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

He Yuzhu carried the basket down into the cellar.

Under dim lighting.

Rows of neatly stacked cabbages, radishes, and potatoes lay quietly, representing the only hope that every household in the courtyard could have for the winter.

"Want some leafy greens? You'll have to wait until next spring."

He Yuzhu sighed.

I casually picked up a crisp cabbage, two large radishes, and a few potatoes.

Back in the kitchen, he quickly got to work.

Heat the pan, then scoop in a spoonful of snow-white lard.

With a sizzling sound, the rich aroma of oil instantly filled the air.

He first stewed a radish and potato dish, which had a rich and flavorful broth.

I also stir-fried some cabbage with vinegar. As soon as it was cooked, the sour and spicy flavor hit me right in the head, whetting my appetite.

Hearing the commotion from inside the house, the deaf old lady curiously shuffled her small feet toward the kitchen doorway.

"Wow, that's some knife work!"

The old lady's eyes lit up.

Looking at the evenly cut potato shreds on the cutting board, as if measured with a ruler, and the uniformly sized radish chunks, he couldn't stop smiling.

"My grandson has really made something of himself! His skills are even better than his father's! Looks like Grandma's in for a treat today!"

The old lady happily went back to her room, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and waited.

Before long, two steaming hot dishes were served.

"Try it, old lady."

He Yuzhu kindly handed over the chopsticks.

The old lady took a bite, chewed it carefully, and nodded repeatedly.

"Hmm! Not bad, not bad! Although it's still a little less refined than your father's, the flavor is definitely presentable! It's about 50% similar!"

"The main problem is the lack of content."

He Yuzhu muttered to himself as he ate his rice.

"If you add some pork belly to this stew, or sprinkle some dried shrimp to enhance the flavor, the taste will be elevated to another level."

"Alright, stop being so ungrateful."

Chen Lanxiang smiled and tapped her son's bowl.

"These days, being able to eat a hot dish of stir-fried vegetables with lard is already like celebrating the New Year."

The atmosphere at the Jia family's house next door was completely different.

Jia Zhangshi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching a hard cornbread in her hand, her nose twitching as she sniffed the aroma of lard wafting from the other side of the wall.

"That damn cook...what a spendthrift!"

She took a bite of the bland, boiled radish. The radish was only salty and had two drops of sesame oil on it. How could it compare to the domineering aroma of the He family's lard?

She grew angrier the more she thought about it, and began to hurl insults at him.

"He has good food but doesn't share it with his neighbors. He's heartless! Dongxu is still growing, and he just stands by and watches?"

"Mother, I want to eat meat..."

Jia Dongxu sniffled, staring longingly at the wall, as if he could see the He family's meat and vegetables through it.

"Hmph, Mother doesn't have the money to buy it."

Madam Jia's eyes darted around, revealing a calculating glint, and she reached out and poked her son on the forehead.

"But why don't you go play with that silly Zhu this afternoon? Doesn't he always listen to you? Go and sweet-talk him and ask him to steal some treats from home for you. He's so silly, he'll definitely agree."

"Okay! I'll go right away!"

Upon hearing that there was meat to eat, Jia Dongxu immediately perked up.

"Come back! Eat this cornbread first!"

Jia Zhangshi shouted angrily.

After lunch, He Yuzhu took the old lady back to the backyard, washed the dishes, and then climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

He lay on his side, watching his mother breastfeed his younger sister (though there wasn't much milk). After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Mother, um... who exactly is Madam? I feel like everyone in this courtyard is quite afraid of her?"

Chen Lanxiang paused, looking at her son in surprise.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who's afraid of her? This courtyard was originally the old lady's ancestral property. We are all tenants. It's only right that we respect our elders."

He Yuzhu clearly didn't believe it. His eyes darted around, and he asked again, "Then why does she only call me 'eldest grandson'? She's not this affectionate with anyone else."

Chen Lanxiang put the child down, her eyes becoming complicated. She stared at her son for a long time, as if trying to determine if he knew something.

"Zhu'er,"

She lowered her voice and gently stroked her son's hair.

"Tell me honestly, did you hear anyone gossiping in the yard? Or... did you discover something?"

"No, no!"

He Yuzhu quickly shook his head, pretending to be innocent and naive.

"I was just curious because I noticed that the old lady treated our family exceptionally well, unlike how she treated other families."

Chen Lanxiang remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering her words.

In the end, she just sighed and said, "Alright, stop asking nonsense. Just remember to treat her like your own grandmother, and you can't go wrong. You'll understand some things when you grow up."

"oh."

He Yuzhu nodded obediently, but he knew perfectly well what was going on—it seemed that the deaf old lady's identity was indeed not simple, and his mother was afraid that he would let something slip.

The mother and son chatted for a few more minutes, then He Yuzhu pretended to be sleepy and drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was already dark.

The room was lit by a dim kerosene lamp.

He Daqing was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his brows furrowed, whispering to Chen Lanxiang in a very low voice.

"Honey, keep a close eye on Zhuzi these next few days, and make sure he doesn't run away."

There was a hint of barely perceptible fear in He Daqing's voice.

"Did you know? Something happened the other day in Dongtangzi Hutong, where Zhuzi went to get the doctor!"

"I heard that several Japanese soldiers died! Martial law is in effect over there now, and the Japanese devils are searching people from house to house. Who knows, they might search our courtyard house any day now."

"ah?!"

Chen Lanxiang turned pale with fright and covered her mouth.

"Someone died? Then...is Dr. Lin alright? We still owe him two lives!"

"Who knows?"

He Daqing sighed, his face full of worry.

"It's surrounded like an iron barrel over there, there's no way to get in. Hopefully, good luck will come to them... What kind of world is this? It's so hard to be a good person."

