Chapter 183: He Yuzhu Faces a Crisis

He Yuzhu rested his hands on the steering wheel, his mind calculating repeatedly: should he completely tear off the mask with Shen Shichang, or continue to play for time? He stared at the gray sky outside the car window, unable to make a decision for a moment.

The military vehicle behind him had been following like a shadow.

He Yuzhu did not drive straight home; instead, he turned the steering wheel and drove the car to the edge of Shichahai.

He parked the car and began to stroll around the lake, needing to find a secluded place to probe the bottom of these followers.

Just as he rounded a small grove of trees, the people behind him caught up.

He Yuzhu sized up the group: although they were not wearing military uniforms, every one of them had a sturdy build, and the areas around their waists under their cotton robes were bulging, clearly concealing weapons.

A burly man with thick sideburns stepped forward, his spittle almost spraying onto He Yuzhu's face: "You must be He Yuzhu, right?"

A harmless smile immediately spread across He Yuzhu's face, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "Gentlemen, you have the wrong person; my name is Xu Damao."

The man with sideburns was stunned, then let out a cold snort: "Stop the damn act!"

Only then did He Yuzhu put away his disguise and say with a grin: "Since you've identified me, say what you have to say and be done with it; don't waste my time!"

"You little brat, you're quite arrogant! Mr. Shen asked me to pass on a message: you are to come over immediately and submit to questioning!" The man with sideburns said in a tough tone.

"No time today, I have a friend to meet." He Yuzhu checked his watch, "If my uncle Shen Shichang misses me, I'll buy some gifts and go see him the day after tomorrow."

"You little brat, don't try to scare me with that kinship! I've been with Mr. Shen for over twenty years; don't I know you're not even remotely related? You must go today!" The man with sideburns stepped forward, his face almost touching He Yuzhu's.

"Since we aren't even remotely related, then I won't be presumptuous; let's never meet again!"

"Go, whether you want to or not! Brothers, tie him up!" The man with sideburns waved his hand violently, and over a dozen men immediately swarmed in like hungry tigers.

He Yuzhu had been fretting that his hands were itching for a fight these past few days; seeing two men pounce toward him first, he swung his fists with lightning speed.

His fists struck the opponents' faces with a sound of tearing air; with two muffled "bangs," the two men in the lead had their nasal bridges collapsed, blood splattered, and they fell limply to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, his legs swept out like whips; with two "slaps," he kicked the two men behind them flying back over ten meters, and with a "crack," they smashed through the ice of Shichahai and fell into an ice hole.

"Since you were the ones who were impolite first, don't blame me for being unkind."

The remaining six men, seeing their brothers suffer, were instantly furious and reached into their bosoms.

How could He Yuzhu give them the chance to draw their guns? His figure darted rapidly through the crowd, using both fists and feet, each move striking at vital points.

In less than a moment, all six were lying on the ground, groaning incessantly.

The man with sideburns struggled to prop himself up, rubbing his eyes and cursing: "Grandson, you dare to touch Mr. Shen's people? I'll shoot you dead!" He reached out to draw his gun, but He Yuzhu stepped forward and stomped on his arm.

With a crisp "crack," his forearm snapped on cue, and a pig-like scream instantly resounded through the woods.

He Yuzhu looked down at him from above: "Go back and tell Mr. Shen, if he wants to get along with me properly, I still respect him as an elder. If he doesn't want to get along properly..." He didn't finish, but his gaze said it all.

"You kid is too arrogant! You just wait..." The man with sideburns was still clamoring while clutching his broken arm.

"One more word of nonsense, and all ten of you will die here today." He Yuzhu stepped forward and nimbly disarmed all ten men of their guns, "I didn't kill you today not because I'm afraid of Shen Shichang, but to save face for my sister Liu Rusi."

He ignored the wailing on the ground, turned around, and strode toward his car.

Amidst the roar of the engine, the truck sped away, leaving dust in its wake.

He Yuzhu parked the car at the entrance of the Siheyuan alley and hurried into the courtyard to pack his things.

He reckoned that Shen Shichang would soon have his home in the Siheyuan and his restaurant sealed off.

Just as he entered the courtyard gate, he was intercepted by Yan Bugui, who looked mysterious: "Zhuzi, did you offend someone? Yesterday, some officials came to the courtyard asking if you had returned."

"What did you tell them?"

"We said you hadn't returned!"

He Yuzhu smiled: "That's good." After saying this, he walked straight into the Zhongyuan, opened his door, and packed his things.

Just then, Jia Zhangshi knocked hard on the door.

He Yuzhu opened the door and asked: "Do you have something to say?"

Jia Zhangshi curled her lips and said: "You've offended someone. Yesterday, some officials came in and told the people in the courtyard that if you returned, they would report you to the authorities. Since we are neighbors, if you lend me your Erfang, I'll let you off the hook."

"Jia Zhangshi, have you lost your mind? If you dare to report me, I'll kill your whole family!"

"You little beast, you dare!" Before Jia Zhangshi finished speaking, a Flying Knife flew over her head, severing a lock of her hair.

