Chapter 173: He Yuzhu Returns to the Courtyard

At the execution ground on the outskirts, the cold wind whipped up sand and dirt from the ground, scraping against faces like knives and blowing so hard that people couldn't open their eyes.

Xu Damao stood before a waist-deep dirt pit, his legs already weak, his crotch soaked through; as the cold wind pierced through, a bone-chilling cold surged straight into his heart.

His whole body trembled like a winnowing sieve, his teeth chattered with a "clatter," and he could barely stand steady.

At this moment, he regretted it so much his intestines turned green—if not for that foolish desire for revenge, how could he have forced himself step by step into this desperate situation? Not until the cold muzzle of a gun was aimed at his head did he truly understand that there were some people in this world he simply could not provoke.

An officer stepped forward expressionlessly and shouted, "Ready—fire!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang—"

The sound of gunfire rang out.

Seven people fell one after another.

Xu Damao's knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

His consciousness began to blur, and he couldn't even tell if he was dead or alive.

About an hour ago.

Luo Jiangtao was sitting in his living room, sipping freshly brewed Longjing tea.

A burst of urgent pounding on the door made him shudder.

He frowned and walked quickly to open the door. As the door opened, he saw Cui Xiu standing outside with disheveled hair, her face deathly pale, her chest heaving violently.

"Sister-apprentice, you're in such a rush—are you here to call off the engagement?" Luo Jiangtao said, half-jokingly.

Cui Xiu fell to her knees with a "thump," her voice trembling as she said, "Senior brother! I've come today with a thick face to beg for your mercy! I... I truly never expected that that damned wretch of mine would dare... dare to go and assassinate you!"

She couldn't even speak clearly, and tears fell in strings onto the bluestone floor.

"I thought it was some major matter." Luo Jiangtao reached out to help her up and led her into the room. "That son of yours is indeed a troublesome little bastard; he fired eight shots at me in a row! If I hadn't heard the sound of the wind blowing against the window paper in the room and been a bit more cautious, I would have been turned into a beehive. This kid has too much of a vengeful heart and is ruthless enough, too. Who did he learn this from at such a young age?"

"His deadbeat father was just like that! Whoever made him unhappy, he never let the revenge wait overnight. In the end, he ran into a hard nut to crack and lost his life," Cui Xiu said, throwing herself into his arms and crying.

"These years, you haven't had it easy either!"

"Senior brother... this time I have let you down. I owe you, and I will serve you well for the rest of my life!"

"Don't say silly things. Actually, I never really intended to take his life. But if I just let him off so lightly, there will be a second time sooner or later. He needs to remember this lesson."

"Then, senior brother, what do you mean...?"

"People always love to stir up trouble while they're alive." Luo Jiangtao's gaze turned cold. "If I don't let your precious son 'die' once, I want to see if he can change this lawless personality of his!"

Cui Xiu raised her head abruptly, seemingly understanding something: "You mean...?"

"I'm having him go to the execution ground to serve as a 'companion to the execution' for those die-hard elements! Don't worry, at most it will scare the wits out of him; he'll be fine and can be released tonight."

Only then did Cui Xiu feel a sense of relief, the heart that had been hanging in her chest finally settling back down. She wiped away her tear tracks with her sleeve and whispered, "Senior brother... I, I won't leave tonight."

"Good." Luo Jiangtao revealed a trace of a smile. "In a while, I'll have the restaurant send over a few dishes, and we'll have a couple of drinks to calm our nerves."

At nightfall, Xu Damao was sent back to Baihua Shenchu No. 5 Courtyard by a hunchbacked old man who had hired a rickshaw.

He stumbled off the rickshaw, looking dazed, his body still emitting a pungent smell of urine.

Hu Yunbin looked at his disheveled appearance, his voice filled with anger: "Now you know fear? What were you doing before! If you don't have the diamond drill, don't take on the porcelain work! If your mother hadn't gone to beg your stepfather this time, nine lives wouldn't be enough for you to lose!"

Xu Damao knelt on the ground with a "thump," his voice choked with the sobs of one who had survived a disaster: "Siqiang! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! In the future, I will never dare to act on my own again; I will definitely consult with you first if anything comes up!"

"Get up. Remember this lesson!" Hu Yunbin waved his hand, then turned to look at the silent hunchbacked old man and cupped his hands, saying, "This time, it's all thanks to you."

Xu Damao said: "Siqiang, I promised him that if he delivered the message for me, I would give him one hundred Big Ocean."

Hu Yunbin nodded, went out for a while, and came back with the Big Ocean.

Xu Damao kowtowed heavily to the hunchbacked old man.

"When I delivered the message for you, I really didn't intend to take the money," the old man sighed and said.

"I understand," Hu Yunbin nodded and said, "In the future, I'll have Damao visit you more often, just like visiting a relative."

"Old sir, you are my savior," Xu Damao said solemnly, "In the future, as long as you speak up, I will definitely do my best to handle it."

