Chapter 159: Mother Wants to Remarry

Xu Damao stared blankly at his mother and said, "Mother, have you gone mad from missing Father? How could he... how could he possibly send us money?"

"If it wasn't sent by your father, then who else would give us money? After you left, I turned this room upside down and didn't find even a single copper coin. But now, this money... how did it just appear out of thin air?"

Xu Damao's heart sank abruptly, and his brows locked tightly together.

Money had gone missing from the house; how could his mother not look for it? It seemed he had thought of this matter too simply, and had underestimated his mother's thoughts. Perhaps she had known from the very beginning that he was the one who took the money.

Xu Damao had no choice but to follow her lead: "If that's really the case, then perhaps... it's truly Father watching from heaven, seeing that we are suffering too much, and he specifically came to provide for us."

Cui Xiu gave a bitter smile: "Your father even came to me in a dream a few days ago, saying that if we were living too bitterly, I should... I should find someone to rely on."

"What?" Xu Damao sprang up from the edge of the kang, his face flushed red, and said, "Mother, are you in such a hurry to find me a stepfather? If this gets out, how am I supposed to face people?"

Cui Xiu glared at him fiercely, her voice suddenly rising: "You little brat! Every time something happens at home, you run off and don't come home for months. This whole family relies on me alone to hold it together; if I don't find someone, how am I supposed to live?"

Cui Xiu looked at Xu Damao, tears streaming down her face.

"As the saying goes, a woman follows her husband in marriage, and her son after her husband dies. You can be my reliance."

"I'll be drinking the Northwest wind with you!"

"But my father's body is not yet cold, and you are already in such a hurry to find a new partner? Isn't that a bit shameless?" Xu Damao shouted loudly.

"Is being shameless something you can eat or drink? Look at Jia Zhangshi next door; her husband died, and it's a struggle for her to raise one child. I have to raise a family of four—do you think it's easy for me?"

"I can already earn money; I can support the family!" Xu Damao said.

Cui Xiu sneered: "Besides taking money from the house, what else can you do?"

Xu Damao was stunned; his mother had known about him stealing the money long ago, and he suddenly felt he had no face left.

He had originally intended to take a portion from his own two thousand Big Ocean to subsidize the household, but now he was unwilling. His mother already hated him because of one hundred Big Ocean; in his mother's heart, he was not even as important as one hundred Big Ocean.

Cui Xiu continued: "Even if we have money, so what! Don't I still get harassed outside?"

"Who bullied you? Tell me, I'll kill him!" Xu Damao was like an enraged beast.

Cui Xiu pursed her chapped lips and whispered: "That Liu Si in the Houyuan, he ran into me a few days ago and said he wanted to be a father to the children. I scolded him, and he started getting handsy... With no man in the house, I'm afraid such things will be endless in the future."

"Screw that Liu Si!" Xu Damao slammed his fist onto the table, the teacup fell to the ground with a crash, and broken porcelain shards splattered everywhere, "I'll slaughter him!"

"Don't do anything reckless!" Cui Xiu let out a long sigh, her eyes dim and lusterless, "Isn't that exactly your father's temper? Whoever offended him, he had to take revenge, and in the end, he got himself killed. You must learn to endure and learn to consider the big picture."

"Mother, don't try to persuade me! Do you know what I've been through these days? I was almost killed! From now on, whoever dares to bully you, I'll kill them one by one!"

"You're just talking like a child; this world isn't that simple!" Cui Xiu wiped away her tears, her tone unusually firm, "I have already promised Lady Lou; we will hold the happy event on the fifth of next month."

"Mother, do you not care about my feelings at all? Suddenly finding me a stepfather, I... I can't accept it!" Xu Damao's voice choked, and his eyes were already red.

"You aren't qualified to be the head of my household! You don't need to worry about my affairs!"

"I won't allow it!" Xu Damao forcefully threw a teacup beside Cui Xiu.

A piece of porcelain flew up and scratched Cui Xiu's face.

Cui Xiu wiped it, her hand covered in fresh blood, and she cursed loudly: "You hurt me! I'll beat you to death." She picked up a feather duster and started hitting Xu Damao on the head.

Xu Damao gave a hard push, and Cui Xiu tumbled over.