"Can't you think of a solution?"

Chen Lanxiang became anxious.

"Even spending money to smooth things over would be helpful."

"I'm just a cook, where do I get such a big deal?"

He Daqing shook his head with a wry smile.

"My legs tremble when I see those Japanese. Those beasts kill without blinking an eye."

"Why……"

He Yuzhu, who was hiding under the covers, listened to all of this and his heart skipped a beat.

His consciousness sank into the system space, and he frowned as he looked at the three frozen corpses in the corner.

The trouble is big.

If three Japanese soldiers go missing, the Japanese will definitely go on a crazy search throughout the city.

If the body is kept in the system, it will become a hidden danger sooner or later.

But if it were dumped in a civilian area, the nearby residents would definitely suffer if it were discovered.

The best way is to dump the bodies in the dens of traitors or in Japanese territory, and let them fight amongst themselves.

The problem is, he's only ten years old, still a teenager, and he'll attract attention wherever he goes.

He didn't know the way at all, let alone find any den of traitors.

Just as I was worrying, a notification suddenly popped up on the system panel:

[Ding! Emergency mission triggered!]

[Mission Objective: To prevent innocent civilians from being implicated, please move the bodies of the Japanese soldiers to the designated location tonight.]

[Destination: Beiping Police Station (Qianmen Public Security Street)]

[Reward: Physique Enhancement Agent x1.]

"Police station?"

He Yuzhu felt a sense of relief, but then gave a wry smile.

Although it's better than going to the military police headquarters, the police station is still a den of dragons and tigers.

However, in order to earn the reward and to prevent the neighbors from suffering, this mess must be wade through.

"Zhu Zi is awake? If you're awake, get up and eat."

He Daqing's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Why."

He Yuzhu responded and got up to put on his shoes.

"You little rascal, you really can eat and sleep a lot," He Daqing said with a laugh, looking at his son.

"If your father weren't a chef, I really wouldn't be able to afford to feed you, you little glutton."

"Does this count as a big eater?"

He Yuzhu rolled his eyes and thought to himself.

You haven't seen a real competitive eater; I'm nothing compared to them.

"What do you mean by my son?"

Chen Lanxiang immediately defended her son.

"You go out to earn money, isn't it to support us, your mother and children?"

"Okay, okay, yes, yes, yes."

He Daqing was delighted.

"This money I earn is for you guys. Sigh, what a life of toil. Zhu Zi, go to the kitchen and boil some water! We're lucky today, got some good stuff, let's stew a chicken too!"

"Okay!"

He Yuzhu entered the kitchen, glanced around, and noticed a string of cured meat hanging next to the dresser, and a dozen or so extra eggs in the drawer.

It seems this is what He Daqing gained from going out "on business" today.

He Daqing took the chicken to the yard to kill it. It was unusually quiet today. Jia Zhangshi didn't come out to cause trouble—probably because it was too cold and the old woman was huddled inside to keep warm.

Jia Dongxu did come by in the afternoon, but seeing He Yuzhu sleeping, he shivered from the cold and didn't dare to knock on the door. He slunk back home, probably getting another scolding when he got back.

As usual, I brought chicken soup to the old lady in the evening. After hearing about what happened in Dongtangzi Hutong, the old lady specifically told He Daqing to keep an eye on the children and not let them run around.

After dinner, He Yuzhu insisted on going back to his own room to sleep, claiming that "my sister cried too much in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep."

He Daqing originally wanted to slap him twice to make him behave, but Chen Lanxiang stopped him.

"Alright, the child is all grown up and has his own thoughts. Go and light the stove in the side room, and once it's warm, let him go there and get a good night's sleep."

Chen Lanxiang could tell that her son seemed preoccupied today, so she decided to let him sleep alone so that the couple could have a private conversation—after all, it was best not to let the child hear too much about the Japanese.

Late at night.

The entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

The night was like a thick, unyielding ink, pressing heavily over the city of Beijing.

The cold wind, carrying fine snowflakes, frantically battered the doors and windows, making a chilling "shush-shush" sound.

He Yuzhu lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the side room, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the window.

The sunlight shone through the window, casting a pale, eerie glow.

He Daqing's even and loud snoring came from next door.

The time has come.

He quietly got up, put on his thick cotton-padded coat, hat, and scarf, wrapping himself up tightly.

He gently pushed open the door, and a biting gust of cold wind rushed in, making him shiver.

He shrank his neck, wrapped his cotton-padded coat tightly, and tiptoed out the door like a raccoon.

The courtyard was eerily quiet; the only sound was the crunching of my footsteps on the snow.

All the houses were dark, with only the occasional howl of a stray dog ​​in the distance adding to the eeriness of the cold night.

He dared not go into the backyard, fearing that the old lady would find his footprints.

So he chose to walk towards the front gate.

Step by step, trying his best to follow the footprints left by the adults, he finally arrived at the gate.

Looking at the towering wooden door, He Yuzhu was at a loss.

Too high.

He was only ten years old; his arms and legs hadn't fully grown yet, and he couldn't reach the door bolt at all.

He looked around and noticed a ladder leaning against the corner of the wall.

"This is the only way."

He gritted his teeth, and to avoid leaving any new footprints, he simply lay down on the snow and rolled over to the ladder.

He set up the ladder and climbed up using both his hands and feet.

Standing on the wall, he glanced back at the dark courtyard and silently prayed: Please, no one comes out to use the toilet.

He pulled the ladder up from the inside, placed it on the outside of the wall, and then carefully climbed down.

After landing, he quickly put the ladder away, and with a thought, the ladder instantly disappeared into the system space.

Brushing the snow off his clothes, He Yuzhu determined his direction, took a deep breath, and braved the cold wind to run towards the front door.