Chapter 174: The Return of the Prodigal

Since ancient times, the Chinese people have had a tradition of watching the excitement. A motorcade composed of luxury cars naturally attracted a crowd of onlookers, and among them, Yan Bugui was the most enthusiastic.

Yan Bugui still lives in the Ninety-five Courtyard now, but he no longer lives in the front courtyard. Yan Bugui's original house is now occupied by Lu Ming, who has been living in the Siheyuan all along.

Yan Bugui lives in the room on the right-hand side just inside the main gate. This used to be the gatekeeper's room, measuring less than ten square meters, and Yan Bugui has completely been reduced to a door god.

However, Yan Bugui is quite cunning; he built a room over the small open space in front of the door and added a doorway, barely managing to piece together a one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment of over twenty square meters, which is enough for Yan Bugui and his wife to live in.

The three Yan brothers each occupy the rooms facing south at the entrance, while Yan Jiedi married a worker.

I don't know if it's a matter of Feng Shui, but the entire Ninety-five Courtyard is prone to producing childless households. The three Yan brothers haven't managed to have a single child, which has Yan Bugui worried sick.

However, no matter how anxious Yan Bugui is, he cannot suppress his desire to watch the excitement.

Looking at so many luxury cars, Yan Bugui understands that these must be wealthy people, and he understands even better that whatever they let slip through their fingers would be enough to keep his whole family fed and clothed for a lifetime.

Just as Yan Bugui was fantasizing about climbing into a relationship with the owner of the motorcade to suck some blood, he suddenly froze.

Yan Bugui saw He Yuzhu, Qin Jingru, Tian Wenjiao, He Yushui, and others stepping down from the cars one after another.

"Shazhu?" Yan Bugui hissed in disbelief, while his heart was filled with shock: "How is this possible? How can this be? How could Shazhu possibly be this rich?"

For the beasts of the Siheyuan, Shazhu being rich is even more painful than if their own parents had died.

"Yo~ isn't this Shagui? You didn't die in the Great Third Front, huh? How did you come back from there? This won't do; the Great Third Front can't do without you. It seems I'll have to find someone to send you back to the Great Third Front," He Yuzhu said with a grin.

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he stretched out his hand, and a beautiful foreign woman immediately stepped forward, handed him a cigar, and lit it for him. He Yuzhu took a happy puff and blew a smoke ring at Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui was initially furious, but as if remembering something, his expression changed, and he said with a smile: "Zhuzi, the thing you're smoking must be the legendary cigar, right? Give me one, and I won't hold your rudeness just now against you."

After Yan Bugui finished speaking, he reached out to grab the cigar box from the foreign woman's hand.

He Yuzhu remained unmoved, just wearing a sneer.

After Yan Bugui's hand reached the cigar box and he took it into his own hands, Yan Bugui smiled.

At the same time, He Yuzhu smiled.

"Robbery! Robbery! Yan Bugui is robbing a foreign businessman! Hurry to the embassy and report it!" He Yuzhu shouted loudly with a laugh.

He Yuzhu wouldn't go to the Street Office or the police station to report it; if he went to them, it would definitely end up being swept under the rug.

If Yan Bugui had been polite to him, He Yuzhu might have ignored him for the sake of being neighbors; but He Yuzhu didn't expect that the moment Yan Bugui saw him, he would call him by the discriminatory name "Shazhu" and try to take advantage of him, so don't blame He Yuzhu for being impolite.

I can give, but you cannot rob.

His subordinates immediately drove to the embassy to report the incident.

Yan Bugui was suddenly dumbfounded, knowing that He Yuzhu wanted to blow the matter out of proportion. Yan Bugui suddenly felt that this scene was very familiar; it seemed that twenty years ago, on a certain day, He Yuzhu had done the exact same thing.

The same method, the same familiar taste.

Yan Bugui subconsciously ran into the Siheyuan, because Yan Bugui is not the only family in the Siheyuan that has a grudge against He Yuzhu.

Yan Bugui thought that since he couldn't deal with He Yuzhu himself, he would use the power of others in the Siheyuan to deal with He Yuzhu.

