Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

When the people in the courtyard saw Li Jianguo push his bicycle in, with bags and packages hanging all over the back seat and handlebars, as if he were moving house, they were all extremely envious and their mouths were practically watering.

"Director Li! I heard your project team gave out prizes? So many!"

Xu Damao was the first to come over, staring at the pile of things with wide eyes, making no attempt to hide his envy and longing.

Li Jianguo wasn't stingy either; he directly gave him a pound of meat, tied with straw rope, with alternating layers of fat and lean:

"You're also entitled to this reward. I remember all the help you gave me during this time—calling the police, speaking up for me, running around doing everything for me. Here, take this."

"Oh my! Thank you, Director Li! Thank you so much! You're so kind!"

Xu Damao was so excited that he held the piece of meat as if it were a royal decree.

He is now extremely satisfied with the choice he made back then.

Who doesn't know he's one of Li Jianguo's men? In the factory, everyone treats him with utmost respect; even the workshop foreman greets him with a smile. And now, he's getting tangible benefits too!

The others watched with burning envy, wishing they could snatch the piece of meat from Xu Damao's hands.

But Li Jianguo wouldn't give them to them.

Although his second and third uncles stopped openly targeting him, they hadn't been friendly to him at first, watching him coldly and even kicking him when he was down. Now they wanted to get close to him? No way!

Li Jianguo just smiled faintly. As for the things?

Don't even think about it.

Let's see how they perform in the future.

in the hospital.

Yi Zhonghai stood before the deaf old woman's bedside, his eyes filled with barely suppressed ferocity and madness, like a starving wild dog:

"Deaf old lady, what's your plan? Just tell me! Stop beating around the bush! I want Li Jianguo dead! I can't wait another day!"

Today, he watched as Li Jianguo was fawned over and flattered by everyone, surrounded like a hero, holding a pile of prizes, enjoying immense prestige.

The imbalance and jealousy in his heart had reached their peak, threatening to burn him to ashes.

"Okay. As long as you're willing to help, Li Jianguo will definitely not have a bad ending this time."

The deaf old woman was very satisfied with his reaction, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

She waved, signaling Yi Zhonghai to come closer.

After confirming that no one was around and the corridor was quiet, she lowered her voice and whispered in Yi Zhonghai's ear, each word like venom:

"I've maintained contact with people over there, and with the Americans. If you want, we can ask them for help. Li Jianguo won't live much longer."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

He suddenly raised his head and looked incredulously at the old woman lying on the hospital bed, barely alive, as if she were a stranger, a monster.

"You said...you and over there? You...you are...?"

He was incredulous, his voice trembled, and he unconsciously lowered his voice even further, as if afraid of being overheard.

The deaf old woman nodded calmly, her face expressionless, as if she were talking about something completely ordinary.

"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I would have survived so many storms in that chaotic world? Why do you think I would have been able to weather so many storms?"

Yi Zhonghai's mind was completely in chaos, like a lump of paste being stirred up by a stick.

"Wait a minute... let me think... you... you really are..."

His voice unconsciously lowered even further, so low that it was almost inaudible.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was a constant crackdown on enemy agents and spies.

They had arrested people from their steel rolling mill before and held public denunciation meetings. He had personally witnessed those people being dragged onto the stage and cursed by thousands of people.

But he never imagined that something like this would be so close to him, so close that it was right beside him, so close that he saw it every day.

Now, someone is telling him that his neighbor, whom he sees every day and has taken care of for so many years, is actually an enemy agent.

The news was so shocking and terrifying, it struck him like a bolt from the blue.

"Don't be nervous. I've been doing this for so many years, and I'm still fine, without any problems. You don't need to worry."

The deaf old woman reassured him, a smile playing on her lips, a smile that appeared particularly eerie in the dim light.

"Even if something really happens, with them here, we can still go abroad. We can live a good life there. What are you hesitating for? Don't you want Li Jianguo to die?"

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, as if trying to suck all his hesitation and fear back into his stomach.

He gritted his teeth, and the last trace of struggle and hesitation in his eyes was completely replaced by ruthlessness and madness:

"You're right. Anyway, I have no children, nothing to hold me back. As long as Li Jianguo is killed, I'll accept whoever does the dirty work!"

After a long silence.

Yi Zhonghai finally accepted this reality that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

The deaf old woman was an enemy agent.

Watching him slowly calm down, his eyes filled only with a desperate ruthlessness, the deaf old woman smiled, a satisfied smile.

"Li Jianguo is no ordinary person. He's a key technical worker in the factory and someone the higher-ups value. If we can get rid of him, they might give us a huge sum of money, a really big sum. That money would be enough for us to live comfortably and enjoy our final days."

Listening to the deaf old woman's words, Yi Zhonghai's last bit of resistance and fear of the unknown vanished.

It could kill Li Jianguo.

They can still get the money and run away.

Why not?

The night outside the window was as thick as ink, pressing down heavily.

The dim light shone on two aged and distorted faces, casting deep, overlapping shadows.

A wicked scheme, capable of utterly destroying someone, is slowly, slowly taking shape in this ward filled with the smell of disinfectant.

