Chapter 116: Recognizing Kin

He Yuzhu brought Chen Xueru into He Ji Restaurant. A young waiter hurried over, and upon seeing it was He Yuzhu, he quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "The young boss has brought a guest. Would you like a private room or to sit in the main hall?"

Chen Xueru said casually, "Let's just eat at that table by the window!"

He Yuzhu nodded.

The two sat down. Chen Xueru took the menu, glanced at it, and said, "Add extra chili to the Boiled Fish, and bring an order of Scallion-Braised Sea Cucumber."

"Add an order of Twice Cooked Pork and an order of Vinegar-Glazed Cabbage," He Yuzhu instructed.

The young waiter hurried off to place the order.

Before long, the dishes were served. Chen Xueru picked up a slice of fish with her chopsticks, but instead of putting it into her mouth immediately, she waited for the fish slice to cool down. "I am truly curious, how did you learn to draw fashion design sketches?"

"I am naturally clever; I can learn anything after seeing it once."

The corners of Chen Xueru's mouth twitched slightly, and she almost laughed out loud. She knew He Yuzhu was thick-skinned, but she hadn't expected it to be this thick.

She hurriedly put the fish slice into her mouth, frowned from the spiciness, and then fanned her mouth vigorously with her small hand, as if that could relieve the heat. "Then are you still going to school now?"

"I originally wanted to go to school, but there were too many things at home, so it got delayed. Once the world is at peace, I plan to take the entrance exam for Tsinghua University directly!"

Chen Xueru finally couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, smiling until her eyes narrowed into slits.

"I know Tsinghua University, but they don't have a fashion design major."

He Yuzhu put down his chopsticks and said, "Fashion design is just my amateur hobby. Actually, my specialty is designing cars, airplanes, cannons, refrigerators, televisions, fans..."

He was still there shaking his head and counting them off, while Chen Xueru was already laughing so hard she was slumped over the table.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were full of tears. "You, you, you really can brag! I've never seen anyone boast about themselves like this!"

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly and picked up his teacup to take a sip. "You're a little woman with a shallow perspective. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. In the future, you'll be able to witness my greatness!"

Chen Xueru curled her lip and said, "So what if I'm a little woman? I can still run a shop and make money!"

"You're amazing! Women can hold up half the sky, after all!" He Yuzhu comforted her.

"You said that well," Chen Xueru praised.

During this meal, the two were basically talking past each other, but it was still quite pleasant.

Chen Xueru hardly believed anything He Yuzhu said. She took it all as He Yuzhu bragging.

He Yuzhu didn't mind. Since she didn't believe him, it was the perfect opportunity to tell her all the things he didn't dare tell others. It could be considered a release; he had been here for almost a year since transmigrating, hiding himself every moment, and this time he finally let go a little.

After the meal, He Yuzhu walked her home. Just as they reached the shop entrance, they heard a burst of rude shouting from inside.

They saw a man with a shiny, bald head pointing at a trembling waiter, roaring, "Bolihua has been beaten to death! From now on, your protection fees belong to me, Big Head, to collect, and the amount is doubled. Hurry up and call your boss out!"

Chen Xueru's face turned pale, and she immediately wanted to rush in to argue.

He Yuzhu was quick-witted and fast-handed; he grabbed her arm and gently pulled her behind him.

He strode into the shop, and before that Big Head could react, he swung his palm and slapped him hard!

With a crisp "slap," Big Head was sent staggering and stood there stunned.

He Yuzhu pointed at his nose and cursed, "This shop is under my protection. You dare to collect protection fees? I think you're tired of living!"

Big Head clutched his cheek, which had swollen instantly. Coming to his senses, he was suddenly filled with rage and pointed at He Yuzhu, screaming, "You little bastard, have you eaten a leopard's gallbladder? You dare hit me? Brothers, get him!"

Before his voice had even faded, two shifty-looking subordinates behind him pounced with claws bared.

He Yuzhu dodged to the side, precisely avoiding the first man's fist, and took the opportunity to grab his wrist. With a seemingly light shake and push—a slight "crack" of a dislocation sounded, and the man's arm instantly hung limp. The scream startled everyone walking outside the shop.

