Chapter 11: Xu Fugui Frames He Daqing

The more He Yuzhu thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He hurriedly took off his cotton-padded trousers and said, "Mom, soak my cotton trousers in water and add some vinegar. I need to go out and hide. I've heard that if the devils' dogs smell fresh blood, they'll bark wildly; maybe the devils will drag me into the Military Police headquarters."

He Daqing said in confusion, "It shouldn't come to that! It's your own blood, not the devils'!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu was scared out of his wits; this He Daqing really had quite an imagination. But this time, he had actually hit the nail on the head.

"Dad, Mom, if the devils ask, just say I got beaten up by someone and went to find Li Langzhong to look at my injuries!"

When He Daqing heard this, his eyeballs rolled around. He pointed at the backyard with a cigarette butt: "Hurry, there's a dog hole under that low wall at the Li Family's place in the backyard; you can crawl through it!"

He Yuzhu nodded, then, like a monkey, he "whooshed" out through the back window, landed with a forward roll, and stood straight up.

He glanced at the Deaf Old Lady's room and found the lights were off; since no one seemed to be watching, he pressed against the wall and moved quickly, his figure darting as he jumped over the low wall into the courtyard.

After stumbling a few times through the overgrown grass, he reached the old, crooked-necked locust tree beside the west wing room. Using both hands and feet, he "scrambled" up a few times, turned over, and lay silently on the roof.

From He Yuzhu's vantage point, he could see his own front door perfectly.

Before long, two devil soldiers with Type 38 Arisakas and fierce-looking faces, led by a bowing and scraping interpreter, began kicking in doors to search house by house.

Soon, the three of them burst into He Daqing's home.

A devil with a large head and a small body glared with triangular eyes and roared in broken Chinese: "You! Everyone's Good Citizen Certificate! Take them out! Quickly!"

He Daqing immediately put on his signature fawning smile and handed over the Good Citizen Certificates with both hands: "Your Excellency! I am just a cook, working the ladle at Dongxing Lou! These past few days, I've been busy at the stove the whole time, never moving an inch! The shopkeeper and the waiters can all testify for me! This is my wife; she's a sickly thing, never steps out of the house, just stays home watching the child!"

The devil soldier flipped through the Good Citizen Certificates, his small eyes scanning back and forth, until they suddenly stopped on He Yuzhu's page. He poked it with his finger with a "snap": "This person, where did he go? Why, it's dark and he's not at home?"

He Daqing's heart tightened, but the smile lines on his face deepened as he hurriedly explained: "That little brat, he just got into a fight with someone in the backyard and got his head cracked open, all bloody! So, he just ran off to find Li Langzhong at the street corner to get his wounds looked at! Look, there's even blood on these cotton trousers!" He pointed casually to a washbasin in the corner, where a pair of torn, mud-and-blood-stained cotton trousers were soaking.

The wolfhound quickly ran over and sniffed the basin for a long time, but didn't find anything unusual. It was likely because the clothes were soaked in water and some vinegar had been added.

The devil looked suspiciously at the dog, then at He Daqing, and said: "You are not honest. Be quick, find your son and bring him back, otherwise, you, to the Military Police headquarters."

The interpreter glanced at the clothes in the basin, then at He Daqing's honest-looking face, and said with a smile to the devil soldier: "Your Excellency, his son is just a ten-year-old kid; getting into a fight and seeing a doctor is nothing suspicious."

The devil soldier gave an "um," seemingly convinced, and waved his hand: "So ka. Next house!"

Watching these three plagues leave the door, He Yuzhu on the roof just wanted to let out a sigh of relief.

In the backyard, Xu Fugui had been waiting at the door for a long time. As soon as he saw the devils enter, his waist bent almost to his knees. His face blossomed into a giant chrysanthemum, as if he were seeing his own father: "Oh! Your Excellencies, you've finally come! Please, come in, come in! I've already prepared good tea, have a sip first! To ward off the chill!" After Xu Fugui entered the room, he hurriedly gave each of the two devils two Big Oceans, but he didn't prepare any for the interpreter.

The big-headed devil looked at the Good Citizen Certificate and said with a smile: "Xu-sang, you, a great good citizen."

Xu Fugui immediately took out cigarettes, handed them to the two devils separately, and even fawningly lit them for both.

Seeing that Xu Fugui was so capable, the devils wanted to hurry and search the next house.

But Xu Fugui had a lot to say; not only did he introduce himself, but he also claimed to be Lou Laoban's assistant, and said he knew this person and that person.

This infuriated the interpreter, who not only didn't get any Big Oceans or even a cigarette, but was also forced to translate a lot of nonsense.

Therefore, no matter what Xu Fugui said, he translated it very simply.

Seeing the time was right, Xu Fugui leaned into the devil's ear and whispered: "Your Excellency, I have a secret I want to tell you; there is a family in our courtyard that is very suspicious."

Although the devil soldier couldn't understand, seeing Xu Fugui's expression, he seemed to understand something and hurriedly told the interpreter to translate.

When the little devil heard this, his small eyes lit up. He stuck out his thumb and said: "Xu-sang, you are a great good citizen. Xu-sang, tell me, who is this person?"

Xu Fugui's mung-bean eyes rolled around and he said: "This person is He Daqing from the Zhongyuan. He's no good bird! He has several sworn brothers who are all street performers and wanderers! Their path is wild! Who knows what kind of shady business they're doing behind the scenes? I think he is the most suspicious!"

After the interpreter finished translating, one devil said: "Yosh! You, good citizen! Very good!"

Hearing this, the two devils immediately turned back and rushed back to the Zhongyuan with murderous intent! This time, they didn't even bother to knock; with a "clatter," they kicked the broken door of He Daqing's house wide open!

Seeing these three return with such a fierce aura, He Daqing knew something was wrong and his heart went cold! He reacted quickly, fishing five Big Oceans from under the kang mat and stuffing them into the interpreter's hand, his face twisted into a smile uglier than crying: "Officer, please divide the money among the Excellencies. I really am a good citizen. My son was just beaten by that bastard Xu Fugui; is it... is it that 'Xu the Wicked' from the backyard who slandered me to you? Please tell the Excellencies, I really am a great good citizen!"

The interpreter pinched the Big Oceans in his hand and nodded slightly, taking it as an acknowledgment.

But how could those two red-eyed devil soldiers care about that? They only heard Xu Fugui say "suspicious"! Without a word, one devil soldier came up and slammed his rifle butt hard into He Daqing's stomach!

"Ugh!" He Daqing curled up like a shrimp in pain, his face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat "poured" down.

"Baka! Take him away!" the big-headed devil soldier barked, stepping up to grab He Daqing's arm roughly.

When Shen Guizhi saw her husband being arrested, her soul flew away in terror. With a "wail," she burst into tears and lunged forward, trying to hold onto He Daqing: "Husband! You can't arrest him! He's a good man!"

"Bakayaro!" The other devil soldier glared, his murderous intent exposed, and with a "clatter," he pulled the bolt of his rifle and shouted: "Cry again! You'll die!"