Chapter 19: He Daqing is Set Up Without Realizing It

The people in the Siheyuan were all waiting to watch the "Sun Wukong battles Zhu Bajie" show between Jia Zhangshi and Xu Fugui! Unexpectedly, in the end, they saw nothing at all, as it concluded with Xu Fugui backing down; everyone suddenly felt it was dull and flavorless, and they all dispersed to their homes.

He Daqing hunched his neck, walking through the Nanluoguxiang alley with hurried steps; he entered the Siheyuan, and when he saw people, he couldn't even be bothered to greet them.

"Clang!" The red-lacquered wooden door was pushed open, and a biting cold wind "whooshed" into the main room. He Yuzhu, who was squatting by the edge of the kang tinkering with a slingshot, shuddered violently. He stopped his hands, looked up, and saw He Daqing's dejected face.

He Yuzhu's heart tightened, but he deliberately teased him: "Dad? You look like... a frost-bitten eggplant seedling—did your old flame dump you!"

He Daqing looked at little He Yuzhu, his eyes wide as saucers: "You little bastard! If you dare to be cheeky with your father again, see if I don't slap you onto the wall!" Before the words even faded, he "thumped" heavily onto the kang, crossed his legs, and stared silently at the ceiling covered in old newspapers.

By the stove, Shen Guizhi, whose illness had mostly faded, carried a plate of steamed white flour buns and a dish of leftovers from lunch, placing them gently on the kang table.

"Master of the house," she said with fear in her voice, "what on earth is wrong? Could it be that you lost your job?"

He Daqing slowly propped himself up, his eye bags as dark as two pipe bowls. He shook his head. "Dongxing Lou is making me go to the puppet army barracks outside Yongdingmen on the seventeenth of this month to cook, and I have to work for three days! This matter... it reeks of something damn sinister!"

"Dad! I saw the notice at Qianmen; isn't the puppet army holding a 'Martial Arts Assembly'? Why are they short a cook in the barracks? Why pick you specifically?"

"Why?" He Daqing waved his hand irritably. "I swallowed my pride and asked Master Ma San! He just dropped one sentence—'The higher-ups specifically named Master He.' Not a single word more!"

"I don't think this is a good job; it might be a trap!" He Yuzhu pressed.

He Daqing rolled his eyes dramatically. "You little brat, you really overestimate your father; I am no Emperor Gaozu of Han!"

"Dad! I definitely know that; you aren't even as good as Fan Kuai. I mean, those Japanese might be planning to kill those wandering martial artists!"

He Daqing glared and cursed: "You little bastard, are you looking for death?"

"I heard the Japanese trading firm in Wangfujing was robbed, and there are many rumors on the street. Some say it was done by a master thief, some say by a martial arts expert, and others say it was Huang Daxian. Do you think the Japanese are using this assembly to arrest people?"

"Impossible. I actually heard that some Japanese consolation group is coming to boost morale and supervise the battle!" He Daqing said.

"Then why don't you take me with you? I've grown this big and have never seen such a lively scene!" He Yuzhu said cheekily.

"Go to hell!" He Daqing swung his fan-sized palm! He Yuzhu was prepared and rolled to the end of the kang like a loach, shouting: "Don't be ungrateful! I'm going to help you! If something really happens, I'm fast on my feet and can slip out to send word home, right?"

"Talk your mother's nonsense!" He Daqing panted with rage. "If something happens to me, could you little brat escape in one piece?"

"Don't look down on me!" He Yuzhu stiffened his neck. "Climbing roofs and tiles, scaling walls and trees—that's all a piece of cake! I..."

"Stop! Don't have your mother's pipe dreams!" He Daqing said decisively. "Don't even think about it! I will absolutely not take you into that dragon's den!"

The charcoal in the brazier crackled, casting dim light onto the New Year painting that read "Abundance Year After Year."

In the Jia family's room, the oil lamp was like a bean.

Lao Jia had just stepped into the house when he saw Jia Zhangshi clutching two shiny Big Ocean silver coins in her palm, rubbing them repeatedly, her face filled with unconcealable triumph.

"Where did the Big Ocean come from?" Lao Jia's heart sank, and his voice changed pitch.

Jia Dongxu was quick-tongued and spilled the beans about the "extortion" of the Xu family that had just happened in the courtyard.

Lao Jia's face sank instantly, as if covered in frost. "Mother of the child, from now on, if you want to throw a tantrum or act like a shrew, I won't stop you. But the Xu family—you stay away from them! We can't afford to provoke them! If ordinary neighbors fight, extorting some money is the limit. But Xu Fugui... he is someone who can take a life!"

Jia Zhangshi's triumphant smile froze on her face, and her heart skipped a beat, but she gripped the Big Ocean even tighter: "The money... the money is already in hand, I... I am not giving it back!"

At the Yan family. Yang Ruihua watched her husband Yan Bugui staring blankly at the oil lamp and couldn't help but push him: "Lao Yan? Are you really thinking about driving Xu Fugui out of this courtyard?"

Yan Laoxi came back to his senses, a glint of light flashing in his small eyes, and he shook his head slowly: "Drive him out? I just said that off the cuff, you just listen to it as such. I'm pondering how to squeeze some oil out of Xu Fugui."

Yang Ruihua curled her lips: "I think it's hopeless! Zhuzi shouted about Xu Fugui being an informant all over the courtyard; the 'dirt' you have in your hands isn't worth a fart now!"

Yan Bugui slapped his thigh in annoyance: "That Zhuzi ruined my good deed! Before I could even get a hold on Xu Fugui, he leaked it!"

At Yi Zhonghai's house. Yi Zhonghai was eating a small dish of boiled salted soybeans, drinking inferior liquor with his head down, his brows knitted into a knot.

"This Xu Fugui..." his voice was low, "his heart is too poisonous! Not only did he beat someone else's child, but he also went out of his way to report black secrets to the Japanese; he is intentionally trying to take people's lives! No, I must find a way to unite the people in the courtyard... and isolate his Xu Family!"

It must be said that at this time, Yi Zhonghai still had a bit of backbone, and he didn't yet know he would have no children; at this time, there was also no social environment of moral kidnapping.

Aunt Yi was so scared she hurriedly tugged his sleeve: "Lao Yi! Are you crazy? What kind of times are these? The Japanese devils are killing until their eyes are red! They arrest and behead people at the slightest sign of trouble! At this critical moment, you must not stir up trouble!"

At Liu Haizhong's house. Liu Haizhong sat with his legs crossed, picking his teeth, a trace of strange admiration on his face: "Tsk... I didn't see it coming! This Xu Fugui really has some 'guts'! He goes for the kill at the slightest disagreement; he's a ruthless character who does big things! Our family... must take the initiative to get close to his family from now on. Following such a strong man, even if we can't eat meat, we can at least lick some of the meaty broth..."

At the Xu family, Xu Fugui couldn't sit still after hearing Xu Damao's account.

But at this time, Xu Damao was still adding fuel to the fire: "Dad, you don't know, that He Yuzhu has a truly vicious mouth; he cursed our whole family, and even said I was a servant's son, not even as good as his father, a cook! And that Deaf Old Lady..."

"Stop talking!" Xu Fugui slapped the table, startling Xu Damao, who immediately shut his mouth.

At this moment, Xu Fugui had already made a decision.