Chapter 12: He Yuzhu Teaches Xiao Zhang

Qin Huairu collapsed onto the ground.

She stared blankly as Jia Zhangshi was carried toward the hospital by everyone, and watched as Bang Geng cursed her incessantly while being dragged away by the Public Security Station, her heart filled with despair.

She had already exhausted everything when Bang Geng was arrested before; there wasn't a single cent left in the house, only half a bag of sweet potato flour, and a pile of external debts remained unpaid.

With Jia Zhangshi suffering a stroke this time and Bang Geng arrested, what was she to do?

In an instant, her mind was in complete turmoil.

Bang Geng's curses made her heart ache even more, as if it were being torn apart.

Xudong, if only you were still here!

I wouldn't have to endure so much; my heart is so tired.

But no matter how desperate Qin Huairu felt, the world would still continue to rotate according to its specific laws.

"Sister Qin, get up quickly; the ground is so cold." In the end, it was He Yushui who softened and stepped forward to help Qin Huairu up.

Furthermore, He Yushui noticed that in such a short time, many wrinkles had unexpectedly appeared on Qin Huairu's face, and she looked much older.

Qin Huairu felt like a large shrimp with its vein removed, leaning against He Yushui with her whole body limp and sore.

She stared blankly at He Yushui, and tears gushed out; this Bang Geng, why was he so troublesome? How was she supposed to save him this time, and how much bail would it cost again!

Watching Qin Huairu being helped into the room by He Yushui, He Yuzhu sighed; this really couldn't be blamed on him. Bang Geng had incited public anger this time, and the entire Courtyard hated him to death; it was none of his business.

Hopefully, Bang Geng could learn a lesson this time and understand what could be done and what could not.

"Xiao Zhang, you and Yushui take everyone to tidy up the room, then get some tea for everyone; Ma Hua and I will go cook." Turning his head, He Yuzhu gave instructions, then brought Ma Hua to the courtyard, while the First Elder even moved the stove from his own room outside.

"Ma Hua, thank you for today; I'll pay you back for the groceries once I get my salary."

"Hey, Master, what are you saying about paying back? Just consider it your apprentice showing filial piety to you."

He Yuzhu looked at the sincere Ma Hua, his heart trembling; he patted his shoulder without speaking.

Who has it easy these days? This apprentice is truly excellent.

"Alright, your master wouldn't take advantage of you; come on, today I'll be your assistant, you do the stir-frying!"

"Alright, Master."

Saying this, He Yuzhu picked up the kitchen knife and began chopping vegetables with a *swish-swish-swish* sound.

"Yo, Zhuzi's craft is really not bad." The Third Elder, having finished washing his face, leaned in; although he was a teacher, he could still understand He Yuzhu's skilled knife work—it was much better than his wife's.

He Yuzhu smiled without replying, turning his head to point out and guide Ma Hua in stir-frying bit by bit.

"Logically, I shouldn't be pushing you to start stir-frying so quickly; chopping and prepping are the basics, but we don't have much time left. Later, you go help in the main kitchen and chop ten thousand catties of shredded potatoes; that way you'll finish your apprenticeship faster."

"Ah?! Ten thousand catties of potatoes? Goodness." Ma Hua stuck out his tongue; he didn't pay attention to what He Yuzhu meant by "not much time left," but felt even more grateful in his heart—what master would teach an apprentice with such effort?

It happened from time to time that a master would starve after teaching his apprentice everything; a master like He Yuzhu, who was eager for his apprentice to replace him immediately, was truly rare.

Ma Hua was moved in his heart and made a resolution...

Soon, with the cooperation of He Yuzhu and Ma Hua, a large table of dishes was prepared; all kinds of aromas wafted through the courtyard, especially the large basin of braised pork and soy-sauce bones, which made everyone's mouths water continuously.

The "beasts" of the courtyard also brought tables and chairs to piece together, and several older women steamed dry rations and brought bowls, chopsticks, bean paste, green onions, and other pickles.

For a moment, they actually made He Yuzhu change his opinion of them somewhat.

A crowd of people ate and drank boisterously in the courtyard; the First Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder all raised their glasses to give speeches, and the atmosphere was rich and enthusiastic.

"Good grandson, you eat more; who is this young man? I haven't seen him before, and you haven't introduced him to Grandma." Long Laotaitai had finished eating quickly and pointed to He Yushui's fiancé sitting nearby.

