Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

"How old are you to still be arguing with your own son? People will laugh at you if they find out." Chen Lanxiang reached out and patted He Daqing's arm, her eyes full of helpless smile.

He Daqing stiffened his neck, his face tense, and forced out two words through gritted teeth: "No."

"Still being stubborn?" Chen Lanxiang chuckled, moving closer to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). "Our Zhuzi is more capable than you now, and instead of being happy, you're jealous as his father?"

"Alright, alright, stop nagging and go to sleep!" He Daqing, having his secret exposed, simply pulled the blanket over his head, looking like he didn't want to talk anymore.

"Alright, alright, go to sleep, don't make Master He angry." Chen Lanxiang smiled and shook her head, put down the pillow in her hand, lay down and turned off the light.

As night deepened, the courtyard was quiet, save for the chirping of insects in the corner. He Yuzhu lay in his small room, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. His family was dirt poor; they couldn't even find a decent newspaper, let alone a radio. They relied entirely on word of mouth from neighbors for news from the outside world, leading a mundane and isolated life.

He stayed quietly at home, helping his mother with chores every day, or sitting in the yard basking in the sun. He looked like an ordinary alley boy, and no one knew what amazing skills were hidden in this young body.

Not long after, a piece of news that shook the entire city of Beijing resounded like a thunderclap in every street and alley—the war against the foreign enemy had been won! The Japanese devils had surrendered!

The moment the news reached the courtyard, the streets erupted in deafening cheers. The sounds of gongs, drums, firecrackers, and shouts from the people mingled together, and the whole country was immersed in the ecstasy of victory.

A cold glint flashed in He Yuzhu's eyes, and his long-dormant sharpness was fully revealed.

After the Japanese surrendered, the patrolmen who used to swagger around the streets disappeared completely, and those traitors who had sided with the Japanese became like stray dogs, not daring to even raise their heads when they saw him, posing no threat whatsoever.

He Yuzhu had been waiting for this opportunity.

Under the cover of night, he moved like a ghost through the streets and alleys of Beijing, his target being the major banks and foreign firms in the city. These places were usually controlled by the Japanese and traitors, hiding countless treasures of gold and silver. Now that they were leaderless, it was the perfect time for him to strike.

With a swift movement, He Yuzhu silently scaled the bank's high walls, bypassing all remaining guards, and pried open the heavy vault door.

Inside the vault, gold bars, silver coins, and jewels were piled up like mountains, dazzling to behold. He Yuzhu's eyes were indifferent as he waved his hand, taking away all the valuables and leaving only a mess behind.

He deliberately stuffed the Japanese military scrip, cherry blossom coins, and leftover straw and rotten vegetable leaves from the fields into the vault, filling it to the brim so that there was no room to even step. After doing all this, he vanished into the night, leaving those who arrived later with an unsolved mystery.

In just a few days, he emptied out most of the banks and high-end foreign firms in Beijing.

Next, he set his sights on the traitors in the detective team who aided and abetted the evildoers. These people routinely acted as accomplices to the wicked, harming their compatriots, and their hands were stained with the blood of ordinary people. Naturally, He Yuzhu would not let them go.

He sneaked into the detective team's hideout late at night, grabbed several leaders like chickens, twisted their arms behind their backs, and terrified them with his cold eyes.

"Tell me! Where do all the major traitors in the city live? If you don't, I'll send you to the underworld to keep the Japanese company today!" He Yuzhu's voice was cold and carried an undeniable murderous intent.

Those spineless detectives couldn't withstand such intimidation and immediately spilled the beans about all the traitors' residences and assets.

Having obtained the information, He Yuzhu embarked on a smooth and efficient journey of eliminating traitors and moving house.

They stormed into the traitor's residence, first dealing with those wicked collaborators and their lackeys, ridding the people of a scourge, and then confiscating all the wealth, gold, silver, valuables, grain, and cloth they had plundered from the people. The entire process was swift and clean, leaving no trace.

It wasn't until the regular army from outside the city marched into the city in a grand procession that He Yuzhu finally withdrew all his sharpness and returned to being the obedient and sensible young man of the He family. He stayed in the courtyard every day, never leaving the inner courtyard, and settled down completely.

That evening, He Daqing returned from outside carrying his tools, his face showing a complex expression. As soon as he entered the house, he lowered his voice and said, "The city is about to change. The people over there are about to officially take over Beijing. Now, the streets and alleys are preparing for the welcoming ceremony, and banners and slogans are being hung everywhere."

