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

August 15, 1945, a day that will be recorded in history.

The pent-up public opinion in Beiping, suppressed for eight years, was about to erupt. And today, this lid would be completely lifted by a tremendous external force.

The atmosphere in the courtyard of Rongxian Hutong was the same as usual.

He Yuzhu was squatting by the well in the yard, helping his mother, Chen Lanxiang, wash clothes. His movements were neither fast nor slow, and his small body exuded a composure beyond his years. He knew what would happen today; he had mentally rehearsed it countless times, but on the surface, he was still that obedient and sensible ten-year-old child.

As Chen Lanxiang wrung out her clothes, she rambled on about everyday things: "...Your dad, too, drank a bit too much again last night, and he still has a headache this morning. I don't know when this world will end." Between her brows was the sorrow and resilience that mothers of that era shared.

He Yushui was chasing a grasshopper nearby, giggling.

10:00 AM.

Without warning, a piercing radio wave sharply shattered the deathly silence of Beiping.

At the same time, every shop, trading company, and even some well-connected household on the street broadcast the same male voice with a heavy accent and a deep, melancholic tone—the Japanese Emperor Hirohito's imperial rescript on the termination of the war.

At first, the people on the street were stunned.

They couldn't understand the difficult Japanese, but the unprecedented atmosphere of desolation and impending doom in the air stimulated everyone's nerves.

silence.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire city; time seemed to stand still.

Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds...

Beside someone's radio, a man who understood Japanese shouted in a trembling voice, his voice hoarse with effort:

"They surrendered! The Japanese... they surrendered!!"

"The Emperor...read...a surrender document! Unconditional surrender!!"

boom!!!

Everyone's mind went blank.

That brief silence was shattered in an instant. Immediately afterwards, a torrent that had been building up for eight, even fourteen years, erupted from every corner and every pore of the city!

"We've won—!!"

A middle-aged man in a long gown suddenly threw the newspaper in his hand into the air, then knelt on the ground and wailed, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab heavily with a dull thud.

"Mother! Did you hear that?! We won!!"

A young apprentice rushed out of the shop and screamed with all his might in the direction of home, his face covered in tears and snot.

"Let's drive the Japanese away!!"

The children screamed, laughed, and ran wildly through the street.

Someone lit the firecrackers first, and the crackling and popping sounds filled the air. In an instant, the entire city of Beiping was engulfed in the deafening roar of firecrackers. People smashed open dusty boxes, took out the things they had kept for the New Year, and expressed their ecstatic joy in the most intense way.

Cries, laughter, shouts, and firecrackers... all intertwined, forming a victory symphony.

In the courtyard of Rongxian Hutong, the clothes in Chen Lanxiang's hands fell into the basin of water with a "plop," splashing water that soaked her clothes. She listened blankly to the sound coming from outside, covered her mouth in disbelief, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Pillar... I... I didn't hear wrong, did I?" Her voice was trembling uncontrollably.

He Yuzhu stood up, walked to his mother's side, gently took her cold hand, and nodded emphatically: "Mom, you heard me right. We won, we won."

Upon receiving confirmation from her son, Chen Lanxiang could no longer hold back her tears. She hugged He Yuzhu tightly. This woman, who had worried about her husband and children countless nights, this woman who had supported her family on her shoulders, burst into tears at this moment.

Startled by the sudden commotion and her mother's cries, He Yushui burst into tears as well.

Chen Lanxiang laughed and cried at the same time. While wiping away her tears, she hugged her youngest daughter into her arms, and the family held each other tightly.

The joy of victory is so real, yet so illusory.

He Yuzhu held his mother and sister, feeling their warmth and trembling. Memories from his past life and emotions from this life merged completely at that moment. He wanted to cry, laugh, and shout out loud.

But he can't.

Because his brain, already caught in that tidal wave of ecstasy, had begun to operate at lightning speed with absolute calm.

Chaos is the best cover.

This period of disorder presents the best opportunity to seize advantages.

The Japanese army retreated, the puppet regime collapsed, and the Kuomintang officials taking over were still on their way... This short time gap was enough to accomplish so much.

Just then, a soft, rhythmic knocking came from the back door. Three long knocks followed by two short knocks—the highest level of emergency communication signal.

He Yuzhu gently patted his mother's back and said softly, "Mom, I'll go take a look."

He walked to the back door and peered through the crack. A courier disguised as a street vendor stood there anxiously, his eyes sharp and incongruous with the city's revelry.

He Yuzhu opened the door.

The courier handed over a rolled-up piece of paper and said in a low voice, "It's the shopkeeper's order, it's extremely urgent."

After saying that, he blended into the celebrating crowd on the street and disappeared.

He Yuzhu unfolded the note, which contained only one line of text. The handwriting was strong and exuded an aura of decisiveness and ruthlessness.

After reading it, he held the note up to the stove fire in the kitchen and watched it turn to ashes.

Beneath the wave of euphoria, new undercurrents are beginning to stir. A war for the victors is about to begin.