The old lady was open-minded and kept comforting He Yuzhu, saying that it didn't matter if the house was gone; as long as people were safe and sound, that was better than anything.

"Grandma, this is your granddaughter's fiancé; you stay healthy and wait to hold your great-grandson, haha."

"Good, good; then you also need to hurry up and find a partner, good grandson." The old lady was overjoyed.

"Don't you worry about me; I, He Yuzhu, am a famous handsome young man for ten miles around, how could I not find a partner? Haha."

"Pah, Shazhu, have some shame."

"Haha, exactly, how shameless."

Once the words were out, the entire Courtyard burst into laughter.

In stark contrast to this was Qin Huairu's home.

Qin Huairu sat blankly by the edge of the kang, not going to eat, and without turning on the lights; she just sat alone in the darkness, completely out of place with the lively atmosphere outside the house, her whole person exuding a dense aura of death.

Xiao Dang and Huai Hua, meanwhile, were taken by Yushui to eat in the courtyard until their mouths were fragrant and their bellies were round.

After everyone finished eating and drinking and returned to their homes, only one table remained in the courtyard.

He Yuzhu, He Yushui, Xiao Zhang, and Ma Hua sat on four sides, looking at the stars in the sky and chatting continuously.

"Brother, do you want me to go plead for Bang Geng?" Xiao Zhang drank a mouthful of tea to suppress the rolling alcohol in his stomach and asked.

He Yuzhu's heart stirred; he thought of himself, sighed, and shook his head.

"No need, undergoing reform is a good thing for him; the law is above all else."

"I know, Brother, but pleading might let him serve a few less days; after all, you are all neighbors, aren't you, Brother?" Xiao Zhang nodded, but still spoke up; it wasn't that he was a busybody, he just wanted to show off in front of his future brother-in-law.

"In this world, who doesn't want to live according to their own temperament?! We don't have those powerful and influential fathers; we have to rely on ourselves, right? So, understanding what can be done and what cannot is very important!" He Yuzhu lit a cigarette, took a beautiful puff, and spoke in a deep tone.

"My father and Yushui's father ran off with a widow when we were young; we grew up under the cold eyes of others, eating others' leftovers and wearing others' old clothes, so we must work even harder, hoping to change our own destiny."

"However, what can change our destiny is not just knowledge, but also power!"

"Power, no matter where it comes from or who it comes from, must be regulated; otherwise, it will be like a tiger out of its cage, uncontrollable."

"Life must be gambled on, must be fought for; if you don't gamble or fight, you don't have the slightest chance of winning, but you cannot break the law! Even more, you cannot trample on the law because of family ties, because of face, or for various other reasons; matters of pulling strings and playing favorites must be completely eradicated!"

"You are a police officer, you are a public servant, a Party member; you must have Party spirit!"

"I hope you can remember that when fighting against evil, you must strive to fight; don't care how others see you, don't go along with the crowd. One wrong step leads to wrong steps everywhere; you must always keep yourself standing in the light!"

"Even if it costs your own life, you must win half a move against heaven!"

After finishing his words, Xiao Zhang nodded solemnly, his perception of He Yuzhu refreshed.

The principles and unyielding nature in He Yuzhu's words made him feel awe.

Xiao Zhang stood up respectfully and gave He Yuzhu a salute.

He Yuzhu also straightened his clothes and returned the salute!

He Yushui burst out laughing: "Are you two drunk? What are you doing?"

He Yuzhu and Xiao Zhang exchanged a smile, and with everything understood between them, they sat down.

"Let me tell you, brother, Xiao Zhang's father is Director Zhang of our Public Security Station, and his grandfather is even a veteran of the Red Army who fought a hundred battles and went on the Long March back in the day. He is not like what you said, he doesn't have a powerful father." He Yushui rolled her eyes at her silly brother and cracked melon seeds.

"Ahem, is that so? Then he should even more so not let his future be tied up in social niceties. Keep working hard and stay safe." He Yuzhu felt awkward.

"Got it, brother."

In the end, He Yushui went to stay in the dormitory, and He Yuzhu stayed in Yushui's room, washed up, smoked a cigarette, and lay down on the bed.

Before long, after the courtyard quieted down, Qin Huairu indeed snuck in, knelt on the ground, and looked at He Yuzhu with teary eyes.