Chen Lanxiang walked over with a bowl of water, frowned upon hearing this, and said, "What does this have to do with us ordinary folks? We just need to live our own lives."

He Yuzhu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), saying nothing, but he understood everything perfectly.

Seeing that his wife and children weren't interested, He Daqing stopped talking, sighed, and sat down to smoke. He knew in his heart that these major events of dynastic change were never something for ordinary people like them to interfere with; living a peaceful and stable life was the only true principle.

A few days later, the army's entry into the city was a grand affair, with gongs and drums resounding and firecrackers exploding, making the entire city of Beijing bustling with excitement. But not a single person in the courtyard went out to join the festivities.

Yi Zhonghai stayed home and refused to come out. Jia Zhangshi peeked through the crack in the door a couple of times before quickly retreating back inside. Even Xu Damao, who usually loved to join in the fun, obediently stayed inside. In their eyes, this commotion had nothing to do with them, and getting into trouble would be a loss they couldn't afford.

On the other hand, the people in charge of taking over the Japanese assets were completely dumbfounded.

They rushed to various banks and foreign firms, ready to take over the remaining assets, but when they opened the door, they were stunned – the place was completely empty. There was no gold or silver treasure, not even a decent copper ingot. All that was left was a pile of useless military notes and straw, which reeked of foul odors.

The team leader, his face ashen, grabbed a nearby remaining puppet official and demanded sternly, "Where did the things here go?!"

The puppet official trembled with fear, stammering, "N-weren't it your people who entered the city and moved things away beforehand? In the days before they entered the city, masked men were coming and going from these places every day, and we all thought they were our own people!"

"Our people?" The person in charge's pupils dilated, and he flew into a rage. "Our team only officially entered the city today. When did they come to move things ahead of time?!"

"It was during those first few days after the news of the surrender broke!"

This completely enraged the recipient, who immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

But no matter how much we searched, we couldn't find a way to investigate.

When the Japanese were still in the city, the intelligence organization was suppressed to the point of being fragmented, leaving only a handful of people who couldn't find any useful information. They then turned their suspicions to the underground Communist Party and the gangs in the city, sending people to search every house and every inch of the place to find clues.

For a time, the entire city of Beijing was filled with panic.

These people were even more greedy and domineering than the surrendered Japanese soldiers. They not only plundered money, but also took the people's houses and furniture. If anyone disobeyed, they would beat and kick them. Many families were ruined and killed. The people in the city wished they could escape this place of trouble as soon as possible.

A few days later, the plunderers found their way to the entrance of the courtyard house.

Several men in uniforms kicked open the courtyard gate menacingly, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Come out! Submit for inspection! Anyone found hiding Japanese assets will be severely punished!"

The people in the courtyard were trembling with fear. Yi Zhonghai hid in the house, not daring to utter a sound. Jia Zhangshi held Jia Dongxu tightly, not daring to breathe.

At this critical moment, Xu Fugui rushed over. Relying on Boss Lou's name, he quickly took out a few silver dollars and stuffed them into the bank, smiling obsequiously and saying, "Gentlemen, we are all neighbors, just honest people. Please accept this small gift and have a cup of tea. Please be lenient."

The group of men weighed the silver dollars in their hands, glanced at the Lou family's influence behind Xu Fugui, and then left, grumbling and cursing.

Even so, the people in the courtyard were terrified. If Xu Fugui hadn't intervened, every household in the courtyard would have been skinned alive, and having their property confiscated would have been the least of their worries.

During this period, Yi Zhonghai also completely quieted down.

He used to love bossing people around in the courtyard, acting like the patriarch, but now he stays cooped up at home every day after get off work, never venturing out. Later, the people in the courtyard wentssip and learned that his so-called godfather's business was deeply involved with the Japanese and traitors, and he was currently under strict investigation. Yi Zhonghai was in dire straits himself, so he had no time to care about the affairs of the courtyard.

With the turmoil subsiding, He Yuzhu stayed alone in the room, his gaze falling on the invisible panel in front of him, his pupils slightly contracting.

The intelligence he sent earlier has been successfully carried out by both sides, and the operation has been a great success.

The next second, a clear notification popped up on the panel: Mission complete, special reward cannot be issued! The two radios that received the message have been retained, awaiting the host's next intelligence report!