After Yan Bugui ran into the Siheyuan, he shouted loudly: "Shazhu is back! Shazhu is back!"

To ensure his message was delivered, Yan Bugui ran directly from the front courtyard to the back courtyard, shouting several times in each courtyard.

"What? Shazhu is back?" The people in the Siheyuan were collectively shocked.

Back then, He Yuzhu had suddenly left the Siheyuan for no apparent reason. Everyone was at a loss, and after the Street Office and the police station found out, they sealed He Yuzhu's house.

Although He Yuzhu left the Siheyuan inexplicably, everyone's life had to go on. Gradually, the matter of He Yuzhu became fodder for everyone's after-dinner conversation. In the end, they didn't care where He Yuzhu went; they just wanted to see He Yuzhu make a fool of himself.

However, those big beasts in the Siheyuan had all been taught a lesson by He Yuzhu, and the Street Office had sealed He Yuzhu's house, so the remaining people in the Siheyuan didn't dare to touch He Yuzhu's house, heaven knows if He Yuzhu would kill his way back.

He Yuzhu did kill his way back, but no one expected it to be twenty years later.

Those who had grudges against He Yuzhu were first shocked and then overjoyed when they heard he was back.

Finally, they could take revenge.

"Shazhu, you dead childless bastard, you harmed me so miserably, and you still dare to come back? I'll kill you!" Bang Geng roared angrily after hearing Yan Bugui's shouting.

Among the group of people driven to the Great Third Front, Bang Geng was the most miserable. The environment of the Great Third Front was poor to begin with, and Qin Huairu's meager salary was barely enough to keep the family fed.

It is hard to go from luxury to frugality. Bang Geng was used to eating white flour buns every meal and meat every few days. After arriving at the Great Third Front, he naturally couldn't stand it. Once his legs healed, he returned to his old profession.

The Thief Saint is out of the cage. Once, twice, Bang Geng got a taste of the sweetness, and then it was like the surging river, continuous and endless, like the flooding of the Yellow River, impossible to stop.

However, one who walks by the river often, how can one not get their shoes wet?

During one of his outings, Bang Geng was too greedy and was caught. The Great Third Front is not like Sijiucheng; Sijiucheng is the land of supreme virtue, while the Great Third Front is a place with simple folk customs.

Simple folk customs sometimes have multiple meanings, like the simple folk customs of Gotham City. In the Great Third Front, simple folk customs also mean fierce folk customs.

Not only are the men fierce, but the women are also fierce, and they will beat a person to death at the drop of a hat.

This time when Bang Geng was caught, Qin Huairu still thought about using her usual routine: crying about how miserable she was, while Jia Zhangshi would make a scene, roll on the ground, and use moral kidnapping to pressure the family that had been stolen from by using the power of the crowd.

As a result, the other family didn't buy it at all. The whole family came out to fight, and Bang Geng was beaten half to death, lying in bed for a full half a year before recovering;

Qin Huairu was also beaten up by the hostess of that family;

As for Jia Zhangshi, the family also had elders, and the elders all came out together, beating Jia Zhangshi half to death as well.

Finally, they reported it to the Security Section, and the Security Section immediately punished Bang Geng and Qin Huairu. Facts proved that Qin Huairu's routine of crying about misery didn't work at all.

Bang Geng, however, was unconvinced. After lying in bed for half a year to recover, he not only stole even more aggressively but also often beat this person and hammered that person.

How could the people in a place with fierce folk customs swallow this evil breath? They caught Bang Geng and gave him another beating.

Bang Geng just kept jumping back and forth between nursing his wounds and getting beaten.

Bang Geng believed that all of this was He Yuzhu's fault. If He Yuzhu had obediently been the sucker for his family, none of these things would have happened later.

Now that Bang Geng heard He Yuzhu was back, how could he not think about revenge?

Bang Geng rushed out with an "Awoo~" sound. Qin Huairu wanted to pull Bang Geng back, but it was too late.

At the same time, Xu Damao also rushed out of the house, following behind Bang Geng, also frantically rushing out of the courtyard gate. Bang Geng hated He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao also hated He Yuzhu, wishing he could swallow him alive and grind his bones to dust.

