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

Lin Yang nodded in satisfaction and tapped the cigarette in the ashtray.

"If you can see through this, then the hardships you've endured over the past four years haven't been in vain." Lin Yang leaned forward slightly, naturally exuding the aura of authority that came with controlling such a vital national asset.

"The storm has passed. Those clowns who only knew how to cause destruction and shout slogans have been completely crushed by the wheels of history. Next, this country will usher in an unprecedented construction frenzy."

Lin Yang's gaze swept over the two juniors on whom he had placed high hopes.

"Your mission also needs to change. Brute force alone, the ability to drive tanks and dig through saline-alkali land, is not enough to make a good general or a good factory manager. What the country needs most now are knowledgeable talents who understand modern science and high-level command."

"I've already spoken to the higher-ups. The national college entrance examination and military academy admissions will soon be fully restored." Lin Yang's tone left no room for argument. "Starting tomorrow, you two will be studying behind closed doors. Weidong, prepare to apply to the Command Department of the National Defense University. Jianguo, prepare to apply to the Mechanical Engineering Department of Tsinghua University."

"This is an order. If you fail the exam, you'll go back to northern Jiangsu and keep digging!"

"We guarantee to complete the mission!" the two roared in unison, their eyes burning with an unprecedented fighting spirit.

This dialogue about future strategic succession took place in Yuquan Mountain.

In the old city of Beijing, in Nanluoguxiang, at No. 95, a courtyard house.

The atmosphere here, however, was like falling into an ice cave, filled with a deathly stillness and oppression.

At the entrance of the front house, He Daqing, dressed in a clean Zhongshan suit, was sitting in a grand chair, holding a whetstone and sharpening a cleaver.

Beside him were two huge bamboo baskets filled with all sorts of top-quality ingredients that would make your mouth water at first glance.

Liu Haizhong from the Intermediate People's Court was leaning on a broken cane, his back hunched, wandering around the pool like a ghost.

Since the downfall of those radical bigwigs in the city, Liu Haizhong has become a pariah. His son, Liu Guangtian, who became the deputy director of the subdistrict office, has been placed under investigation for corruption. Now, Liu Haizhong has lost his pension and all hope, living in constant fear.

He watched He Daqing sharpening his knife, then looked at the basket of good stuff, and couldn't help but swallow hard, sourly moving closer.

"Old He... are you throwing a banquet? Buying so many nice things, aren't you going to live a frugal life?" Liu Haizhong asked tentatively with a dry smile.

He Daqing stopped sharpening the knife, scraped the blade with his thumb, sneered, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Don't you care about making a living? Old Liu, are your eyes on the top of your head, or have they been eaten by a dog?" He Daqing stood up, wiped the blade with a rag, and said with undisguised arrogance, "Today is the day our institute's true dragons, the two sons of Minister Lin, return triumphantly from their trip to the countryside!"

He Daqing deliberately raised his voice, which echoed throughout the entire courtyard.

"These two young masters have suffered greatly and made great contributions to the country! Today, the head of the Ministry of Heavy Industry personally ordered a welcoming banquet to be held at Yuquan Mountain! My son, Director He, personally sent a car to pick me up to cook! If I, He Daqing, can cook this meal for the Lin family, then even dying will be worthwhile!"

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding loudly in the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

The Lin family's two sons have returned? And in triumph? They're even holding a welcome banquet at Yuquan Mountain?

His mind was buzzing. Years ago, he had mocked Lin Weidong and his group for being exiled to northern Jiangsu, thinking it was retribution and that the Lin family was finally doomed. Who would have thought that they were just hiding in the abyss! Now that the storm has passed, they've soared to new heights!

This absolute overwhelming power, this utter disparity, filled Liu Haizhong with a deep-seated despair. He knew that he would never be able to turn his life around, not even in his next life.

In the backyard, Xu Damao hid behind the door crack, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a sound.

And the Jia family of the Intermediate People's Court.

Qin Huairu sat blankly on the edge of the kang, listening to He Daqing's arrogant voice, tears streaming down her face.

Her fingers, covered in chilblains and calluses, were tightly twisting the hem of her clothes.

She recalled the days when Lin Fan was bullied by Jia Zhangshi in the courtyard, and the years when she herself schemed against others for a few pounds of cornmeal.

Look at the Lin family now—ministers, factory directors, military officers… it's a family she can't even look up to, it's an eyesore. And what about herself? Her home is bare, her son is a cripple, and her mother-in-law is bedridden and curses her every day.

"Retribution...this is all retribution..." Qin Huairu buried her face in her hands, letting out suppressed and miserable sobs. In this tiny courtyard house abandoned by the times, her cries seemed so insignificant.

From the alley entrance came the sound of a jeep horn.

He Yuzhu walked in, dressed in a crisp military officer's uniform, carrying two bars and one star on his shoulders, his back straight.

The two guards behind him quickly stepped forward and helped He Daqing lift the two large baskets of heavy ingredients.

"Dad, is everything ready? The old leaders are almost at Yuquan Mountain, we need to hurry up and prepare!" He Yuzhu said directly to He Daqing without even looking at the trembling neighbors in the yard.

"All complete! These are all top-quality goods!" He Daqing, beaming with pride, followed his son out of the courtyard and into the military jeep that symbolized power and status.

5 PM, Building 6, Jiazi, Yuquanshan.

This normally quiet and solemn Western-style building was now filled with deafening voices and hearty laughter.

One after another, Hongqi sedans and jeeps bearing license plates from the major military region parked outside the gate.

Li Yunlong, dressed in a brand-new general's uniform, was the first to rush through the gate. In his hands were two bottles of aged liquor, covered in mud and with labels weathered beyond recognition.

"Yangzi! I'm here! We have to drink to our hearts' content today!" As soon as Li Yunlong entered the room, he saw Lin Weidong standing in the center of the living room, and his eyes lit up immediately.

He put the wine on the coffee table, strode forward, and punched Lin Weidong directly in the chest.

boom!

The punch was extremely powerful; an ordinary person would probably have been knocked back several steps, but Lin Weidong didn't budge an inch and withstood it without even flinching.

"Good lad! Your stance is as steady as a mountain, and your chest is as hard as an iron plate!" Li Yunlong laughed heartily, circling Lin Weidong twice with obvious delight. "I heard about it all back on the Fujian front. In that muddy swamp of northern Jiangsu, you single-handedly raised a militia and beat those local thugs who came to steal grain from the commune to a pulp! You've got guts!"

"Uncle Li, you flatter me. They were just a bunch of petty thieves, not worth mentioning," Lin Weidong replied respectfully, bowing slightly.