The hair drifted to the ground.

Jia Zhangshi was scared out of her wits; she let out a "Mom!" and collapsed onto the ground.

In the study of the Shen Residence, the man with sideburns, Liu Bao, was carried in by two brothers with bruised eyes.

Shen Shichang glanced at him and asked: "Liu Bao, tell me, how did you end up in this state?"

Liu Bao cried bitterly and said: "Sir, that kid doesn't take you seriously at all, and even threatened to kill you!"

Shen Shichang sneered: "Don't you add fuel to the fire for me; otherwise, if I go ask others and it's different from what you said, I'll whip you!"

"Sir, that kid is too arrogant. I said you wanted to see him, he said he had no time today, and I said... then we started fighting..." He recounted the whole process exactly as it happened.

Shen Shichang waved his hand: "Go rest for a while, and go collect two hundred Big Ocean to distribute among the brothers."

As soon as Liu Bao was carried away, Shen Shichang immediately grabbed the phone: "Have people watch the No. 95 Siheyuan and He Ji Restaurant. Also, send a platoon to Liugongguan; don't let a single bird get in."

"Yes, sir!" the voice on the other end replied.

He Yuzhu parked his car in the Qianmen parking lot and walked toward He Ji Restaurant.

Halfway there, he was suddenly pulled by someone; turning his head, he saw it was Chen Xueru's bright, smiling face.

"You promised to design the storefront for my clothing shop," she said.

"I've been too busy lately, I can't find the time."

"You're really petty, still holding a grudge about what happened last time?"

"Not at all!"

"Then let's go take a look now; with your skills, you can get it done in half an hour." Chen Xueru pulled He Yuzhu along as they walked.

He Yuzhu had no choice but to follow her to see the shop.

The storefront was not large, about a hundred square meters.

He took out a tape measure to measure the length and width, thought for a moment, and based on his memories from his past life, designed several sets of display cabinets, and also promised to give her thirty mannequins. These mannequins, of course, were ones he had collected from malls in the United States.

Chen Xueru held the simple design sketch as if it were a treasure and said readily, "Zhuzi, I'll treat you to a meal tonight!"

"I don't have time today; it won't be too late to eat once I've transported the models to you."

Leaving Chen Xueru's place, He Yuzhu headed straight for He Ji Restaurant.

Pushing open the familiar wooden door, the warm fragrance of food rushed to meet him.

Chen Qingshan was clicking an abacus behind the counter, and Chen Daya was wiping down the tables and chairs.

Seeing him, the two of them came forward with pleasant surprise.

The three had not seen each other for a year, relying entirely on phone calls and telegrams in the meantime.

Chen Daya asked, "Zhuzi, you haven't eaten yet, right? What would you like? I'll put in the order for you."

"Just Twice Cooked Pork and Kung Pao Chicken, and bring two steamed buns," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

After the pleasantries, He Yuzhu called Chen Qingshan and Chen Daya to his side and said, "Siqiang, our restaurant might not be able to stay open. It would be better to transfer it to Jin Hai, if he is willing."

The smile on Chen Qingshan's face froze instantly, and his calloused hands trembled slightly: "Is there no room for maneuver?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "You also know I have many enemies. Xiao Erduo in Nancheng has been eyeing us covetously; before, it was all thanks to Liu Rusi keeping him in check. Now that she has had a falling out with her father, she can barely protect herself and can no longer look after us. If this shop continues to stay open, there will be no end to the trouble."

Upon hearing this, Chen Daya was somewhat tempted; she was becoming unwilling to run the shop because the work was truly too tiring, and on top of that, prices were skyrocketing and ingredients were hard to buy.

"If Zhuzi sells this shop, what about the one opened in partnership with Jin Hai?"

"I haven't thought that through yet!" He Yuzhu said.

Chen Qingshan spoke up: "A few days ago, I saw Jin Hai, and he still wants to open a branch! He even said he could secure grain. Why don't we sell it to him in name, but keep operating it ourselves in reality?"

"Siqiang, if you truly cannot let go of this shop, from today on, my shares in the restaurant will all belong to you; you handle them as you see fit. Even without me, with Jin Hai's protection, it is not impossible to keep it open."

"How can that be?" Chen Daya said anxiously, "This shop being where it is today is all thanks to you back then..."

He Yuzhu waved his hand to interrupt: "Between master and apprentice, there is no need to get tangled up in such trifles." As he spoke, he took the yellowed share agreement from his bosom and threw it into the brazier in the corner without hesitation. Orange-red flames leaped up, instantly swallowing the paper.

"Siqiang, in the future, I can still help get some grain, but I cannot guarantee safety. Now, even Liu Rusi can barely protect herself."

Chen Qingshan nodded: "Understood, I will go talk to Jin Hai tomorrow. He is considered a person of some standing in Si Jiu Cheng; let's see if he is willing to take it over."

He Yuzhu was just about to leave the restaurant when he saw a First Team of soldiers had already surrounded the shop.