"Shazhu, I'll screw your grandfather!" Bang Geng roared angrily, and then, he was dumbfounded.

Bang Geng was shocked by the luxurious motorcade in front of him, frozen like a statue.

Bang Geng stopped, but Xu Damao, who was following closely behind, didn't hit the brakes, crashing directly into Bang Geng's back, causing Bang Geng to fall face-first and slide to He Yuzhu's feet in a prostrate position.

"Yo, isn't this Shageng? Why are you paying such a big tribute the moment we meet? It's a pity it's not the New Year, so there's no lucky money. If you want money, go find your real father Yi Zhonghai and your fake father Jia Dongxu," He Yuzhu said with a grin.

"Brother Zhuzi, you got it backward, right? Isn't Bang Geng's real father Jia Dongxu?" Qin Jingru said.

"On the surface, Bang Geng's real father looks like Jia Dongxu, but in reality, it's Yi Zhonghai. Back then, when Yi Zhonghai took the workers from the Rolling Mill to Qin Family Village for poverty alleviation work, he took a fancy to Qin Huairu at first sight, and then, Qin Huairu became pregnant."

"To avoid ruining his reputation and to keep Qin Huairu by his side, Yi Zhonghai introduced Qin Huairu to his apprentice Jia Dongxu. If you ask the elders in the courtyard, you'll know that Yi Zhonghai even bought a sewing machine for the Jia family back then. If Bang Geng wasn't Yi Zhonghai's child, how could Yi Zhonghai be willing to spend money to buy a sewing machine for the Jia family?" He Yuzhu said.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Shazhu, you bastard, I'll hammer you to death!" Bang Geng was furious, rolled over, climbed up from the ground, and kicked He Yuzhu with a big kick.

Unfortunately, this kick didn't hit He Yuzhu at all.

It wasn't that He Yuzhu dodged, but the beautiful foreign bodyguard standing beside He Yuzhu grabbed Bang Geng's ankle, swung him backward, and threw him heavily to the ground.

Then, the foreign bodyguards hired by He Yuzhu swarmed up, gave Bang Geng a round of punches and kicks, and then threw Bang Geng to Xu Damao's feet.

Xu Damao chickened out, and the anger in his heart disappeared without a trace.

A hero doesn't suffer immediate losses. To stay alive, being a bit cowardly is not shameful, Xu Damao comforted himself in his heart.

"Zhuzi, are these all your people?" Xu Damao's eyes stared straight at the rows of beautiful foreign women.

To protect Qin Jingru and the others closely, many of the bodyguards He Yuzhu hired were beautiful foreign women. Xu Damao was stunned after seeing so many blond-haired and blue-eyed foreign women.

"Yes, you're not wrong to understand it that way," He Yuzhu said.

"Sigh, Zhuzi, it's been so boring for us to fight back and forth for so many years. Agree to one condition, and our grudges will be wiped out. I won't even hold a grudge for you exiling my family of three to the Great Third Front," Xu Damao said.

"What condition? Let's hear it," He Yuzhu became interested instead.

"Let your subordinates sleep with me for a night. Let me, Xu Damao, taste some foreign flavor; it can be considered winning glory for the country," Xu Damao said with a wink.

"They are the bodyguards I hired. Whether you can take them down depends on your ability," He Yuzhu said with a strange smile.

"Hahahaha, I'm good at this. Good brother, watch me," Xu Damao said, immediately bypassing He Yuzhu and running to the beautiful foreign women to curry favor.

Unfortunately, Xu Damao's routine, which was always successful, didn't work at all in front of the foreign girls. Although they didn't speak the same language, anyone could understand the lewdness on Xu Damao's face.

Consequently, with a "Bang~" sound, Xu Damao was directly knocked to the ground. These foreign girls gave Xu Damao a round of beating, and after they finished, they threw Xu Damao out, landing exactly on Bang Geng, causing Bang Geng to scream repeatedly.

"Bang Geng." Qin Huairu ran out at this moment, screamed in shock after seeing Bang Geng's miserable state, then quickly stepped forward, pushed away Xu Damao who was pressing on Bang Geng, and helped Bang Geng up.