Cui Xiu sat on the ground and cursed: "You heartless wolf cub, get out, and don't you ever come back!"

"Mother... are you really going to drive me away?" Xu Damao's tears finally couldn't be held back, falling in large drops onto the back of his hand.

"I'm telling you, my marriage is already decided; it's useless for anyone to say anything!"

"You're shameless!" Xu Damao finished speaking and ran out.

Tianjin, Astor House Hotel.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed. He Yuzhu had just finished showering and was wiping his wet hair with a towel when he heard urgent knocking at the door.

He opened the door to see Liu Rusi standing outside in a crisp military uniform, looking exceptionally heroic and spirited.

Behind her were six fully armed guards, and at the very back was the expressionless Pingping.

"Sister? Coming over so early, did something happen?" He Yuzhu frowned slightly.

"Can't I come to see you if nothing happened?" Liu Rusi walked straight into the room and signaled the guards to place the six wooden crates on the floor.

The guards put down the items and retreated silently.

Liu Rusi sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and said: "The payment for that batch of goods has been settled. Your share is one million Big Ocean in total. The crates contain Big Yellow Fish, US dollars, and silver dollars; not a cent is missing."

He Yuzhu walked over and casually flipped open a crate lid; the gold bars shimmered with an alluring glow in the morning light.

"Sister, let's split it half and half; you take half."

Liu Rusi waved her hand, "Not this time. You've contributed too much for the company; I can't bully you."

"Then you take forty percent," He Yuzhu said.

"I said I don't want it."

"What? I've only been out for half a year, and we've become distant? Do you have a sweetheart and want to draw a line with me?" He Yuzhu said half-jokingly.

"Bullshit!" Liu Rusi rolled her eyes at him.

He Yuzhu picked up the crate of US dollars and placed it in front of her: "You must accept this crate of US dollars. Otherwise, let's not cooperate in the future."

Liu Rusi stared at him for a long while before finally nodding: "Since you've put it this way, then I won't be polite."

"Sister, with so many goods, how did you sell them so quickly?" He Yuzhu asked curiously.

"Officer Sun and his superiors took half, and the rest were bought up by my godfather. This batch of goods is a hot commodity on the black market; it can double in value with one turnover. I'm also doing this as a favor," Liu Rusi said with a bitter smile.

"These officials, their scale is truly not small," He Yuzhu shook his head.

"Isn't it like this in every dynasty? Behind vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road lie the bones of the frozen," Liu Rusi's gaze carried a hint of sarcasm.

"US goods are so easy to sell, I'll have to go again next year," He Yuzhu said thoughtfully.

"You probably don't know about tariffs. Officer Sun has his eye on those three new ships; if we agree to sell them to them, they won't charge tariffs. Otherwise, it will be at least three hundred thousand Big Ocean!"

"Then sell them to them; we can't give them away for free," He Yuzhu said in a calm tone.

"He wants to buy them at cost price to offset our tariffs," Liu Rusi added.

"No wonder he was so generous! I'll also make a request: have Officer Sun wire the money directly to Zhao Ying's side, and let Zhao Ying use this money to continue buying ships. Ship prices in the United States are cheap right now; buying them is making a profit."

"I understand! What are you going to do next?" Liu Rusi asked, leaning back on the sofa.

"I want to bring my mother back to Si Jiu Cheng, do you think it's feasible?" He Yuzhu asked tentatively.

"No problem," Liu Rusi smiled, "The current Police Chief is one of my godfather's people, and the new Bureau Chief of the Secret Service Bureau can also be considered half one of our own."

Two days later, He Yuzhu did not go straight home, but instead borrowed a truck from Liu Rusi and drove alone directly toward the base camp of the Jizhong Guerrilla Force.

The truck drove on the rugged mountain road, dust flying everywhere.

Just as he arrived at the perimeter of the guerrilla force's station, he was stopped by several soldiers armed with live ammunition.

In the cold wind, the icy gun barrels were aimed in unison at He Yuzhu's chest.

"Who goes there!" a People's Liberation Army soldier shouted sternly.

He Yuzhu pushed open the car door with a smile on his face: "We're all on the same side, I'm here to find Xiao Duizhang."

"We don't have an Xiao Duizhang here," the soldier eyed him warily.