The Courtyard’s Pillar: The King Returns

The cold taste of steel mingled with the smell of disinfectant in my nose. I jolted awake. White walls, lattice windows, faded certificates on the wall: this was a courtyard house in the 1960s! Memories came flooding back. My name was He Yuzhu, once known in this courtyard as "Silly Zhu." They had bled me dry and schemed against me until I froze to death beneath a bridge.

But now, I was back. My mind held the memories of a whole future business world, and my gaze was sharp as a blade. Qin Huairu came to borrow grain again? I smiled and pointed to the door. "You can have it on credit, but sign an IOU first. Three percent interest." Xu Damao spread rumors? I reported him for stealing and selling public property, catching him red-handed. First Uncle tried to guilt-trip me? In front of everyone, I exposed the old story of him pocketing the survivors' compensation.

In three months, the whole courtyard was bowing to me. I walked out of the compound and looked toward the surging tide of the times. This little courtyard was only a starting point. The real battlefield lay beyond it.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.