Chapter 194: You Call Me Father

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" The courtyard gate was pounded so hard it rang out.

Hu Yongbin climbed up to the top of the wall to look, and his heart sank—several Police officers were standing outside.

He quickly slid down the ladder, grabbed Xu Damao, and dragged him toward the Houyuan.

"Siqiang, what are you doing?"

"We can't both get dragged into this! You hurry and hide in that hole by the latrine! If I get taken away, you go to 108 Kunwei Road, Hebei District, Tianjin, and find Hu Yunshui. He is my senior fellow apprentice; he can save me."

"Siqiang, you hide in there too!" Xu Damao pleaded, his voice trembling.

"If I'm not here, they'll tear the house apart! You're just a half-grown kid; no one will pay you any mind! Go!" Hu Yongbin said as he nimbly lifted the cover of the hole, practically stuffing Xu Damao inside, then tightly replaced the cover and quickly grabbed loose dirt and withered grass to scatter over it.

"Boom—!" With a loud crash, the courtyard gate was kicked open violently.

Several Police officers in black rushed in, the bearded man in the lead sneering.

Hu Yongbin feigned composure as he stood in the courtyard: "Officers, what business do you have with me? Is it worth kicking down my door?"

"You're wanted for tomb raiding; come with us," the bearded man barked.

"To catch a thief, you need the stolen goods," Hu Yongbin said in a flat tone. "If you officers want to arrest me, you must produce some evidence, right?"

"Stop playing dumb! You know what you do for a living, don't you? We didn't arrest you before because your crimes weren't in my jurisdiction, but this time you've provoked a big shot! There's no helping it, I'm just following orders!"

"It's that Mr. Kong, isn't it?" Hu Yunbin curled his lips into a sneer. "Since the deal couldn't be struck, you have to use official power to pressure people?"

"You know that, yet you still dare to resist?"

"If I'm afraid, will it do any good?"

"No!" The bearded man grinned hideously and waved a hand. "Take him away!"

"If you officers are taking me away, can you allow me to pack a few changes of clothes?"

"Pack my ass!" The bearded man interrupted impatiently. "Someone will 'pack' your little stash for you." In his eyes, the things in this courtyard were already his for the taking.

As soon as he finished speaking, two Police officers swarmed forward, twisted Hu Yongbin's arms, and dragged him out.

Inside the hole, Xu Damao curled up, not daring to breathe.

The chaotic footsteps above, the rough shouting, and the sound of his Siqiang being dragged away struck his heart like heavy hammers.

As soon as the people left, the courtyard became noisy again.

This time, even more people arrived, rummaging through cabinets, tearing up the kang, smashing bowls, and interweaving various curses.

"Damn it, hidden quite well!"

"This old bastard, he's really cunning!"

This frantic search lasted for nearly two hours; in the end, these people gained very little and left while cursing.

Xu Damao tremblingly pushed open the hole cover and climbed out with difficulty.

Because the space was too small and he hadn't dared to move, his legs had long since gone numb. It took several minutes for him to recover.

When he entered the room, he was shocked by the scene before him: the earthen kang had been ripped open, cabinets overturned, pots and bowls shattered all over the floor, and his slightly better set of clothes was gone too.

"Fuck them... these bastards!" He punched the wall, gnashing his teeth in hatred.

He didn't stay long in this courtyard, then staggered away and returned to the house he rented in Luogu Lane.

The room hadn't been lived in for a long time; it was bone-chillingly cold, and the broken window leaked, letting in a constant stream of cold wind.

He sat blankly for a moment, then suddenly remembered that his stepfather Luo Jiangtao might have connections, so he got up and returned to that Siheyuan.

In the courtyard, he ran into Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi mocked: "Xu Damao, your mother hides things so deeply; turns out she was an actress!"

"Go to hell, your mother is the one who sings on stage!"

Jia Zhangshi wasn't afraid of him and continued: "I'm saying, how could she not stay idle just after her husband died! Turns out she was selling herself..."

Before she could finish, Xu Damao picked up a stone and threw it at her.

