Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Xu Damao, sporting dark circles under his eyes, arrived at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill early.

He was so excited last night that he couldn't sleep well; his dreams were filled with gold bars and certificates of merit.

However, he wandered around the security office entrance for a long time but didn't see anything happen.

The whistleblower letter has already been sent out.

Logically speaking, the security department or the neighborhood office should have responded first thing this morning, right?

"No, we can't wait any longer!"

"What if the Lou family runs away?"

Xu Damao felt a sense of panic.

He's risked everything, his wife and kids. If he loses this gamble, he's finished.

He steeled himself and stormed into the office of Liu Feng, the head of the security department.

"Section Chief Liu! I have something to report! I have an important matter to report!"

Xu Damao started shouting as soon as he entered the door.

Section Chief Liu, who was drinking tea, was startled and frowned, saying, "Xu Damao?"

"What's wrong with you so early in the morning?"

"Section Chief, I want to report the big capitalist Lou Zhenhua!"

"His house contained a vast amount of gold and silver treasure, as well as records of the coup d'état!"

"And they're planning to flee!"

Xu Damao said urgently.

"Lou Zhenhua? Isn't that your father-in-law?"

Section Chief Liu looked at him suspiciously, "You say there's something going on, but do you have any evidence?"

"Or is there any written documentation?"

"I...I wrote a complaint letter yesterday and put it in the mailbox!"

"Didn't you receive it?" Xu Damao was stunned.

"I haven't received it." Section Chief Liu shook his head. "Words are no proof. What if you're settling a personal score?"

"Oh, my dear section chief! Who cares about letters at a time like this!"

Xu Damao slapped his thigh in desperation, "I swear on my life!"

"I swear on my Party membership! It's absolutely true!"

"That's my father-in-law. How could I not know what's going on in his family?"

"The basement is full of gold! They'll be gone if we wait any longer!"

"Just think, if this were to be discovered, what a huge achievement that would be!"

"That's a model employee from our factory's security department!"

Upon hearing the word "merit," Section Chief Liu was tempted.

The atmosphere has been tense lately, and there have been hints from above that a few typical cases will be targeted.

Lou Zhenhua is a big capitalist registered in Beijing; if he could really find something out...

"Alright! Xu Damao, I'll trust you this once!"

Section Chief Liu slammed his teacup down. "If you dare to play me for a fool, or if the intelligence is wrong..."

"Then you can quit your job as the head of the propaganda department and go clean toilets!"

"Don't worry! It's absolutely right!"

Xu Damao patted his chest and guaranteed it!

......

Ten minutes later.

Two trucks, fully loaded with patrol officers wearing red armbands, drove out of the steel rolling mill in a grand procession.

Xu Damao sat in the passenger seat, pointing out the road with great enthusiasm.

"Lou Xiao'e, don't blame me."

"If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be damned by heaven and earth!"

Soon, the convoy stopped at the gate of the Lou family villa in Dongjiaomin Lane.

"Charge! Seal off the front and back doors!"

Xu Damao was the first to jump off the car, and to show his enthusiasm, he kicked the ornate iron gate.

"Clang!"

The iron gate wasn't locked and was kicked open.

Xu Damao used too much force and almost strained his back.

But ignoring the pain, he roared, "Charge! Ransom them!"

A group of people rushed into the courtyard like wolves and tigers.

However, they were not greeted by panicked servants, nor by mountains of treasure.

It was deathly silent!

The entire villa was quiet; there wasn't even a bird chirping.

Where are they?

Section Chief Liu walked over, his face looking rather grim.

"But...maybe they're hiding inside and too scared to come out!"

Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to say, "Section Chief, please come with me!"

"I know where they hid their things!"

He led his men and rushed into the main hall.

"Don't move... uh?"

He only managed to shout halfway before it got stuck in his throat.

The sight before them made everyone present wonder if they were seeing things.

air!

Utterly empty!

In the huge living room, there was no gold or silver treasure, not even any furniture!

The floor was spotless, the walls were bare, and even the curtains had vanished.

All that's left are the bare window frames.

This is hardly a luxury mansion.

This is even cleaner than an unfinished, bare-bones apartment!

"This...this is the Lou family?"

Section Chief Liu asked with a dark face, "Xu Damao, are you sure you didn't lead us the wrong way?"

"No...that's right."

Xu Damao broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He rubbed his eyes and rushed into the other rooms like a madman.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"They were here yesterday! So much rosewood furniture! So many antique paintings and calligraphy!"

