Courtyard House: Ten-year-old Master Zhu reorganizes the entire courtyard

In Lin Wanqiu's basement, the flame of the kerosene lamp burned steadily.

She looked at He Yuzhu.

"Your task is simple," she said. "Take this to a used bookstore called 'Moxianzhai' near the Red Building of Peking University."

She took a cloth bag from under the table and handed it to He Yuzhu.

The cloth bag wasn't big, but it was a bit heavy. Inside were several books.

He Yuzhu took it.

"Give it to the shopkeeper," Lin Wanqiu continued. "Just say: Mr. Lin asked you to repair this book."

"Just this one sentence?"

"Just this one sentence." Lin Wanqiu nodded. "He will give you a reply. Remember his reply and tell me when you get back."

He Yuzhu slung the cloth bag over his shoulder. "When are you delivering it?"

"Tomorrow morning, between nine and eleven o'clock," Lin Wanqiu emphasized. "Don't look inside, don't linger in the bookstore, deliver the book and leave immediately. If you are stopped and questioned on the way, just say you are a student from Yu Ying Middle School, delivering books for your teacher."

She took out a student ID card from Yu Ying Middle School from the drawer and handed it to He Yuzhu. There was no photo on it, only a name and class.

He Yuzhu took it and put it away.

He didn't ask what was in the book.

He didn't ask who the bookstore owner was.

He only remembers the requirements.

"I understand," he said.

Lin Wanqiu looked at him with a hint of approval in her eyes.

"Take the path through the backyard," she said. "Leave here before dawn. Remember, don't come to the clinic again. If anything happens, I'll find a way to contact you."

She gave He Yuzhu another address.

"This is a dead mailbox. If there's an emergency and you can't reach me, write your message on a piece of paper and stuff it into the crack between the bricks of that mailbox."

He Yuzhu wrote down the address.

"Let's go," Lin Wanqiu said.

He Yuzhu nodded. He carried the cloth bag on his back and climbed up the ladder to the cellar.

Lin Wanqiu did not send it.

He pushed open the cellar lid himself and moved the coal back to its original position.

The night was still very dark.

He Yuzhu, like a cat, silently slipped out of the backyard and disappeared into the darkness of the alley.

He did not leave the city directly.

He drove around the city several times.

I'm sure no one is following me.

Then they returned via the same route through the gap in Xizhimen.

As dawn broke, he returned to the dilapidated temple.

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang didn't sleep all night.

Seeing him, their hearts finally settled back down.

"Pillar!"

He Yuzhu went into the temple and took out the medicine that Lin Wanqiu had given him.

"Mother, this is the medicine Dr. Lin gave us. She said it can cure my sister's illness completely."

Chen Lanxiang took the medicine, her hands trembling.

"Is Dr. Lin... alright?"

"It's alright," He Yuzhu said. "She asked me to deliver some things to the city for her tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, He Daqing's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again.

"Going into the city again? Are you out of your mind?!" he growled in a low voice. "The city is so dangerous! You just got back and you want to go again!"

"Father, this is Dr. Lin's instruction." He Yuzhu looked at him. "Dr. Lin saved our family's lives. Now that she's in trouble, I can't ignore it."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Moreover, this is an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"It's an opportunity for us to live a peaceful life," He Yuzhu said calmly. "Dr. Lin is no ordinary person. If we help her, we'll have another path forward in Beiping."

He Daqing fell silent. He couldn't understand what his son was saying.

All he knew was that he was afraid.

Chen Lanxiang spoke up.

"Da Qing, let Zhu Zi go." She looked at He Yuzhu. "Zhu Zi has grown up. He knows what he's doing. We can't hold him back."

He Daqing squatted on the ground, tucking his hands into his hair.

"I...I'm useless..."

He Yuzhu ignored his father's self-blame.

He found a corner, hid the cloth bundle, and then lay down.

He needs rest.

He only slept for three hours.

He woke up promptly at eight o'clock in the morning.

He changed into some decent-looking clothes. Although they were patched, they were clean.

He combed his hair neatly and washed his face with snow water.

The little beggar in the mirror was no longer there.

Instead, he was a handsome young man with clear features and a calm gaze.

He carried a cloth bag on his back.

"I'm leaving."

"Zhu Zi, be careful!" Chen Lanxiang warned.

He Daqing stood up and walked up to him.

"If... if something's not right, throw your things away and run back." His voice was hoarse. "Nothing is more important than you."

"I know," He Yuzhu nodded.

He walked out of the dilapidated temple.

The sun is rising.

The golden light shone on the snow, almost dazzling.

He was much more skilled when he went to the city for the second time.

On the way, he saw several groups of fake police officers checking pedestrians.

He didn't hide.

He held his student ID in his hand and walked over confidently.

The fake policeman saw that he was a child, dressed fairly cleanly, like a student.

I didn't stop him.

He entered the city without incident.

The Peking University Red Building is located on Shatanhou Street.

It's not far away.

But he didn't go directly there.

He deliberately took a detour, passing through Donghuamen Street.

The steel rolling mill is nearby.

He wanted to see.

In the distance, he saw the gate of the steel rolling mill.

Japanese soldiers were standing guard at the entrance.

Several people in work clothes were coming out of there.

He Yuzhu's gaze was fixed on two of them.

One is Yi Zhonghai.

The other one was a Japanese man wearing a wool coat. He looked like a technical supervisor.

Yi Zhonghai walked to the side and slightly behind the Japanese, half a step behind.

He had a smile on his face.

It was that kind of ingratiating smile that He Yuzhu was very familiar with.

The Japanese man took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

He patted his pockets, as if looking for fire.

Yi Zhonghai immediately stopped in his tracks.

He took a box of matches out of his pocket.

He quickened his pace and approached the Japanese man.

He bent down.

Very deep.

It was almost ninety degrees.

He struck a match, cupped his hands together, and lit the Japanese man's cigarette.

The Japanese man took a drag and exhaled a smoke ring.

He patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder and said something.

Yi Zhonghai's smile widened even more.

He straightened up and continued to follow behind the Japanese man, talking.

He Yuzhu stood on the street corner, watching expressionlessly.

He wasn't surprised.

This is Yi Zhonghai.

A person who would bend their back to the dust for their own benefit.

That's how it was in my past life.

This life will be the same.

He looked away and turned to leave.

He is no longer the foolish Zhu who would be morally blackmailed by Yi Zhonghai.

He now looks at Yi Zhonghai as if he were just a passerby.

A roadblock that can be cleared at any time.

He walked to the back street of the beach.

We found "Moxiangzhai".

The shop is small, and the facade is the color of old wood.

The characters on the plaque have faded a bit.

He Yuzhu straightened his clothes and took a deep breath.

He pushed the door open and went in.

The wind chimes rang once.

crisp.