The deaf old woman sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), her cloudy eyes gleaming with calculation.

She finally made up her mind—Li Jianguo must die.

Yi Zhonghai rubbed his hands, fidgeting restlessly, feeling like his bottom was on fire.

"Grandma, what's your plan?"

He leaned forward, his voice low, but he couldn't hide his urgency.

"Tell me quickly, I feel like I have twenty-five mice crawling inside me—it's like a hundred claws are scratching my heart!"

He wished Li Jianguo would die tomorrow morning.

Tonight would be best.

The deaf old woman glanced at him sideways, her lips drooping.

"What's the rush?"

She spoke slowly, her tone filled with disdain.

"You've lived most of your life, and you're still so impatient. Do you think this is a grocery store?"

Yi Zhonghai shrank back sheepishly, not daring to argue back.

The deaf old woman beckoned to him with her finger.

"come over."

Yi Zhonghai quickly moved to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

The deaf old woman pulled a piece of paper and a pencil from under her pillow.

Her hands trembled violently as she gripped the pen, as if it were a heavy iron rod.

One stroke, one line.

He wrote down an address in a crooked and messy manner.

After she finished writing, she folded the paper and handed it to Yi Zhonghai.

"Find some time and sneak off to this place."

Her voice was very soft, as soft as a cold wind emerging from a crack in the ground.

"Find someone surnamed Li. Explain the situation to him. They'll handle the rest."

Yi Zhonghai took the paper.

Her fingers trembled even more violently than an old deaf woman's.

He unfolded the note, staring intently at the lines of text, his eyes glued to the paper.

A layer of sticky, cold sweat instantly seeped from my palms.

He knew perfectly well what this address meant after living most of his life.

Those are enemy agents.

They are people hidden in the shadows of this city.

He lived for over sixty years, working honestly and living a law-abiding life.

This is the first time I've ever done something like this.

Yi Zhonghai raised his head and looked at the deaf old woman.

His eyes held fear, hesitation, and a last glimmer of hope.

"The person at this address... is..."

He dared not utter that word.

The deaf old woman nodded.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

"He's from the US. He's been hiding here for almost twenty years. Just go find him and explain things clearly. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Yi Zhonghai's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Getting involved with enemy agents...

If this is discovered, it could cost you your head.

He had seen that kind of scene before.

He even went to watch the spectacle when people were being executed.

With a thud, the person fell to the ground like a tattered sack.

Blood was everywhere.

Even now, when he thinks about that scene, the back of his neck still feels cold.

He was just a moment ago looking ruthless, patting his chest and saying he was determined to kill Li Jianguo.

But when it really came to this...

The little courage he had left deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle.

He placed the note on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

He pulled his hand back as if dodging a venomous snake with its tongue flicking out.

"How about... we think of another way to handle this?"

His voice was so weak that he felt ashamed even when he heard it himself.

The deaf old woman stared at him.

His eyes were as cold as ice crystals in the twelfth lunar month.

"You're such a coward."

She gritted her teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"If he can't do it, do you think you can?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned bright red.

"This is a matter of life and death!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of bravado but a hint of cowardice.

"What does it have to do with whether I'm a coward or not?"

The deaf old woman scoffed.

"Besides this idea, besides contacting them, do you have any other options?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

The deaf old woman was telling the truth.

How many times have they fought against Li Jianguo?

They've never won even once.

Not only did they not win, but they also suffered bad luck every time they lost.

Sometimes, even just cursing someone behind their back can get you into trouble.

Yi Zhonghai kept telling himself that these were all coincidences.

It has nothing to do with Li Jianguo.

But deep down... I still felt a bit uneasy.

That kid is really weird.

It was so eerie that it sent chills down your spine.

He fears.

I'm afraid of failing again this time.

They were afraid that things would be exposed and discovered.

At that point, it will be a dead end.

He had seen the punishment for enemy agents before—better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

None of those who were arrested fared well.

Yi Zhonghai lowered his head, staring at the patterns on the kang mat.

His fingers unconsciously picked at the edge of the mat, leaving white marks.

The deaf old woman sighed helplessly as she looked at his pathetic state.

"You really are... utterly useless."

Her tone was filled with disappointment, disdain, and helplessness.

"But you better remember this—it's a matter of life and death between us and Li Jianguo right now."

She stared at Yi Zhonghai, her eyes like two knives.

"If you don't kill him this time, can you guarantee he won't kill you?"

Yi Zhonghai's shoulders twitched.

The deaf old woman looked him up and down, a mocking smile on her lips.

"You're not young anymore. You don't have many years left to live. From a respected master craftsman, you've been reduced to carrying stones every day. How much longer do you think you can do that?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Yi Zhonghai's heart like a hammer blow.

"If we're not careful, something might happen...who knows?"

Yi Zhonghai's expression grew increasingly grim.

He vividly remembers the hardship of moving stones these past few days.

My back hurts so much I can't straighten up.

My hands were covered in blisters, they broke, scabbed over, and then broke again.

If we keep doing this...