Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Six spies were captured alive, two dead and four wounded. The top-secret blueprints concerning the future of the nation's armored forces lay intact in the safe, not a single scrap of paper missing.

This textbook-level counter-infiltration defense operation greatly shocked the top brass of the Central Security Bureau. This was further compounded by He Yuzhu's consistently outstanding performance in the security work of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, and the unshakeable endorsement of Lin Yang behind him.

The commendation order was issued directly.

He Yuzhu was promoted from a battalion-level security officer to deputy director of the Special Security Division of the Central Security Bureau, enjoying the same treatment as a regimental commander! He was also awarded a second-class merit!

For someone who started as a cook and had once drifted aimlessly in a courtyard house, this was not just a change of fate, it was a complete transformation, stepping into the ranks of the country's true high-ranking generals.

"How are your injuries?" Lin Yang closed the file and asked in a deep voice.

"He got over a dozen stitches at the military general hospital. This kid's bones are really tough; he wanted to pull out the needles and go back to work the next day, but the doctor had to hold him down on the bed," Zhao Lichun said with a smile. "Today should be the day he gets his stitches removed."

Lin Yang nodded, his gaze fixed on the streets of Beijing rushing past the car window.

"He is not only my bodyguard, but also an iron shield for the heavy industry system. This shield must be hard and sharp enough."

Just as Lin Yang's Hongqi sedan was smoothly driving towards the compound of the Ministry of Heavy Industry.

No. 95, Nanluoguxiang, is a courtyard house.

The atmosphere in the courtyard today felt strange. A suffocating, bittersweet feeling, seemed to permeate the air.

At the entrance of the front house in the courtyard, He Daqing stood in the sunlight, wearing a brand-new polyester short-sleeved shirt, crisp navy blue trousers, and polished black leather shoes. He held a purple clay teapot in his hand and stood with a ruddy complexion.

On the stone table beside him lay a bright red certificate of honor and a copy of an appointment letter bearing the national emblem and seal. The director of the subdistrict office had personally delivered it this morning, accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums.

"My goodness, Old He, this is truly incredible luck! A deputy section chief! In the old days, that would be equivalent to a fourth-rank bodyguard!"

A neighbor with whom he usually got along fairly well approached with a big smile, staring at the appointment letter with eyes practically gleaming with greed, as if he wanted to swallow the paper whole.

He Daqing raised an eyebrow smugly, took a sip of the fine tea leaves from the purple clay teapot, and emphasized, "What 'armed bodyguard'? That's a feudal concept. Our Zhuzi is now a steel guardian protecting the secrets of the nation's heavy industry! A sharp dagger in the leader's hand!"

"Yes, yes, the Iron Guardian! Zhu Zi has always looked promising since he was a child, and his martial arts skills are truly impressive!" The neighbor quickly chimed in, showering him with praise.

Meanwhile, at this moment, by the pool in the central courtyard.

Qin Huairu was squatting on the ground washing clothes. Her hands were white from being soaked in the cold well water, and her knuckles were swollen and deformed from years of hard work.

Hearing the laughter and flattery coming from the front yard, she stopped washing her clothes.

A single, murky tear fell silently onto the soap suds in the basin, shattering instantly.

Deputy Director... with the待遇 (treatment/benefits) of a regimental commander...

Qin Huairu felt as if countless dull knives were simultaneously cutting into her heart. She recalled the days when He Yuzhu was just an apprentice in the steel mill canteen, and she had once thought to herself how much better the Jia family's life would be if she could bleed some blood from this foolish Zhu.

But then, Lin Yang returned. He Yuzhu, as if bewitched, followed the Lin family wholeheartedly to the battlefield and to the Great Northwest.

Now, he's a hero who crawled out of a pile of corpses, a high-ranking deputy director with the power of life and death. Meanwhile, Qin Huairu remains in this musty courtyard, washing endless tattered clothes and serving her bedridden, wicked mother-in-law who only curses every day.

If only she had been a little nicer to Lin Fan back then, or hadn't schemed against He Yuzhu, would she be able to benefit from even the slightest bit of his good fortune now?

Unfortunately, the least valuable thing in this world is "if".

backyard.

Liu Haizhong hid behind the door like a turtle, peeking through the crack to see what was happening in the front yard.

His old face was distorted by extreme jealousy and fear.

"Deputy director... How could a simpleton like Zhu, who can only flip a ladle, become a deputy director!" Liu Haizhong roared inwardly, but dared not utter a sound out.

He recalled the time he was severely reprimanded for giving Lin Yang counterfeit Moutai in his attempt to gain an official position. He remembered his attempt to seize power at the steel mill, only to inherit an empty shell and ultimately end up cleaning toilets.

His biggest dream in life was to become an official. But now, not only have the Lin brothers become gods in the clouds that he can never reach, but even He Yuzhu, whom he had never given a second glance, has become a big shot who can crush him at any time.

This sense of loss, more painful than death itself, made Liu Haizhong's chest feel tight, and his throat felt as if it were blocked by a blood-stained rag.

Just then, the roar of a car engine came from the alley entrance.

A brand-new military Beijing Jeep screeched to a halt at the entrance of the courtyard house.

The car door opened.

He Yuzhu, dressed in a well-tailored military uniform with a belt around his waist and heavy leather shoes, strode down the street.

Although his left arm was still wrapped in gauze and hung in front of his chest, the cold, ruthless aura of a superior emanating from him was even more intense than before.

The terrifying aura emanating from someone who had tasted blood on the edge of a knife and personally fought off several armed spies caused the neighbors standing at the gate to instinctively take several steps back, not daring to even breathe.

This is no longer the reckless and foolish Zhu from back then; this is clearly a ferocious beast that has just torn its prey to shreds and is now surveying its territory!

"Zhu Zi!" He Daqing was so excited to see his son return that his old face turned red, and he quickly went to greet him.

"Dad." A smile finally appeared on He Yuzhu's cold and hard face.

He walked into the front yard, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire courtyard like a searchlight.

Yan Bugui was peeking from behind the window when He Yuzhu's gaze swept over him. Startled, he yanked his hand and pulled the curtains shut, afraid of attracting the other's attention.

Qin Huairu kept her head down, frantically rubbing her clothes, not daring to lift her head, as if by not looking, she could hide her extreme inferiority and regret.

He Yuzhu snorted coldly, not taking these clowns seriously at all.

He walked up to He Daqing and lowered his voice, saying, "Dad, I just had my stitches removed at the hospital. News came from the ministry that the leader has returned from his inspection tour of the Northwest."