He stormed into the study, bedroom, kitchen...

Every room was spotless.

Forget about anything valuable, you can't even find a scrap of paper or a mouse hole!

"A basement! Yes! There must be a basement!"

"That's a secret vault; it's very difficult to move!"

Xu Damao roared and rushed into the basement with his last glimmer of hope.

But reality gave him the loudest slap in the face.

There was nothing in the basement except air.

Even the dust on the ground seemed to have been swept away.

"what!"

Xu Damao slumped onto the cold cement floor of the basement and screamed in despair.

Gone!

All gone!

What about the gold bars?

What about Yuan Shikai silver dollars?

That was his ladder to promotion and wealth!

How could they vanish overnight?

Even if a moving company came to move this, it would take them three days and three nights, right?

How could it just disappear without a trace?

"Xu Damao!"

Section Chief Liu stood at the basement door, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"Is this the major situation you were talking about?"

"Is this the mountain of gold and silver you've staked your life on?"

"Are you making a fool of our security department?!"

"Section Chief...I...I don't know!"

"It really exists...it really does..."

Xu Damao was incoherent and trembling all over.

Just then.

One of the team members found something on the fireplace mantle in the living room.

That was the only item left in the entire villa.

"Section Chief, there's a letter here!"

"It's for Xu Damao!"

Section Chief Liu took the letter, opened it, and his expression turned strange.

He then threw the letter hard at Xu Damao's face.

"See for yourself!"

Xu Damao picked up the letter with trembling hands.

It's Lou Xiao'e's handwriting:

【Xu Damao, by the time you read this letter, I will have already passed away with my son and parents.】

For the sake of your future, you didn't hesitate to report your own father-in-law, and even betrayed your own son who had just turned one year old.

Your heart is so poisonous, you're worse than an animal!

I, Lou Xiao'e, must be blind to have married you!

From this day forward, we are severing all ties! The child has changed his surname to Lou, and it has nothing to do with you anymore!

Don't you want money? Don't you want to make a name for yourself?

You can keep this empty house as a memento!

"puff!"

After reading the letter, Xu Damao felt his blood rush to his head, his vision went black, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ran?

The whole family ran away?

And he even made his son change his surname to Lou?

Moreover, the contents of this letter were seen by so many security personnel.

Xu Damao's reputation as a beast who "reported his father-in-law for promotion" and "didn't even spare his own son" has been completely confirmed!

"Well done, Xu Damao, you're really something."

Section Chief Liu looked at him with disdain, "He'd do something so utterly depraved just to climb the ladder."

"What a pity, all our efforts were in vain!"

"Take him away! Take him back for questioning!"

"You've been lying about military intelligence and have a terrible work ethic; you can forget about being a team leader!"

Two team members rushed up and lifted Xu Damao up like a dead dog.

Xu Damao stared blankly, muttering to himself, "My son... my official position... my money..."

......

That afternoon.

The news of Xu Damao's dismissal and investigation reached the courtyard house.

Immediately afterwards, he led his men to raid his father-in-law's house, only to find it empty.

The "glorious deed" of his wife running away with the children spread throughout the alley.

"Have you heard? Xu Damao is willing to report even his own son in order to get a government position!"

"What a scoundrel! Even tigers don't eat their cubs!"

"Serves you right! That's karma!"

"Now look what happened! Everything's gone—my wife and kids are gone, and I've lost my job!"

Sha Zhu sat at the door, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

Holding a handful of sunflower seeds, he cracked them open while shouting at Xu Damao, who had just entered the courtyard:

"Oh my! Isn't this Team Leader Xu? What's gotten into him?"

"I heard your son changed his surname? He's not using your surname anymore, Xu?"

"Hahaha! That's it, you're childless again!"

"Xu Juehu! That's a nice name! We'll call him that from now on!"

Xu Damao walked along in a daze, seemingly oblivious to the mockery and insults around him.

He returned home and looked at the family photo on the wall.

In the photo, Lou Xiao'e is holding her child and smiling so sweetly.

"Xiao'e...son..."

He reached out to touch it, but instead touched a cold piece of glass.

"what!"

Xu Damao suddenly grabbed the wine bottle on the table and smashed it against the wall.

The glass shattered, and the photo fell to the ground.

He collapsed to the ground, crying like a mangy dog ​​with a broken spine...

......