Only then did Qin Huairu see He Yuzhu, who was wearing a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Qin Huairu was stunned. She had just heard Yan Bugui's shouting and knew He Yuzhu was back, but she didn't expect He Yuzhu to return like this; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as returning home in glory.

However, the degree of this return in glory far exceeded Qin Huairu's understanding and cognition.

"Zhuzi, you're back." Qin Huairu couldn't help but say timidly. Afterward, Qin Huairu saw Qin Jingru behind He Yuzhu and was even more surprised.

In Qin Huairu's impression, Qin Jingru had always been a country bumpkin. Even after Qin Jingru married He Yuzhu and He Yuzhu bought her many clothes, Qin Jingru remained a country bumpkin in Qin Huairu's mind.

Now, Qin Jingru's image had changed drastically. Although it was a bit of a stretch to describe her as a young lady of a noble family, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as a charming young lady.

This made Qin Huairu unable to bear looking at her. At the same time, Qin Huairu felt all kinds of envy, jealousy, and hatred in her heart: We both came from Qin Family Village, and I'm even prettier than you, so why did you marry so well and live so well, while I live so miserably?

Although Qin Huairu felt all kinds of grievances in her heart, she still showed a smile on the surface and said: "Jingru, you're back."

Qin Jingru didn't pay any attention to Qin Huairu at all. Qin Jingru always kept He Yuzhu's instructions in mind: break off all relations with Qin Huairu, and have no more connection with her.

Just at this moment, Director Wang from the Street Office and Station Chief Zhang from the police station rushed to the entrance of the hutong.

There was no other way; they had been severely criticized by their superiors.

He Yuzhu had just sent people to report the case to various embassies. Because He Yuzhu's influence in the British Commonwealth was too great, many people in the embassies were He Yuzhu's fans. Now, hearing that He Yuzhu had received this kind of treatment upon returning home, they couldn't help but call the foreign affairs department of the Shenzhou Dragon to complain.

Just like that, one layer pressed another, eventually pressing down to the Street Office level. The Street Office was close, so they rushed over at the fastest speed, and the district and city levels were also rushing over at full speed.

"Director Wang, Station Chief Zhang, long time no see, you still look as elegant as ever," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"You are... He Yuzhu? After so many years, how come you haven't changed at all?" Director Wang widened her eyes and said in disbelief.

At the same time, Director Wang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in her heart. Her superiors had cursed at her, only saying that someone in the Street Office had offended a foreign businessman, without saying specifically who. Director Wang had prepared herself psychologically for everything, coming with the intention of being scolded, but she didn't expect it to be He Yuzhu.

It's always easier to deal with acquaintances than strangers; acquaintances know the bottom line.

Immediately after, Director Wang's heart tightened again. He Yuzhu is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Back in the day, whenever He Yuzhu suffered even the slightest grievance, he dared to go to the square to hold up a sign. Now that He Yuzhu has returned strongly, she doesn't know what kind of trouble he will cause.

"Zhuzi, now that you're back, will you leave again?" Director Wang asked cautiously, wanting to figure out He Yuzhu's bottom line first.

He Yuzhu didn't answer immediately, but handed his passport to Director Wang.

"Wealth without returning home is like walking in the night in silk robes. I have to come back and take a look, and by the way, accept the invitation from the superiors to invest or something. Don't worry, I'm just coming back to take a look occasionally; most of the time I'm still outside," He Yuzhu said.

Upon hearing this, Director Wang felt even more unable to rest easy.

Looking at the books of passports, Director Wang couldn't help but feel a "thump" in her heart, thinking: "This He Yuzhu is even more difficult to deal with. This isn't returning home in glory; what has returned is a master who cannot be touched or provoked. Once a conflict arises, it will be a foreign-related conflict, a worldwide dispute."

"Zhuzi, how could you..." Director Wang said in extreme entanglement.

Director Wang wanted to say that He Yuzhu was rebellious and betrayed his hometown, but the situation now is different from before.

"No way, it's for survival. I learned it from those people. You can doubt the character of the rich, but you can't doubt their vision. As for those with poor vision, do I need to say what their end was?" He Yuzhu said with a light smile.

(End of chapter)