The hunchbacked old man took the Big Ocean and walked away slowly with his hands behind his back.

After he left, Hu Yunbin said: "Damao, rest well for a few days and get your body in shape. We are going to take on a big job."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao asked hurriedly: "Siqiang, are we leaving before or after the New Year?"

"We leave in ten days!" Hu Yunbin said in a deep voice.

Inside the study of the Shen Residence, candlelight flickered, and the air was filled with the faint scent of tobacco.

Liu Rusi sat opposite Shen Shichang, her legs crossed, a cigarette held between her fingertips.

"I've felt that Mayor Tian has been a bit off lately. Several proposals I submitted were rejected by him. Send someone to investigate whether he has made contact with Deputy Bureau Chief Mao."

"Godfather has indeed been acting unusual lately," Liu Rusi exhaled a puff of smoke. "He is selling off his real estate in Si Jiu Cheng, even the Jixiang Theater was sold to an opera singer. He must have received some wind of something."

"He is planning to leave Si Jiu Cheng!" Shen Shichang's brows knit together.

"The news I received is that the Northeast cannot be held. If that's the case... we... cannot walk down this path to the end."

Shen Shichang slapped the table and said: "Do not get involved in this matter."

Liu Rusi looked at her father, who had suddenly become angry, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Shen Shichang forced a smile and said: "When you have time, go visit your godfather often. This old friend of mine has always been a fence-sitter. See what new friends he has been making lately..."

"Alright, I will go investigate right away." Liu Rusi put on her coat and walked out of the study.

The air raid had just ended, and the smoke of gunpowder had not yet dissipated.

He Yuzhu carried the heavy M2 Machine Gun on his back, pulling a long rope as he went down the mountain.

Just now, he had shot down three enemy planes by himself.

Achieving such a result was no accident. The Bald Party pilots who attacked last time thought that since the mountaintop had been leveled, no one would dare to go up there, so this time they adopted a low-altitude bombing method, with the planes less than one hundred meters from the mountaintop, and as a result, they were hit squarely by He Yuzhu.

As soon as he came down from the mountain, the crowd surrounded him and tossed him high into the air to celebrate the victory.

"Zhuzi, you did a great job this time!" He Daqing praised him without reservation.

In the evening, the Regimental Headquarters held another emergency meeting.

Regimental Commander Yang brought an inspiring piece of news: the main force of the People's Liberation Army was already closing in, less than fifty li away from Xiahuayuan. The three defensive regiments would be able to withdraw from the battlefield tomorrow!

The Cadres below stood up at once, clapping vigorously, their faces covered in tears; they were genuinely happy.

Regimental Commander Yang subsequently summarized the brilliant results of this battle: we annihilated over 【number missing in source】 enemy troops... captured over 8,300 firearms of various types... of course, the price was equally heavy... the Independent Division sacrificed a total of 1,533 soldiers... we also had 1,782 soldiers sacrifice their lives on our side...

He Yuzhu had already made contact with Lao Zhou via radio, and he requested that the Rifles He Yuzhu brought back be handed over to the People's Liberation Army soldiers who had come to relieve them.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu drove off to return to Si Jiu Cheng. Because the roads were blocked, he had to take a detour, and it took him a full two days to arrive.

It would take Regimental Commander Yang at least a few days to withdraw to the Genjudi, and since he was in no rush to transport the guns over this time, he went to the Siheyuan to take a look first.

Come to think of it, he hadn't been back to this courtyard in nearly a year.

Just as he stepped into the courtyard gate, he was stopped by Yan Bugui: "Who are you looking for?"

"It's me, He Yuzhu, don't you recognize me?"

Yan Bugui looked him up and down, then said in surprise: "It really is you; I haven't seen you in a year, and you've grown so tall."

"My father injured his leg and can't come back; working in the fields every day makes it easy to grow," He Yuzhu said with a straight face.

"You've certainly gotten much darker; are your parents both doing well?"

"They're both fine; they actually quite like the countryside. They hope to stay for a while."

Just then, Xu Damao happened to be walking out from his house; he stared at He Yuzhu for a long time before recognizing him, then sneered: "I wondered who it was. He Yuzhu, you didn't die? How come you look like a country bumpkin?"

"Screw you!" He Yuzhu kicked him in the butt, and Xu Damao stumbled several steps before steadying himself.

A sinister glint flashed in the depths of Xu Damao's eyes, and he gritted his teeth: "He Yuzhu, if you dare bully me again, I'll kill you!"

"Just you?" He Yuzhu scoffed, "You're not even one meter five, and you want to kill me?"

Xu Damao walked out of the courtyard with an ugly expression, and Yan Bugui sighed: "Zhuzi, don't provoke him. His father died, and his mother found him a stepfather. This kid just came back yesterday, it seems to apologize to his mother; he ignores everyone and has a terrible temper."