family, while the deaf old woman stood by and paved the way for Li Ze'an. It was only He Yuzhu who suffered, single-handedly bearing the burden with his self-righteous heroism. Foolishly, he didn't even bother to ask for help!

To paraphrase a famous saying from later generations of cadres undergoing further training, "When the times abandon you, they won't even give you a warning!" Just like Van Fleet... five-star general MacArthur... and Clark, who signed the armistice agreement!

"Gentlemen, the train has arrived at the station!" The train staff knocked on the heavily guarded carriage. Among the group of middle-aged tycoons, He Ping'an's unusually youthful face stood out.

He Ping'an was the founder of special operations, and his deployment to Korea was also to test special warfare tactics. Naturally, he didn't have to wait until 58 to return to China like the main force.

Thanks to the Battle of Tieyuan, I was fortunate enough to ride on the VIP's special train and comfortably made my way back to Beijing.

"You just left like that, kid...?" one of the big shots joked. In this era, there was an emphasis on equality between officers and soldiers, especially for capable generals. In informal settings, the big shots were quite easygoing.

After joking all the way, He Ping'an wasn't intimidated at all, and retorted with a laugh: "Are you trying to restore the merit evaluation standards we had at the beginning of the Battle of Shangganling?"

The Battle of Shangganling initially proceeded as in the original timeline... delivering supplies once earned a second-class merit. Later, He Ping'an led his special forces unit there. Well... naturally, that merit-based system disappeared!

"Get out, get out, get out..."

Every night, supplies were successfully delivered without any casualties. He Ping'an not only proved the effectiveness of special operations, but also inadvertently raised the standards for commendation within the special forces unit!

Public Security Bureau...

The quartermaster, with a pot in his left hand and a spatula in his right, banged on a gong as he swaggered into the director's office.

"Zheng Chaoyang and Hao Pingchuan, they ate more, took more than their share, and even ruined a whole basket of eggs! ...How shameful!"

"How embarrassing..."

Returning to this familiar place after three years, it was still as lively as ever, with performances! He Ping'an smiled but didn't say anything, following behind to watch the excitement.

Of the old acquaintances, besides Liu Kangzhan, there was only one on the list of notable figures. Three years had passed, and naturally, they had all risen to their respective positions. Along the way, no one recognized He Ping'an!

"Bai Ling, Duo Men, Qi Lala, San'er... come in!" It was the same familiar voice. He Ping'an was quite curious, as this whole scene should have been over by now.

Bai Ling clutched her pocket. "Director, I'm not willing to let my hard-earned money be used to pay for this dirty behavior..."

"Stop talking nonsense, are you still my soldier or not...?"

He Ping'an frowned involuntarily; Luo Chengjun hadn't taken his warning to heart at all. He strode forward, pushed open the door, and said, "When did my wife become your soldier, Luo Dapao? How come I didn't know?"

The people in the room were stunned, not expecting anyone from the Public Security Bureau to dare speak like that. Bai Ling was the first to react; tears streamed down her face as she turned and threw herself into a familiar embrace.

"Peace... Waaah!"

"Alright... It's a public place, your colleagues are watching!" Despite saying that, He Ping'an tightened his grip on the beauty's arm.

"in spite of!"

After a while, Bai Ling finally loosened her embrace, but her hands still clung tightly to He Ping'an's arm. He Ping'an didn't mind, and greeted the others with a smile. No one dared to nag, and after a few words of laughter, they each found an excuse to leave.

In the dormitory, He Ping'an exhaled a smoke ring, his ever-present treasure in his hand. Bai Ling's flushed face was pressed tightly against He Ping'an's chest, their sweat mingling together.

He Ping'an was quite eloquent, recounting even the relatively uneventful battles with great flair. Bai Ling, on the other hand, recounted amusing anecdotes from her life, as well as the daily routines of the courtyard house, including the foolish antics of her simple-minded nephew.

"You did the right thing! Some things you have to learn from by falling down yourself!" He Ping'an stubbed out his cigarette and continued the fight.

A hundred words are useless when it comes to teaching a person; but a single experience can truly teach a person… Seventeen-year-old He Ping’an should also be growing up!

In the evening, He Ping'an, Bai Ling, and Xiao Yushui, who was coming home from school, walked into the courtyard house, laughing and chatting all the way. They were just in time for a good show…

"Silly Zhu, my daughter-in-law is about to give birth, what's wrong with using your house?" Jia Zhangshi's hoarse voice was even more arrogant than before.

Yi Zhonghai remained hypocritical, but his words carried a long-lost sense of satisfaction:

"Zhu Zi, the Jia family has three people crammed into one room, and you're occupying three rooms by yourself. This is clearly a waste. I think you should be more generous and vacate that small room so Qin Huairu can give birth in it!"

"Um... let me, your second uncle, say a few words... Sha Zhu, this is what everyone thinks, it's the opinion of the masses, you must obey!" Liu Haizhong, with his big belly, said nonsensically.

"Yes, Shazhu... your uncle is a respectable People's Liberation Army soldier. You should learn from your uncle's selfless spirit and understand the importance of dedication..."

He Ping'an looked at the shrewish stranger; even his thick glasses couldn't hide the calculating glint in his eyes. He already had a guess about this man.

"His name is Yan Bugui, and he moved in two years ago. Coincidentally, he lives in the same room that Li Dagang used to live in!" Bai Ling kindly whispered a reminder.

"Hmm...this guy seems much more interesting than Li Dagang!" He Ping'an smiled, his eyes showing the delight of discovering something interesting as he looked at Yan Bugui.

"Shh!" He gently tapped Xiaoyushui's forehead and pointed to the crowd, signaling the little girl to be quiet. It had been a long time since he'd seen anything exciting; he was really looking forward to it.

"Screw!" A wooden stick, over a meter long and as thick as a child's arm, struck the bluestone steps with a crisp sound. He Yuzhu, holding the stick, his eyes practically spitting fire, shouted, "Anyone who dares to touch my house, I'll fight them to the death!"

"Whoosh..." He Yuzhu was strong and had learned wrestling, so he wielded the stick with great force. Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly, and even Yi Zhonghai took two steps back imperceptibly.

"He Yuzhu, this courtyard is full of your uncles and elders, how dare you lay a hand on them! Dongxu, call for help... Today I'm bringing He Daqing and He Ping'an to teach you a lesson for disrespecting your elders!"

Yi Zhonghai was clearly prepared. With a wave of his hand, Jia Dongxu and several unfamiliar young men, also carrying wooden sticks, stepped forward and formed a circle, surrounding He Yuzhu in the center…

"Silly Zhu, just vacate the room obediently, and I'll give it back to you after my wife finishes her postpartum confinement. Otherwise..."

The current Jia Dongxu is nothing like the honest and kind-hearted fifteen-year-old; he's practically a second Li Dagang, making He Ping'an shake his head repeatedly.

Even as the situation grew increasingly tense, He Ping'an remained calm. His gaze swept through the crowd, and finally, he spotted the deaf old woman who was trying to approach him at the boundary wall between the middle and back courtyards.

"Old man..." He Ping'an scoffed, his cool voice carrying clearly into the crowd, just like back then.

"Or what should we do, hmm...?"