Upon seeing this line of text, He Yuzhu was instantly paralyzed.

Are the radios still there? But now that the Japanese have surrendered and the situation is settled, these two radios are probably no longer needed.

What frustrated him even more was that both sides gave him the highest level of merit, but he couldn't claim it at all!

The merits earned by the Kuomintang were irrelevant; even if one obtained them, decades later they would only be objects to boast about, utterly useless. But the merits earned on the other side were something that could save one's life in a critical moment! To have them wasted like this left He Yuzhu extremely frustrated.

Ever since the Japanese surrendered, He Yuzhu has been busy, secretly cleaning up traitors and plundering assets, while also planning a major event—stockpiling supplies.

These days, money is worthless; only tangible things like grain, cloth, and kerosene are the foundation for a stable life.

Before He Yuzhu could even speak, He Daqing approached him, pulled him inside, and closed the door with a serious expression.

"Zhu Zi, tell your father the truth, were those things that happened in the city recently related to you?" He Daqing stared into his son's eyes, his tone grave.

He Yuzhu looked up at his father, neither confirming nor denying, but simply said, "Dad, some things are better left unsaid. I'm just asking you, do you want our family to never have to worry about food or clothing again, and to be able to live peacefully no matter how the world changes?"

He Daqing was startled. Looking at his son's determined eyes, he instantly understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

He remained silent for a long time, then slapped his thigh hard: "I want to! I dream about it! I'm useless in this life, letting you, your mother, and your sister suffer. As long as my family can live a better life, I'll do anything!"

"Then listen to me, let's dig a secret room and stockpile supplies," He Yuzhu said in a deep voice.

After a private discussion, the father and son finalized all the plans.

The next morning, He Daqing instructed Chen Lanxiang: "Go and ask the old lady in the courtyard if there are any secret rooms in this old courtyard where things are hidden. The world is not peaceful, we need to prepare some backup plans."

Chen Lanxiang nodded, put down her needle and thread, and turned to walk into the old lady's room.

The old lady was old and knowledgeable. She usually sat in the house basking in the sun, watching people come and go in the yard. She was very clear-headed.

Chen Lanxiang smiled and leaned closer, asking softly, "Grandma, I have a question for you. Does our old courtyard house have any hidden rooms or secret compartments?"

The old lady raised her eyelids slightly and slowly said, "Yes, there is, but the old man has been living inside for a long time, so there's no room left."

Chen Lanxiang's heart tightened, and she asked again, "Where is the secret room? What important things are kept inside? Can we move it?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Anyway, that place is unusable." The old lady waved her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Seeing this, Chen Lanxiang dared not ask any further questions and had no choice but to give up.

To everyone's surprise, the old lady became interested and turned to look at her: "Lanxiang, why are you suddenly asking this? Is there something important you're hiding at home?"

Chen Lanxiang was prepared and replied with the story the family had agreed on: "It's not anything particularly important, it's just that the cellar is too shallow and not safe. The Qing Dynasty is thinking of storing some food and supplies, and is afraid that they will be robbed, so they want to find a safe place to put them."

Upon hearing this, the old lady raised an eyebrow and immediately patted the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "Are you short of money? This old woman has been eating and living in your house for so long, and has troubled you quite a bit. Count me in for the money to stockpile supplies!"

Chen Lanxiang quickly waved her hand: "No need, no need, ma'am. We have our own money. We'll ask you for help when we really need more."

"Alright, remember that. If you need money, just tell me. I've managed to save up a bit of money in my life," the old lady instructed.

"Okay, I got it," Chen Lanxiang replied.

The old lady then asked slowly, "Have you decided where to dig the secret room yet?"

"Since we can't use the secret room in your house, we plan to dig one in our own room," Chen Lanxiang said truthfully after thinking for a moment.

"Alright." The old lady nodded, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes. "When you're digging, bring the rainwater to my room to stay, so you don't make too much noise and get noticed. If it's easy to dig, you might as well dig a small one in my room too. It's safer to spread things out than to put everything in one basket."

Chen Lanxiang's eyes lit up, and she thanked him repeatedly, "You're so thoughtful, thank you so much!"

After returning home, Chen Lanxiang relayed the old lady's words to He Daqing and He Yuzhu verbatim.

He Daqing immediately made the decision: "Let's do as the old lady says!"