Jia Zhangshi narrowly dodged it and quickly ran into her own house, locking the door, while still cursing: "You little beast, who knows whose seed you even are?"

Xu Damao ran over and kicked her door a few times, then left in a huff, going straight to find Yan Jiecheng to ask about his family's situation.

"When are you going to pay back the Big Ocean you owe me?" Yan Jiecheng asked with a dark face.

"Next time, definitely next time! I really didn't bring money today."

"You always say next time! You have no credibility with me anymore!"

"Look at you, so stingy! I, Xu Damao, have plenty of money! I'll pay you two back next time, alright?"

"That's more like it. Why are you looking for me?"

"My mother... has she not been coming back to the courtyard much lately?" Xu Damao asked.

"Her? She's barely been home lately! She took your older sister and younger sister to live at your stepfather's house to enjoy life. I heard your stepfather has a theater; is he especially rich?"

"How the hell would I know? That was the first time I'd ever heard he had a theater!" Xu Damao said irritably.

Seeing Xu Damao was angry, Yan Jiecheng feared he wouldn't get his two Big Ocean, so he quickly changed the subject, "Did you know? Something big happened at He Yuzhu's house! I reckon they've all run away. A few days ago, a lot of soldiers were guarding their front gate trying to catch them."

"Great, heaven has eyes; He Yuzhu, you have your day too!" Xu Damao left laughing.

The Siheyuan next to Gongwangfu.

Xu Damao knocked on the door, and the one who opened it was actually the hunchbacked old man who had saved him.

"Grandpa? How did you end up here?" Xu Damao was shocked.

"Sigh, after I passed that message for you last time, they didn't need me there anymore. I had nowhere to go, and it just so happened that Mr. Luo was kind-hearted and took me in to watch the gate."

"It seems I was the one who implicated you!" Xu Damao blamed himself.

"Child, no need to blame yourself; I'm doing quite well here."

"That's good! It'll be easier for me to visit you in the future. I'm here to see my mother today, but mainly to find Mr. Luo. My Siqiang ran into some trouble. I want to ask him for help."

"Mr. Luo seems to be in a good mood today; he just sang a passage of 'Wujiapo' with your mother." The old man led him inside.

In the main hall, the family was eating.

"Mother, I've come back to see you," Xu Damao said.

When Cui Xiu saw him, she scolded, "You little rascal! Where have you been running off to all this time?"

"I went to the grasslands with Siqiang to buy furs, but we happened to get caught in a heavy snowstorm there, so I was delayed a few days before coming back," Xu Damao said with an apologetic smile.

Luo Jiangtao, slightly tipsy, spoke up: "Damao, have you eaten yet? If not, let's eat together. Keep me company for a cup today."

"Old Luo, he's still young, he can't drink alcohol," Cui Xiu interjected.

"I see him running around outside; he's surely had a drink before," Luo Jiangtao laughed.

Xu Damao steeled himself, first pouring a full cup of wine for Luo Jiangtao, then pouring one for himself and downing it in one gulp, coughing from the burn.

Luo Jiangtao laughed heartily: "Good! Your courage is commendable!"

After the meal, Xu Damao sidled up to Luo Jiangtao and lowered his voice: "I want to talk to you about something."

The two of them went into the study.

Xu Damao told him about Siqiang being taken away by the Police, only saying that Siqiang was helping his senior fellow apprentice sell an item that someone had set their sights on, without mentioning the tomb raiding.

Luo Jiangtao scrutinized him for a long time and said, "Kid, you're still a bit green at lying. Do you think I don't know what your Siqiang does for a living?"

Xu Damao immediately put on a cheeky grin: "Since you already know, I won't hide it from you anymore. Do you think this matter can be handled? My Siqiang can pay."

Luo Jiangtao shook his head: "Although I have an opera house and a wide circle of friends, the person you've offended is Kong Lingchen, which makes it quite difficult. I know this man; he is a petty villain and impossible to deal with. Unless you can find someone who can suppress him."

"Then can you help me find out where exactly my Siqiang is being held?" Xu Damao pleaded.

Luo Jiangtao laughed, fueled by the alcohol: "Call me 'Dad', and I'll help you find out."