Almost simultaneously, the other man launched a sneak attack from behind.

He Yuzhu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he suddenly crouched down, and the guy flew right over his head, landing flat on the ground.

He Yuzhu stepped hard on his back, looked at Big Head, and said, "Get out now, and don't come back. If you come again, I'll break your legs!"

Seeing his two men beaten to the ground, Big Head's face turned pale. He wanted to step forward but was too cowardly.

He Yuzhu didn't give him time to hesitate; he lunged forward and kicked him hard in the stomach.

Big Head let out an "ow" of pain and rolled on the ground.

He Yuzhu stepped up, kicked him down, and stepped on his big head, applying a little pressure.

"Speak! Who is your boss?"

Big Head still wanted to struggle, but the force on his head kept increasing, as if it were about to crush his skull. Terrified, he quickly begged for mercy: "Master! Master! Take it easy! Our boss... is Xiao Erduo."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu eased the pressure under his foot slightly and pondered for a moment. "Xiao Erduo is a man of his word. I'll spare you today. Go back and tell him that He Yuzhu is protecting the Chen Family Silk Store, and tell him not to get any ideas!"

Big Head responded hurriedly: "I heard you, I heard you! Young Master, I'm just running errands for the boss; I will definitely deliver the message! But whether the boss will give you this face... I, I can't guarantee that..."

Only then did He Yuzhu lift his foot.

He let these people go, thinking that it would prevent them from coming back for revenge after he left.

The shaken Chen Xueru came over, her voice still trembling: "Will they... will they come back for revenge?"

"They shouldn't," He Yuzhu comforted her. "I'll go find Xiao Erduo myself another day."

He Yuzhu was also a bit puzzled; Zheng De, who was above Xiao Erduo, was already gone, so why was he still acting so brazenly?

He comforted Chen Xueru with gentle words for a while longer, and seeing that her mood had stabilized, he turned and returned to He Ji Restaurant.

Just as he stepped over the threshold of the restaurant, he was pulled aside by Chen Wenjun, who had been waiting for him.

She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with inquiry: "Zhuzi, tell your sister the truth, have you fallen for that young girl?"

He Yuzhu shook his head, unable to laugh or cry: "Sister, I'm only twelve."

Beside them, Li Xiangxiu curled her lip while wiping the table and interjected: "You were certainly attentive enough to her."

"Go, go, go, go do what you're supposed to do!" He Yuzhu waved his hand impatiently, then said seriously, "By the way, I can't go back to Nanluoguxiang recently; I have to stay in your courtyard for a while. Xiuer, stop working for now; go back and help me tidy up and set things up."

"Alright!" Li Xiangxiu agreed readily, immediately putting down her rag to go to the Houyuan and change her clothes.

Seeing this, Chen Wenjun frowned slightly, pulled He Yuzhu over, and asked in a low voice: "What exactly happened?"

He Yuzhu sighed and briefly explained the situation of his parents being forced to head to the Genjudi.

"Is it that serious?" Chen Wenjun's face also turned grave. "Then will our shop..."

"Once the situation becomes urgent, you all must be prepared to evacuate. However, I don't think it has reached the worst point yet."

He Yuzhu did not leave until the restaurant closed, returning to the small courtyard where Wang Jiazhi was staying while remaining vigilant the entire way.

The courtyard was quiet, and the windows of the main room cast a warm yellow light.

Pushing the door open and entering, the kang was burning hot, and the entire room was toasty, dispelling the chill of the night.

Wang Jiazhi had not yet slept; she was waiting for He Yuzhu to return.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the room, he was pestered by Wang Jiazhi, "What on earth happened to you?"

"Nothing major." He Yuzhu did not want to tell her about the matter.

"Were those people from the United States killed by you? Don't try to play dumb with me!"

He Yuzhu had no choice but to tell the truth.

After listening, Wang Jiazhi was not overly alarmed; she pondered for a moment and said, "I think we need to use another major event to cover this one up, otherwise, they will never stop."

"Great minds think alike; tell me, what should we do?" He Yuzhu said.