Without hesitation, He Daqing took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and ran all over the east and west courtyards, secretly finding several thick round logs. Under the cover of night, he carried them back to the main house to be used as supporting beams for the secret room.

In order to avoid being discovered by the people in the yard, they could only dig secretly during the day and work harder at night.

During the day, Chen Lanxiang and He Yuzhu, armed with small hoes and shovels, dug little by little in the house, moving slowly and carefully, afraid to make too much noise. At night, He Daqing would return, take the tools, and start digging all night long. The father and son took turns, working tirelessly.

During that time, everyone in the courtyard was busy with their own things, and no one noticed the commotion inside the He family's house.

On the day the Japanese officially surrendered, the He family's secret chamber was finally dug—a large space measuring four meters long, four meters wide, and two meters high, enough to store a massive amount of supplies.

Under the cover of night, He Daqing and He Yuzhu secretly scattered the excavated soil little by little into the garden in the corner of the yard, filling the land and leaving no trace.

After the He family's secret room was completed, they immediately began digging into the old lady's room.

Considering safety and secrecy, the old lady's secret room wasn't dug that big, only two meters square, small and hidden, perfect for hiding things.

The family of three breathed a sigh of relief the moment the entire secret room was dug out.

That evening, He Yuzhu called his parents together and got straight to the point: "We have the secret room now, the next step is to buy supplies. Give us all the money you have, and I'll take care of it."

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang exchanged a glance and then rummaged through all their savings. Silver dollars, copper coins, and loose banknotes were piled up on the kang (a heated brick bed), but even when added up, they didn't amount to much.

Chen Lanxiang counted three times, her face turning pale: "Zhuzi, that's all. All our belongings are here."

He Yuzhu glanced at it and frowned slightly: "Not enough, far from it, at least a hundred silver dollars short."

One hundred silver dollars was no small sum at the time; it was equivalent to several years' income for an average family.

Chen Lanxiang's heart clenched. She clutched her meager savings tightly in her hand, her palms sweating. She gritted her teeth and stood up: "Wait here, I'll go find the old lady and see if she can help."

She hurried into the old lady's room, blushing as she recounted the whole story.

After listening, the old lady turned around and took out a small box wrapped in oilcloth from a hidden spot in the stove hole. When she opened it, she found three small yellow croakers neatly arranged inside, gleaming and quite substantial.

"Take it, let me know if you need more." The old lady stuffed the small yellow croaker into Chen Lanxiang's hand, her tone firm.

Holding the small yellow croaker, Chen Lanxiang was almost in tears: "Grandma, this...this is too precious..."

"We're family, why are you being so formal?" The old lady waved her hand. "Zhu Zi is a capable boy, you can't go wrong listening to him."

Chen Lanxiang thanked them profusely, took the small yellow croaker back into the house, took a deep breath and looked at He Yuzhu: "We've raised enough money, Zhuzi, can you negotiate with them to exchange money for goods? This is all our savings, and also the old lady's retirement money, we can't be careless in the slightest."

He Yuzhu was in a dilemma.

These supplies weren't bought at all; they were looted from banks and traitors' homes. There were no sellers involved, and it was a cash-on-delivery transaction, so there was no question of it being a legitimate business.

But he couldn't tell the truth, so he had to bite the bullet and lie: "They ship privately, and they have strict rules. They won't ship until they receive full payment, so there's nothing I can do."

Chen Lanxiang looked at all the family's possessions on the kang (a heated brick bed), along with the three heavy little yellow croakers, and trembled with heartache. This was the culmination of her and He Daqing's life's work, as well as the old lady's savings. If it were all handed over like this, and went down the drain, the whole family would starve.

She hesitated, her face pale, unable to make up her mind for a long time.

Just then, the old lady walked in, leaning on her cane. Seeing Chen Lanxiang's conflicted expression, she immediately made the final decision: "Take it! Give all the money to Zhuzi! Even if we really lose money, this old woman will support your whole family! Daqing has a skill, he can still earn a living, he won't go hungry!"

The old lady's words reassured Chen Lanxiang.

She gritted her teeth, pushed all the money and small yellow croakers in front of He Yuzhu, and with tears in her eyes, urged him, "Zhuzi, be very careful, you absolutely can't make any mistakes, we can't afford to lose this money!"

"Don't worry." He Yuzhu nodded, put the money away, and then pretended to go out for a stroll, as if to contact the seller.

