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

Late February.

The sky is heavily overcast, a sign that it's going to snow.

The transfer terminal next to the freight station in the east of the city.

This area is connected by railway and waterway to Tianjin, making it the vital gateway for goods entering and leaving Beiping.

He Yuzhu changed his clothes.

He was dressed in a patched-up short outfit, with a black towel draped over his shoulder that was hard to tell what color it was, and his face was covered in coal dust.

Coolies who had just arrived in the city.

Carrying heavy bags.

This job is dangerous, but from this vantage point you can see every single tree and blade of grass on the dock.

He spent three days at the docks.

When they were exhausted from moving and unloading goods, they would squat down against the wall and eat cold cornbread.

But their eyes weren't idle.

He's watching.

Where the guards are strict, vehicles are entering and leaving.

"Hey! You newbie! What are you standing there for? Get to work!"

The foreman's whip lashed against the sack beside him, kicking up a cloud of choking dust.

He Yuzhu quickly lowered his head, picked up a 100-pound bag of rice, and staggered toward the warehouse.

His eyes darted around.

Warehouse No. 5.

The most remote warehouse in the entire dock.

It used to be a Japanese military supply depot, but the receiving official sealed it off.

But these past few days, that place has been eerie.

The rusted iron gate has been repainted.

Thick wooden boards were nailed to the windows, sealing them tightly so that no one could see inside from the outside.

Two more guards appeared at the entrance, both in plainclothes, their waists bulging.

That's a tough one.

Moreover, several American Jeeps would go in every night and not come out until dawn.

Late at night.

The dock was deathly quiet.

Only the pale beams of searchlights swept across the open space.

He Yuzhu huddled behind a mountain of coal.

cold.

The cold air seeped into my flesh through my trouser legs, making my bones ache.

He remained motionless, like a stone.

Keep a close eye on Warehouse No. 5.

Two o'clock in the morning.

A black sedan drove up.

The car headlights were blinding.

The car was parked at the entrance of the warehouse.

The door opened, and several people came down.

Even if the fat man leading the group were reduced to ashes, He Yuzhu would still recognize him.

Section Chief Ma.

He was wearing a thick woolen coat, holding a flashlight in his hand, and waving at the person behind him.

"Hurry up! All of you, hurry up! Mr. William is pressing us!"

Several foreigners in suits got out of the jeep.

Several porters were being forced to carry boxes out at gunpoint.

The box was large, with a red cross and Japanese characters printed on the wooden board.

"Be gentle! That's a microscope! If it breaks, we'll twist your heads off and use them as footballs!"

Section Chief Ma shouted in a low, high-pitched voice.

He Yuzhu held his breath and slowly moved forward.

The coal slag was sharp and hurt my knees.

He moved to a pile of oil drums less than 20 meters from the gate.

At this distance, you can hear someone breathing.

When will this shipment leave?

A foreigner asked, his Chinese was so stiff it was like chewing on a rock.

Section Chief Ma, all smiles, handed him a cigarette.

"Don't worry, Mr. Smith. Everything is arranged."

Section Chief Ma struck a famous match, the light illuminating his greedy face, which gleamed with oil.

"It will be loaded onto the train on the evening of the 25th. At 3 a.m. on the 26th, it will arrive at platform 5 on time. That's a special train, going straight to Tanggu. Your ship is waiting there."

"very good."

The foreigner nodded and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Commissioner Li said that if this matter is resolved, everyone will be better off."

Section Chief Ma chuckled, reached out and patted the foreigner on the shoulder, regardless of whether the foreigner liked it or not.

"That's right, that's right. As long as the US dollars arrive, there's nothing Commissioner Li can't accomplish in Beiping."

He Yuzhu dug his fingers hard into the cold ground.

On the evening of the 25th.

Platform 5.

Two more days.

Just then, a stray cat suddenly jumped down from the top of the oil drum.

Meow~

The cry rang out like thunder in the deathly still night.

"Who?!"

The foreigner suddenly turned around and reached into his robes.

Section Chief Ma was also startled, as the beam of the flashlight swept over him instantly.

The beam of light shone on the oil drum.

He Yuzhu's body reacted the instant the cat meowed.

He suddenly shrank back, pressing himself tightly against the shadow of the oil drum.

He held a lump of coal in his hand.

If we get discovered, we'll have to fight.

The flashlight beam swung around the oil drum a few times.

"Damn it, it's a stray cat."

Section Chief Ma cursed and kicked a pebble away.

"Don't be paranoid. There's not a soul in this place."

The foreigner snorted and withdrew his hand.

"Hurry up and inspect the goods."

The door slammed shut.

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief.

My back was covered in cold sweat, and a gust of wind chilled me to the bone.

I didn't dare to move.

He waited until the group of people left and the sky began to lighten before crawling out from behind the coal pile.

My legs were already numb.

I can't afford to worry about that.

We have to go back.

This intelligence is more important than life itself.

Siheyuan.

When He Yuzhu pushed open the door and entered the house, it was already dawn.

Chen Lanxiang is starting a fire to cook.

Seeing her son covered in coal dust and his face turned blue from the cold, she was startled.

"Zhu Zi, what's wrong with you...?"

"It's nothing, Mom. I wasn't watching where I was going and tripped."

He Yuzhu didn't explain much, but grabbed a large gulp of cold water from the table.

"I have to go out for a bit."

"I haven't eaten yet!"

"I'm not eating anymore."

He Yuzhu turned and left.

We need to go find the shopkeeper.

time is limited.

Switching packages.

This may be the only way.

Forcibly taking it is not an option; that would be suicide.

The only way is to let these greedy guys deliver the goods to the wrong place themselves.

Or, let them ship the counterfeit goods as genuine.

In He Yuzhu's mind, a bold plan was taking shape.

On the system interface, the countdown clock ticked away.

Every second felt like a hammer blow to his heart.