Half an hour later, He Yuzhu returned home and said in a deep voice, "It's settled. We'll receive the goods promptly at midnight tonight."

He Daqing then realized that his son had spent all the family's savings. Heartbroken, he gasped for breath, grabbed He Yuzhu's arm, and cried out, "You little brat! Who did you give all the money to? Who was the seller? Where did the transaction take place? Tell me clearly!"

He Yuzhu naturally wouldn't say anything, but simply shook off his hand: "Dad, don't ask what you shouldn't ask. You'll know when you see it tonight."

He Daqing stared at his son, his eyes filled with anxiety and anger, and a hint of greed hidden in them. That was all the hard-earned money he had worked so hard to earn, and his son had squandered it all. He wanted nothing more than to give this spendthrift son a good beating.

But since things had come to this, he could only patiently wait until midnight.

In the stillness of the night, everyone in the courtyard was fast asleep, and even the sound of the night watchman's gong had disappeared into the darkness.

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang were woken up by He Yuzhu, and the family of three tiptoed to a corner of the east courtyard.

The scene before them froze them in place, their mouths agape in shock, speechless for a long time.

The once empty corner was now piled up as high as a small mountain!

Several large porcelain jars, each about half a person's height, were neatly arranged, and several heavy solid wooden crates were packed tightly together, their contents unknown. In addition, there were piles of all kinds of supplies: white rice, golden flour, barrels of sesame oil, cured meat, salted fish, eggs, canned goods, milk powder, fine cloth, cotton, kerosene... as far as the eye could see.

Chen Lanxiang collapsed to the ground, then scrambled to her feet, reaching out to touch the bags of rice, tears streaming down her face: "They're back, they're all back... Our money wasn't wasted, it wasn't wasted..."

The anxiety that had gripped her all day finally subsided. If she had truly squandered all the family's wealth, she would have no face to face the old lady, no face to face this family.

He Daqing was completely dumbfounded. He reached out and patted his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

He had lived most of his life and had never seen so many supplies! At market prices, the money they spent wouldn't even buy a tenth of these things!

He stared blankly at He Yuzhu, his mind racing with speculation—this wasn't buying anything, it was clearly getting a huge bargain! Most likely, after the Japanese surrendered, those merchants were rushing to make a quick getaway, clearing out their stock at any cost, and his son had stumbled upon it!

Thinking of this, He Daqing's heartache vanished instantly, replaced by ecstatic joy. He couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear: "Worth it! So worth it! Zhu Zi, you're really something! Really something!"

He even forgot that he had just been feeling sorry for the money, and kept patting He Yuzhu on the shoulder, his face full of pride.

The family of three dared not delay and began moving supplies under the cover of night.

They worked from 10 p.m. until almost dawn, all night long, without anyone closing their eyes or complaining of being tired.

He Daqing carried a large box with great speed; Chen Lanxiang carried cloth and grain, shuttling back and forth; He Yuzhu was strong and carried the heaviest jars and wooden boxes.

The three of them were sweating profusely from their work, but their faces were beaming with happy smiles.

What puzzled He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang even more was that there was no door in this corner of the east courtyard. How did all these massive supplies appear out of thin air?

They asked He Yuzhu several times, and He Yuzhu just smiled faintly and said, "It doesn't matter where it came from, as long as it works."

The father, mother, and son worked together seamlessly, asking no further questions and focusing solely on moving the items.

The He family's large, four-meter-square secret room was quickly filled to the brim, leaving not a single gap.

They then hurriedly moved the remaining supplies into the old lady's secret room, and before long, the old lady's secret room was completely filled.

Even so, there were still a lot of lightweight supplies left over, such as cloth, canned goods, and milk powder. There was really nowhere to put them, so they had to be temporarily piled up in the old lady's room, stacked neatly.

As dawn approached, all the supplies were finally moved.

The old lady got up early, went into the house and saw the mountain of supplies, her cloudy eyes instantly lit up.

She slowly turned her head and gave He Yuzhu a meaningful look, her eyes filled with knowing understanding, but she didn't say a word from beginning to end, only nodding slightly.

He Yuzhu met the old lady's gaze, nodded slightly, and they understood each other without saying a word.

Standing at the door of the secret room, He Daqing looked at the room full of supplies and danced with joy, muttering to himself, "That's enough! Enough to eat for years! These days, money is just a piece of paper; only food and clothing are real! Our family will never have to worry about going hungry again!"